commuting north Reston to DC (McLean, Fairfax: how much, bus, moving to)

[spingirl]

I'm moving to north Reston and will be commuting to downtown. What's the best/easiest/fastest way to do this? I was thinking of driving to West Falls Church and metro-ing in. And what will be the best time to get to West Falls Church, so I'm assured a parking space?

[LLD]

someone else will have to answer the time thing -- I don't know how big the parking lot is or when it fills up but I do know there is a bus from Reston that goes to the metro. I think it is the Fairfax County Connector. It also goes down into Tysons and Mclean.

[lchoro]

Originally Posted by spingirl

I'm moving to north Reston and will be commuting to downtown. What's the best/easiest/fastest way to do this? I was thinking of driving to West Falls Church and metro-ing in. And what will be the best time to get to West Falls Church, so I'm assured a parking space?

You can take the Fairfax County Connector bus to get to the West Falls Church Metro. They can be boarded at Reston Town Center, the Wiehle Avenue park-and-ride, etc.

North County Schedules and Maps - Fairfax Connector - Fairfax County, Virginia (http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/connector/north.htm - broken link)

[saganista]

West Falls Church is the destination alright, and the bus is probably a better bet overall, but it comes with all the usual bus-issues. If you just plain prefer to drive, there are 2,000 parking spaces at West Falls Church, but figure on availability starting to become an issue by around 7:30. If you wouldn't miss the money, you can plunk down an extra $45 per month for a guaranteed-spot permit. That means you will be able to park there up until 10:00 am. You still have to pay the regular $3.75 per day, but for many who are just not morning-people, the extra expense is worth it...

[jb124]

I recommend the bus option too. I did it for over a year and it was almost relaxing. I was able to read and listen to music instead of worry about driving. The downsides were having to stand out on the cold/heat/snow/rain and having the situation where if you were late by 1 min it meant you were actually late by 21 or 31 mins. But that was because I caught the bus on the street, if you drive to one of the Reston P&Rs neither issue is that bad because you can sit in your car or in the booth until the bus comes and the busses also come much more often at the P&Rs.

[mroy]

A lot of this depends on how much flexbility you have. Over the years I have driven. I typically leave around 8:40 and time it to get on 66 right at 9:00 when HOV lifts. If you do this, you can be at your desk downtown by 9:30 on a good day, 10:00 on a horrible day.

If you want to drive and go earlier, the best way is to take either Rt 7 or the Toll Rd to 123 in McLean to GW Parkway into DC.

[libgyrrl]

I did the commute for about 6 months a few years ago. I found it easier to park at the Park and Ride, and take the bus to West Falls Church. From there take the metro downtown. I used to work on 20th and L and the entire trip took me 45min