In a Rush, Even After Work Events Require Commuter Planning

Slug Tales 

By LAURA CIRILLO

A long commute can pose quite a challenge when it comes to having a social life.

Not that it’s altogether impossible to balance social activities, but as a commuter, it requires a bit of extra planning.

Some days I really miss having the option of getting in my car, driving to work, parking right in front of my office without any extra cost, coming and going as I please… life was much simpler back then.

Now, leaving early when I have any sort of an appointment means having to carefully plan where I will park and how I will get back to my car at the local commuter lot. Missing the bus I need to catch or the Metro train I need to get to the bus stop can completely throw everything off.

Working late or attending any sort of event after hours is even more complicated. Since I almost always slug to my office, driving home whenever I’m ready just isn’t an option. Leaving D.C. after 6 p.m. when the restrictions are lifted in the HOV lanes means that I’m not able to slug back home. Unless I’ve planned in advance to park at the nearest Metro station in Springfield, my only option would be to take the bus home. And while reliable, the later it gets, the less frequently the buses run – the last PRTC OmniRide bus leaves the Pentagon at 8 p.m.

As a last resort, there is a Metro Direct bus that travels between the Horner and Telegraph Road Commuter lots and the Franconia-Springfield Metro Station until around 11 p.m. That was the bus I’d planned to take back to my car one night a couple of weeks ago, when I had to stay after hours for a special event. I told my boss I’d have to leave no later than 9 p.m., figuring that would be more than enough time to catch the 10:40 p.m. bus.

I hurried along from the event back to the nearest Metro station, figuring it was better to arrive early and have to wait than to risk missing a transfer on the way. Then I realized I still needed to stop by my office again – shoot! That might put me a bit behind schedule, so I’d have to be quick.

Getting off of the Metro by my office, I ran up through the doors that remain open after hours, and into an elevator. I grabbed my things from my office, and rushed back down to the Metro, checking my iPhone for the next train’s arrival time. Realizing I had only a couple of minutes, I bolted down the escalator, only to catch the doors closing and the training chugging away.

I was sweating. I was tired. My bags were heavy… and the next train wouldn’t arrive for another 20 minutes. What now?! I quickly checked the Metro website to see what time the next train would arrive in Springfield, in order to catch the very last Metro Direct bus.

10:43 p.m. Three minutes after the bus was scheduled to depart.

Calling my fiancé in a panic, he told me not to worry. He was at work, but after a quick phone call, he had arranged a ride to pick me up from Springfield. Whew!

Last weekend, I attended a fundraiser in Georgetown that my colleague had helped organize, and met a few people who suggested I join them for a wing night or happy hour sometime. Of course, they live in or close to D.C., so when I explained that I’d have to plan for it, they didn’t seem to understand.

“Can’t you just take a cab home?” they asked. “How far do you live?”

When I told them how much a cab ride would cost from D.C. to Woodbridge, they couldn’t believe it.

“You need to move closer,” they informed me.

I sighed. Sometimes I think it would be nice to live closer to my job, where meeting up with friends in D.C. after work wasn’t such a hassle, but we made that sacrifice to have a little more space in an area that we could afford. It may not always be the most convenient commute, but I’m happy with what we’ve got.

So when things pop up after work, whether it’s a late night at the office or a going away party for a coworker, I just have to plan accordingly!