Still trying to carve out my suburban lifestyle here. So, saying I am now living somewhere near Alcobendas and we want to go to the "best VO theater in Madrid". Do we drive in and park, do we drive to the nearest cercanias subway stop and park in a well lit garage and then cross the street to the station, do we drive to the edge of Madrid and then park and ride...

Hi Gail, jer here.

Hmmmmm... I will refer you to my transportation page at www.multimadrid.com/practical_info/mad_transports.htm .

There is a section on city busses. You will note that the GREEN INTER-URBAN BUSSES can get you from the suburbs to the city and back. This is a good way to come to the city center without having to use the dreaded car in a very traffic ridden city.

Your idea of driving to the Metro is also good if you can do it. Remember, the Metro closes here at 1:30am so be careful not to miss that last train.

RENFE Cercanias is also another option, you seem to know what you are talking about.

The best way for the family to come into the city center however would probably be to come by either bus or train and then take a taxi home. 4 in a cab is very affordable and if you go to the movies and get out late at night, you may not want to wait for the bus in an area that may not be very safe. The busses to Alcobendas for example leave from the Plaza Castilla bus terminal which is not the best place to hang out at night

Saludos,
jer...

Actually, I don't know what I am talking about. Originally, we were supposed to transfer to Paris 3 months ago. But the US economy was already in trouble in the spring and the company put a freeze on transfers, promotions,etc. Then September came, and yesterday we found out it will be next summer at the earliest. But at least my husband has his job intact. Anyway, I spent oh, 15 months researching Paris which seems to have a metro or RER stop everywhere. Since we are not a typical expat family, ie. living in same banlieus as the short-termers in 3,000 dollar-a-month houses or apartments, and going to the American school, I found it nearly impossible to put together a life we could all enjoy. Then one day in frustration I started researching Madrid, ran across Madridman, then multimadrid. I am storing up ammunition to try and convince the company that Madrid would work better even though Paris has a lot more clients nearby. What I have so far is that the kids are already bilingual, cost of living appears much better, my husband is Spanish and will be able to better deal with everyday picky problems, like buying a house and the people have a friendlier attitude in Madrid, so I am told. I have a map of Madrid, no suburbs, which has a small subway map. Plus, someone here or at Madridman told me about cercanias, which sounds like the RER in Paris. Oh, I also was told that Madrid, even though a city, has a "pueblo" atmosphere. This came from a Spaniard living in Mallorca. His wife is from Paris, where they have an apartment and he said without a single doubt that we would like living in Madrid MUCH better. That Paris is for visiting, not for living. The Paris metro and RER have parking garages at some stops and at others you park wherever. The garages range from dangerous to very nice, depending. We were going to be suburbanites there as well, because this is a very long term move coming up next and we want to buy. And since we don't a million of any currency (except for maybe Italian lira) laying around, we are looking out to the suburbs. Seems like in Madrid we don't have to go out as far to afford to buy, either. So, anything you or others have to add about Madrid, something that would look good on a formal presentation to the boss, I am open to all input. I am the native English speaker of the family and the letter listing the the pros and cons of Paris vs. Madrid will be my job.

Ok, but you at least are doing the research which makes it look like you know what you are taliking about

I am not farmiliar with the RER in France but it does sound a lot like RENFE CERCANIAS here in Spain (the regional rail service). RENFE is the "Red Nacional de Ferrocarriles Espa�oles" ("National Spanish Rail Network") and CERCANIAS is its local short distance service.

As for the Paris-Madrid battle, although the company has the last word, you know my preference

Saludos & good luck in convincing the big "quesos" ("cheeses", jejeje... bosses that is) to send you all to Madrid.

Wishing you luck,
jer...

Gail,

If there's a Borders Bookstore, or Barnes & Noble (or equivalent), nearby, they usually have some fantastic maps available. A bit pricey, but they usually are fairly complete, showing the smaller towns and cities. In fact, we bought one at B&N for our first trip to Spain, and it remains our mainstay at home, for locating specific places and routes we may travel from one point to another, and they do fairly well depict city areas that you can readily identify with, and begin searching for a place to live.

What's interesting about Madrid is the fact that there are suburban areas around the city not unlike the U.S., and many of them offer fast train service into the city, and connections to the Metro, which is fantastic.

The town/village/city we like is Pinto, and we can get anywhere in Madrid by climbing on a train (one about every fifteen minutes), going to Atocha Renfe, and switching to the Metro, and be almost anywhere in the city in less than an hour after we left the house.

Also, the freeway type highways that link into Madrid are very good, and there's a wealth of shopping available all around the outer ring of Madrid itself, so you don't have to venture into Madrid's "downtown" area for the majority of your needs. This includes grocery shopping, and several malls, somewhat like those in the U.S., which are springing up everywhere.

Spaniards think travel by car, into the city, is slow. During rush hour it's true, but not nearly as bad as most U.S. metro areas. Outside of rush hour, the traffic moves quite well, and there are very few delays in getting anywhere.

Also, you might want to check out schools available in the areas you consider living. You may find that you'll want to put your children in private schools, and the prices can vary dramatically from one place to another, and in some areas, the distances from home to the private school may be more than you want to consider.

Hope this info helps.

By the way... There's very few options available for getting U.S. based TV in Madrid. But, from what I'm beginning to hear, from some viable Internet sources, we may be seeing TV networks from the U.S. broadcast around the world, via the Internet, within a year. Of course it would be a paid service, like a cable bill, but what the heck, if you like Emeril, or don't want to miss an episode of Everybody Loves Raymond, it might be worth considering ...

JP (Who needs his Green Bay Packer games no matter where he goes. )

Good stuff JP, one thing to add to your post though. You are right about the non-rush hour ride into Madrid being less painful than the peak hours but the parking in (and anywhere near) the city center is a NIGHTMARE and makes the drive in a regretable experience (unless you throw it in a paid garage).

Whenever possible, leave the car at home!

Saludos,
jer...

many thanks to you both. We first heard we might be able to move somewhere in Europe over two years ago. It became more or less official 16 months ago and then the economy slowly went into a tailspin. I did'nt know it until last spring but the problems had already started last summer (2000). Now it is an official recession. Looks like it will be a full 3 years from start to finish and that is if we go next summer. Having such quick and informative answers on this site has really helped keep my mind off the long wait and I really appreciate it. Savage, may I ask where Pinto is? I would also appreciate if you would be more specific about schooling, like why you think I will be more interested in private ones. I happen to think the same, so far, and would like to know what you think. Before you answer, you may not know that my husband is from Barcelona, the kids are bilingual (missing vosotros and the "acthent") from 5 years in Mexican private schools and they hold Spanish passports. MY reason for looking at private schools is for the higher level of English. We are looking around Alcobendas because we want a yard and the office will be in the town of Barajas but so far the private schools I have found there are too expensive. We can afford no more than 300 dollars a month per child (we have 3).

Jer,

I was more referring to using a car to get to the malls, etc, around Madrid, not to get to the Sol area, or anything within the city proper. I agree, parking can be a nightmare in Madrid.

JP