Question about commute and if it is worth getting new apartment... (McLean: cheap apartment, hotel)

[lioil]

So I am going to start a new job and I will be using the Metro Orange line to work. The closest metro lines are vienna and followed by Dunn Loring. Looking at googlemaps and WMATA trip planner here is my current trip plan:
Round trip ~1.7 hrs which includes taking bus to metro (vienna) then to work and back.

After some research I found that if I leave from the metro station directly I save ~.7 hrs mostly due to not waiting for the bus etc. The fare is about the same so no savings there. I haven't really commuted via metro much in my life (i was lucky my jobs were always ~10 min drive from my apartment )so I am not sure how precious the 1 hr saved will be so I would like some "road warriors" to chime in on it.

In terms of switching apartments:
1. current residence - 1 bed/bath 1250 all inclusive + cable/internet ~= 1330
2. Potential metro location apartments - Vantage at merrifield, halstead square, merrifield at dunn loring(i read reviews it seems to be crap compared to the price...). These are ~1600 for a studio / 1bed/bath + util + cable so i am looking at maybe 1750 or so give or take.

So ultimately the $$$ question is this - is the 300 or so increase in "rent" (the amenities are negligible although they are nice...) worth the 20 hours or so I save for the month from commuting? I guess another way is is my time more valuable than 15$/hr? I tend to think yes but 300 is still 300 .

also forgot to add that with the fitness centers i could save ~40/month if i cancel my golds gym membership...
Thanks for the help!

[dkf747]

Generally, it's usually worth it, if the extra $300 doesn't eat up the rest of your budget.

[acgood]

confused, is the new job located between vienna and dunn loring? or are you getting on there and heading towards arlington/DC? If it is the former and you move to merrifield...would you use metro at all to get to work?

regardless, I would take the short commute for 300 more - plus you should save the bus fare too right?

[lioil]

Originally Posted by acgood

confused, is the new job located between vienna and dunn loring? or are you getting on there and heading towards arlington/DC? If it is the former and you move to merrifield...would you use metro at all to get to work?

regardless, I would take the short commute for 300 more - plus you should save the bus fare too right?

The new job is in Rossalyn and parking there is costly (i paid 13 for 2 hr parking...) and where I am living i need to either drive to metro or take bus to metro (bus station is 2 min walk). Since I am taking Metro it could either be from vienna or dunn station (i think dunn is closer though).

[Mnseca]

Taking a bus every day was pretty sucky back when I had to do it. They weren't terribly reliable or frequent enough. I sometimes missed the bus and had to take a taxi or be really late to work. The bus could be early or late by a couple of minutes, so it was easy to miss it or end up late even if I made it. In the end I bought a car and moved, mostly to avoid taking the bus. So I'd say it's worth it, but I can't speak for everyone.

Just saw that your job is in Rosslyn. Ironically, that's where I worked when I had to take the bus. I lived in a cheap apartment in Georgetown, so in a pinch I could even walk to work, although it was a bit too far to be comfortable. I would suggest you look into an efficiency at River Place in Rosslyn. They are pretty affordable, and you won't have to worry about public transport at all. A lot of young people who work in Rosslyn live there.

[lioil]

Originally Posted by Mnseca

Taking a bus every day was pretty sucky back when I had to do it. They weren't terribly reliable or frequent enough. I sometimes missed the bus and had to take a taxi or be really late to work. The bus could be early or late by a couple of minutes, so it was easy to miss it or end up late even if I made it. In the end I bought a car and moved, mostly to avoid taking the bus. So I'd say it's worth it, but I can't speak for everyone.

Just saw that your job is in Rosslyn. Ironically, that's where I worked when I had to take the bus. I lived in a cheap apartment in Georgetown, so in a pinch I could even walk to work, although it was a bit too far to be comfortable. I would suggest you look into an efficiency at River Place in Rosslyn. They are pretty affordable, and you won't have to worry about public transport at all. A lot of young people who work in Rosslyn live there.

Ah.. the problem is the office is in Rossalyn BUT the project I will be working on could be either in DC, MD or NOVA (arlington/falls church). I dont think i can drive to any of those locations due to parking expenses and just long commute....

[boyd888]

Walking distance to the metro does bring a huge premium of $300+ a month across Northern VA. Since you are working at Rosslyn you could also look at Blue line places if you don't have your heart set on the orange.

Something around Crystal City, Braddock Rd, etc would have you closer to DC, more stuff to do, and potentially a shorter commute. Other than that the cheapest option would be to find a place off the metro line (a mile or two) by Rosslyn itself and bike to work.

When looking at apartment reviews online, only pay attention to the neutral reviews - the ones that mention both pros and cons of living in a place. All negative are left by disgruntled people, which are going to have in any large complex. High rise apartment living is cheap housing for the masses, not a luxury hotel as many people forget.

[lioil]

so i took a trip to the nearby apartments and got down to two - Avenir and Halstead. Vantage looks a bit outdated and the price doesn't match what it has to offer and Mosaic is ~2k for a studio which is ridiculous.

I actually considered a place at Halstead for ~1600 but i did notice that Halstead and Avenir are building new apartment complexes and supposedly their first completion is Junenish. I feel it might be prudent to wait for the first offering/pre-lease to come out then decide? I had a friend who got into Mosaic for 1300 when he did the pre-lease so if the price falls around that range I can maybe get a 1B/1B for 1500/1600 which is not too bad either. Is that a good plan?

[lioil]

So i did my first day of commute and it was OK. woke up 6 and got on 6:40 bus and metro around 7:15 and got to work 7:40ish. I think if i get an apartment near dunn i can get up 6:50 for 7:20 train which saves me 50 mins in the morning and 30ish in the evening...

[smarterguy]

There are some cheap options near the McLean Metro. One bedrooms starting around $1,400.