Just got back from our house hunting trip... (McLean, Manassas: apartment, to rent)

[riley1319]

So my husband's job is located on the far East side of Tysons. We've narrowed down our search to parts of Vienna, McLean and interestingly enough we found a neighborhood we LOVE in Potomac, MD (I say interestingly b/c I didn't think I'd like anything in MD, but we really like this one neighborhood).

For locals, what would be the best back-road driving route from West Vienna - out Lawyers Rd - to East Tysons?

Our agent suggested that homes that are near the new Silver Line will likely increase in value once it's complete. Anyone have thoughts on that?

We just can't decide if we want the fabulous neighborhood (in terms of sense of community, activities for families, etc.) in an area where we'd have to drive a bit for conveniences or a good neighborhood in the thick of things.

[michgc]

If you live off Lawyer's Road and want to avoid Route 123, you can take a few different back roads. One of my friends did that for quite awhile. I'm not exactly sure what he did, but you could take Lawyer's Road to Church Street to East Street to Fairway to Old Courthouse to Gosnell to WestPark. I'm sure there are other streets, too, that you can take. The whole ride would not take more than 20 minutes.

As for Potomac, I wouldn't move there knowing that my job was in Tysons. It's not a pretty commute - not the worst there is in this area, but not the best. Vienna or McLean to Tysons would be much, much easier.

[riley1319]

Originally Posted by michgc

As for Potomac, I wouldn't move there knowing that my job was in Tysons. It's not a pretty commute - not the worst there is in this area, but not the best. Vienna or McLean to Tysons would be much, much easier.

Really? That's what we thought too, but we've gotten feedback from a number of people at his work who live in Bethesda who say it's no big deal. He'd be taking the first entrance on and the first entrance off once over the Potomac. It was also suggested his commute might be easier coming into Tysons from the north side (back roads) as opposed to having to cross it from west to east because of congestion/construction.

[Caladium]

Is there any way you can rent for a few months to try out the commute? In general I think it's smart to live and work on the same side of the river, but I can understand how it feels when you fall in love with a certain neighborhood. If it was me, I'd try it out before committing to a home purchase.

[riley1319]

Originally Posted by Caladium

Is there any way you can rent for a few months to try out the commute? In general I think it's smart to live and work on the same side of the river, but I can understand how it feels when you fall in love with a certain neighborhood. If it was me, I'd try it out before committing to a home purchase.

Ideally, yes. Practically, no. My husband is starting next week. He'll be in a hotel the first week, but then he's going to rent an apartment. He's said he'll try some of the commutes at the end of his day to see how they are.

I forgot to mention I found reading the suggested back road route kind of funny. It really says something about commuting when you have to take 7-8 different roads to get somewhere that would only be 3 roads if driving direct.

[vermonter16]

I'd go for Potomac, MD since you love it so much. Traffic in the morning shouldn't be too bad. You'll hit more traffic in the afternoon....but you're not going that far either. A lot of folks don't necessarily LOVE where they live and I think it makes a difference if you do. A lot of us base solely on commuting times and money, etc. I'd say if you gave a little in the commuting realm to get what you really want - why not!

[saganista]

The current HOT-lane and Metro construction around Tysons (which won't be done for a good while yet) makes the Potomac to Tysons trip into more of an adventure than it used to be. It's traditionally a relative piece of cake as long as the Outer Loop is moving, which it usually is, and when it isn't, it's just not that far that you have to endure it.

From the north side of Vienna, <michgc> points out only too correctly that you do not want to use 123. It will be at a crawl northbound during the A.M. rush all the way to the light at Old Courthouse. On account of the W&OD Trail (and also Wolftrap Creek), there are no east-west routes on the north side of town. You can only escape via Lawyers Road. Once you somehow cross 123 however, there are a several backroad options that will get you to the east side of Tysons in fine fettle. 20-25 minutes will do it, depending on how far out Lawyers you'd be.

[vermonter16]

That is correct...there is a lot of construction around. That being said - I wouldn't necessarily base where I wanted to live because of construction taking place. If that were the case - I wouldn't live anywhere off I66 beyound 495 because of the continous construction every bloody day.... I live in Manassas though...who could ever have predicted construction 9 years later...LOL.

[SallyField]

Originally Posted by riley1319

Really? That's what we thought too, but we've gotten feedback from a number of people at his work who live in Bethesda who say it's no big deal. He'd be taking the first entrance on and the first entrance off once over the Potomac. It was also suggested his commute might be easier coming into Tysons from the north side (back roads) as opposed to having to cross it from west to east because of congestion/construction.

Traffic is awful from Tysons to Bethesda every evening, and it is HORRIFIC about 3 out of every 10 evenings.

Without traffic, I typically make it from McLean to Bethesda in about 15 minutes. With traffic, it can take an hour, no joke. The average evening commute will probably be 40-45 minutes, but some evenings will be more than an hour. The Beltway is quite often a complete standstill going north from 123 to Bethesda/Potomac in the evenings -- I've been on it often enough at that time and it is never good. I have no idea about the Beltway south in the morning, but I suspect it's close to the same.

Vienna to Tysons will be a better commute. And you cannot beat McLean to Tysons, of course.

As for homes near the Silver Line, it will give prices a bump, certainly. Don't expect a huge bump, because homes there are already at a premium, but there will be a slight bump because of Metro access.

[Middlin]

I worked in Tyson's for 7 years, all prior to the new hot lanes, metro construction, etc and can tell you on a bad day (and there are many bad days)you can sit IN Tyson's for 30 minutes before you even make it to an artery that you need. I worked near the Hilton on Jones Branch (east side) and didn't need to get to the beltway, just over the bridge to Tysons I and around the mall to Gallows and that part alone could sometimes take 30 + minutes. I think that might be 4 miles.

Friday evening rush during certain times of the year are absolutely horrendous and Tysons' becomes total gridlock.

Don't underestimate the traffic here and the level of frustration of just sitting and not moving for a couple of miles.