Job offer in Bmore, DH working in DC - where to live? and preschool situation?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:we do this. we live in silver spring.

yeah, like the northern end of silver spring or olney near the ICC. That would be ideal. UNLESS DH actually works in Arlington and not DC. That is a whole other ballgame. Then I'm almost thinking living in DC would be easier.

Actually DC would work too. If you lived near Union Station, you could take the MARC train to Baltimore, and DH could take the Metro or whatever to DC/Arlington.

Reverse commute MARC trains have a more limited schedule.

You can drive to Baltimore faster than you can get there on MARC.

[Anonymous]

What's your budget and desired living arrangement (urban, suburban, etc.)

If you want high walkability on a budget of $300k, you're in Frederick or you give up something you previously thought untouchable.

$500-600k, you're probably in Columbia.

$900k, you've got more options.

[Anonymous]

Also is your husband in DC or in Arlington? It really matters. If he is in DC, then moving to MD is a no-brainer, it's just a matter of picking something along 29 that works for the both of you.

If he is in VA, then it gets trickier -- does he spend forever on MARC/Metro, do you live around Bowie/Crofton (opposite end of the Blue/Orange Lines with non-terrible schools but a longer drive for you), etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:we do this. we live in silver spring.

yeah, like the northern end of silver spring or olney near the ICC. That would be ideal. UNLESS DH actually works in Arlington and not DC. That is a whole other ballgame. Then I'm almost thinking living in DC would be easier.

Actually DC would work too. If you lived near Union Station, you could take the MARC train to Baltimore, and DH could take the Metro or whatever to DC/Arlington.

Reverse commute MARC trains have a more limited schedule.

You can drive to Baltimore faster than you can get there on MARC.

Here's the schedule, OP, so you can see for yourself:

http://mta.maryland.gov/sites/default/files/Penn_March2013_grid.pdf

There's an express that leaves Union Station at 7:20 am and gets to Penn Station at 7:57 am. I don't think that you can drive there in 37 minutes. Also, you can sleep/read/work on the train. And JHU may subsidize the train tickets, while a 90-mile round trip costs a lot in gas and wear and tear on the car.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also is your husband in DC or in Arlington? It really matters. If he is in DC, then moving to MD is a no-brainer, it's just a matter of picking something along 29 that works for the both of you.

If he is in VA, then it gets trickier -- does he spend forever on MARC/Metro, do you live around Bowie/Crofton (opposite end of the Blue/Orange Lines with non-terrible schools but a longer drive for you), etc.

True. Rosslyn or Court House, fine...much further than that and it's a pain.

[Anonymous]

My niece and nephew live in Baltimore, she works in DC and drives there and says it's better to drive than deal with mass transit..they also like living in Bmore, they find it much more affordable than DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also is your husband in DC or in Arlington? It really matters. If he is in DC, then moving to MD is a no-brainer, it's just a matter of picking something along 29 that works for the both of you.

If he is in VA, then it gets trickier -- does he spend forever on MARC/Metro, do you live around Bowie/Crofton (opposite end of the Blue/Orange Lines with non-terrible schools but a longer drive for you), etc.

He's about 50/50 in DC (downtown) and Ballston. Budget is probably in the $600-700k range, but not incredibly fixed.

[Anonymous]

Why not in DC proper?

[Anonymous]

I'm thinking Bowie-Crofton-Annapolis then. Orange Line accessible, decent enough drive to Bawlmer. Hubby has to be on board -- if he is able to find a job along I-270, that opens up Frederick (which IMO is a better generic commute than Annapolis) but your job in Bawlmer pretty much means ... Welcome to Murrland, hon!

[Anonymous]

I'd go with Silver Spring. You could find something in that range, you'd have Montgomery County schools, and the commute would probably be about equal for each of you. You could probably find a decent preschool near home.

[Anonymous]

How about PG near the MARC line - Hyattsville / Riverdale / College Park?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why not in DC proper?

Good schools? Other than Shepherd Park where can OP get a house with good DCPS schools inbounds for $600-700k?

If OP is fine with a condo, then maybe.

[Anonymous]

We did this for six years and commuted in both directions. At first we lived in DC and DH commuted to Baltimore (suburbs, so train was not an option). Then we moved to Bmore and I commuted to DC. It is doable but difficult, especially when you have more than one child. There is no sugar coating the commute no matter what way you do it. It is hard. You get used to it, but now that I don't do it anymore, I realize just how draining it really was.

I found that it was easier to have daycare closer to where the more flexible parent works, but in your case daycare in Bmore wouldn't make sense if you can work from home 50% of the time. Although I have friends who work at Hopkins in East Baltimore and there is a daycare there that many of the employees use (I think it is called Bright Horizons). A nanny may be a better option for you if you can make that work.

If a nanny isn't an option, it may be easier for you to live in downtown Baltimore (although I would not recommend the area immediately surround Hopkins). Your husband could take the train and you could manage the daycare situation in Bmore.

We thought about living in the middle but decided against it because both commutes were long. It worked out better to have one parent close to work, home and daycare and have the other do the commute. As DC gets older there will be more things to go to at school, after school, etc. We found that having one parent close made it much easier to get to these things and then get back to work in a reasonable time. When we both had long commutes, doing something at school would cost one of us a half day of work.

Good luck, this is not an easy decision!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why not in DC proper?

Good schools? Other than Shepherd Park where can OP get a house with good DCPS schools inbounds for $600-700k?

If OP is fine with a condo, then maybe.

They could buy a house within walking distance of Union Station, in-bounds for a good school, for $700,000.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:we do this. we live in silver spring.

yeah, like the northern end of silver spring or olney near the ICC. That would be ideal. UNLESS DH actually works in Arlington and not DC. That is a whole other ballgame. Then I'm almost thinking living in DC would be easier.

Actually DC would work too. If you lived near Union Station, you could take the MARC train to Baltimore, and DH could take the Metro or whatever to DC/Arlington.

The problem with this is it depends entirely where you work in Baltimore. Not all locations are walkable from Marc Train stops. The two main stops are West Baltimore (not a great area) and Union Station. Baltimore has horrible public transit, so if your job isn't close to one of the MARC stations, you might have trouble getting to your office from the train station. Baltimore has nothing that is comparable to Metro in D.C. Keep that in mind.