Finding Joy in a Long Commute

Based on the amount of people I drive next to, in front of, and behind on a daily basis, it seems that many of us commute on a daily basis. Do we have a choice? Are there other options? Maybe, but this is not a blog post about that. This is about my journey to try to find some sort of joy, or at least sanity, while driving 1.5 hours 2x a day 5x a week (from the middle of the San Fernando Valley to West Hollywood).

Here are my observations:

1.    Get Coffee Early in the Morning Commute

If you’re like me and can’t start your day without a visit to Starbucks, then go to the closest location and get your brew before you can even start thinking about which route to take at a problematic intersection or whatnot.

I go to a Starbucks location that’s only a drive-thru and walk-up (no interior store). It’s very convenient because it’s less than a mile from my house and on my regular route to work. You may think that the drive-thru is quicker, but I would argue that it is not. Everyone goes through the drive-thru, and they can only start making your order when you tell it to them, when you get there. Then, they can only hear your order through the unreliable speakers. If someone in front of you has a big order, or a mistake is made, guess who is waiting.

Instead, I use the mobile app and order my regular breakfast items from home as I get in the car, so I can park and get my order when I arrive. (I admit that this primarily works because there is plenty of parking at this location.) This also gives me the added benefit of knowing my order should be correct, because it is written out and delivered through the app, so there is a lower probability of error (this is important because of course I have modifications in my drink).

2.    Stay off Freeways

To me, freeway commutes are the worst. They are worse than surface street commutes because they are soulless. You aren’t moving very fast and people are angry, or just depressed. There is nothing to look at. Nothing to help your mind wander into a productive (or at least interesting) fantasy.

They also take way longer than Waze tells me they will (side note, I will get to Waze in #2). They may seem like the fastest, most direct route, but they are in fact not. I would personally rather drive a longer route in which I am actively driving than a shorter route where I have my foot on the break more than I have it on the accelerator.

Also, there is a much higher likelihood of facing accidents (and thus, rubberneckers), which will also increase time spent on the road.

3.    Use Waze Cautiously

To return to a point from #1, I have learned to use Waze not as the only resource, but in addition to my own (admittedly good) internal sense of direction and mental map of my route.

Of course, this only works when you are comfortable on your route and have a fair sense of direction. Other members of my family do not have this, and thus get anxious when they cannot follow a specific set of directions laid out clearly in front of them. I am personally okay getting a little bit lost because I know how to get back where I need to be, but I recognize that this may not work for everyone.

The thing about Waze that I have discovered is that it really, really, really wants me to take the freeway. Like even for one off-ramp sometimes. I’m not sure why, but it makes me turn on the “avoid freeways” mode. As I mentioned before, freeways seem quicker, but are often not. Surface streets are more predictable, in my experience. People have their routines.

Now, I do still use Waze. I keep it open, but don’t have it set up to a route. This allows me to see traffic conditions ahead and plan which streets to take (if there is a choice). To me, this is the optimal use of the app.

4.    Know Where You’ll Pass Schools and Plan Accordingly

Building on #2 and the predictability of surface streets, schools you may pass have regular hours. You can plan around them. You also get a daily bonus when it’s a school holiday (when you still have to work) and driving to work during summer is SO NICE. Believe me, I pass at least 3 schools on my route, and because of this alone, I know LAUSD’s schedule (and school start and end times) to a surprisingly accurate degree.

Now, the thing about schools is that you want to drive by them at least 30 minutes before the school day begins (so, around 7:30, usually). This way, the traffic isn’t so bad. Parents dropping off kids aren’t in a huge rush and therefore drive more calmly. There isn’t a bottleneck at the curb as everyone rushes to get Junior to class by the 8am bell.

Another thing about schools that I must note is that though driving past them can be a source of frustration, they can also be a source of joy. For example, I drive past an elementary school with a charismatic crossing guard. She smiles and waves at everyone, including me in my car, just driving by. Anticipating our (brief) interaction make me happy each morning, so I don’t mind navigating the herd of rushed parents as much.

5.    Know Where the Best Gas Stations Are

I admit that I don’t often think about how much gas I have in my tank, and I absolutely hate going to the gas station. I don’t know why I particularly despise it, but I really rather be doing anything else, and will thus let my tank get lower than is probably advisable in order to go to the gas station less often.

However, it is always a good idea to know where the nearest, cheapest, and most easily navigable gas stations are along your regular route. Just in case.

6.    Plan Your Podcast Playlist

I used to listen to music in the car, but would get bored of my own playlists, and didn’t like the time it took to craft the perfect playlist for a morning drive. Instead, I let podcasts entertain me and inform me during my commute. I subscribe to about 15 podcasts now, and always make sure I have multiple options each day–in terms of length, subject, and tone.

In the morning, I like to start things off with The Daily by The New York Times. This podcast features a story about the most recent news events and a roundup of the headlines. It’s also about 30 minutes long. After that, I usually listen to a longer-form news podcast (currently it’s either from Mueller She Wrote or Crooked Media) in order to get into more depth on political and current events. I’m a news junkie, and this makes me feel just informed enough about what’s going on in the world.

In the evening, I prefer something a bit more light-hearted and (somewhat less) political, such as history or science podcasts. However, I admit that learning about the court of Aethelred in 11th century England has shown that there are definitely patterns in corrupt leaders’ playbooks (thanks, British History Podcast!).

No matter what I choose to listen to, I feel that even if my commute was extra long, or I met dumbass drivers on a level yet unforeseen, at least I became a little bit smarter and more engaged in the world around me. That’s a little win.

7.    Take an Architectural Tour of Your Route

This one only works if you (1) take surface streets in (2) areas of town where there’s a bit of diversity in architecture.

Now, I’m not an architectural historian by any stretch of the imagination (though I listen to some good podcasts about it!); however, I love to observe the subtle differences in the design of buildings (both residential and commercial) that I pass on a long commute. I wonder why people paint their houses odd primary colors, and put zany lawn decor outside a home worth $10 million. There is a house I pass that is guarded by life-size gorilla statues with red laser eyes. Why? Because why the heck not.

Of course, an architectural tour through Mulholland Drive also makes me think of capitalism and wealth inequality. This is the whole reason I am driving past these houses from a more affordable part of LA in the first place after all. Therefore, my architectural tour also becomes a tour of the history of the distribution of wealth and power in Los Angeles, which is a fascinating and infuriating topic of its own, quite outside the scope of this post. In terms of commuting, at least it gets my mind working, if not worked up.

8.    Play a Game with Yourself

If nothing else, something that has always helped cheer me up (or take my mind away from thinking about systems of capitalist inequality) is seeing animals throughout my commute. To me, it is a form of mindfulness to count dogs on my commute. I focus on the dogs, not the owners. The dogs are experiencing pure joy as they go on their walk, leading their owners down well-known paths and encountering their favorite sniffing spots. As a data nerd, I also take the next step to think about the geo-mapped distribution of dog-walking (and it’s relationship to capitalist inequality, of course!) as well as averaging out the days with the most dog walking at different points in time.

Perhaps this is simply another version of the classic childhood game of counting red cars, or out-of-state license plates. I think that’s okay. The point of getting through your commute with both sanity and a bit of joy is pretty much the same thing as guiding a kid through a road trip, in which the worst thing is to hear another refrain of “are we there yet?”. If you’re counting dogs, you’re (slightly) less stressed about how long it’s taken to get past one stupid intersection because someone is taking too much time in front of you.

Phew.

So in conclusion, yes, commuting is rough. But don’t let it be soul destroying. It can be a rare bit of privacy in your day, or a chance for a bit of self-improvement.

This is not an argument in favor of commuting, or the lack of urban planning in LA that makes it impossible to get anywhere without a car and impossible to afford to live near most centers of commercial activity.

However, let this be a small way to make the best of a situation in which most of us (including myself) often complain about. So let’s sit back in those bucket seats, put on a podcast, and take the opportunity to let our minds wander (to a safe degree while driving, obviously!).

See you on the road.