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If you mean by car, you must drive really, really slow since it only takes about 30 min to get between the 2 cities.
No, he/she probably actually lives within DC, and not in its northern suburbs. Coming from central DC, an hour to downtown Baltimore is not at all unreasonable. I would know, I've made that drive numerous times.
I have lived in DC for a year and a half and have never been closer to Baltimore than BWI. In my own head, and from what I have seen and heard, they are night and day different.
I do want to go to the National Aquarium there one day though.
No, he/she probably actually lives within DC, and not in its northern suburbs. Coming from central DC, an hour to downtown Baltimore is not at all unreasonable. I would know, I've made that drive numerous times.
I don't know, I still think you drive slow. In traffic yes, without traffic no. Maybe where you live it takes you 30min to get out of DC, but on the Baltimore side I-95 and the Parkway drop you right onto Howard Street downtown. In DC New York Ave goes right through down town and say you were leaving Union station you would just take NY Ave out (which becomes Rt. 50) and pick up the Parkway.
I just checked google maps and the route I just described takes 35min, and they're usually on the conservative side.
I don't know, I still think you drive slow. In traffic yes, without traffic no. Maybe where you live it takes you 30min to get out of DC, but on the Baltimore side I-95 and the Parkway drop you right onto Howard Street downtown. In DC New York Ave goes right through down town and say you were leaving Union station you would just take NY Ave out (which becomes Rt. 50) and pick up the Parkway.
I just checked google maps and the route I just described takes 35min, and they're usually on the conservative side.
But Union Station is in NE. If you were driving from Georgetown or Dupont Circle, it could take quite a while to get to NY Ave. I actually think it's faster getting to Baltimore from parts of Northern Virginia than it is from downtown DC.
I don't know, I still think you drive slow. In traffic yes, without traffic no.
45-50 minutes no traffic (which is virtually never), easily one hour with.
I'm not sure why you'd think I drive slow, I don't recall ever having you in my car with me. I do tend to pass more cars than have cars pass me...I don't know if that makes me a slow or a fast driver.
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Maybe where you live it takes you 30min to get out of DC
As I said, I live in central DC. Getting to the northern side of the Beltway can easily take that long.
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I just checked google maps and the route I just described takes 35min, and they're usually on the conservative side.
35 minutes to Baltimore from central DC? They're on crack. The only way you would make it from Logan Circle to downtown Baltimore in 35 minutes is via teleportation. Have you ever driven to Baltimore from downtown DC? It sure doesn't sound like it.
I drive like a maniac. It still took me 70 minutes to go from downtown DC to downtown baltimore at 2:30pm last week. A lot of that was just reving my engine in DC.
When I get up at 3am to drive to Maine I can get to Baltimore in 35 minutes no problem.
So yeah, you can say it takes 35 minutes, but if you're counting on that being the norm everyone else will count on you being a half hour late.
Location: That star on your map in the middle of the East Coast, DMV
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Well Miami/ South Florida is all one MSA and ranked higher than DC as an MSA, but it takes in all of Palm Beach County which is an hour away from Miami and have different TV and Radio stations. Personally I think the whole MSA vs CSA thing is some bull. DC/Baltimore is a region. A region of basically non stop urban/ suburban development along 95 from 20 miles north of Baltimore to 40 miles south of DC and East to the Chesapeake, and west to points such as Frederick, MD and Loudon County, VA (i'll leave WVA out of it). Those boundaries still give this region around 8 million people, which is a lot larger than some may have perceived it in the past.
Just because the culture differs between both cities doesn't mean it's not all one large urban area. I agree DC and Baltimore at times couldn't feel any more different from each other, with SO many unique things about each "metro area" but as a "Combined Metro" i do see why they put us together. City limits are 35 miles from each other, we share a major airport situated 10 mins from Bmore and 30 from DC, We share the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, I-95 has non stop development and density between the two cities, as well as route 1. Many local businesses serve " The Baltimore-Washington" area and commuters go both ways across the region to work or travel each day.
I think the key is the Maryland suburbs, because there would be no correlation if not for them, Northern Virginia and East Baltimore feel like foreign countries to one another so i understand the perception that how could they possibly be a part of the same metro area, but look at the broad ends of the spectrum of the metro area they exist on. Im sure Teaneck, NJ is much more different than Stamford, CT in the NY area. In between NOVA/DC and Baltimore you have the DC suburbs of Maryland P.G. and Mo. Counties and the "Baltimore suburbs" of Howard and Anne Arundel. PG and Montgomery directly touch the District and are a part of its MSA. Howard and Anne Arundel touch both PG and Montgomery, but also touch Baltimore so they give it to Baltimore's MSA. In other Metro areas in the country they will add counties that touch 5 counties away from the central city. Here in Maryland I think it is only fair to combine these counties together as one metro area because of the proximity to both cities. You can get to DC's city limits in 25 mins from both Anne Arundel and Howard counties, but you wouldn't know that from looking at the MSA description. The cable stations in Howard county get both DC and Baltimore telecasts, so I think it's a good mid point.
Bottom line, locally I look at it as seperate sides of town, call it metros if you want, but when im out of town it seems we are lumped into one. I fly into BWI or "Baltimore" almost every time but i live in the "Washington MSA." For me though it makes sense, i'm probably geographically about 8 or 10 miles closer to Reagan National, but it suits me more to fly into BWI it's more direct and a straight shot to 495 then the Parkway.
Last edited by the resident09; 12-08-2009 at 10:18 PM..
So yeah, you can say it takes 35 minutes, but if you're counting on that being the norm everyone else will count on you being a half hour late.
I know, but I wasn't talking about the norm, I was talking without traffic (since it's so highly variable).
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Originally Posted by Stephen 81
But Union Station is in NE. If you were driving from Georgetown or Dupont Circle, it could take quite a while to get to NY Ave. I actually think it's faster getting to Baltimore from parts of Northern Virginia than it is from downtown DC.
And...when isn't there traffic in DC?
Well yeah, that's why I said it depended where he was coming from. Also, Union Station is downtown and is the closest thing to the center of the city (besides the Capitol). I've driven to NE on NY Ave a few times with light traffic.
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Originally Posted by 14thandYou
45-50 minutes no traffic (which is virtually never), easily one hour with.
I'm not sure why you'd think I drive slow, I don't recall ever having you in my car with me. I do tend to pass more cars than have cars pass me...I don't know if that makes me a slow or a fast driver.
Well 45-50min makes sense. I was only wondering why it took you so long.
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Originally Posted by 14thandYou
35 minutes to Baltimore from central DC? They're on crack. The only way you would make it from Logan Circle to downtown Baltimore in 35 minutes is via teleportation. Have you ever driven to Baltimore from downtown DC? It sure doesn't sound like it.
Not directly, but I have driven the entire route at different times.
I think the closest comparison to the DC/Baltimore connection (or lack there of I should say) is San Francisco and Oakland with DC being more like SF (classy, more world-class) and Baltimore more like Oakland (blue-collar, dog-eat-dog mentality.)
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