moving to area (Arlington, McLean, Vienna: living, gangs, train)

[es009j]

My husband and I are relocating to the area and we need some advice. He will be working in the Baltimore area and I will be working in McLean, VA. We need some recommendations on the best (and most cost-effective) places to live, and what my commuting options are to get to McLean. If anyone knows if a train goes to McLean or what kind of commute times I'm looking at if I just drive (I'm sure it's not a short commute).
Thanks!

[Barbara J.]

It looks like a straight shot on the map but during rush hour- and pretty much anytime-it will take 2 hours to go from Baltimore to McLean. Unless your life depends on these 2 jobs, I would advise one of you to find something closer to the other. It will not be worth it. And if you have kids, forget it. One of you will never see them. I say this as someone who just moved here 2 years ago and LOVES living here, but rush hour traffic sucks.
That being said, the best option with these jobs is to live closer to Mclean and reverse commute to Baltimore. Of course that's also more expensive b/c that part of VA is expensive to live in. And please remember that the beltway (495) just stinks. If you rely on the beltway to get to work in any direction, be prepared for awful traffic every day. Period. Sorry to be a downer. I love this area and wouldn't live anywhere else, but you need to find a way around the traffic.

[claremarie]

The only way to commute to McLean is by car. There are no Metro stops in McLean.
One option would be to live in North Arlington, Virginia. You would have a very short commute by car, and your husband could hop on the Metro to Union Station in DC and then get a train to Baltimore.
You could also live in the Silver Spring part of Montgomery County (MD). Your husband could drive to Baltimore (count on at least one hour each way), and you could drive to McLean. However, there is a LOT of traffic on the Beltway between Silver Spring and McLean during rush hours, and most of the traffic is heading to Virginia in the mornings. And it could take you an hour to get there, depending upon your exact destination in McLean. If you have a flexible schedule, you can work around the traffic, but if not, it won't be much fun.

[delmarva]

It is not worth the trauma of a daily commute. People learn this too late. Maps don't tell the real story and MapQuest is total fantasy.

[stevenlear]

The drive from McLean to Baltimore (Camden Yards) has taken me up to 3 hours, the drive back after 10:00 pm takes as little as 50 minutes. my 7 mile commute from Vienna to McLean could take up to an hour. I left the nightmare of traffic, crime, gangs, etc... over a year ago. I just couldn't do it anymore.

Do yourself and your family a favor, think hard about this move... look for jobs that are closer together... one of you will quickly become a stranger to the rest of your family.