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jamquint1

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Posted Reply with quote  #1 
I'm just wondering how long of a drive some of you have to your studio? I'm trying to decide if what we're considering is crazy or not. 
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ambwrose

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Posted Reply with quote  #2 
Not quite 5 minutes to drive and about 10 if she walks,
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dance010

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Posted Reply with quote  #3 
Im one of the crazy ones! We drive 50 minutes 3 times a week to class. Then if there is a class in Los Angeles she wants to go to, that is a little less than an hour and a half drive for us. A few months ago, we were going to LA twice a week, but that teacher is on tour right now so we aren't making that drive as often!! My DD is an older teen, and we tried the studios 5 minutes from our home and the training just cant compare. I work so this schedule is super hard for us to keep to, but as long as you are dedicated, you just make things work. Seeing the difference in my DD is incredible!
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prancer

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Posted Reply with quote  #4 
8 minutes.
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ggsmith

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Posted Reply with quote  #5 
Crazy or not depends entirely on your family situation and your dancer's need and desires.

My daughter is primarily a ballet dancer at this time.  When we started to commute for ballet it was 45-60 minutes away but only once a week, then twice a week.  By year three it was nearly every day but Sunday.  We moved and shortened the commute to 30-45 minutes but that only lasted a year, and then it was time to move on to another school.  We had several options, all at least an hour away.  Presently we are driving about an hour each way 5 days a week for ballet.  I'm pretty much forced to hang around in the city during the week because the rush hour traffic really ramps up after her class starts and I can't get back home in less than 90 minutes.  My daughter turned 14 this fall.  She is an only child and doing school online.  

I don't enjoy driving, and I suspect I'm a little crazy.  [crazy]
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nicknoralove

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Posted Reply with quote  #6 
Quote:
Originally Posted by jamquint1
I'm just wondering how long of a drive some of you have to your studio? I'm trying to decide if what we're considering is crazy or not. 


Ours is 10 mins if that. But, don't let anyone else's experience drive yours. Everyone is different and a long commute to some might not be long to others. For example, when I lived in SoCal a 45 min drive was nothing to even blink an eye at. Most of my work commutes were at least 30 mins. 

Where I live now on the other side of the country, a 45 min drive is a pain because I live in a smaller town and I'm spoiled now. It's all relative. 
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Julieg

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Posted Reply with quote  #7 
My daughter has been driving for a few years now.  Last night, at about midnight, I happened to be driving past the studio and the GPS said 17 minutes.  After school that drive would be more like 30.  Most people dread the insurance bill when their teen starts driving but I actually made money on that deal.  Insurance was $125. The gas for the extra trip to the studio and back every day was $150.  When she started driving it improved my life immensely.
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heidi459

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Posted Reply with quote  #8 

No traffic?  Roughly an hour.  Traffic.  Up to two hours.  And dd's schedule is such that the drive in is during morning rush hour and the drive back home is during afternoon rush hour.  Which is exactly why she now has an apartment to stay in 4-5 nights a week.

I can handle 45 minutes to an hour but much beyond that?  When it's six to seven days a week?  That's enough to put me in the crazy house.    
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tappinmom

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Posted Reply with quote  #9 
First studio was 5 minutes from home.

Second studio started out at 40 minutes in rush hour and then they moved and it was about 30 minutes.  Granted we live in one of the biggest cities in Canada so everything is a drive.
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dncemom01

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Posted Reply with quote  #10 
35 minutes one way. It definitely helps that dd16 drives now because we are saving money in gas
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threegirlpileup

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Posted Reply with quote  #11 
10-15 min.
That being said, I would consider a longer commute for the right studio, but my dd is 16 and this is serious business for her at this point.  We're lucky to have such a great studio right in our backyard.
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martinlgcb

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Posted Reply with quote  #12 
The studio is a 5 min drive from our house. But, since we live in rural Wisconsin and my DD wants more opportunities, we travel to Chicago most weekends where she dances with two different youth companies and takes class. It’s about a 3 1/2 hr drive to Chicago. Since she wants to pursue dance in college it’s really the only way to provide her with the additional opportunities she needs.
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5678StarMom

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Posted Reply with quote  #13 
I drive one of my girls to dance every single day of the week unless I specifically don't schedule private lessons on Sunday which seems to never happen. 2 studios are 30-40 minutes each way with traffic at least 3x a week, more with private lessons and coaching. The other 2 studios are 5-10 minutes depending on traffic.
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Mama2aHappyDancer

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Posted Reply with quote  #14 
10 minutes if there's no traffic. Up to 20 if there is. We did 45 min in good traffic, up to 1.5 hours in bad traffic for awhile and it made me crazy. But I had to bring her siblings with me and that was a lot of the issue. It might be different for an only child. 
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tendumom

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Posted Reply with quote  #15 

It's only crazy if you think it's too much to handle. What works for one would be impossible for another. 

 

In our case:
Studio 1- 15 minute drive
Studio 2- 20 minute drive without traffic. Up to 45 minutes at the wrong time of day which was often drop off or pick up! I joined a gym near by and avoided the traffic when I could
Studio 3- This was the "crazy" commute. Dd commuted to NYC. 20 min drive to the train. One hour on the train and then whatever time on the subway and walking a few blocks to the studio. The trains were often a mess (and are barely better now), so with the delays, she started going in very early so she wouldn't be late. Many days, she went in super early and took class elsewhere, plus voice lessons and gyrotonics. She did her schoolwork at the studio or in a public library. It was really a crazy time in her life but she loved every minute of it. 
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amandafarris03

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Posted Reply with quote  #16 
takes me about 25 minutes to get from our house to the studio.
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Phx115

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Posted Reply with quote  #17 
It is 15 miles away, but a 30-minute drive each way, no matter which route I take. Now that Nut is over, she's back to 5 days a week.

However, she's considering a different studio, which would add an additional 9 miles each way. It would still be 30 minutes to get her there as it'd be pretty much all freeway. However, on the weekdays that I'd try to head north after dropping her off during rush hour, it would be at least an hour.

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dave9988

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Posted Reply with quote  #18 
12 minutes from home, 40+ minutes from my office.
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LilMama

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Posted Reply with quote  #19 
8-10mins drive for us, some girls on the team take 45-50mins drive to get to the studio.
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nyklane

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Posted Reply with quote  #20 
Studio 1 - 9 minutes - 6 if I drive fast. [smile]
Studio 2 - 30 minutes (2x's a week)
Summer  - 40 minutes

My son plays competitive lacrosse - which is pretty regional and the good teams are not in our state.  The year before we'd drive 5 hours each way to Rochester NY - for a 1.5 hour practice every week.  This year we only drive to Mass (1.5 hours) once a week, and Long Island or/ Queens in the winter (2.5 hours each way) each week.  So right now the craziness is for the boy. [smile]
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my2miracles

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Posted Reply with quote  #21 
20-30 minutes depending on traffic.  I can't wait until June when DD gets her license.  Then she can drive herself.  Plus she will start a paid teaching position at the school this summer.
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dance010

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Posted Reply with quote  #22 
Quote:
Originally Posted by tendumom

It's only crazy if you think it's too much to handle. What works for one would be impossible for another. 

 

In our case:
Studio 1- 15 minute drive
Studio 2- 20 minute drive without traffic. Up to 45 minutes at the wrong time of day which was often drop off or pick up! I joined a gym near by and avoided the traffic when I could
Studio 3- This was the "crazy" commute. Dd commuted to NYC. 20 min drive to the train. One hour on the train and then whatever time on the subway and walking a few blocks to the studio. The trains were often a mess (and are barely better now), so with the delays, she started going in very early so she wouldn't be late. Many days, she went in super early and took class elsewhere, plus voice lessons and gyrotonics. She did her schoolwork at the studio or in a public library. It was really a crazy time in her life but she loved every minute of it. 



Wow what a crazy commute studio 3 was! Out of curiosity, how old was your daughter when she made that commute by herself?
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PasDeChatMom

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Posted Reply with quote  #23 
Last year the studio was about 30 miles away and it took 30-45 minutes to get there and about 45-60 minutes to get home. Some days she was there from 1:30 - 8:30 so it wasn't a "stay at the studio and wait" situation for me. However, we found a great carpool and I only had to make that drive two times a week - not even two days, just two times. That made it so much more doable for me.

We've had to switch ballet schools this year and it is closer - 12 miles - but only surface streets no freeways so it takes 18-20 minutes. No carpool, either. 
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dave9988

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Posted Reply with quote  #24 
Quote:
Originally Posted by nyklane
Studio 1 - 9 minutes - 6 if I drive fast. [smile]
Studio 2 - 30 minutes (2x's a week)
Summer  - 40 minutes

My son plays competitive lacrosse - which is pretty regional and the good teams are not in our state.  The year before we'd drive 5 hours each way to Rochester NY - for a 1.5 hour practice every week.  This year we only drive to Mass (1.5 hours) once a week, and Long Island or/ Queens in the winter (2.5 hours each way) each week.  So right now the craziness is for the boy. [smile]


Yup, we've got some crazy lacrosse around here.  One local *public* school supposedly starting construction on a dedicated box lacrosse facility.
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tendumom

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Posted Reply with quote  #25 
Quote:
Wow what a crazy commute studio 3 was! Out of curiosity, how old was your daughter when she made that commute by herself?


She didn't start doing that commute daily until she was 17. She was essentially done with high school by then as she had met the requirements by the end of her junior year. She was already comfortable going into NYC by herself for open classes and other activities long before that. She was probably 13 or 14 when she started getting around Manhattan by herself. 
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