Was Commuting From Ashburn to DC; Now Commuting From Alexandria to DC (Arlington: daycare, how much)

[DCmum]

I so don't want to move to MD

[triplej68]

Look into craigslist if you are still interested in Kingstowne. I don't live there now but two years ago I was renting a 1 bedroom condo for only 1100 dollars. I would see 2 bedrooms go for 1400 or 1500 when I was looking. I was going to rent from the Edgemoore until I found that 1 bedroom. Also the Fairfax Connector bus South County Route Schedules and Maps*- Fairfax County, Virginia goes to the Springfield and Van Dorn metro stations route 321 and 322. Took me about 1 hour door to door to get to my job near Farragut West.

[BarqCider]

isnt huntington the area known to flood? there are atleast well known neighborhoods in alexandria that always flood when it rains a decent amount.

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by BarqCider

isnt huntington the area known to flood? there are atleast well known neighborhoods in alexandria that always flood when it rains a decent amount.

That will only affect the houses along Cameron Run, not so much the high-rises set further away.

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by DCmum

Is anyone familiar with this apartment complex and the area it is in? Look No More Edgemoore has a 2bed 1.5 Bath**24hrs Maintenance**

I don't know specifically about Edgemoore (although the name sounds familiar) but Kingstowne in general is a family-friendly area of newish housing with convenient mid-scale retail. Driving to DC wouldn't be too bad; it might be good to assume no more than a 30mph commute. The Franconia-Springfield and Van Dorn Metro stations are about equidistant with connecting bus options available to both.

[Fallout Zone]

Since it sounds like commute is going to overwhelm the other criteria for the OP, I'm going to put another vote in for Columbia Pike, especially east of Glebe. The buses run constantly to the Pentagon, and then the Yellow line gets you to the Archives in just a few stops. And, if you decide after moving that public transportation isn't for you, you are close enough that car travel won't be completely horrible. My wife lived in the area for 6 years, and I did for 4 and always felt safe.

[DCmum]

Originally Posted by Tone509

I don't know specifically about Edgemoore (although the name sounds familiar) but Kingstowne in general is a family-friendly area of newish housing with convenient mid-scale retail. Driving to DC wouldn't be too bad; it might be good to assume no more than a 30mph commute. The Franconia-Springfield and Van Dorn Metro stations are about equidistant with connecting bus options available to both.

How about Springfield? Would that be a bad drive to DC? Thanks!

[DCmum]

Originally Posted by Fallout Zone

Since it sounds like commute is going to overwhelm the other criteria for the OP, I'm going to put another vote in for Columbia Pike, especially east of Glebe. The buses run constantly to the Pentagon, and then the Yellow line gets you to the Archives in just a few stops. And, if you decide after moving that public transportation isn't for you, you are close enough that car travel won't be completely horrible. My wife lived in the area for 6 years, and I did for 4 and always felt safe.

I guess, what is scaring me about driving is the parking situation in DC, everyone is telling me it is non-existent

[Jenjen391]

I'm not sure about the exact parking situation near judiciary square, but I bet you can get monthly parking in a garage. It won't be cheap, around 150-200 per month. It will be cheaper than paying by the day, though.

No matter which way you commute, public transit or driving, you should be prepared for the occasional really bad commute and have a contingency plan for someone else to pick up your child in case you can't get there in time.

As for Springfield to your job, I guess it depends on which part of Springfield and how close you'd be to I-95/395. I commute to NoMa (two stops past Judiciary Sq) from W. Springfield. My commute takes about 65-70 minutes on public transit (drive to and park at Franconia-Spr. metro). Driving, well, it depends. On Friday mornings, if I get on HOV right at 9:00 when it opens up, I can get to work in 35 minutes. On a regular day, non-HOV lanes it can be anywhere from 45min-90min+ of very stressful driving.

[DCmum]

Originally Posted by Jenjen391

I'm not sure about the exact parking situation near judiciary square, but I bet you can get monthly parking in a garage. It won't be cheap, around 150-200 per month. It will be cheaper than paying by the day, though.

No matter which way you commute, public transit or driving, you should be prepared for the occasional really bad commute and have a contingency plan for someone else to pick up your child in case you can't get there in time.

As for Springfield to your job, I guess it depends on which part of Springfield and how close you'd be to I-95/395. I commute to NoMa (two stops past Judiciary Sq) from W. Springfield. My commute takes about 65-70 minutes on public transit (drive to and park at Franconia-Spr. metro). Driving, well, it depends. On Friday mornings, if I get on HOV right at 9:00 when it opens up, I can get to work in 35 minutes. On a regular day, non-HOV lanes it can be anywhere from 45min-90min+ of very stressful driving.

If I can get a parking garage for $150-$200, then I'd rather do that than teh bus+metro combo since that might cost as much as well and then i am relying on metro's schedule, delay, etcc. Driving would allow me to actually find a daycare in the city so I can drop my DD off in the morning close to work and pick her up right after work which will make everything easier in case i need to pick her up ect. I am a divorced mother and don't have family in the area, so it will be hard for me to find a contingency plan to have someone pick up my daughter in case of emergency, which is why having the daycare in DC might seem like a better idea. The only thing with that is, I'd need to drive, hopping on a bus+metro and then walking with a 3 year old every day is just not doable....