So I’m on my way to New Jersey this weekend and I’m on the train. NJ Transit is one of the busier rail companies because of all the traffic they bring to the city – and by traffic, I mean commuters.

Normally, when I do this, I have a bad experience. The trains are always misstimed to late. They shorten the trains on the weekend but still seem to have plenty of passengers visiting NYC so, of course, there are no seats. The trips are expensive and if you forget or don’t have the time to get your ticket ahead of time, you have to pay a penalty fee on top of it.

The weekdays are better to a degree because they make the cars longer and run the more frequently. But, as you would think, there are a lot more people riding as they go to and from work. When I was doing this every day (when I commuted into the city from New Jersey) there were times you had to stand through most of the trip. Still, there was something nice about it.

For one, it kept you to a schedule. You had to get a parking spot so you made sure you were up early enough to get one; you got into the office before most other people did that way. Of course, with the extra time, you could get more work done. You also were able to use the travel time as you wanted. You could nap, read the paper, listen to music, or (if you’re a sadist) start working even before you got in. And on the way home, you could do the same.

Now that I live in or around the outter limits of the city, I have a 30 to 45 minute commute instead of a 90, 120, or 180 minute commute. And while I miss the wind up and wind down time, I’m glad I can spend more time doing things I can’t do on the train. Things like going to the gym.

Yet tonight, as I make my way into the depths of the garden state, I’m feeling a little nostalgic. It kinds feels good to unwind while I commute. It feels nice to blog from my blackberry as I whizz past farmland and forests and getting excited about breathing that fresh country air I love so much.