Commute from Lake Ridge to National Institutes of Health? (Burke: home, transfer)

[Grsz11]

Anybody think this is doable, would you do it, and how long?

[Leaving4Ca]

Mapquest it, and then double or triple the time it says it will take, it all depends on the weather and the sun glare.

I am guessing that you are considering a job offer there? There must be something good closer...

[HokieFan]

To Bethesda?

I have a pretty decent commute tolerance. Even yesterday with three accidents on 95/395 and one on 495 that doubled my commute time to two hours didn't really stress me out. No way, no how would I make a daily commute to Bethesda from LR.

[johnsonkk]

I drove that route daily for a couple months and going there is doable if you leave around 530am. You have to be on the beltway and off I-95 before 6am. If you worked 6 to 2, you might be fine but there are many places closer. Metro is out- too many stops and a transfer. What's your hours, budget, and duration of the job?

[Grsz11]

Originally Posted by johnsonkk

I drove that route daily for a couple months and going there is doable if you leave around 530am. You have to be on the beltway and off I-95 before 6am. If you worked 6 to 2, you might be fine but there are many places closer. Metro is out- too many stops and a transfer. What's your hours, budget, and duration of the job?

I currently commute from American University, though just once a week is during rush hour, I leave around 5:30 PM and I'm home in about an hour, usually less. By the time I get to the GW Parkway and up the Parkway to the Beltway (if/when I go that way) I would think its pretty comparable to that top stretch of the Beltway from Bethesda and into Virginia (maybe?). I would look to move closer, but would still be in the Burke/Springfield area. I don't have a position yet, but have a good shot and wanted to see if it is even worth the effort to go forward.

[ChristineVA]

My mother-in-law did it for YEARS from Stafford. I don't think her quality of life was very good (but I have to say that the worst part of the drive is that portion between Woodbridge and Stafford so you wouldn't have it as bad).

As another poster said, the key here is to leave VERY early.

[gomason]

Why not take transit? Bus to Springfield Metro or drive to Springfield Metro or slug?

[johnsonkk]

Originally Posted by gomason

Why not take transit? Bus to Springfield Metro or drive to Springfield Metro or slug?

The problem is this takes so much more time yet it is predictable. The red line going out (to shady grove) is going against the commute so there are less trains and the.red line has soo many stops. From springfield to nih via metro would take 90 min on a typical morning.

[Jenjen391]

is this job on the main campus in Bethesda? or at one of the satellite sites in the Rockville area? Are you going to have a parking spot or access to one of the garages?

I used to work there and commuted in from DC on the metro, but I had a lot of colleagues who lived all over and commuted in. Severna Park, Bowie, Reston, Huntington area, and even Stafford. The key thing is that they were all at work by around 6am. If you can get an early schedule, then I think it's doable. Not fun, but doable.

[gomason]

Originally Posted by johnsonkk

The problem is this takes so much more time yet it is predictable. The red line going out (to shady grove) is going against the commute so there are less trains and the.red line has soo many stops. From springfield to nih via metro would take 90 min on a typical morning.

It would be about 90 minutes between the bus and train. Is that really much worse than driving? 95 and 495 are complete nightmares all the time in this stretch.