NoVA commute to NE DC

[dkf747]

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Originally Posted by gomason

You're not comparing apples-to-apples. If the OP took the bus from her home in woodbridge to the VRE, and then transferred to Metro, it would take at least 2 hours. Keep in mind, transferring twelve times is also a major factor in people's commute decision. Not only do you have the hassle of transferring, but you're just multiplying the chances that at least one part of your commute is going to go wrong. VRE has it's fair share of reliability issues some times, especially on the Fredericksburg Line. Not to mention, MARC is 10x cheaper than VRE. You can get an unlimited MARC card and Metro pass for a month for almost $100 less than it would cost for VRE.

Well, I don't know the bus system in Woodbridge, nor do I have experience with VRE. VRE to Union Station is the main comparison to Shady Grove to NOMA. What I know is that a bus to Metro combo in Gaitherburg has been very consistent for me, from Gaithersburg to NOMA, at 75 to 80 minutes. Add in the walk to my job and it was 90 to 95 minutes every time. The only exceptions were when the Red Line had issues, which seems to happening more and more lately. I assumed that the VRE is generally reliable so it would be similar. Is it not reliable? The transfer from VRE to Metro wouldn't be too bad most days. The trains run often during the peak hours, and it's only one stop. They could walk that distance.

Now that I'm thinking about this, does the parking at VRE fill up like it does at Shady Grove?

[Curbed Enthusiasm]

My advice to get get as close to the city as possible. Let's say you move to Ashburn. Okay, the driving commute would be fine if you leave at off hours, but it takes but one event to derail your perfectly-timed schedule and suddenly you're in traffic hell. These far away commutes always sound good on paper, but once you start actually doing it daily, it gets old real quick.

If I were you you, I would look at Maryland neighborhoods on the red line. You'll be grateful for all the time you can spend with your family and not in a commuting nightmare like so many folks. Warning though - the red line coming in from the Rockville direction can be very packed during peak hours; coming in from the Wheaton direction is a bit lighter. Parts of Prince George's are nice and give you a ton of bang for your housing buck, but only a very small number of their public schools are up to par. Montgomery County has long been the standard-bearer for public schools in our region, though even within MoCo there are some slipping schools. Just as you would in any part of the country, you'll need to do your homework on the public schools in the area you're looking in, but there are plenty of great options in MD as there are in VA.

[gomason]

Originally Posted by dkf747

,

Well, I don't know the bus system in Woodbridge, nor do I have experience with VRE. VRE to Union Station is the main comparison to Shady Grove to NOMA. What I know is that a bus to Metro combo in Gaitherburg has been very consistent for me, from Gaithersburg to NOMA, at 75 to 80 minutes. Add in the walk to my job and it was 90 to 95 minutes every time. The only exceptions were when the Red Line had issues, which seems to happening more and more lately. I assumed that the VRE is generally reliable so it would be similar. Is it not reliable? The transfer from VRE to Metro wouldn't be too bad most days. The trains run often during the peak hours, and it's only one stop. They could walk that distance.

Now that I'm thinking about this, does the parking at VRE fill up like it does at Shady Grove?

Local buses in Woodbridge and Manassas are terrible. Nothing like Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax, Montgomery, DC, or PG.

And yes, parking at VRE is just as bad if not worse than Metro parking because the parking is free unlike Metro. Parking lots are 100% filled at almost every station that I know of except for Burke.

[dkf747]

Originally Posted by gomason

Local buses in Woodbridge and Manassas are terrible. Nothing like Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax, Montgomery, DC, or PG.

And yes, parking at VRE is just as bad if not worse than Metro parking because the parking is free unlike Metro. Parking lots are 100% filled at almost every station that I know of except for Burke.

Okay. I guess that means Gaithersburg is a slightly better option, if commute time was the only factor.