I have the best commute to Hunter

When I decided to apply to Hunter three years ago for my undergrad, I only thought about the college’s well known reputation. I didn’t think about how far it might be, how much of a journey I might have to make every day. So it came as a great surprise when I started attending Hunter and my commute was only fifteen minutes.

Astoria, Queens is home to 154,000 people, and the N/Q trains are in high demand. To get around it I usually schedule my classes after 9 a.m. I do this in order to ensure I’m able to get on a train which is usually jam packed during the morning rush hour.

If I have a class at 11:10 a.m. I can wake up at 10:30 a.m. and leave by 10:50 a.m. to make it to Hunter on time. Living three blocks from the N and Q 36th Avenue train station means I have easy access to transit, and there are plenty of MTA buses and yellow or green cabs available too.

Every morning starts the same way. My commute begins by walking less than five minutes to the N or Q Manhattan bound train at 36th Avenue for three stops to 59 Street Lexington Avenue. There I transfer to the Uptown 6 and get off after one stop at 68th Street Hunter College. I manage to grab coffee from the food truck in front of school before heading to class.

When I meet people and start getting to know them, commuting usually comes up as a conversation topic. I’ve heard many people complaining about their long commutes – Hunter students and staff come from all over New York. I’ve met students who commute from Staten Island and Long Island. I had an adjunct professor who came from Upstate New York to teach English once a week at Hunter.

Astoria has been my home for over a decade. The multi-cultural neighborhood has a large range of restaurants, schools, Panera, Applebee’s, UNOs, Starbucks, gyms, and yoga studios. There’s nightclubs, parks, and everything else in between. Astoria’s a centre of film too: It’s home to Moving Image Museum, Kaufman Astoria Cinemas, and the Kaufman Astoria Studios where movies, and shows are filmed on a regular basis.

This is all located only a five minute walk from my apartment building, and I’m lucky. Being able to still live in my own home with my family and all the familiarity isn’t what every college student experiences. Granted, it’s not what all college students want, but I’m comfortable and the city is near enough to explore it whenever I want.

While other Hunter students are able to complete homework, read or take a nap during their train commutes, I’m not able to. By the time I open up a book to read, I have to put it away to walk home. Instead I use my short train commute to listen to music, look at buildings, and observe people people on the train.

What’s better, being only fifteen minutes away from Hunter means I have the motivation to actually go to class on time and regularly. There’s no excuse for me to not go to school, even when it rains or snows. Astoria’s my home and I have the best commute to school. I’m able to enjoy the average size community without being overwhelmed by the city — and I still get to admire the Manhattan skyline from my rooftop.

Do you have a better or worse commute to Hunter? Email [email protected] if you’d like to contribute to our series.