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I recently found out I am probably going to have to head back to the DC area for work after eight years of being away.
I am at the tail end of my career and originally from Richmond. We planned to move back there after retirement, but this new transition is forcing our hands.
I might only have to work in Rosslyn, VA one to two days per week. The rest I could telework.
Aside from just driving in and back each day, I've heard over the years of people who rent a room in someone's home to live in when they're working, then commute back to Richmond or Fredericksburg.
Anyone have any experience with this sort of arrangement or suggestions for making it work? Thanks in advance.
I recently found out I am probably going to have to head back to the DC area for work after eight years of being away.
I am at the tail end of my career and originally from Richmond. We planned to move back there after retirement, but this new transition is forcing our hands.
I might only have to work in Rosslyn, VA one to two days per week. The rest I could telework.
Aside from just driving in and back each day, I've heard over the years of people who rent a room in someone's home to live in when they're working, then commute back to Richmond or Fredericksburg.
Anyone have any experience with this sort of arrangement or suggestions for making it work? Thanks in advance.
Never have had to commute into DC only Reston from Ranson, WV. [Thank God]
Take a look at the VRE train schedule and locations. That commuter train runs from Spotsylvania VA to Union Station. You could probably take the subway line to Rosslyn from there.
Amtrak is your best/quickest option. There's a daily 7:02am train out of Fredericksburg that arrives at Union Station in DC at 8:22am. Transfer to the DC Metro Red Line at Union Station and transfer at Metro Center for a Blue or Orange Line train to Rosslyn (about every two minutes at rush hour) and arrive before 9am. For the return home you could do a 3:09pm, 4:07pm or 6:35pm Amtrak train out of Union Station to Fredericksburg. The Amtrak portion is $46 roundtrip and Metro about $6.
^ Agreed, I'd go with Amtrak, which has 18 trains per day between Staples Mill Road (in Henrico County just outside Richmond) and Alexandria. The WMATA Blue Line platform is a one-minute walk from that Amtrak platforms.
Some (but fewer) Amtrak trains also stop in Ashland VA or Richmond Main Street, if those are closer. To save on fares, either buy the tickets way in advance or buy a 10-ride tickets that will save on the day-of fares.
Bear in mind that the worst congestion on I-95 is from south of Fredericksburg up to Lorton, so if possible try not to drive it.
I don't really see Richmond as viable for most people. There's a reason such articles kinda lump everything since 2020 together...it was a lot more feasible when 100% remote work was extremely commonplace during 2020/21.
I bet many moved then and have been faced with some tough decisions once their employers decided to recall. Doubt a lot of people who were asked to come back full-time stayed in both their jobs and Richmond. One had to go. Even the 3 times a week crowd, I suspect aren't going to want to do that long-term. Twice a week? Probably still too much for most.
Once a week? Seems more doable, but it's essentially like having a job that's 20% travel. If you have to go to D.C. on Wednesday, that will affect your Tuesday and your Thursday as well. It'll become that thing you dread. Of course some people may say it's worth it, but anyone who claims it's not a huge QOL difference vs. living 15 minutes from your work is of course BS'ing.
Y'all would be surprised at how far people commute into DC for work. I knew somebody who commuted in from Richmond and and another person commuted from Philadelphia 3 days a week and worked from home the other 2 days. I also know somebody who commute from the part of Pennsylvania that is above Baltimore and come into the office everyday. I don't think I could dot neither one of those unless it was a big financial benefit. The person from Philly rode the megabit and I think the person from Richmond rode a commuter bus.
Y'all would be surprised at how far people commute into DC for work. I knew somebody who commuted in from Richmond and and another person commuted from Philadelphia 3 days a week and worked from home the other 2 days. I also know somebody who commute from the part of Pennsylvania that is above Baltimore and come into the office everyday. I don't think I could dot neither one of those unless it was a big financial benefit. The person from Philly rode the megabit and I think the person from Richmond rode a commuter bus.
We all know someone who does a crazy commute, what's usually unsaid is how it worked out for them. I know someone who did Baltimore to NoVa for a while but hated it..they quit when the employer refused to allow them to make it fully remote. I know someone who does Culpeper county to NoVa (classic case of pandemic house-buying in the sticks) and they're whining about their commute all the time and are thinking of quitting.
The way I see it it's a case of people trying to reconcile things that can't be reconciled, but people try it anyway because it's a way to resolve conflicting but very powerful things we want in life i.e. the desire to own your own home in the desired setting and the wish to have a good career and income. People will keep trying as long people feel these conflicting impulses, but I suspect in most situations it ends up a questionable bargain at best.
I've been in a few situations where I commuted an hour plus just within the same Metro area, and it had some pretty profound impacts on my quality of life. Those 'super commutes' are of course even more severe in terms of impact.
We all know someone who does a crazy commute, what's usually unsaid is how it worked out for them. I know someone who did Baltimore to NoVa for a while but hated it..they quit when the employer refused to allow them to make it fully remote. I know someone who does Culpeper county to NoVa (classic case of pandemic house-buying in the sticks) and they're whining about their commute all the time and are thinking of quitting.
The way I see it it's a case of people trying to reconcile things that can't be reconciled, but people try it anyway because it's a way to resolve conflicting but very powerful things we want in life i.e. the desire to own your own home in the desired setting and the wish to have a good career and income. People will keep trying as long people feel these conflicting impulses, but I suspect in most situations it ends up a questionable bargain at best.
I've been in a few situations where I commuted an hour plus just within the same Metro area, and it had some pretty profound impacts on my quality of life. Those 'super commutes' are of course even more severe in terms of impact.
I was a long-haul commuter for decades, as I moved every couple of years from the DC Metro area to overseas and back. Misery loves company so I got to know a bunch of other long-haul commuters as we traded advice and stories.
Over the years, I have commuted from the southern end of Southern Maryland, rural Spotsylvania, and Fairfax County into downtown DC, Crystal City, and Rosslyn. I tried the Virginia Rail Express, private company commuter bus, public bus and metro transfers, and driving. Driving a couple miles to the parking lot for the private commuter bus that dumped me at a Metrorail station worked out best for me. VRE was too expensive and sometimes subject to lengthy delays. Driving was dependent on the weather. When a major snowstorm caused me to take four hours to get to work and three hours and forty-five minutes to go home, I moved from Spotsylvania to Fairfax.
Other commuters that I knew:
A guy who commuted daily to downtown DC from Stuarts Draft VA. He drove into Fredericksburg, then would take the commuter bus from there to downtown DC. He slept on the bus until it dumped us off downtown.
Another guy who drove daily to/from the Hampton Roads area. He had done this for decades. When I asked him how he could stand it, he said his first job was working as a long-haul trucker. He was used to that sort of thing. The poor guy looked exhausted all the time.
Knew another guy who lived in Harpers Ferry. He would take the MARC train into Union Station and switch to the metro. At one point, a local community college started offering classes to commuters on the train. I don’t think they still do it, but that was a cool idea.
I knew another guy who drove in from Lake Anna. He got management to make a workhour exception for him that allowed him to arrive at the office between 4:30 and 5 am and leave at 12:30 pm skipping a lunch break.
I also worked with a guy who drove back and forth from Wilmington DE. He did this for about a year until he could not bear it anymore, so he got a room in town and drove home for the weekends. From his shared apartment, he could walk to work or bike. Housing in Arlington is super-pricey so people need roommates. If you are a quiet tidy person with a reliable income and are not actually there for several days a week, you are a trifecta score in the roommate lottery.
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