A man in the United States does a lot of hard work to travel to work. This involves travelling across four states from Delaware, through Pennsylvania, New Jersey and into New York. However, the suburban father of two is happy to pay more than $1,500 a month to make his 125-mile commute into the concrete jungle in exchange for a six-figure salary, as per a report in the New York Post.
Kyle Rice, a 38-year-old software developer from Delaware said in a TikTok video, “Come with me as I do a super commuter from Wilmington to my job in Manhattan in New York City. I commute through 4 states and a total of 240 miles round trip.” In the short clip, the man is seen catching a train at 6 am from his state.
The father of two is one of the increasing numbers of job-goers who sacrifice silence, sleep, and conveniences to commute to New York City.
“I don’t have to worry about the high cost of living in NYC. The average one-bedroom in Manhattan is $4,443, three times my mortgage of $1,400. I live in a suburban area with all the benefits of urban pay,” he told Business Insider.
Mr Rice spent over a decade working as a critical care paramedic in Delaware before taking a high-profile job in Lower Manhattan last February. The former ambulance driver loved serving patients, but he also wanted to learn more about the technological aspects of EMS at Muru, a Financial District startup that provides an app for protocol arrogating to medical practitioners. Since then, his income has doubled and he takes the lengthy, twice-weekly journey to go to the job.
He added, “I leave my house at 6:15 a.m. and drive eight minutes to the train station in Wilmington to catch the 6:33 a.m. Amtrak train to Newark Penn Station. The ride is around an hour and 37 minutes.” While on his journey, the 38-year-old likes to speak with people in diner cars, get a jump start on his duties at work or sleep with his inflatable neck cushion and blackout sunglasses. “After that, I get on the PATH train to the World Trade Center, which takes 30 minutes,” he continued.
Fortunately, his work provides “commuter benefits,” which reduces the discomfort of the expensive round trip. “I step outside the Oculus at around 8:35 a.m. and walk a block to my office. If there are no delays, I’m often one of the first to arrive in the morning,” he told the outlet.
Mr Rice claimed that his commute would be less than that of someone who lived in New York. He told Business Insider, “I calculated my commute versus someone living in Long Island. It came out to be roughly the same amount of time.”
After a full day of work, the man reaches home around 7:30 pm for dinner and to spend time with family. “Whenever the commute frustrates me, I remember how grateful I feel that I can pass through a handful of states on my way to work. I just stay present on the ride and just enjoy the view,” Mr Rice told the outlet.