Newly moved, will commute from Bmore to D.C. - best options? (Baltimore: rent)

[dsoli]

Let me preface by saying I realize there's already a lot of information out there on this topic, and I've read through the search results. I'm more looking for a confirmation of what I understand.

Background: My girlfriend and I are moving from Illinois to Baltimore mid-August. She got a 2-year $37K contract at JHU, so I found an internship in D.C. from Aug-December (only $3K total, though!). Don't know what's in store for me after that, but we've at least found a $900/2bdr in Charles Village for the next year.

Now, of course ... I'm searching for the cheapest solution for daily roundtrip travel from Charles Village to Foggy Bottom in D.C.

Here's what I think I know:
+From CV to Penn Station, I can take a shuttle bus that will take me to a Metro that will take me to Penn. I don't clearly know names, fares, etc.
+From Penn Station to D.C., there's:
-The Acela Express, the fastest (not by much, though?), and most expensive ($43 a day? Really?!)
-The MARC train that doesn't seem that slow and is ca. $258/mo w/ unlimited D.C. metro also.
-The regular Amtrak, the Northeast Regional, that is about half the cost of the Acela.
+From D.C. to Foggy Bottom, there's:
-Metro.
-Bus.

Am I right with what I know? What else should I know? Is there any hope for a 2-hour maximum daily commute for less than $258/mo?

Thanks in advance.

[davecj]

That is a lot of public transportation to work with every day. When I had to commute to DC for grad school I drove to the New Carrollton station then took the metro in. Still not easy but it works.

Do you need to intern in DC? I think you'd be way better off to find something in Baltimore. My dad drove to Georgetown from Annapolis when he taught there and his best commute time was two hours each way.

I really think you're going to dislike this plan after a month or so but that's just my opinion. What field are you working in? I may know some places depending on the industry.

[sobo16]

Getting to Penn Station from Charles Village is very easy. It's technically walkable, but I'm sure there's a bus that goes right down Saint Paul Street. I would guess a 3 minute drive tops.

I suggest riding the MARC trains on the Penn Line that skip some of the stops; these trains are at least 10 minutes faster than the local ones that make all the stops.

Once you're at Union Station in DC, there's the metro, but you'd have to switch from the red line to the orange or blue line at Metro Center to get to Foggy Bottom. But a faster option would be the Circulator bus. It picks up passengers right outside Union Station and there is a route that to the Georgetown area (including Foggy Bottom): DC Circulator

The bad news is that this trip will likely be a minimum of an hour and 15 minutes one way. Most days it will likely be about 85-90 minutes. But bring a book or a smartphone or a pillow to nap on and you'll be fine.

[sobo16]

I forgot to mention a MARC montly pass is $175. You could get a Transit Link Card, which includes unlimited trips on metro, for $92 a month more than that (but the price jumps to $102 in August). See www.mta.maryland.gov and search for Transit Link Card for more information.

The DC Circulator bus is $1 per trip.

Finally, no matter how you decide to commute in DC, it's best to get a SmarTrip card. www.smartrip.com

Feel free to direct message me if you have further questions.

[picardlx]

$900/month rent on 40K/yr gross seems steep, and that with $258/month for Marc+TLC + $64 MTA Monthly for girl friend's travel + utilities + fun ....... ouch. You can't find anything cheaper? And also please ask your employers if they have transit subsidies. I know the federal goverment subsidizes employee transit upto $230/month (that's what I get).

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

Originally Posted by sobo16

Getting to Penn Station from Charles Village is very easy. It's technically walkable, but I'm sure there's a bus that goes right down Saint Paul Street. I would guess a 3 minute drive tops.

Got a bike? Lots of people bike to Penn Sta. Alternatively the 3 and 61 buses run south on St. Paul St along with the hopkins shuttle, which you could definitely take with no problem (they don't really check IDs).

[dsoli]

Wow, thanks for the great information. I'm back in Illinois, finishing my thesis and making arrangements for the move (which is a whole other animal -- Penske seems to be the cheapest though, FYI!).

I'll be in Baltimore Aug 15ish and will try out the JHU shuttle and St. Paul St. bus line. Also the transit card seems alot cheaper than what I first found so I'll probably get that.

As long as Bmore doesn't get alot of Nov/Dec slush and ice, riding my bike from CV to Penn Station might not be a bad idea!

[trickymost]

Yikes. Bless your heart. On the upside, November + December are typically pleasant enough for cycling. I don't think we'll have a repeat of this year's snow totals for another generation.

Some other things to consider:

Do either or both of you own a car? If so, even if you are city people, you may want to look at some areas more equitable to commuting to DC and to Baltimore. Eg Ellicott City/Catonsville - where you can drive or bike to the Halethorpe MARC station and catch the express to DC, and where the commute shouldn't be awful getting to JHU.

Another benefit of the areas outside of Baltimore, again, assuming you have car(s) is the lower income tax rate and what I'm assuming will be lower car insurance rates.

Something else to keep in mind re: public transport into DC...

1. As with most agencies, MARC and WMATA are severely underfunded and have serious gaps in their budget needed just to maintain service, forget about improving it. WMATA just jacked up metro fares, and that doesn't even plug their budget gaps longer term. There is a strong possibility they jack up rates again soon, especially since they aren't getting support from MD/VA or the federal government.

2. Due to #1, there are regular and problematic outages with Metro cars, with escalators, with the tracks, with the MARC trains, and so forth. They are also soon to begin an expansion of one of the segments of the track leading into Penn Station, which should help longer term but I would expect will add a few minutes of delay for the next 1-2 years due to work.

Commuting has been extra hellish lately, here is one example from the MARC train:

Passengers stranded when MARC train stalls outside Cheverly

Another ongoing clusterf*** is the red line on the metro. There was the disaster last year. There have been ongoing car failures on the tracks since. The latest is the escalators in a few major stations are out (eg Dupont circle). Those problems cause a butterfly effect as passengers take different lines or different stations, which just throws metro out of whack, and means your metro ride can take longer than it should on any given day, with no consistency.

It seems to happen with increasing frequency lately, to the point where people are beginning to say F it and are taking cars to work if they can.

So, were I you, and not knowing what you do, I would look long and hard at internship opportunities in Baltimore, and if not, maybe living outside of the city proper where you have a more direct path into DC by train or by auto.

good luck to you

[Ledroitpark]

Just breathe and be flexible. The MARC and Metro have flaws but nothing you cannot handle. I am a "luxury-girl" never liked public transportation. I had to commute from Frederick to DC , roundtrip everyday for 6 months and I survived. My next commute will be Baltimore to DC for another year. I plan on utilizing the Metro, MARC, AMTRAK whatever it takes to get me to work on time. I plan on updating my phone ( a much needed new blackberry), internet service for my laptop so that I work on the train, and nice travel pillow. You'll be fine.

[barante]

Kudos to Ledroitpark. Much though I dislike the D.C. commute, having been there and having done that, it will work out just fine for the OP. You are young, it's not going to be forever. Good luck.