Living in Baltimore, working in The District

[Infinite_heights77]

Those that complain need to stop cryin'! DC has those good gubmnt jobs with perks and stuff. You can afford it! It's worth the hassle if you're making 65k and up. You'll never earn that much in this raggedy-ass town of Baltimore.

[EducatedBro82]

I know 3 people that take the Marc to DC.

1 lives in Laurel and takes the Main Street Station to Union Station and then takes the Red Line to Farragut North as he works off the line... Its not bad as his job supplies metro fare so it helps the costs..

1 lives in Bowie and takes the Bowie State Station to Union Station, then takes the Red to Green to Blue to Foggy Bottom, its longer but he likes the commute, he hates the fare as it gets costly.

1 lives in Crofton/Waugh Chapel area and takes the Odenton Station. He works late so if he misses the last MARC train he is screwed (he called me a few times to pick him up from Greenbelt or New Carrolton) as he is Lawyer. He has contemplated moving into Silver Spring and taking the Red Line in but his son is a better school in Odenton and doesnt want him in the "city atmosphere" in Silver Spring.

It is doable, but just plan your time and commute accordingly. I wouldnt do it, but to each their own.

[picardlx]

If you can walk from home to Penn and from Union to work, then you get the benefits of lower COL while enduring a commute that's comparable to a long DC Metro commute. I did this years ago and saved about a thousand dollars per month -- although, the days of getting a Mount Vernon 1 BR /w heat for only $720/month are gone (last I checked).

My job location has since moved (so I can no longer walk to work from Union station in short order) and I moved to northern Baltimore (so I can no longer walk home from Penn). I'm young (30s), but I can tell that I'm aging at an accelerated rate with the additional commute time; I'm not complaining BTW just being truthful. I only caution you to know what you're getting yourself into. MARC trains run about once an hour during most of the day. So just keep in mind that a normal 2 hour one-way commute can easily turn into a 3 hour commute, if you miss your train even by a second or two. If you have a spouse/partner with kids, then it may be even more difficult.

[Teal Clise]

I am a real estate agent in Baltimore. I've helped several DC workers purchase homes in Baltimore. The cost of living & the lifestyle was definitely the reasons they chose to do so. If you'd like to look into if further for yourself, feel free to let me know.

[md911]

I too know several people that works in DC and lives in Baltimore or further north (I know somebody that lives in Philly and commutes to DC but they dont do it but like two days a week). I work in DC and I thought about buying in Baltimore so it is good to see other people opinions on this topic. The real estate is much cheaper than DC and you can still have the city feel.

[crgoss]

I've been commuting from penn station to union station for about 4 years. I live a block from penn station. I usually take the 613 and get to work at 7:30. Coming back, I usually leave at 520, get on the 550 and get home at 700. It's not too bad. I would encourage dcers to try the commute for themselves for a few days.

[trickymost]

This commute will wear you down. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. It's like the slot machine everyone thinks will pay out when they ring it.

The only way I could keep sane while I did it was thinking about all the people in DC who have to cross the river to get to work or all the people who live south of 495.

I pray for more efficient transportation - you shouldn't have to assume 50% of your non working, non sleeping work week are best spent in and out of trains.