Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with commuting

Help a Portland Oregonian expatriate to Washington, DC

Skwirl — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 04:33:36 -0800

I'm moving to Washington, DC for a new job that is a huge step up for me. I'd like to have a studio apartment lined up for January 1st and I will have a week to intensively look for a place before my job starts on Dec. 21st. What are some neighborhoods, tips and resources what would be helpful for me to find my perfect place in such a short turn around? My main goal is super convenient car-free living and commuting. My sensible ceiling for rent is about $1200. I could comfortably go decently higher, but I'm also used to spartan living and could go lower. I prefer small living spaces. Heck, I miss dorm life. My highest priority, after safety, is a sensible commute. I don't drive and in the past I've happily mixed and matched bus, light rail and bicycle commutes at my daily whimsy. My dream situation would be to be able to walk to as many day-to-day necessities as possible. My office is a stone's throw from the Teasury (Nearest Metro lines: Blue, Orange and Red) so I dunno how realistic walking to work would be but my other dreamy dream would be to have many of the daily essentials within walking-biking distance. (Can I have a Trader Joes and a neighborhood hippy co-op as my neighbors? And a Target? Kthnxbye...)

Other considerations:
* There will probably be times where I'm biking or walking home at 2 am and I want to be reasonably safe from intimidation and violence. I don't particularly care about other urban issues or inconveniences.

* I significantly prefer greenspaces and multi-use paths over nightlife, but I would utilize both.

* I've been browsing rent.com, housingmaps.com and apartments.com. I've only rented from craigslist-y individuals in the past and I've had only good experiences but I have found those situations wanting in professionalism sometimes and I would prefer a good property management company.

* I will be buying all new (or new to me) furniture. Pre-furnished apartment? Even better. (Think: Dorm but with a kitchen.)

* I understand the cost-of-living sticker shock. I've crunched the numbers and I'm still sooooper psyched. But, if there's a significant tax difference between MD, DC and VA, I'd want to know more.

* Obviously proximity to Metro stops is pretty coveted, but I think all I care about is minutes spent commuting so if I could beat the market with a good bus route and bicycling, I'm all ears.

* Where should I avoid?

My plan is to stay at the HI hostel and/or Priceline hotels and/or couch surf while I'm looking for a place if I don't meet my January 1st goal. Most of my stuff will be shipped at a later date at my leisure.

With what machine shall I join the scootering masses?

abkadefgee — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:12:07 -0800

What kind of used scooter/motorcycle should I buy that will be relatively safe, repairable, and ~$1500 or less? I previously asked a question in April about taking a cross-country scooter trip here: http://ask.metafilter.com/119706/Is-a-crosscountry-trip-on-a-scooter-feasible-reasonable-or-at-all-safe

The info was extremely valuable and cleared up a lot of misconceptions I had. I've been doing some research since then, but it can still be very confusing to see I should look for in a bike or scoot and for what price.

For example: I recently found two scooters I could see myself buying: a 2009 Kymco Agility 125 for around $1500 or a twenty year-old Yamaha Riva 180 for a little less than half that.

The Riva could probably use a new cooling fan as it apparently overheats around sustained 50mph+ driving, but it's a low price point for what seems like a powerful beginner scooter at only 7,000 miles.

The Kymco doesn't seem to have any issues whatsoever, but has a top speed of around 65 mph and costs twice as much. I am a little unsure about whether I will be able to find parts as easily for this machine as a Yamaha and it's a bigger upfront investment before I've learned if I really like riding a scooter.

I'm willing to consider other alternatives, but I don't want to spend hundreds of hours looking for the perfect deal.

My main priorities are finding a bike that is relatively safe, four-stroke (for lower pollution), has a top speed somewhere around 70 so I can ride 55 mph comfortably, is repairable by someone with enthusiasm but not experience, has replaceable parts that won't be a nightmare to find, and isn't too expensive.

It would also be a big plus if I don't have to worry about major depreciation if I decide that the two-wheeled life is not for me.

Also, if you have any tips on negotiating a low price, let me know. Was hoping the upcoming winter would drive prices down at the least.

Is it safer to do a 5 mile commute on city streets on a bicycle or a motorcycle?

realpseudonym — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 01:45:08 -0800

Is it safer to do a 5 mile commute on busy city streets on a bicycle or a motorcycle? Let's say we have a 5 mile commute along fairly busy 4 lane city streets. Cars are parked on the curbs on both sides of the streets. Some of the streets are very commercial with cars coming in and out of driveways. There are city buses.

Assume that I am a perfect driver, and that accidents only happen because somebody doesn't see me or sees me and misjudges how close they are to me.

Am I safer riding a motorcycle with full safety gear (going up to 35 mph) or riding a bicycle with only a bicycle helmet (up to 15 mph)?

My first thought was that the bicycle is obviously safer because of the lower speeds involved. On the other hand, I thought the motorcycle might be safer because you move at the same speed as traffic; whereas on the bike, angry drivers will constantly be trying to pass you.

Why is there less road traffic on Fridays?

jeremias — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 06:54:14 -0800

Why is there less road traffic on Fridays? I commute to work at roughly the same each day and have noticed a significant and consistent drop in traffic on Fridays. If I were to guess I would say the roadways are 20-30 percent lighter in the mornings between 8 and 9. This is on a major thoroughfare in the Boston suburbs (Route 2 East) going into the city and is consistent enough to be predictable.

Is this a common phenomenon or just some local statistical blip?

First thoughts: Lots of people have 4 day work weeks? College students don't have classes on Friday? I really have no idea.

Blogs for bike commuters

Brittanie — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 19:45:16 -0800

Recommend some bike commuter blogs I live in Houston. I have recently resolved to start commuting by bike about 3x a week (more if it's feasible). I live on one of the busiest streets in the city, but I have an almost direct route, a really good bikeways map and alternate route, and all the gear I think I need so far.

What I'm looking for now is tips, in the form of blogs which I can subscribe to, on commuting by bike. I don't have time right now to read through 5 different websites or books. I would like my tips in easily-digestible nuggets.

I've read these posts and found them very helpful. More along the lines of those hints, product reviews, news, etc., please! Bonus points if the blogs relate to Houston or Texas.

Right now I ride a hybrid bike (you should see our potholes!) and I'd like to wear street clothes/work clothes as much as possible. Tips on making this work in the Houston heat are especially helpful.

Is there a magic gear I should switch into?

Anonymous — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 18:53:13 -0800

How the crap do you ride a bike? I didn't have a bike growing up but have been trying to learn. It is not going well. My bike has 1-3 on the hard gears and 1-6 on the lower gears. I am unable to get myself up hills at the same pace as people I am riding with (ie, barely keep the bike up pedaling as fast as I can manage; usually have to dismount and walk the entire thing). Going downhill, I go way too fast.

I have a light commuter bike and am good at doing bike machines and the like at gyms as well as jogging. Is this the wrong bike for me? Am I basically SOL until I move somewhere flatter and figure it out? For the record I've been biking almost daily for around 3 months now and in substantially better shape cardio-wise than the people I bike with. I feel like I am missing something.

I need general advice about bicycle commuting and specific recommendations for Seattle.

GPF — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 14:11:27 -0800

I need general advice about bicycle commuting and specific recommendations for Seattle: where to live for commute to UW, bike shop recommendations, must have equipment, neighborhoods to avoid, good routes and trails, and the like. I'm planning a move to Seattle. Lots of good threads on the green about Seattle info and bicycling info. The Seattle department of transportation maps and guides seem fantastic -- any personal experience you could add to using them would be much appreciated.

I'm considering using a bicycle as my main commuting vehicle to the University of Washington. Obviously, closer is better but closer means higher rents and more undergrads -- right? In searching for places to live, I'm trying to gauge how far from UDub I can get and have a tolerable commute. I'm a pretty good judge of my fitness and stamina for it, but I don't have any idea which neighborhoods make for a convenient ride. As in, I'd prefer an hour long ride on an easy trail to a twenty minute ride on a hilly five-lane road. Are there any definitive architectural encumbrances (e.g. bad bridges, freeway crossings, etc.)?

Bonus for family friendly parks nearby and cheap rents. Double bonus for specific apartment or landlord recommendations.

I'd also love some recommendations for bike shops - especially ones that trade in used gear and cater to the commuter.

Anything is better than driving?

tmcw — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 09:00:09 -0800

I've heard that there are twice-daily commuter flights to/from Charlottesville, VA and DC. I can't find any online... everything seems to be typical big-airliner, normal-expensive flights. Am I looking in the wrong place, and what's the best option for traveling between those two places minus a car? More specifically... I'm not actually commuting but rather visiting Charlottesville when I'm not working in DC. And it would be nice if it were fast, cheap, and convenient, but I'd understand if it's just two out of the three.

Perfect disc break rainy-day single speed commuter frame.

wcfields — Sun, 31 May 2009 20:53:26 -0800

Bike Filter: I'm looking for a cro-moly steel frame and fork that can handle disc breaks and enough clearance for fenders and has track drop outs with a road bike geometry. The closest I've seen so far is the Surly 1x1 but I'd rather have something a little more speedy (road geometry), larger (they only make them to 55cm sized and I'm looking for something around 60-62cm).

Ideally I'm going to put 700x28 tires on it and built for year round riding in Portland,OR.

How/where can I get a Dutch-style city bike in NYC without breaking the bank?

zvs — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 18:15:25 -0800

How/where can I get a Dutch-style city bike in NYC without breaking the bank? I've been riding around a beat-up old Panasonic road bike for awhile (it's a 1981 model that I bought used, and has turned out to be something of a lemon), and I've sank so much money into repairing it that I don't see the point of keeping it anymore.

I'm an occasional commuter (Brooklyn to downtown, ~5 miles, including a bridge), and a pretty experienced rider (fairly fast, traffic weaving) but not a bike nerd or great at maintenance. 99% of this bike's usage will be on-street.

I saw these on Wikipedia and fell in love (my work pants are always getting torn up in the chain, drum brakes are probably better for the seemingly always-wet roads)... can I find a bike after the Dutch model in NYC? Without dropping a grand? Or is it time to call eBay?

Gotsta Get to Charlestown. Starting in Somerville.

sully75 — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 12:58:58 -0800

Somerville-Charlestown filter: I'm going to school in Charlestown (at the Navy Yard) and would like to live in either Inman or Davis. How would I get to school via public transportation? Which neighborhoods would be most convenient? There's a possibility of Union Square and also some places I know of in Jamaica Plain too. That's the basic gyst of it. I lived in Somerville for a long time but never had to get to Charlestown. I've looked at the MBTA site but I'm still confused what bus lines I'd be dealing with. If I was in Inman, is there a convenient bus? Would I be better off in Union?

Also how would the bike commute be safety wise? Seems like a lot of big roads between the two areas. Would I be smarter keeping it orange and living in JP?

Thanks!

Heavy biker seeks bike for heavy biking

Slap*Happy — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 19:17:47 -0800

What sort of bicycle should a big, heavy guy buy for a short, hilly commute? I'm 6'2", 330+lbs (yet pretty active and outdoorsy) and I take the train into the city every day. Currently, I get a ride to and from the station, but as the weather gets warmer, I'd like to bike the distance to and from the station. (I don't need the bike in the city.)

I'm used to biking everywhere in flat, well-paved places (Florida and New Orleans), but it's been a few years, and this is New England - there are a series of steep hills going to and coming from, and the roads are terrible. The commute itself is only a few miles, but they're pretty rough compared to my previous biking experience.

I got around OK on a 3 speed beach cruiser, but I don't think that's going to cut it here... and I beat the tar out of my cruisers just with normal use: constantly warping wheels, occasionally snapping chains, breaking pedals, bending handlebars, stems and forks. I don't think a road bike is going to be tough enough, and besides, my body isn't currently configured for the "crouch" position.

Any suggestions for a commuter or "hybrid" bike that's comfortable to ride, good on hills, and nigh-indestructable? (Under $500 would be nice, too. Used is OK.)

As heavy as I am, would a suspension or "shock absorber" seat post be pointless? (Did I mention the local roads are really, really bad?)

Daily Commute: Mississauga Guelph

FusiveResonance — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 16:01:52 -0800

Daily Commute: Mississauga <> Guelph. What will the traffic conditions be like on the 401 west (in the morning) and on the 401 east (in the evening)? I am considering commuting daily(weekdays) from Mississauga to Guelph and so am wondering about the traffic conditions on the 401. Assume I start work ~ 8am (I must be at my desk by 8am) and will end around 4 or 5.

I am just wondering about summer conditions (may through September)

Little gems

amethysts — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 14:21:24 -0800

What are some small, short books that are easy to read on the train? I really enjoyed Charlotte Bronte's "The Green Dwarf" because it was a small format and a well-written, entertaining and engaging little yarn and it lasted for one trip from my house and the resulting trip back to my house. Do you know of anything else like this? I also enjoyed "The Pirates!" series and The Little Prince.

I don't have room in my bag to lug around a big, tall, fat book, nor do I like to use up lots of arm space. And I just don't have the attention span for books that take too many sessions to finish. I don't use my ipod on mass transit so audio books are out. The dimensions of my planner book are 5.4 x 3.6 x 0.5 inches to give you some idea of what I'm going for.

I wandered around two different bookstores today and didn't see anything that seemed right so I was wondering if you guys have anything to suggest. Is there a service that prints out interesting things from the internet onto little booklets and mails them to me.

Reverse commute in DC area??

milkman — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 10:10:19 -0800

Is there a way to do a reverse commute from Howard County to DC via public transportation (preferably in less than 3 hours)? My girlfriend is planning to take some courses at Howard Community College this spring, and I was excited that there was an MTA commuter bus with monthly passes that went more or less from right where we live in DC to within walking distance of the campus. I just realized, however, that because it is a 'commuter' bus, it pretty much only runs one way. She needs to get to Howard in the morning/early afternoon and get back to DC in the evening (sometimes the late evening).

The MTA website has been less than helpful, I'm not familiar with Maryland at all, and we are both in Germany right now, which makes it hard to make telephone inquiries.

thanks

Disc brakes for a commuting bike?

Captain Rayford Steele, Tribulation Force — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 07:56:39 -0800

What kind of disc brakes and brake levers (if necessary) should I get for my new commuting bike? I'm going to be building a new commuting bike using a Soma Fabrications Double Cross DC frameset. I've never had a bike with disc brakes before, so could use some advice.

What disc brakes should I look at? Think good quality but not wildly expensive. I already have regular wire-pull-type brake levers but I'm not sure that they can be used with discs, so if you have lever recommendations that'd be helpful too.

I'd also appreciate any thoughts on wired versus hydraulic disc brakes... a few years ago, when I was paying more attention to the market, that was the major distinction between cheaper and more expensive discs, though I'm not sure how things have changed in the interim.

How can I turn a 30+ minute walk, into 10?

armoir from antproof case — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 20:16:52 -0800

Help me shorten my new 1.5hr commute, or, recommendations needed for short-hop bicycle-type things Tomorrow I start a new job (yay!) which will involve a significant commute via public transportation. Overall commute time, as it currently stands, is 90 minutes (sigh). The train station is 1.4 miles from the office door, and there are no public transit options (buses, etc.) for this last leg of the journey.

As someone who hasn't owned a car in years, I enjoy walking, but am a slowish walker (much to the chagrin of the missus....) ; and, more importantly, my main aim is to decrease the time spent commuting. I expect that walk will take me at least 30 minutes. So, I'm hoping that I may be able to find some sort of conveyance that will help decrease that time period, from ~30 minutes, down to, say, 10.

"GET A BIKE!" is the first answer, I'm sure. I'm reasonably fit, and could definitely use the exercise / strengthening that regular bike-riding would entail / require. However I do have a history of problems in the lower back, SI joint, and pelvic floor. Again, I'm sure that biking -- the "right" way -- might help out with this, but history tells me that I will likely encounter some significant, possibly debilitating, exacerbation of these existing issues.

So I guess I'm looking for tips regarding....

1. If I do decide to get a bike, I'm not looking for speed or fanciness. Just something with two wheels and some pedals and a seat that won't bring pain and ruin to the already-troublesome pelvic floor. I have no idea what to look for, in terms of "road bike" versus "cruising bike" versus..... yeah, I'm pretty clueless about bikes, in general.

2. Good "commuter" bikes. Again, I'm just going to use this for the short trips between the train and the office. The train has accommodations for bikes of all types and sizes. Sometimes I have seen weird-lookin' foldy bikes... what's them's all about? Something I might look into?

3. Other alternatives? Those little razor-scooter things?

Thanks!

Please can I have a new bike?

greytape — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 06:10:12 -0800

Help me buy a commuter bike in London. This weekend I want to buy a bike to commute to work on. My route is from Brixton in South London into Central London, so it's a faily flat three miles each way in heavy traffic. Any general tips would be appreciated, but specifically I'm looking for shopping guidance, and advice on how much I need to spend.

There are already AskMe questions about buying a commuter bike, but they seem to be focused on people who are willing to pay more than me. I'm looking to spend between £100-£400 ($200-$800), and I'm curious to know what the advantages of spending more are.

I have a shower and a locker at work, so I can afford to get fairly sweaty on the way, but I'm not a terribly confident cyclist (at least not in London traffic).

So how much should I spend, what sort of bike should I get and what are the important things to look out for?

Which Bike?

Kiwi — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 23:38:26 -0800

Should I get a racer or a tourer? Are there any particular advantages of a racing over a touring bicycle? I'm talking mainly in terms of differences between frame geometries, mudguard (fender) incompatibility etc.

Specifically, I'm trying to decide between Condor Cycles' Italia and Agio bikes.

Will be used mainly for commuting but also a little racing. This will be my first non-mountain bike; there is something nice about the single-mindedness of a pure racing bike, but will this end up being a bit much in potholed EC1?

Is a folding bicycle right for a train commute in Chicago?

crios — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 16:46:50 -0800

This is actually a two part question. First, can anybody recommend a folding bicycle? I'm going to need to travel from a train to my work and it's about 2 miles. Would you recommend one of these bicycles for this kind of commute? How do they hold up in the rain and when it gets cold? Is there anything I can do about water flying up from the front and rear wheels? 2nd, does anybody know if you can buy a monthly Metra pass that will allow you to transfer between two Metra lines? Here is my situation. I recently took a job in the western suburbs of Chicago and I live in the northern tip of Chicago. I would need to take the Union Pacific Northern line downtown, switch to Union Station and then take the BNSF route out to the western suburbs. Then from there I would still have to trek 2 miles to my work from the station. My original idea was to buy an old clunker bicycle and leave it at the station to ride back and forth. It would sit there through rain and snow and meteor storms and all that. Now I'm wondering if I should invest in a folding bicycle. I know basically nothing about these bicyles. Does anybody have any recommendations? How easy are they to fold and unfold? How compact are they? Would people hate me on the Metra trains if I got on with one? How does it handle the wet (as well as some snow, I might be willing to ride it through light snow)? How is maintenance? Is there anything I can do about water flying up from the front and rear wheels so that I can keep my nice work clothes from getting all spattered?

As a second part to my question... does anybody know if you can buy monthly passes that will allow you to transfer from one line to another? I'm going to have to transfer from the Union Pacific North to the BNSF line. I can't find anything about this on the Metra site and if I try to buy a monthly pass online I can ONLY buy for one line. Will I have to buy two monthly passes each month?

I would like to use my GPS receiver to analyze my commute.

timmins — Wed, 21 May 2008 12:11:10 -0800

I'm a data dork. Is there a way to rip my tracks and my trip odometer data from my Garmin 60CSx to analyze my commutes to work? I have no intention of monkeying with the device while driving. I want to turn on the GPS receiver, get a fix and head into work. The 60CSx will track driving data like avg speed, highest speed, stop time, etc. It will also record the track. I would like to take both the trip data and the track data and go over it. I live in a county that has inefficient throughways. I want to drive a couple different routes to see which is the most efficient. And yes, I'm fully aware this is nerdy. ; )

For The Green: a bike bag?

horseblind — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 09:20:26 -0800

Looking for an eco-friendly messenger bag. Used? Recycled? Fabric? What have you? I'm prepping to start commuting to work a few days a week by bicycle. I'm looking for a greeen (eco-friendly) messenger bag that's ideal for this purpose.

I've seen recycled material bags from Freitag, Alchemy Goods, and Timbuk2. I've also searched Ask.MeFi. So far I'm most interested in the Alchemy Goods bag. I'm curious as to what else is available.

More info: I'm a guy. My commutre will be about 15 miles. I'll be carrying a change of clothes, an ipod, phone, maybe a book, sometimes a laptop (I'd be willing to buy a sleeve for that--eco-friendly preferred here too), pens & pencils and the usual day-to-day stuff that winds up in pockets. I like the idea of loads of pockets and (maybe?) at least one internal divider.

What have you bought and did you like it or hate it? Or did you see something you just thought was the bee’s knees even if you didn't buy it. This is my first go at bike commuting. I can look up tips from many sources for the commute itself. What should I Consider or know about getting a good bag? Any usage/tweaking/hacking tips?

Should I buy a loft in Bridgeport, CT?

rocketpup — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 05:07:56 -0800

Should I buy a loft in a restored industrial building or the Columbia Records Tower in Bridgeport, CT? I'm an NYC commuter currently renting on Long Island. I am looking to buy something later this year but am probably going to try to get out of New York to find some lower prices and taxes. I've discovered a few loft developments in Bridgeport, CT that seem to be right up my alley. One (Federal Arms) is on Charles St. another is in the Columbia Records Tower and the last one is called Lofts on Lafayette, on Lafayette obviously, and close to the train station which would be ideal for my commute. Can anyone with some local knowledge give me some insight into the neighborhoods, what direction they're heading, the broad demographic groups I can expect from my neighbors, etc.? If anyone has any knowledge of the real estate market in Bridgeport, and can give me an idea of whether those lofts are expected to increase in value (mortgage crisis not withstanding), or to tank, whether I have any room to bargain on the asking price, etc. that would be amazingly helpful.

Thanks, Connecticutians!

Bike commuting in Boston -- best route between Cambridge/East Boston?

olinerd — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 07:28:44 -0800

For a friend: commuting by bike, need to get to Cambridgeport half the week and East Boston the other half. Best bike routes? Best places to live? A friend is just moving to Boston and is starting work at a company where he will spend half his time at an office in Cambridge (by the River St Whole Foods, about .6 miles from Central Square) and the other half in East Boston (Jeffries Point, about a mile from Maverick station).

He would like to commute by bike and only bike. He would prefer no T if possible. A car is not an option.

Question 1: if he lives in Cambridge near the Cambridge office (his first choice), what's the best route to bike to where he needs to be in Eastie without risking his life more than necessary?

Question 2: if this is pretty unfeasible, where's the best place to live to make it feasible? Charlestown/Chelsea area? IANAB(icyclist) so I have no idea how this stuff works or what is considered a reasonable biking distance.

(yes, this is similar to a previous question I asked, but with the difficulty of bike vs car/T....)

Getting out while the getting's good

libraryhead — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 07:41:28 -0800

Should we try to sell our house in a down market? Nearly two years ago my husband and I bought a house in the 'burbs. It's a decent enough place, not as swank as many in the neighborhood, but in pretty good repair and the decor is "updated" (read, bland). We had little saved for a down payment, and the mortgage is enormous. We can afford the monthly payment (& the mortgage is fixed, so it's not going up), but we're not putting much in savings. He just took a new job a couple towns over, and, since I do all the driving in the family, it's increased my commute by about 50%. I hate driving this much in traffic and I don't like the size of our carbon footprint.

I want to sell the house. I'm getting increasingly anxious about the financial burden this house represents. The market is very slow in our area and now is a terrible time to sell. According to Zillow.com our house hasn't lost value from when we bought it, but based on the sales I'm seeing in the neighborhood, I'm not sure that's true. Everything seems to stay on the market for months and months and ends up selling for tens of thousands less than the initial listing. I think we're on the cusp of a real recession and the market will continue to fall, but there's no way to know for sure.

If we did sell, we could get a place (maybe buy, probably rent) closer to Mr. Libraryhead's job in a more walkable area. This area also has access to public transportation so I wouldn't have to drive him to work. Coincidentally this area is a lot cheaper than where we live now. Based on sampling Craigslist, our combined savings on the mortgage and utilities could be as much as 50%. We'd probably have less space (we have more than we need now -- just filled up with clutter) and less or no yard, which would be a loss for the kids and the dog and the garden, but we could mitigate that by looking for a place with a park within walking distance. On the down side we would be moving out of one of the best school districts in the state into one of the worst, but I suspect we'd move again before the kids start school anyway.

Other factors: We have a two-year-old girl and I'm two months' pregnant with our second. I'm working part-time now, but will likely quit my job once the baby comes. My income is a negligible contribution to the family coffers, as most of it goes to pay for childcare and commuting costs. Our friends are spread all over the metro area, maybe a little closer to the new town. Family is out of state.

So, should we try to sell? Wait till spring or list it now? Put some money into fixing it up a bit or just get out? Mr. Libraryhead believes we won't be able to sell the house so we should just stay put and deal. I look at the prospect of driving on route 3 during rush hour for several years and I want to kill myself.