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This was going to be my next question. If you live near public transportation, why would anybody want to drive their own car into the city? Are you saying public transportation actually takes longer? I'm confused.
Yes, in many cases it does take longer.
I was responding to sanganista, who was commenting about commute length -- my point was that a commute spent on public transit is less stressful. If the overall time spent commuting starts getting to be too long, problems can re-emerge.
Quote:
Does the VRE run along the 95 and the 66 ?
Since his work will be close to a Metro station, he’ll need to take the Metro (subway?) AND the VRE (train?) ?
What is “Tysons'”?
What is the “HOV”? Carpool lane? 2 or more passengers per vehicle?
What is the “beltway”?
Metro is a subway system. Google Washington Metro and you'll get plenty of maps. It runs between 6am and midnight most days (give or take a little time).
VRE is a commuter rail system operated by the Commonwealth of Virginia. It extends further out than regular Metro, but *only* runs during rush hour. It runs routes roughly parallel to I-66 and I-95 that meet up in Alexandria, VA. It has fewer stops than Metro, although at Crystal City and Union Station (the endpoint for VRE lines), you can switch between VRE and Metro.
Tysons is the portions of McLean, Virginia, located near Routes 7 and 123.
The Beltway is I-495.
HOV is as you say it is. HOV-2 means two people must be in the car.
There used to be exceptions in Virginia for people who drive hybrids, but those are no longer being given out.
I was responding to sanganista, who was commenting about commute length -- my point was that a commute spent on public transit is less stressful.
We have a large family with younger children and whenever you guys talk about a public transporation commute, it just sounds sooooo nice to me! LOL!!! To be able to have "alone" time with a book sounds like heaven! LOL!!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by stpickrell
Yes, in many cases it does take longer.
I was responding to sanganista, who was commenting about commute length -- my point was that a commute spent on public transit is less stressful. If the overall time spent commuting starts getting to be too long, problems can re-emerge.
Metro is a subway system. Google Washington Metro and you'll get plenty of maps. It runs between 6am and midnight most days (give or take a little time).
VRE is a commuter rail system operated by the Commonwealth of Virginia. It extends further out than regular Metro, but *only* runs during rush hour. It runs routes roughly parallel to I-66 and I-95 that meet up in Alexandria, VA. It has fewer stops than Metro, although at Crystal City and Union Station (the endpoint for VRE lines), you can switch between VRE and Metro.
Tysons is the portions of McLean, Virginia, located near Routes 7 and 123.
The Beltway is I-495.
HOV is as you say it is. HOV-2 means two people must be in the car.
There used to be exceptions in Virginia for people who drive hybrids, but those are no longer being given out.
Alrighty, I actually understood the majority of that. LOL Thanks!
I thought Tysons was a shopping mall. Tysons is an area and there is a mall within that area, I guess?
Thanks again for all the help. I know most of these questions sounds pretty dumb, but this is alllllll brand new to this west coaster.
I'm just getting frustrated because I haven't narrowed down my search at ALL within the last week.
Half of the area that people associate with Tysons (two big shopping malls, lots of office buildings and office parks, and some housing) lies in the 22182 zip code (Vienna), and the other half is in the 22102 zip code (McLean).
The Post Office recognizes both zip codes as valid zip codes for Tysons, but parts of each zip code are a good distance from Tysons Corner. Much of 22182 is north/west of Tysons Corner toward Wolf Trap performing arts center, and most of 22102 is north/west heading towards Great Falls.
As far as HOV is concerned, you just need to know that unless your husband leaves at 4:30 am, he won't be able to drive the most direct route to DC on 66 going East in the morning or 95/395 going North and the reverse holds true for the way home.
Miles mean nothing around here as far as commute times go. If you have to drive to public transportation that can take 30+ minutes, walk from where you park to metro, wait for train, train ride, walk to office. Sometimes this would be slower than driving. It all depends.
Where it might sound nice to just sit and read a book, it's gets old, especially if you need to stand the whole way. Walking in cold weather/rain, train delays.......Just trying to give you a realistic picture that isn't all rosy
We have a large family with younger children and whenever you guys talk about a public transporation commute, it just sounds sooooo nice to me! LOL!!! To be able to have "alone" time with a book sounds like heaven! LOL!!!!
I'm just getting frustrated because I haven't narrowed down my search at ALL within the last week.
Even though my commute from Reston to Arlington was about an hour on public transport, I loved it for that exact reason. I could kick back with my daily newspaper and let someone else worry about the traffic! I kind of miss that now, as the place I commute to is a "you can't get there from here" kind of place via public transportation. But, I only do it a couple days a week, so I am not really complaining. If I had to do it every day, though, I'd go insane.
In most cases, if you have a normal schedule and are heading towards DC, I have no idea why someone would choose their car over the public transportation options. I never drove to work when my job was downtown. I have only driven daily to jobs that were within 15 minutes of where I was living at the time.
Please don't get frustrated - there is a lot to take in, but it will make sense once you get here and start looking around. Is there a realtor you are working with? Ask them to help target a couple areas for you and bring information for your husband about public transportation options.
Don't discount busses or slugging. Some of the busses that come into the city from the exurbs are REALLY nice! And there hasn't been an incident in the 20 years that people have been using slugging to commute via HOV. It is actually fairly organized and there are sites devoted to it with pick up and drop off points.
Oh, and I didn't want to forget - at one point, I had contacted a program that tries to match you with a possible commuting partner. I think it is called Commuter Connections? They sent me a list of several people and their phone numbers who started in Reston and went into the Ballston area daily. It didn't wind up working for me, but it is another resource that is available.
Good luck - this area can be a bit daunting at first, but you will be an old pro in no time!
ok perspective from someone who used to live in NOVA and choose to live futher out for the newer, bigger house....
PLEASE do NOT give your spouse over an hour of commute time each way. It's alot of time away from the family, grumpy, frustrated etc... it leaves you home more to deal with the kids issues etc... you WILL feel like a single parent! Long Commute Increases Divorce Risk: Swedish Study
This was just in the papers recently. FYI.
When we moved to NOVA to knew it was only 2 years, so there was a light at the end of the tunnel, but ofr that 2 years we (the kids and I) didn't really see my husband during the week. No parent teacher nights, no school plays, etc... all afterschool activites were up to me.
He had a 1 hour commute (had to drive Leesburg to Tysons)
I "wanted" a house, I "wanted" newer, the kids "wanted" thier own bedrooms ETC... I never looked at things from my husbands perspective....
So yes commuter trains and Metro and a combination can all be good( if you live close to the station), but 1.5 hours each way is exhausting no matter how you look at it. Getting to the station, finding parking, then sitting (or standing if packed) for 60 minutes on a crowded subway (metro seats are small and UNCOMFORTABLE!!) If VRE then you go to get on metro, then get off, walk a few blocks (whatever the weather) to office.
Gainsville area is very pretty etc...but it is congested out there, just getting to the metro will feel like a commute! The lots fill up quickly.
Is easy for someone who has lived in the area..Alexandria (and knows the ins and outs of raods, trails etc...) to say used a combination of drive, metro bike into work...but to someone new it is DAUNTING! If the OP husband has no shower facilites, biking in has very limited days.
You are renting... I am going to tell you 5 bedrooms is going to be hard to find. Most likly, they will be small and in a split level (3 bedrooms up and 2 in the basement). and then you will only have 2 bathrooms too. Kids can share bedrooms.
Look for a place AS close as you can get for your money. yes it will be older and smaller, but it will probably be in a nice town and have big trees etc... You might even find a 4 bedroom TH (many are very nice and bigger than SFH)
I would recommend is Oakton Burke/West Springfield look at Kingstowne. Look at Vienna, Falls Church, Arlington etc... then you just have a quick drive to the metro. Orange Line would be the best (along 66) but it's more $$$ the Blue line would mean a change but you will probably find a bigger place over in West Springfield/Burke
Also is this a Temp move? Govt 2-3 relo? or Permanment? If temp remember all will change and a few years of being a bit cramped etc for more family time will be worth it. IF it's perm..then rent ofr at least 1 year, I know with kids changing schools is going to be a PITA...but if they know right off the bat it's temp until we find a house neighborhood we like etc...
OR... you can always go into temp housing for the summer. $$$ spent on the extendend stay Hotel may be very worth it in the end. Spend a month in Gainsville...have hubby drive the commute everyday (and remember summer commute is lighter)
If I had to our move over again...I would have rented (not bought) a TH about 20 minutes closer in. Hindsight is a wonderful thing!
.......Just trying to give you a realistic picture that isn't all rosy
Ummm... nothing from this move is coming across as "rosy"!
The more I read about the area, the more and more I'm getting concerned about how horrible our lives are going to be here. The area sounds bad. Really.
Sounds like I"m in the minority, but I can't sacrifice my families safety in a high crime neighborhood, won't sacrifice my children's education and send them to schools that rank horribly, and I'm not willing to make my children sleep in sleeping bags all over our 900 sq. foot house just so my husband doesn't have to have a long commute. Again, sounds like a lot of you will, but I just can't do that.
Sorry, just very frustated here. No, nothing about moving to this area sounds "rosy". I appreciate all of the honest opinions and unfortunately I feel like I have a much better idea of what life is going to be like living here.
Sounds like I"ll be counting the days until we move back to San Diego
The metro isn't as relaxing as it sounds. I find it very stressful, to be honest. The orange line is especially busy, to the point where some cars are so crammed you can't get on when the train comes by. You will come home smelling of your 100 closest friends' body odors at the end of the day. If you're lucky enough to get a seat, you can read. If you're standing though, it's all you can do to hold on and not knock over your neighbor.
You have to know you and your husband's tolerances for these things. Can he flex his hours to minimize crowds and traffic? (Getting to the office by 6, leaving by 3? Or getting in at 11 and going straight to 7?) Will sitting in traffic from the metro station to home stress him further at the end of a long day? Are you okay with having dinners without him, or schlepping kids to soccer games by yourself? Maybe none of that's a big deal to you--everyone has their own tolerances.
I second the idea of trying out temporary housing for a month or two to try out different commutes. Until you've tried it, you really don't know what you can handle. Personally, I can't handle more than 30 minutes before I'm going insane. My DH can do more like an hour. Knowing that allowed us to triangulate areas to look at.
The google maps traffic estimates I find to be under-estimates. It took me 2 hours to get from springfield to Rockville on 495 at 5:00 on Thursday (Thanks, Congressional golf tournament...). Google said 1:15. It took 90 minutes to get from Reston to N. Springfield at 10 pm, thanks to construction. Internet traffic websites said 45 minutes.
The longer you stretch your commute, the more flexible you have to be due to the unpredictability of construction, accidents, festivals, etc.
Sounds like I"m in the minority, but I can't sacrifice my families safety in a high crime neighborhood, won't sacrifice my children's education and send them to schools that rank horribly, and I'm not willing to make my children sleep in sleeping bags all over our 900 sq. foot house just so my husband doesn't have to have a long commute. Again, sounds like a lot of you will, but I just can't do that.
I don't think there are too many "high crime neighborhoods" or "schools that rank horribly" here. You can check crime reports easily enough online, but even the worst areas here are just petty theft and vandalism. I lived in a "sketchy" area by NoVA standards, and often walked my dog alone at night without issue.
And the schools, if the kids are coming from a home with solid parental influences, are fine. I work in one of the "bad" middle schools, according to test scores, and can absolutely 100% assure you that any child there who WANTS to succeed and has the support at home to do so, will succeed. I think "Great Schools" ranks it a 5 or something, based on test scores, but spend a week inside the building and you'd see how many opportunities for success there are there if the kids take advantage of them.
(Though as one so cal transplant to another...I'd kill for the chance to go live in San Diego right now...)
Check out Springfield, Burke, and Kingstowne areas. You should be able to find 1500+ square feet (more, in a townhouse), 4 bedrooms, and a relatively simple commute to the blue line train station at Franconia/Springfield. It won't be new, it won't be 2500 sq ft, but the neighborhoods are safe, the schools are good, and the commute is reasonable.
You are renting... I am going to tell you 5 bedrooms is going to be hard to find. Most likly, they will be small and in a split level (3 bedrooms up and 2 in the basement). and then you will only have 2 bathrooms too. Kids can share bedrooms.
I don't need 5 bedrooms. I need 4. My kids can't share rooms. I have special needs kids and it just isn't possible. I don't care about the bathrooms. As long as we have a toilet and a shower, we're good.
We're going to (most likely) be moving at the beginning of the school year so I really can't test out a new neighborhood every month. I can't just move them to different schools every month.
Wow, guys. I"m SO glad this move is temporary. 3 years. Just sounds horrible here.
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Are you saying public transportation actually takes longer? I'm confused.
LOL!!!!
LOL Thanks!
