It Depends on Traffic

So we moved out to the burbs of Chicago eight months ago. Overall, we have really enjoyed living here. We can walk to the park, the train, the coffee shop, the bakery, the library and two local bar/restaurants among other things. However, we do quite a bit of driving too. With my job, I have to drive around the city quite a bit. I am starting to get my bearings but there are still alot areas that I am not familiar with. So in our travels, whether it be business or pleasure, we have asked quite often how long it takes to get from point A to point B. In Pennsylvania, the first thing out of peoples' mouths was a time; ten minutes, twenty minutes, an hour, etc. Here in land of Chicago, the first thing out of everyone's mouth is always the same thing.

It depend on traffic.....

Never in my life have I had to factor in traffic so much as I do living here. It first really became noticeable when we took our weekend trips this summer. In summer's past, we would drive to our house in Maryland and it would take 2 hours and 15 minutes and you could almost set your watch to it. Occasionally, you would hit traffic for part of the trip and it could stretch to 2 1/2 hours or a little more. However, that was more the exception than the rule. This summer, we took trips to Indiana, Michigan (twice) and Pennsylvania. To get out of Chicago, it took us 45 minutes, an hour, an hour and a half and two plus hours. The time it took us over two hours was the 14 hour trip to Pennsylvania. It was followed (after I stupidly announced that it should be smooth sailing from here on out) by our carsick child (most likely from stopping and starting for two hours) projectile vomiting all over the back of the car.

With work, I have found that I am rarely on time for an appointment. I always factor in traffic but there have been times when I factor in too MUCH time. I have been an hour and a half late for an appointment and 40 minutes early for an appointment. It depends on traffic.

The funny thing is that people who have lived here for a while seem to just be used to it. They laugh at my stubborness and insistence that there HAS to be a time when the roads (I-90 aka the Jane Addams aka the Kennedy aka the Dan Ryan aka the Skyway aka the Bain of my Existence in particular) are packed with people. They just have learned to factor in extra time for traffic. I am starting to come around and my eyes have been opened to the beauty of public transportation. But I still think that I should be able to beat the time it says on Google Maps to get from point A to point B rather than have it take 50% longer.

So now when people ask me how I like Chicago and getting around the city, I have one response to them.

It depends on the traffic.