New York City is the city of commuters. Whether you identify with the bridge and tunnel crowd, brave the elements and walk a dozen or so blocks to the office, or simply take the subway downtown a few stops, you know full-well the hardships of the morning and evening commute.
But all in all-- and this isn’t a competition --who has it worst?
The DISCO app has partnered with bars, salons, barber shops, and coffee shops around the city to help you get the most out of your everyday habits.
Is it the tired, coffee-breathed commuter from the outer suburbs of New Jersey? Is it the brave walker fighting weather, tourists, and hordes of eye-gouging umbrellas?
Who can say for sure? We’re going to stake a claim for the unsung hardships of NYC’s hugeness: the outer borough commuter.
Let’s face it: Manhattan still holds down the business end of NYC, and for many New Yorkers, getting to work every day takes more than an hour. These people are, well, underrated heroes, and heroes deserve their own special rewards, right?
What’s the best way to get rewarded for every single day? DISCO. The DISCO app has partnered with bars, salons, barber shops, and coffee shops around the city to help you get the most out of your everyday habits.
Your routine is important, but the places you choose to frequent are even more so. If you’re not getting something for your loyalty, what’s the point? You’re right. There isn’t one. So, switch it up. Establish a new routine. Get more for your daily habits and download the DISCO app.
As for how commuters from the outer boroughs might just have it worse than you possibly imagined, well, read on.
1. Waking up in time
You know that feeling of dread when you wake up and realize that you only have ten minutes until you need to catch your bus/train/subway in order to make it into work on time?
It’s petrifying to say the very least.
It’s also distressing to realize that you most likely have to leave the comfort of your home hours before you actually have to be into work, because you’re going to be struggling along with thousands of other commuters to make it into Manhattan.
2. Establishing a routine
Your routine is important.
Jersey commuters have one. Long Islanders have one. They try to make their commutes from wherever they live to wherever they work as seamless as possible.
Of course, the only downside here is being at the mercy of NJ Transit and the LIRR. That itself is its own nightmare.
But for the outer borough New Yorkers, nothing is as delicate and fragile as their routine. We have to orchestrate it carefully. The only way we’re getting through the day is a cup of coffee before we really get moving.
That's why we're using the DISCO app to get their morning right. They know that getting coffee every morning right off Fulton at Daily Press is just as important as everything else they’ve got planned for the day. So they go there. Every. Single. Day.
There’s a distinct difference between regular routine and the VIP status every regular wishes they had with DISCO. With a DISCO-powered membership they save money on that otherworldly Counter Culture Coffee. Download the DISCO app right here.
3. So many damn people
Excuse us, tourists, but we actually need to walk faster than your glacial pace because we’ve got to get to work within the next five minutes.
We’re actually pretty proud that we live in an area so popular and beautiful that people flock from around the globe to catch a glimpse of it, but it’s frustrating to no end when realizing those very people don’t respect our day-to-day lives.
This is especially hard when going from a crowded commute from the outer boroughs to the even more crowded streets of Midtown.
Furthermore, have you ever seen the bottlenecks created by the hoards of people attempting to get onto the island of Manhattan? Our transportation infrastructures simply cannot grow as fast as the number of commuters.
4. More than one connection
Do you know that moment when you finally snag a seat or a sliver of space that isn’t being occupied only to realize that you need to make a transfer in two stops? That pleasure is short lived as our next connection will undoubtedly require a fight for breathing room.
Hopefully, our connection is in the same general area, and we don’t have to walk four blocks in the freezing cold, nasty rain, or sweltering heat to get to our next subway.
Once we’ve finally reached the next bus stop or train platform, we realize that our first train was running three minutes behind, causing us to miss our connecting train. Then we have to wait another 15 minutes for the next one.
Say goodbye to getting to work on time.
5. Courtesy still counts
In the quest for seeing who has it worst-- long distance commuters vs. outer borough commuters --there’s something important we too often forget: NJ Transit and LIRR get crowded, yet there’s a singular respect for the dude who’s been on the train for a while already.
These people are undisturbed in their seats for every stop down the line. There’s no expectation that they’ll get up because, well, they’ve had a longer ride than everybody just getting on.
Coming from Brooklyn, Queens, what have you, you’re at the mercy of the MTA. It’s a free-for-all. Possession is not 9/10ths of the law.
We’ve been sitting on the subway for 45 minutes with another 30 to go, and now there’s an elderly person with a cane? Courtesy counts. We get up, no matter how long we’ve got to go.
And this is just the expectation. That’s just what we do. Nobody cares that we woke up at 5 a.m. to catch a bus at 6 a.m. to get us to the subway 45 minutes away so we can travel another hour into Manhattan. Nobody. Cares.
6. Psyching yourself up for the long ride home
Do you know that feeling of absolute bliss when you walk out of your workplace only to have it crushed by the knowledge that you will still have to sit through a couple hours’ worth of commuting before you can finally pop the top on that beer bottle and kick up your feet?
We do.
It’s one of the worst steps of commuting. You’re oh-so-close, but still oh-so-far away from much needed sleep or relaxation. Sure, you don’t have to muck through the monotony of the workday any longer, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be relaxed any time soon.
Oh, you’ve got sh*t to do when you get home? Good luck. The MTA just decided that your subway train wasn’t going to be moving for the next half hour. Hope you like doing laundry at 9 p.m.
7. Sharpening that routine
Sharpening that routine doesn’t just mean making it a routine through repetition. Sharpening means improving. Improving means making the absolute most of it.
If our morning cup of coffee, sandwich, haircut, or last drink before home isn’t powered by a DISCO membership, well, our routine is severely lacking. Like we said, outer borough commuters live in a fragile ecosystem when it comes to the morning and evening routines.
The good thing for outer borough commuters is there’s almost always something on the way with the DISCO app. We shouldn’t have to wander the block looking for something-- anything will do, really. No. False.
Whether it’s coffee, lunch, or even a haircut or massage, DISCO keeps it close because your time and money matter. Getting a sandwich for lunch every week? Make it count. Your spot, the one that values your loyalty, should be right where you need it.
Coffee or a sandwich on the way to Manhattan? Bread & Spread is worth committing to with DISCO powered memberships for things like unlimited tea & coffee, and free sandwiches when you buy 10.
Walking too far for a haircut or blowout that leaves you wishing your hair grew faster? Switch it up. Get the Leslie Exclusive Membership at Capelli D’Oro and get your hair styled like a VIP from the world-famous stylist, Leslie Correa.
If you’re not happy with what you get for the things you already do every day, switch it up. Download the DISCO app.
8. Doing it the next day… and the next
There’s no end in sight.
When you finally get an hour or two of peace to yourself at night, you come to the very heart-wrenching realization that you need to set your alarm for two hours before you need to get to work the following morning, even though you need five minutes to get ready.
Commuting. is. the. worst.
Get the Most Out of Your Daily Routine & Check Out the DISCO App Right Here.