Commuting from Greenbelt to Bethesda (Silver Spring: transfer to, live in, cost of)

[newtoMD123]

Hello,

Does anybody here commute from Greenbelt to Bethesda? I currently live in Greenbelt and my office is moving to Bethesda. I am deciding whether to commute via Metro or car. The Metro commute looks like it will be about one hour. If I were to drive, how early would I have to leave in the morning to have a commute that's less than one hour? I would prefer to be on the Metro for an hour than stuck in traffic for an hour, so I would only drive if it will be shorter than the Metro commute.

I also know there's a bus from Silver Spring to Bethesda and was wondering if going from Greenbelt to Silver Spring and then taking that bus would be a reasonable commute. I'm guessing that one's probably the longest... But I just wanted to hear from others' experience. Are there any other ways I should consider?

Thanks in advance

[e30is]

I have never done the commute, but you might need to take at least 45 min to make the commute according to some peers.

[Fundman]

It's basically a straight shot on the Beltway from Greenbelt to Bethesda. Talking the subway would be an ordeal. Green line into D.C. and then transfer to Red Line and ride it through the city and back out to Bethesda.

[AeroGuyDC]

Fundman has it right. It depends on your tolerance for stop and go traffic. The beltway coming from Bethesda to Greenbelt (inner loop) during rushour is a nightmare in my opinion. In fact, I have spent many days on the beltway headed the opposite direction (outer loop) and even with heavy traffic on the outer loop, I still feel sorry for those on the inner loop. It's pretty bad. So, if you don't like traffic, i'd recommend riding the Metro. Green line from Greenbelt to Fort Totten or China Town red line over to Bethesda is probably a lot less stressful.

[adelphi_sky]

Originally Posted by newtoMD123

Hello,

Does anybody here commute from Greenbelt to Bethesda? I currently live in Greenbelt and my office is moving to Bethesda. I am deciding whether to commute via Metro or car. The Metro commute looks like it will be about one hour. If I were to drive, how early would I have to leave in the morning to have a commute that's less than one hour? I would prefer to be on the Metro for an hour than stuck in traffic for an hour, so I would only drive if it will be shorter than the Metro commute.

I also know there's a bus from Silver Spring to Bethesda and was wondering if going from Greenbelt to Silver Spring and then taking that bus would be a reasonable commute. I'm guessing that one's probably the longest... But I just wanted to hear from others' experience. Are there any other ways I should consider?

Thanks in advance

Also consider the cost of Metro. The metro is impractical in that to get from PGC to Moco, you have to go all the way into DC and back out again. Then there's parking. You could be looking at $300/month. For some, an hour in traffic is worth saving $300/month. Go to the WMATA website and put in the your route to work at the times you'll be riding it. Also, how close is your office to a metro stop? It might be a good hike in inclement weather if you're more than a few blocks from the metro. I used to work at Fannie Mae on Wisconsin Ave. and the metro was a good 5 blocks away. Good exercise though. :-)