A Tale of Two Commutes
Yesterday I got to see the new Superman movie early with my team at Microsoft. Fun time! I left Microsoft around 6pm for my temporary housing on the west side of Seattle, and 45 minutes later, I made it home. Not a bad commute, but not something I’d want to do every day. Thank goodness I lived on the east side!
Today, I was shopping down the street from Microsoft for some stuff for my new apartment. I drove past Microsoft around 5:30, and 45 minutes later, I arrived at my new east side apartment. Whaaaa???? (And for those of you who don’t know the geography, it goes Redmond, Czechoslovakia, Holland, Venezuela, Africa, Beirut, Hanging Gardens of Babylon… Kirkland.)
All Eddie Izzard quotes aside, I’m a little concerned. Everyone I talked to about my commutes said how cool it would be to avoid the highways to and from work. Well, I did, without much improvement. Maybe I just took the wrong back roads? Or I need to be on the freeway a short while? Or maybe I just need a really good radio station to listen while I suck up the long commutes?
Try just sleeping in your office.
Comment by Eric — June 29, 2006 @ 8:37 pm
That might just work… there are showers in the parking garage below my building (I haven’t used them yet since I haven’t started, but we might be on to something).
The bad news is that I don’t have my own office, so I might get my sleep interrupted.
Comment by zaiss — June 29, 2006 @ 8:41 pm
Do you at least have a cubicle? Curtains and such could do wonders.
Comment by Eric — June 29, 2006 @ 10:50 pm
Not at all. Picture a standard office with two desks. My office mate will have first dibs on desks since he’s been there longer, so I will probably get the crap desk behind the door. Bummer!
Comment by zaiss — June 30, 2006 @ 1:13 am
Hi, I don’t know you but I stumbled across your blog looking for something else. I live about 1/2 mile away from you and I used to work at Microsoft. Try this route:
Head up 116th to 405; take 405 south one exit to 85th. Exit toward Redmond. Continue to 148th; turn right and head up toward Microsoft.
Variation (side roads): Head up 116th, go UNDER 405 and turn right on 124th at Jack-in-the-Box; continue past Boys Club and Fire Station to 100th; turn left at light. Right on 132nd, left at light onto 85th and continue as above.
Good luck! It was fun to see the floor plan of the “new” apartments down the hill.
Laurie
Comment by L — July 11, 2006 @ 11:59 pm