Urban Living while Commuting to Laurel, MD (Baltimore, Columbia: apartments, renting)

[ricedragon]

I'm a young, single, recent grad considering opportunities at JHU APL. I've lived in cities my whole life (SF, Boston) and am looking to capture the same lifestyle (walkable neighborhood, <30 minutes metro distance from nightlife, walking distance to groceries/ restaurants, Asian ethnic grocery, close to mixed use apartments atop restaurants-style development, etc.) if I were to work at APL. Budget is flexible, I currently pay $<2000/mo for a 1Br and would prefer to stay in that range if possible.

Would it be easier to commute from Washington, DC or Baltimore, MD? Are there any neighborhoods in either city where I could have a short (<30 min) commute and live in the kind of neighborhood I describe above?

I also prefer motorcycle to car, if it affects commute time calculations.

Thank you!

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by ricedragon

I'm a young, single, recent grad considering opportunities at JHU APL.
Would it be easier to commute (to Laurel) from Washington, DC or Baltimore, MD?

That isn't the question to ask.
The questions are where do you want to BE, doing WHAT, when not at work...
and just exactly how much of your net income you're willing to spend on housing.
(And/or how many you're willing to share a place with to make the $$ end work).

The harder part is that you can't expect to thread these several needles before arrival.

With that understood look for a share situation in/near LAUREL:
make the job aspect of life as simple as possible while you make friends and explore the area.
Six months to a year later? You'll be able to answer those questions for yourself.

[goldenage1]

I do not think the JHU APL has any public transportation stops from either DC or Baltimore. Car or motorcycle would be you only options. The motorcycle would be a long uncomfortable commute from either city, about 45 minutes from DC, and slightly less from Baltimore.

I'd suggest renting an apartment in the Maple Lawn area of Laurel, right next to the APL. It is a neo-urban community with stores, restaurants, etc within walking distance of housing. One example is The Vine, with one bedrooms starting at $1825: https://www.livethevine.com/floor-plan-results/?type=1

[goldenage1]

I think another very good option for the OP is living in Silver Spring, which has an urban core with bars, restaurants and several Asian groceries. It is about a 29 minute commute out to the APL, and it is in a reverse direction. He could go in to DC on the weekends by the Metro. The Eleven 55 Ripley apartment would be a great option. Rents start at $1550 for one bedroom: https://www.udr.com/washington-dc-ap...ments-pricing/

Columbia, MD (especially near the town center) is another option for urban-style living. He cpould spend weekends in Baltimore.

If he really wants to live in the center of DC or Baltimore, he should add up the time working (including overtime) and commuting. If he a little time left over during the week, how much is available to enjoy the urban amenities?

If he really needs urban life so much, perhaps he should consider a different job.

[bus man]

Maple Lawn has the huge advantage of being able to walk (depending on how far one is willing to walk) to work at APL. My sense of it is that it caters more to families than to young singles, though I could be wrong. For a more urbanized experience in a technically suburban setting, the town centers of either Silver Spring or Columbia would be good choices.

The OP mentioned Asian grocery stores, but did not say if he desires to live in proximity to other Asians. (I'm assuming that the OP is Asian, based on his screen name. Apologies if I'm mistaken.) If so, he'll find a good supply in any of the three places I've listed here. There are proportionately far fewer Asians in either Baltimore or Washington.

Commuting would probably be a little easier out of Washington, since he'd be heading against the main flow of traffic. But the actual roads in DC are a real pain, so it would be a miserable commute during that segment. The roads are easier to navigate out of Baltimore, but then you're heading in the primary traffic flow once you've gotten away from the immediate environs of that city. The neighborhoods around downtown (Federal Hill, Otterbein, etc.) and also Locust Point would provide the easiest access to I-95 and thus give the shortest commute from Baltimore while still possessing the urbanity that the OP desires.

At the moment, traffic flows freely on I-95, in both directions, even during rush hour. Once the virus is no longer as much of a threat, it's anyone's guess how many people will return to their offices and how many will continue teleworking. So there's no way to predict how bad (or not) the traffic will be.

Sadly, there is no public transit to APL. There has been talk about creating a bus route connecting with the Laurel MARC station, but so far it's been nothing but talk. Car, motorcycle, or vanpool are going to be the available options. Or maybe telework, I have no idea how much into that they are. OP, would you be comfortable riding a motorcycle on an expressway with the traffic zipping along at 65-70 mph? Because that's what you're in for, in pretty much any of these scenarios.

[The Very Man Himself]

While it may be listed as Laurel, APL is about a 15 minute drive from main street Laurel.
I 2nd the Silver Spring suggestion. SS has its own downtown, and DC is accessible by metro, plus a straight shot up 29 to APL.

[ricedragon]

Thank you everyone for your responses. In terms of academic defense labs, there's only a handful, and even less in urban centers, so there's definitely work-lifestyle tradeoffs I'll be considering here.

This said, I'll definitely check out Silver Spring, Maple Lawn and Columbia. If only there wasn't a pandemic hindering travel these days.

Cheers

[DaveinMtAiry]

I have lived in Silver Spring and worked in Maple Lawn for a time. While ML may have walkable things nearby it's also out in the middle of nowhere. Once you get past Harris Teeter groceries and the irish bar there's not a lot. Probably not what the OP is looking for. Downtown SS is now a very vibrant city with a good downtown. It's also against traffic traffic as you go north to Laurel and accessible to DC by subway.