Commuting from DC/Bethesda to Columbia, MD

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Columbia Heights is not near Route 29 at all. Takoma Park might be your best bet.

Georgia Ave = Route 29 in DC...isn't it just a couple of blocks away? Thats what it looks like on a map atleast.

No, not near Columbia Heights. You sound like you need to be closer to the Silver Spring area which is perfectly nice too. Try four corners area.

Just to clarify, the PP is correct that Georgia Ave is Rt. 29 in DC. It is relatively close to Columbia Heights, and if you're driving up, it's a good way to get to Silver Spring/points north.

I think you need to visit, though.

Um, it's 5 or 6 miles from the center of columbia heights to the silver spring area on the border of DC/MD - with all thos lights and traffic - what exactly are you saying this is close to? I'm confused. In DC, 5 or 6 miles is not "close" - I would not consider Columbia Heights close to route 29 (colesville rd) in Maryland.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:I live near Columbia Heights and have driven to Columbia in the morning many times. You can probably make it in 45 minutes, but an hour is more realistic. Traffic on 29 is really not that bad and moves pretty fast once you get out of the downtown Silver Spring area. I've also made the Bethesda - Columbia trip in the morning. It's best to take the beltway from Connecticut Ave. to 29. There is a little congestion by the Georgia Ave. on ramp, but otherwise not too bad.

But, all bets are off in bad weather (which, in DC, includes a mild rain) or a wreck.

Based on your experience, do you think Bethesda or Columbia Heights was the easier commute?

It depends on the starting point in Bethesda. Some place around downtown Bethesda would be easier, but if you mean Bethesda near Mass Ave. or River Road, it would add a lot of time.

To clear up some of the above discussion about whether Columbia Heights is close to 29, I would avoid Georgia Ave. (which is 29 in DC) and take 16th Street up to 29. 16th Street north in the morning is a breeze -- especially because you can go about 80 through the Shepherd Park area (joking, I know you guys hate that). Strictly speaking, once you know the roads, you can find better ways using neighborhood streets to avoid going all the way to 29 and, instead, jog through Silver Spring to avoid the few blocks from 16 St/Colesville Rd. through Colesville/Dale.

Frankly, I don't find either the Bethesda or Columbia Heights to Columbia commutes very appealing. I'm a big fan of Columbia Heights and would choose that if those were the only choices. But, I would be tempted to look closer to downtown Silver Spring or even parts of Shepherd Park and Brightwood (great neighborhoods but maybe not walkable enough for you). In these areas, things can change block by block and some parts are a lot more walkable than others. Who knows what will happen with the redevelopment of Walter Reed? That could change the equation entirely.

[Anonymous]

Getting to Columbia from Bethesda is a breeze. The trick is knowing the 'back roads'. If you take East-West Highway to 16th street and make a left, it will dead end on Georgia Avenue where you will make a left (can turn from all three lanes but you want to stay in the RIGHT lane when making the left turn.

At the 1st traffic light, make a right onto Dale Avenue and take that to 29 where you will make a left going north to Columbia. You are going against traffic on East-West Highway, 29 North, and you're avoiding downtown Silver Spring traffic. You will be amazed at how backed up southbound 29 traffic is while you breeze effortlessly going northbound.

I am a back roads junky and can give you other options. Piece of cake.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Getting to Columbia from Bethesda is a breeze. The trick is knowing the 'back roads'. If you take East-West Highway to 16th street and make a left, it will dead end on Georgia Avenue where you will make a left (can turn from all three lanes but you want to stay in the RIGHT lane when making the left turn.

At the 1st traffic light, make a right onto Dale Avenue and take that to 29 where you will make a left going north to Columbia. You are going against traffic on East-West Highway, 29 North, and you're avoiding downtown Silver Spring traffic. You will be amazed at how backed up southbound 29 traffic is while you breeze effortlessly going northbound.

I am a back roads junky and can give you other options. Piece of cake.

P.S. Right before the traffic light at Dale, there is a street where you make a left that will put you onto Dale and bypass all the traffic at the light. That's what I take and it is truly easy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Getting to Columbia from Bethesda is a breeze. The trick is knowing the 'back roads'. If you take East-West Highway to 16th street and make a left, it will dead end on Georgia Avenue where you will make a left (can turn from all three lanes but you want to stay in the RIGHT lane when making the left turn.

At the 1st traffic light, make a right onto Dale Avenue and take that to 29 where you will make a left going north to Columbia. You are going against traffic on East-West Highway, 29 North, and you're avoiding downtown Silver Spring traffic. You will be amazed at how backed up southbound 29 traffic is while you breeze effortlessly going northbound.

I am a back roads junky and can give you other options. Piece of cake.

P.S. Right before the traffic light at Dale, there is a street where you make a left that will put you onto Dale and bypass all the traffic at the light. That's what I take and it is truly easy.

Not a LEFT but a RIGHT. Sorry about that!!!

[Anonymous]

The ICC will take you right to 29, and you'll go against traffic but the tolls can be pricey in the morning. You can pick it up off of 270N or off of Shady Grove Road.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Getting to Columbia from Bethesda is a breeze. The trick is knowing the 'back roads'. If you take East-West Highway to 16th street and make a left, it will dead end on Georgia Avenue where you will make a left (can turn from all three lanes but you want to stay in the RIGHT lane when making the left turn.

At the 1st traffic light, make a right onto Dale Avenue and take that to 29 where you will make a left going north to Columbia. You are going against traffic on East-West Highway, 29 North, and you're avoiding downtown Silver Spring traffic. You will be amazed at how backed up southbound 29 traffic is while you breeze effortlessly going northbound.

I am a back roads junky and can give you other options. Piece of cake.

Thank you! I will keep this in mind. You think 45 minutes is doable?

[Anonymous]

I know you said you are leaning to DC, but is Baltimore an option? There are some nice walkable areas that would be (I think) a shorter commute.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know you said you are leaning to DC, but is Baltimore an option? There are some nice walkable areas that would be (I think) a shorter commute.

Baltimore is an option, yes, and I know the commute would probably be about half the time, but I have a much larger network of friends in DC and my family is in Richmond, so I'd ideally like to be closer to them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Getting to Columbia from Bethesda is a breeze. The trick is knowing the 'back roads'. If you take East-West Highway to 16th street and make a left, it will dead end on Georgia Avenue where you will make a left (can turn from all three lanes but you want to stay in the RIGHT lane when making the left turn.

At the 1st traffic light, make a right onto Dale Avenue and take that to 29 where you will make a left going north to Columbia. You are going against traffic on East-West Highway, 29 North, and you're avoiding downtown Silver Spring traffic. You will be amazed at how backed up southbound 29 traffic is while you breeze effortlessly going northbound.

I am a back roads junky and can give you other options. Piece of cake.

Thank you! I will keep this in mind. You think 45 minutes is doable?

I definitely think it's doable but it all depends on what part of Bethesda you're coming from and traffic. Montrose/Randolph Road will also take you straight to 29 where you will make a left onto 29. However, I'm not sure how northbound traffic is on Wisconsin or Connecticut is in the morning. Both take you to Randolph Road which bypasses southern Silver Spring and puts you on 29 in northern Silver Spring.

It is a personal preference to take back road streets. Don't like traffic on streets or the beltway and avoid as much as possible. You'll be going against traffic which is the saving grace; however, again, I avoid Connecticut and Wisconsin during morning/evening rush at all cost.

[Anonymous]

I think we are leaning towards Downtown Bethesda, since we are looking for something with more of an urban feel.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Getting to Columbia from Bethesda is a breeze. The trick is knowing the 'back roads'. If you take East-West Highway to 16th street and make a left, it will dead end on Georgia Avenue where you will make a left (can turn from all three lanes but you want to stay in the RIGHT lane when making the left turn.

At the 1st traffic light, make a right onto Dale Avenue and take that to 29 where you will make a left going north to Columbia. You are going against traffic on East-West Highway, 29 North, and you're avoiding downtown Silver Spring traffic. You will be amazed at how backed up southbound 29 traffic is while you breeze effortlessly going northbound.

I am a back roads junky and can give you other options. Piece of cake.

Thank you! I will keep this in mind. You think 45 minutes is doable?

I definitely think it's doable but it all depends on what part of Bethesda you're coming from and traffic. Montrose/Randolph Road will also take you straight to 29 where you will make a left onto 29. However, I'm not sure how northbound traffic is on Wisconsin or Connecticut is in the morning. Both take you to Randolph Road which bypasses southern Silver Spring and puts you on 29 in northern Silver Spring.

It is a personal preference to take back road streets. Don't like traffic on streets or the beltway and avoid as much as possible. You'll be going against traffic which is the saving grace; however, again, I avoid Connecticut and Wisconsin during morning/evening rush at all cost.

P.S. I would do a trial run on Saturday or Sunday to get a feel for my suggested route. You may stumble onto something else, see the sights on 29, etc. Right before the Cherry Hill exit on 29, there is an Ihop, Chik Filet, Friday's, FedEx, 7-11, a cleaners, and a few other places that you can stop if you need a quick fix in the morning or on the drive back. Exit on Cherry Hill and go East, there's a Home Depot and further down a Target, Babies R Us, Starbucks, McDonalds, etc. I like to know what's on my 29 route just in case I need sustenance or a bathroom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think we are leaning towards Downtown Bethesda, since we are looking for something with more of an urban feel.

Then definitely put East-West Highway on your route. The beltway is an option most definitely but I avoid it. Also, on 29 North at the exit for Route 216 (in both directions), there are a few good eateries, an Irish pub, wine store, Harris Teeter, gas station, AAA store, etc, etc, etc.

Best thing to do is get out there on the weekend and familiarize yourself with the turf.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think we are leaning towards Downtown Bethesda, since we are looking for something with more of an urban feel.

Then definitely put East-West Highway on your route. The beltway is an option most definitely but I avoid it. Also, on 29 North at the exit for Route 216 (in both directions), there are a few good eateries, an Irish pub, wine store, Harris Teeter, gas station, AAA store, etc, etc, etc.

Best thing to do is get out there on the weekend and familiarize yourself with the turf.

Awesome, thank you! We are going to visit this weekend, so I will definitely check out all of your suggestions!

[Anonymous]

I commute to Baltimore on 29 from Silver Spring (just north of the beltway). I used to commute across MoCo from Rockville. I will tell you that the west-east part of the drive was a good half of my commute, so you may want to bear that in mind, and try a real-time commute on an average weekday morning to see what YOU think of it.