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Extreme Commuter: Queens to New England

By Marlene Naanes, amNewYork Staff Writer
More stories | MNaanes@am-ny.com

3:04 PM EDT, June 29, 2008

Denadjae Combs doesn't mind a hectic work travel schedule that can take her to four different places across the country in about a month's time.

What does wear on the event planner's patience is her 2½ hour commute each way between her family's Bayside home and her company's East Norwalk, Conn., headquarters.

"It's exhausting," said Combs, 25. "I get home at night and all I want to do is collapse and go to bed. In the morning I have to peel myself out of my bed." For more than two years, Combs has taken a bus, the No. 7 train and a Metro-North train to get to and from work. She leaves her home at 6:45 a.m. to get into work at 9:15 a.m., and then leaves the office at 6:30 p.m. to return home at 9 p.m.

Bad weather, track work or 7 train delays can make the already long treks unbearable, Combs said.

"Those are the days when I go home and I'm like why the hell am I doing this?" she said.

On the positive side, Combs said that her commute allows her to read the newspaper daily to keep up on current events.

Her commute, though, may get even tougher. Her company is considering a move that would make it difficult to walk there from the Metro-North stop.

"I'm at my threshold at this point," Combs said. "I pretty much will say I will not add a fourth leg to my commute. It's just not going to happen."

She said she is already missing out on enough.

"My friends are hanging out and doing stuff together and I'm going home," Combs said. "They're like, 'You're crazy. ... Get a job in the city like the rest of us.'"

Tell us about your extreme commute. E-mail mnaanes@am-ny.com.

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Extreme Commuter: Queens to New England

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