I refuse to commute. It's maddening and unproductive. I much prefer a medium density mixed use walkable neighborhood. I'm actually working on a documentary about America's great towns and neighborhoods.<p>I ran an experiment with one of my friends who lived in swamp sprawl built over the everglades where I used to fish as a kid. When I was traveling he'd stay at my house in a walkable neighborhood. It ruined him. He was more productive, had more fun, went out more often, and was much more relaxed than when he was back at the swamp. Living it versus talking about it is a real convincer.<p>Richard Florida talks about the Creative Class and the Great Reset (both excellent books, though I don't agree 100% with his prescriptions) which dovetails with PG's essay Cities and Ambition.<p>One area where I disagree is the choice of vehicle. A ten year old hatchback is less than ideal. I twenty year old Porsche, on the other hand, is perfect.
My workplace is full of long-distance commuters. I know two brothers who have been with the company for almost ten years, and their daily commute takes whopping 2.5 hours. It strikes me as utterly insane.<p>People we hire out of college are especially bad at making decisions on where to live. Just like the couple in the story, they grossly underestimate the true cost of commuting. As a result, most of them live 40-50 minutes away, on the basis that they are closer to the beach or to the more hip areas of the county.