Sunset when?

Counting down, we now have only three and a half weeks until the winter solstice - known as the first day of winter here and (I think more fittingly) as mid-winter's day in others...

The lack of daylight shouldn't surprise me any more, but sometimes it still does. Today's surprise was travel-related. I live in eastern Massachusetts, but I spent this weekend with family in eastern Pennsylvania. Both states are in the Eastern timezone (do you see a pattern here?), and yet there is a very noticeable difference in the time at which the sun sinks below the horizon. Today's sunset times? Sunset at home was at 4:14 PM, 24 minutes earlier than the sunset I saw at 4:38 PM at my weekend home away from home.

Just out of curiosity, I also checked the sunset time for Jonesport, Maine where I had a conversation with a B&B owner about winter sunset times. The sunset in Joneport today was at 3:55 PM, 20 minutes earlier than home (for me), and 44 minutes earlier than Philadelphia. Jonesport is pretty close to the eastern edge of the timezone, but Philadelphia is no where near the western edge. Grand Rapids, Michigan is pretty close to the edge, and the sunset there today was at 5:12 PM. Would you say that the Eastern time zone is too wide?

Curious about disappearing daylight in your area? Check the sunrise and sunset times here.

The lack of daylight seems to bother me more each year. A possible solution? Maybe I should just move to Hawaii. No cold weather, a fairly consistent number of hours of daylight, and my bicycle and I can happily (and comfortably) wander the roads year round.

Yes, you're right, I'm not moving anywhere right now. But I can dream, can't I?