Commute into the city from Reston? Manassas? (Arlington, Alexandria: rentals, neighborhood)

[jessa07]

Been keeping an eye out for rentals, and with our budget, I'm getting the most hits out by areas like Reston, Manassas, etc. How bad is the commute into the city? I know Metro will be out to Reston next year, so that's a plus.

[sonnymarkjiz]

I'd do Reston if I were you. It's not as far from DC as Manassas is and at least with Reston you will have multiple options (Toll Road/GW parkway/Rt 7) and yes with the Metro coming that's an added plus. Plus, in my opnion, Reston is a LOT nicer than Manassas.


Manassas is pretty beat up compared to Reston (well, some parts are anyway), and it's farther away. The only real option from Manassas seems to be 66. My friend lives out in Briwstow and she tells me the commute to DC can be almost 2 hours.

[JfromReston]

I commute to the city (Federal Triangle) from Reston (South Lakes). It really depends on when and how you go. I usually aim to be in the city by 8:30 am. 65 - 70 minutes via Fairfax Connector and Metro. 45-50 minutes driving on I-66 with two people in a car. 65 - 80 minutes driving solo on the GW Parkway. Driving wise - the earlier you go the faster it will be - down to about 30 minutes with no traffic.

[jessa07]

What about the VRE/Metro commute from these areas?

[beatlecrazy]

My husband takes the VRE from the Manassas Park station. He likes it much better than driving to Alexandria. We also live in Manassas (not Manassas Park, but the train station is about a 10 minute drive for him). It takes him about 45 minutes via train including all stops to arrive at his job. By car it would take a lot longer. My commute is from Manassas to Chantilly, at most it takes 35 minutes go get to work in the morning.

We could probably have lived anywhere, but he (and I) chose Manassas, the neighborhood we live in is very quiet, clean, and friendly - and less costly than other areas. We also looked at Reston, Alexandria, and Tyson's Corner.

Best of luck for you!

[Virginia Prime]

Reston and Manassas are quite different from each other -- enough so that I'd recommend visiting both areas and seeing which one you like better.

Now, if you like both areas and you're going to base your decision on commuting into D.C. by train, then I'd suggest Manassas over Reston. Like others, I'm supportive of the Silver Line opening out to the Reston area; however, I wouldn't be too keen on having to take it into D.C. (as opposed to Tysons or Arlington) every weekday for work. Reston is about 20 miles west of downtown D.C. and any Metro rush-hour ride from the Wiehle Avenue station into the heart of the District is going be crowded and time-consuming (since Metro will only be able to run local trains because of the two-track configuration). Given the choice between spending 40 minutes on Metro or 40 minutes on VRE, I'd choose VRE.

[Lucky★]

The trip from Reston appears to be a bit shorter than Manassas based on the Metro Trip Planner-

http://www.wmata.com/rider_tools/tri..._form_solo.cfm

Itinerary 1
(aprox 54 min transit)
Bus Departs from
RESTON TOWN CENTER TRANSIT CENTER
at 7:35am
Board
FAIRFAX CONNECTOR BUS 505
towards WEST FALLS CHURCH STATION
Arrive
»WEST FALLS CHURCH METRO
at 8:01am
Rail Departs from
WEST FALLS CHURCH METRO
at 8:07am
Board
ORANGE LINE Rail
towards NEW CARROLLTON
Arrive
»METRO CENTER METRO STATION
at 8:29am
　
　
Itinerary 1
(aprox 1 hr 14 min transit)
Rail Departs from
MANASSAS VRE STATION
at 7:56am
Board
VRE MANASSAS LINE TRAIN
towards MANASSAS LINE NORTH
Arrive
»ALEXANDRIA VRE STATION
at 8:39am
Rail Departs from
KING STREET METRO STATION
at 8:47am
Board
BLUE LINE Rail
towards LARGO TOWN CENTER METRO STATION
Arrive
»METRO CENTER METRO STATION
at 9:10am

The Reston travel time is probably more variable because the bus portion of the trip can be impacted by road traffic.

[vauser]

Originally Posted by JfromReston

I commute to the city (Federal Triangle) from Reston (South Lakes). It really depends on when and how you go. I usually aim to be in the city by 8:30 am. 65 - 70 minutes via Fairfax Connector and Metro. 45-50 minutes driving on I-66 with two people in a car. 65 - 80 minutes driving solo on the GW Parkway. Driving wise - the earlier you go the faster it will be - down to about 30 minutes with no traffic.

65-80 minutes from Reston to DC? Oh my goodness. Which would mean it is about 95+ minutes from Ashburn. Now, I have not done a DC commute and have always avoided it even thinking that it was only 60 minutes or so. 95 minutes would mean, I did the RIGHT thing!

65-80 minutes: is that an average for you?

[sonnymarkjiz]

Is 66 that bad in the morning? Geez. It takes me about 30-35 mins to get from ashburn to Tyson's. It adds that much time to the commute????

[OrangeFish]

Originally Posted by vauser

65-80 minutes from Reston to DC? Oh my goodness. Which would mean it is about 95+ minutes from Ashburn. Now, I have not done a DC commute and have always avoided it even thinking that it was only 60 minutes or so. 95 minutes would mean, I did the RIGHT thing!

65-80 minutes: is that an average for you?

I wouldn't make it through the first week on the job!