moving to Baltimore City and commuting to DC

[kinkytoes]

For the Most walkable, family-friendly and safe, I would choose Bolton Hill.

[mrboltonman]

Originally Posted by kinkytoes

For the Most walkable, family-friendly and safe, I would choose Bolton Hill.

Awesome to hear it.

I just got a dog, well puppy, and it's great going on walks with her in Bolton Hill. I have met a lot of people and dogs in the neighborhood now. Most people are really friendly so it has worked out well so far.

I live on kinda the edge of Bolton Hill and it takes probably 5-10 minutes to walk to Penn Station. The metro, light rail, and Amtrak are all really close to Bolton Hill and Mount Vernon.

I work out of the city but drive. It's not bad getting out of the city. It takes about 10 minutes (the lights aren't timed right) and is basically Eutaw to MLK to 395.

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

Originally Posted by mrboltonman

(the lights aren't timed right) .

Except on St. Paul and Calvert Streets, there aren't any lights timed properly in the city. The County is even worse!

But I too suggest Bolton Hill. Not a resident, but I would live there.

[subwayfan]

Originally Posted by carolott

The Camden Line of the MARC has had its service reduced fairly recently. You might want to go to the Maryland MTA's website and check the schedule -- see if that would work for you. I wish the MARC ran on weekends, but it's barely functional half the time during the week.

I used to ride the MARC between Baltimore and DC, and it added about 2 hours each way to my commute -- between the MARC and the DC Metro...it wore me down after a few years.

If it ran on weekends, that there would be a boost to the city of Baltimore, as weekends would be a hop on train to DC goers where one could enjoy better night life. Rents and everything in Bmore would go up.

But Baltimore city which is insular wouldn't see people shopping and spending in DC as a good thing, even though ppl from DC area would be coming up too, so they wouldn't push for weekend service. I heard the service and reduced fare, was intended mainly for state employees as there are state offices in Baltimore (and not just Annapolis). The MARC is funded by MD taxes, with subsidized (and pretty low) fares to commuters, and weekend services would obviously require more funding.

I had a good experience staying at The Standard, in Baltimore, which was in Mt.Vernon. Luxury apartment building, and it was walking distance to The Penn Station. Area is quiet (one might find it dead), in Baltimore you still need a car to get about doing normal things...but keeping a car in the garage isn't so expensive (like other cities), and this area was relatively safe area and didn't face the ghetto. It was in walking distance to the Inner harbor as well. It's about 1 mile walk, on a straight road.

[carolott]

Originally Posted by subwayfan

If it ran on weekends, that there would be a boost to the city of Baltimore, as weekends would be a hop on train to DC goers where one could enjoy better night life. Rents and everything in Bmore would go up.

But Baltimore city which is insular wouldn't see people shopping and spending in DC as a good thing, even though ppl from DC area would be coming up too, so they wouldn't push for weekend service. I heard the service and reduced fare, was intended mainly for state employees as there are state offices in Baltimore (and not just Annapolis). The MARC is funded by MD taxes, with subsidized (and pretty low) fares to commuters, and weekend services would obviously require more funding.

I had a good experience staying at The Standard, in Baltimore, which was in Mt.Vernon. Luxury apartment building, and it was walking distance to The Penn Station. Area is quiet (one might find it dead), in Baltimore you still need a car to get about doing normal things...but keeping a car in the garage isn't so expensive (like other cities), and this area was relatively safe area and didn't face the ghetto. It was in walking distance to the Inner harbor as well. It's about 1 mile walk, on a straight road.

Actually, I think it would do just the opposite -- people would leave Baltimore in droves on weekends. I know I would -- and I don't have a car, so I'd definitely use the MARC.

[kinkytoes]

I used to take Amtrak to DC and NY on the weekends. It's not the MARC, but the tickets are priced well enough to be worth it for a weekend trip. If you have AAA (which I have for the discounts mostly) you can book 3 days in advance and get money off of your trip. It costs about the same as a plane trip, but with almost no hassle. I think a trip to DC is like 30 dollars each way... I could be way off, but with Amtrak, you can also get a train back early in the morning. So you don't need the MARC to get out of Dodge on the weekends. I think the benefit of the MARC is that it's a little cheaper and it runs more often during "Rush" hour, but Amtrak definitely rocks for weekend trips. The trains are also very comfortable. And if you happen to have a car, I cannot rave about the parking garage at Penn Station enough. I love it. I am also paranoid, but I feel very safe coming home even in the wee hours on the train.

[rchu1619]

Hi there,

This blog is most useful !

I'm moving to Baltimore near Penn Station and will be commuting back
to Union Station (DC) for work

Would I always have a seat on the MARC train both ways
(I plan to get on the train at Penn Station at 8:30AM and
come back from Union Station around 5:30PM)

Thanks!

Richard

[carolott]

Originally Posted by rchu1619

Hi there,

This blog is most useful !

I'm moving to Baltimore near Penn Station and will be commuting back
to Union Station (DC) for work

Would I always have a seat on the MARC train both ways
(I plan to get on the train at Penn Station at 8:30AM and
come back from Union Station around 5:30PM)

Thanks!

Richard

Not always, no. Especially coming back from DC -- there were a few days I had to stand on the train from DC to Baltimore. Finally I stopped taking the MARC and started getting a reserved seat on the Amtrak.

[sobo16]

I would say it depends on how early you get to the stations. Southbound MARC trains either originate in Perryville or Penn Station, and northbound MARC trains all originate at Union Station. So if you get to the station early enough (e.g., at least 7-10 minutes prior to departure), you should be able to get a seat.