So I've reached a bit of a dilemma, or as I like to look at it, a point of opportunity. I got a new job not long ago which is a significant drive from my house (30-40 minutes in perfect traffic). I don't have to go in until 10-11am, so I can usually avoid traffic delays. There's an apartment complex right next door to work that I'm considering moving to. I need to move soon for my own happiness, regardless, due to some issues with my current roommate.

The first thing that comes to mind, obviously, is skating. Moving there would put me at least 40 minutes away from the two nearby rinks that I really like (one has the best ice and coaches, another has the best hours for public sessions). It would however put me closer to my old rink, only about a 10 minute drive away. But that rink has overly hard ice a lot of the time and a lousy public session setup. It's also an ISI rink so the coaches aren't too familiar with USFSA stuff.

All of the rinks have freestyle sessions in the mornings beginning at 6am, and given my job schedule, that's what I'll be attending most often, however I will most likely opt for whatever is closest to where I live simply as it will be less driving. I am however willing to drive to a farther rink once a week for a lesson - this isn't quite as good as it sounds because the rink with the best coaches is closed on weekends, and it's expensive so it's only worth paying to go to if you skate there all the time.

There's also a nice rink farther away (in Tacoma) from my current location that moving would put me closer to, which I've never been to but apparently has great ice and coaches as well. It's 45 minutes south of where I'm working and considering moving though. On the bright side that's not much longer than it would take to get to the nice rink I'm near now, and I it costs less. I believe the traffic on that end of town may be better on average too. That rink is only a little over 2 hours from Portland, too, so moving closer to there would mean easier commutes in the case that sk8pdx and I start practicing pairs stuff more.

I've basically come up with 3 feasible options:

• Move right next door to work.
  • Walk to work in 30 seconds!
  • 5-10 minute drive from a rink, could bike it probably.
  • 45 minute drive from Tacoma rink, just under 3 hours to Portland.
  • Pretty far from any other rinks.
• Move between "skating mecca" I'm near now and work.
  • 15-20 minute drive to work.
  • 15-20 minute drive to rinks I like.
  • 1 hour+ to Tacoma rink, over 3 hours to Portland.
• Move between Tacoma rink and work.
  • 20-25 minutes to work.
  • 20-25 minute drive to nearest rink.
  • Far away from other rinks. 2.5 hours or less to Portland.

Opinions? Options I'm not thinking of?

__________________
Casey Allen Shobe | http://casey.shobe.info
"What matters is not experience per se but 'effortful study'."
"At first, dreams seem impossible, then improbable, and eventually inevitable" ~ Christopher Reeve

Well, how long-term does the job look? It would kind of suck to move right next to work, then in a short(ish) time frame, drop that job for another that may or may not be close.

You need to move to a neighborhood you're comfortable with, but if that's possible in any of the locations, I might move next to work. Hey, you'd save a bundle on gas, and having next to NO commute is worth a lot. You'd save both time, and money, which would allow you to make the trip to a more distant rink every now and then.

Unless you *hate* the nearby rink? If you really, really can't stand it, and you'd find yourself at the further rinks anyway, you might as well move somewhere in between.

__________________
"The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no god. It neither picks my pocket, nor breaks my leg."
--Thomas Jefferson

www.signingtime.com ~sign language fun for all!

I suspect I'll be there for a long time to come. It's a very good fit for me, which is why I took the job.

__________________
Casey Allen Shobe | http://casey.shobe.info
"What matters is not experience per se but 'effortful study'."
"At first, dreams seem impossible, then improbable, and eventually inevitable" ~ Christopher Reeve

May I suggest that you check out the local public school system and include that factor in the decision?

Otherwise, I'd move nearer to work. I'd rather have an easy commute to work than to the rink, because of the money flow. (Being late to work is hazardous to my pay, being late to the rink is hazardous to my spending!)

(Spoken like someone who has a 45-to-60 minute commute to work everyday. Arrghh!)

__________________

I looked hard to get my office close to the rink. Glad to see someone else with their priorities straight.
Lyle

I'd have to drive a bus or work at Pathmark or an autobody shop to work near the rink! That's the limit of the "big jobs" in that neck of the woods. (Literally, woods!)

__________________

If your skating's improving a lot, and you can find a good coach at the ISI rink, I'd take your first option, because you can skate freestyle sessions early morning and lunchtime.

If you can't find a good coach at the ISI rink, I'd take your second option. "Better the devil you know"!!. And you'll get very bored skating regularly on crap ice without a coach, believe me.

My opinion above is based on short-term renting of property. If you are buying a property, you need to make a proper list and give all the salient factors points, basing your decision on sum of the points. (eg. schools, transport, health, open space, shops, quality of area, etc etc)

I can only speak for myself, but if I were in the same position, I would look for a place as close as possible to the rink where my favorite coach is, and where I would get the best early morning freestyles before work. So I would look for a place close to your current neighborhood and skate in the mornings before work. A 40 minute commute isn't bad.

__________________
"You don't have to put an age limit on your dreams." - Dara Torres, 41, after her 2nd medal at the 2008 Olympics

Have you tried doing the math? I would really take into account mileage and gas prices (and remember, over the long term, the chances are that gas prices may keep going up and not down over the years), and how much you would save living closer to work/closer to the rink. I'd personally pick the choice that would save me the most money (remember that more mileage on your car= more repairs over the short term + eventually needing a new car much faster).

Then, more money can easily translate into more skating :-D

Then again, TIME = MONEY. . . (and I dare not do the math or I'd have to acknowledge that all the money I spend on skating is probably the reason we haven't bought a house! )

__________________
"You don't have to put an age limit on your dreams." - Dara Torres, 41, after her 2nd medal at the 2008 Olympics

That's definitely a part of the equation. The choice that has you spending the least amount of time on the road should = the least amount of money spent (and I don't mean going 90 mph )

If you're at the furthest rink 2X a day or even 7X a week, distance will definitely be in the rink's favor over work.

If you're at work 5X a week, at the furthest rink 5X a week, then the difference would be moot.

But if the other rinks factor in, and you're at work 5X a week and at the furthest rink <5X a week, then, the distance is in work's favor.

And, of course, rent/mortgage is also a factor! I choose to live far from everything because where I work, rents are crazy and housing costs are worse... but with gas prices going up, I'm even starting to re-evaluate...

Wow, decisions, decisions. Have you thought about rents/housing prices? I know in Seattle they're all atrocious, but. . .

I was always one to avoid a long commute, especially, say, across 520 or down I-5 (I miss Seattle, where I lived for nearly 25 years, but I DO NOT miss the traffic!). But where I live now, I have no commute (I work at home) and live 45 minutes away from the *only* rink in the area. It's dreadful being so far from the rink!

Have you tried the apparently wonderful Tacoma rink? (Do tell--I am really gunning to get hubby to move us back to the area--say, Portland or Tacoma, because Seattle is utterly unaffordable--within the next few years.) Might be worth a try as it's a factor in your decision. Try out a coach or two there, too.

Oh, and congratulations on the job, too!!

A bit of an update - the apartment complex next to work doesn't have any openings until February...and it's not the nicest place either so no big loss there. I'm now looking into apartments midway between work and the closest rink. If I can space it right, that will be just 3 miles from either one, which is an easy bike ride.

I skated at that rink today, and it was actually pretty nice. The ice was a bit firmer than I'm used to but it wasn't as hard and brittle as it has been a couple times in the past, so it was actually quite nice to skate on though it was crowded. Since now is currently hockey season (Friday night public sessions are moved to the tiny second ice surface to leave the big ice for hockey, sigh), I'm hopeful it won't get any harder... The prices are higher now, putting them in 2nd place as far as highest-priced rinks in the area go. Freestyle sessions are $11/hour, or in once instance, for a *half-hour* (!!), or $9/each with a punch card. I'm not quite sure what sort of person would pay $11 for 30 minutes to skate, but it's not me. Fortunately, the morning times are sane 1-hour sessions, but even so, 3-4 sessions each morning with a punch card is $27-$36 per day! I certainly do not want to pay that kind of money to skate.

I will have to inquire as to whether they have some sort of flat rate program tomorrow - if not I will have to try out the rink in Tacoma and then make a choice between that and the ones I'm familiar with. It is certainly worse traffic going towards Tacoma at the end of the day so I'm not terribly hopeful about that option (I left to the rink around normal end-of-business-day time today), though I don't imagine it's too bad at the later times that I'd actually be going to and from work. Moreover, a 45-minute minimum commute each way to work each day is simply too much - the 30 minutes I have to deal with now is about my limit. So, the Tacoma rink is out.

It may actually work out best to stay very near where I am already, perhaps moving a couple miles to be super-close to the rink I like most (it's only about 4 miles away currently), as I'd be going there most mornings so moving more in-between doesn't make too much sense as I'd have more overall driving each morning. Now that I've reasoned that out, I'm really hoping the rink near work has a flat rate plan - otherwise I guess I'll probably stay close to where I'm at...

*sigh* There simply needs to be more ice rinks with good ice and good deals on the ice time. But I'm spoiled really - I'm suddenly feeling quite sorry for you poor folks who have but one choice of rink.

__________________
Casey Allen Shobe | http://casey.shobe.info
"What matters is not experience per se but 'effortful study'."
"At first, dreams seem impossible, then improbable, and eventually inevitable" ~ Christopher Reeve

Well there was one rink I forgot, in Kent - only 20 minutes south of work versus the 45 minutes to the Tacoma rink. It has morning freestyle sessions, but the cost is $9.75/session. No flat rate advertised, but you can save some money buy buying a 50 session (!!) punch card for $6.58/session. I think it's a smallish rink too, though I have only been there once ages ago.

__________________
Casey Allen Shobe | http://casey.shobe.info
"What matters is not experience per se but 'effortful study'."
"At first, dreams seem impossible, then improbable, and eventually inevitable" ~ Christopher Reeve