Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
All, I'm a mid-20s young professional who will be moving to Columbia Heights next week (2 blocks north of the metro stop). I chose the area for its access to amenities, closeness to cool, local flair type places, and price. My job is a block from the Farragut metro stops. What is an estimated commute time via Metro (bus or train)? I know a transfer - probably at Gallery Place - will be required. I lived in DC for a summer and had a short, no transfer commute to work so this is new for me. Thanks.
All, I'm a mid-20s young professional who will be moving to Columbia Heights next week (2 blocks north of the metro stop). I chose the area for its access to amenities, closeness to cool, local flair type places, and price. My job is a block from the Farragut metro stops. What is an estimated commute time via Metro (bus or train)? I know a transfer - probably at Gallery Place - will be required. I lived in DC for a summer and had a short, no transfer commute to work so this is new for me. Thanks.
Don't metro it. Take a bus. You will be reducing your commute time by about 10-20 minutes by doing so. It's like a 15-20 minute bus ride, and between all of the transfers, about 30-40 minute on metro. The S2/S4/S9 bus on 16th st will take you right into the golden triangle area. Sometimes the bus is the better option, this is something you will learn from living here. The big difference is if there is a problem with the bus you can always get off and walk the remainder. With metro...you may be stuck somewhere were that is not convenient.
You should take the train. I haven't heard of a Metro meltdown recently, and trains don't have to deal with street traffic. That 15-20 minute bus ride would double if there's heavy traffic. I would say at rush hour, 20 minutes tops on train. That's going to Chinatown, then transferring over to the red.
I'd take the bus. If there's heavy traffic you can ride a bike or even get out and walk (I currently walk 2 miles to work near Federal Triangle from Adams Morgan, it's quite pleasant most days). In addition to the bus lines mentioned above you could take the 42 or 43 (I think it goes up to Mt. Pleasant, so you'd have a few blocks to walk).
That said, if the weather is particularly nasty (i.e. ice or snow) then do the metro. The buses have difficulties in that weather, but you're only talking a couple of days out of the year.
Thanks all! It sounds like the bus is the way to go unless the weather is terrible. I'll do a couple dry runs when I get up there to make sure, but that sounds like the fastest way to travel. Any tips of navigating the buses? When I was up there for a summer internship I had such a horrible time trying to figure out the buses. The trains were so much easier.
You should take the train. I haven't heard of a Metro meltdown recently, and trains don't have to deal with street traffic. That 15-20 minute bus ride would double if there's heavy traffic. I would say at rush hour, 20 minutes tops on train. That's going to Chinatown, then transferring over to the red.
You really do not know what you are talking about. He doesn't need to transfer onto the red line at all. He just needs to get off the bus a few blocks to his work and walk the remainder to get to work, which he would have to do with metro anyway. I used to do this commute daily, trust me...the train takes much longer even in heavy traffic. If you end up stuck in traffic you can always get off the bus and walk to Farragut, it is not that far away.
Thanks all! It sounds like the bus is the way to go unless the weather is terrible. I'll do a couple dry runs when I get up there to make sure, but that sounds like the fastest way to travel. Any tips of navigating the buses? When I was up there for a summer internship I had such a horrible time trying to figure out the buses. The trains were so much easier.
The buses which run on 16th St are pretty easy in comparison to some of the other ones. It's a pretty simple North/South Bus. It runs every few minutes, more often than metro really.
Thanks all! Bus it is... I'm glad to know that the 16th street buses are straightforward. I once got so lost going to Georgetown that I almost gave up on the whole adventure.
You really do not know what you are talking about. He doesn't need to transfer onto the red line at all. He just needs to get off the bus a few blocks to his work and walk the remainder to get to work, which he would have to do with metro anyway. I used to do this commute daily, trust me...the train takes much longer even in heavy traffic. If you end up stuck in traffic you can always get off the bus and walk to Farragut, it is not that far away.
Bro I've lived here all my life, I've taken Metro since I was 5. I also use to do that Columbia Heights to Farragut commute daily and the last thing I would do is take the bus and take the chance on it being a) extremely crowded to the point where I couldn't even get on and would have to wait for another one and who knows how long that will take and b) the idea that somehow, on a train trip w/no interuptions (15 minutes per WMATA) would be more than a bus ride w/daily street traffic on a busy corridor.
My opinion OP should try once w/train and the other w/bus and go from there.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
