Memorial Day came and went. Sidenote: I still cannot believe that it is June! Here in the Northeast, and more specifically in the beachside communities of South County, we are readying ourselves for the onslaught of tourists and beach-goers. Most of our local businesses and restaurants are looking forward to it because even with the speculation that the ever rising price of gas will stagnate vacationers this summer, little Rhody always seems to escape that drought by remaining a quick, affordable, yet beautiful destination on the Northeast Corridor.
What this means to me, in addition to having to bring my A-Game and perm-a-grin to my part-time bartending position, is TRAFFIC and even MORE GAS to escape south to the more remote beaches to avoid these “welcomed” guests. (See Nick’s May blog: New England Hospitality) I HEART my Jeep, but as a proud Prius owner boasted about getting more than 40 miles per gallon to me last night, I was left less than pleased at my 20-something miles per gallon (I admit this could be my driving) and I began thinking of ways to curb the expenditure and aggravation.
- Working from home – Caster is extremely flexible, this however, is not an option.
- Co-working – The fabulous new trend that has begun in San Francisco and Boston where like professionals meet at shared offices to facilitate the flow of ideas while equally sustaining motivation. Apparently we here in Rhody are a little behind the curve because in a desperate search to find such a solution, I investigated, but to no avail.
- Public Transportation – Not in Rhode Island. No subway, no T. There is the bus. From experience however, I can assure you that travelling across the state from Providence to South County twice a day on the bus will not help my cause in terms of time nor aggravation. For blog-worthy stories, this may help.
- Carpool – Great in theory, however Caster’s ‘flex-hours’ of operation make it virtually impossible to organize with the one other slacker co-worker who lives “North of the “Towers” and works the later shift.
And finally I arrive at BIKE. After much consideration and taking a cue from the cyclist I currently date, I thought, I can commute via bicycle. Get my daily cardio workout in, unwind from work, all while enjoying the sights and smells of the beautiful summer months…GENIUS! Unfortunately my initially seamless plan has since fallen apart due to a cycling mishap over Memorial Day weekend. On a gorgeous day with blue skies and 70 degree weather my date rides from Boston to Providence (over 50 miles) in 40 mph headwinds to arrive more than two hours late for a family picnic. Definitely NOT a stellar excuse for being late to work.
This my friends, is why we drive cars when we need to be on time. Back to square one.
Posted by: Katie
Posted by castercomm 
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