Tell me about bannockburn?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks so much for this night. A few questions for you.

Do folks go into the city much or does life happen in Bethesda?

What's the best route to commute to gallery place if you need to be there by 9am (but have some flexibility). Most likely leave around 5.

Is it hard to get into that nursery school?

we'd be really reaching to live there budget wise. HHI is $320. I wish that was enough money to feel like you're living well but it doesn't seem to go far in DC. there are many huge houses in the neighborhood. I have to imagine they are millionaires lots of time over. Does it feel like normal people live there?

I believe you can do it on that HHI but it will really depend on a lot of different things. How big of a mortgage will you be taking on, how many kids do you have, do you spend a lot of money on luxuries and travel, etc. plenty of people live here on less than what you make, but many bought into the neighborhood before housing prices shot up.
The nursery school is not hard to get into. I would call to find out the details. I would also visit the school. The director is a lovely person.

As far as commute, I would recommend a dry run of various different routes. I commute to a different location and likely at a different time of day than you. It makes a big a difference leaving at 6 in the morning than leaving at 8:30 in the morning.

We tend to stick with Bethesda when going out though that has diminished quite a bit since all of the new buildings in downtown Bethedsa. Parking can be a pain the butt. That is really a personal preference and plenty of people go into D.C. We are right over the border.

And the reason it isn't hard to get into is that it's a co-op school. That's great if it fits with your schedule, but if you work, you'll need to be able to miss work to do your coop days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks so much for this night. A few questions for you.

Do folks go into the city much or does life happen in Bethesda?

What's the best route to commute to gallery place if you need to be there by 9am (but have some flexibility). Most likely leave around 5.

Is it hard to get into that nursery school?

we'd be really reaching to live there budget wise. HHI is $320. I wish that was enough money to feel like you're living well but it doesn't seem to go far in DC. there are many huge houses in the neighborhood. I have to imagine they are millionaires lots of time over. Does it feel like normal people live there?

I believe you can do it on that HHI but it will really depend on a lot of different things. How big of a mortgage will you be taking on, how many kids do you have, do you spend a lot of money on luxuries and travel, etc. plenty of people live here on less than what you make, but many bought into the neighborhood before housing prices shot up.
The nursery school is not hard to get into. I would call to find out the details. I would also visit the school. The director is a lovely person.

As far as commute, I would recommend a dry run of various different routes. I commute to a different location and likely at a different time of day than you. It makes a big a difference leaving at 6 in the morning than leaving at 8:30 in the morning.

We tend to stick with Bethesda when going out though that has diminished quite a bit since all of the new buildings in downtown Bethedsa. Parking can be a pain the butt. That is really a personal preference and plenty of people go into D.C. We are right over the border.

With the huge new garage right by Silver, I don't find Bethesda parking to be an issue any more. The other end can be a little tighter, but if you go to th garage by Auburn and Del Rey, it is usually much less crowded, which for me is worth the extra block walk to most places, even with kids in tow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks so much for this night. A few questions for you.

Do folks go into the city much or does life happen in Bethesda?

What's the best route to commute to gallery place if you need to be there by 9am (but have some flexibility). Most likely leave around 5.

Is it hard to get into that nursery school?

we'd be really reaching to live there budget wise. HHI is $320. I wish that was enough money to feel like you're living well but it doesn't seem to go far in DC. there are many huge houses in the neighborhood. I have to imagine they are millionaires lots of time over. Does it feel like normal people live there?

I believe you can do it on that HHI but it will really depend on a lot of different things. How big of a mortgage will you be taking on, how many kids do you have, do you spend a lot of money on luxuries and travel, etc. plenty of people live here on less than what you make, but many bought into the neighborhood before housing prices shot up.
The nursery school is not hard to get into. I would call to find out the details. I would also visit the school. The director is a lovely person.

As far as commute, I would recommend a dry run of various different routes. I commute to a different location and likely at a different time of day than you. It makes a big a difference leaving at 6 in the morning than leaving at 8:30 in the morning.

We tend to stick with Bethesda when going out though that has diminished quite a bit since all of the new buildings in downtown Bethedsa. Parking can be a pain the butt. That is really a personal preference and plenty of people go into D.C. We are right over the border.

And the reason it isn't hard to get into is that it's a co-op school. That's great if it fits with your schedule, but if you work, you'll need to be able to miss work to do your coop days.

This is true, however, there is a limited coop option which allows you to coop fewer days than those doing the regular coop. It is definitely doable if you work full time and is wonderful because you get to know the kids and parents who your child will be interacting with. This is what makes the nursery school such a loving and warm community. Even big firm lawyers have done this and have been so happy about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks so much for this night. A few questions for you.

Do folks go into the city much or does life happen in Bethesda?

What's the best route to commute to gallery place if you need to be there by 9am (but have some flexibility). Most likely leave around 5.

Is it hard to get into that nursery school?

we'd be really reaching to live there budget wise. HHI is $320. I wish that was enough money to feel like you're living well but it doesn't seem to go far in DC. there are many huge houses in the neighborhood. I have to imagine they are millionaires lots of time over. Does it feel like normal people live there?

By the way, please keep perspective. Tell folks in SE that 320k is not living well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks so much for this night. A few questions for you.

Do folks go into the city much or does life happen in Bethesda?

What's the best route to commute to gallery place if you need to be there by 9am (but have some flexibility). Most likely leave around 5.

Is it hard to get into that nursery school?

we'd be really reaching to live there budget wise. HHI is $320. I wish that was enough money to feel like you're living well but it doesn't seem to go far in DC. there are many huge houses in the neighborhood. I have to imagine they are millionaires lots of time over. Does it feel like normal people live there?

By the way, please keep perspective. Tell folks in SE that 320k is not living well.

Where did the OP say that $320k wasn't living well? She was merely inquiring as to whether $320k would be enough to be able to afford to live in Bannockburn. She has plenty of perspecitve in that she doesn't want to live where she can't afford to live. Don't be so sanctimonious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks so much for this night. A few questions for you.

Do folks go into the city much or does life happen in Bethesda?

What's the best route to commute to gallery place if you need to be there by 9am (but have some flexibility). Most likely leave around 5.

Is it hard to get into that nursery school?

we'd be really reaching to live there budget wise. HHI is $320. I wish that was enough money to feel like you're living well but it doesn't seem to go far in DC. there are many huge houses in the neighborhood. I have to imagine they are millionaires lots of time over. Does it feel like normal people live there?

I believe you can do it on that HHI but it will really depend on a lot of different things. How big of a mortgage will you be taking on, how many kids do you have, do you spend a lot of money on luxuries and travel, etc. plenty of people live here on less than what you make, but many bought into the neighborhood before housing prices shot up.
The nursery school is not hard to get into. I would call to find out the details. I would also visit the school. The director is a lovely person.

As far as commute, I would recommend a dry run of various different routes. I commute to a different location and likely at a different time of day than you. It makes a big a difference leaving at 6 in the morning than leaving at 8:30 in the morning.

We tend to stick with Bethesda when going out though that has diminished quite a bit since all of the new buildings in downtown Bethedsa. Parking can be a pain the butt. That is really a personal preference and plenty of people go into D.C. We are right over the border.

And the reason it isn't hard to get into is that it's a co-op school. That's great if it fits with your schedule, but if you work, you'll need to be able to miss work to do your coop days.

This is true, however, there is a limited coop option which allows you to coop fewer days than those doing the regular coop. It is definitely doable if you work full time and is wonderful because you get to know the kids and parents who your child will be interacting with. This is what makes the nursery school such a loving and warm community. Even big firm lawyers have done this and have been so happy about it.

Are you permitted to have a grandparent or nanny do you coop service (or some of it) if your job makes it harder to take time in the middle of the day?

[Anonymous]

Just wanted to add that the co-op, though great, is not your only option. Clara Barton Center for Children, Apple Montessori and Suburban nursery (may also be a co-op?) are all right there in Bannockburn or Cabin John.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks so much for this night. A few questions for you.

Do folks go into the city much or does life happen in Bethesda?

What's the best route to commute to gallery place if you need to be there by 9am (but have some flexibility). Most likely leave around 5.

Is it hard to get into that nursery school?

we'd be really reaching to live there budget wise. HHI is $320. I wish that was enough money to feel like you're living well but it doesn't seem to go far in DC. there are many huge houses in the neighborhood. I have to imagine they are millionaires lots of time over. Does it feel like normal people live there?

I believe you can do it on that HHI but it will really depend on a lot of different things. How big of a mortgage will you be taking on, how many kids do you have, do you spend a lot of money on luxuries and travel, etc. plenty of people live here on less than what you make, but many bought into the neighborhood before housing prices shot up.
The nursery school is not hard to get into. I would call to find out the details. I would also visit the school. The director is a lovely person.

As far as commute, I would recommend a dry run of various different routes. I commute to a different location and likely at a different time of day than you. It makes a big a difference leaving at 6 in the morning than leaving at 8:30 in the morning.

We tend to stick with Bethesda when going out though that has diminished quite a bit since all of the new buildings in downtown Bethedsa. Parking can be a pain the butt. That is really a personal preference and plenty of people go into D.C. We are right over the border.

And the reason it isn't hard to get into is that it's a co-op school. That's great if it fits with your schedule, but if you work, you'll need to be able to miss work to do your coop days.

This is true, however, there is a limited coop option which allows you to coop fewer days than those doing the regular coop. It is definitely doable if you work full time and is wonderful because you get to know the kids and parents who your child will be interacting with. This is what makes the nursery school such a loving and warm community. Even big firm lawyers have done this and have been so happy about it.

Are you permitted to have a grandparent or nanny do you coop service (or some of it) if your job makes it harder to take time in the middle of the day?

No. Only the parent is permitted to coop. The previous poster has named some other wonderful preschools right nearby if the cooping option is unworkable. Bannockburn is in close proximity to a bunch of great preschool options.

[Anonymous]

how is merrimack pool? I read a yelp review that said the diving area smelled like feces. still true?

I know that there is also bannockburn pool...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:how is merrimack pool? I read a yelp review that said the diving area smelled like feces. still true?

I know that there is also bannockburn pool...

Merrimack is great as well as Bannockburn. I would take that review with a grain of salt. I have never smelled feces there nor have I heard of anyone else smelling feces. If you are concerned about it, you could call up pool management and ask them about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks so much for this night. A few questions for you.

Do folks go into the city much or does life happen in Bethesda?

What's the best route to commute to gallery place if you need to be there by 9am (but have some flexibility). Most likely leave around 5.

Is it hard to get into that nursery school?

we'd be really reaching to live there budget wise. HHI is $320. I wish that was enough money to feel like you're living well but it doesn't seem to go far in DC. there are many huge houses in the neighborhood. I have to imagine they are millionaires lots of time over. Does it feel like normal people live there?

I believe you can do it on that HHI but it will really depend on a lot of different things. How big of a mortgage will you be taking on, how many kids do you have, do you spend a lot of money on luxuries and travel, etc. plenty of people live here on less than what you make, but many bought into the neighborhood before housing prices shot up.
The nursery school is not hard to get into. I would call to find out the details. I would also visit the school. The director is a lovely person.

As far as commute, I would recommend a dry run of various different routes. I commute to a different location and likely at a different time of day than you. It makes a big a difference leaving at 6 in the morning than leaving at 8:30 in the morning.

We tend to stick with Bethesda when going out though that has diminished quite a bit since all of the new buildings in downtown Bethedsa. Parking can be a pain the butt. That is really a personal preference and plenty of people go into D.C. We are right over the border.

And the reason it isn't hard to get into is that it's a co-op school. That's great if it fits with your schedule, but if you work, you'll need to be able to miss work to do your coop days.

This is true, however, there is a limited coop option which allows you to coop fewer days than those doing the regular coop. It is definitely doable if you work full time and is wonderful because you get to know the kids and parents who your child will be interacting with. This is what makes the nursery school such a loving and warm community. Even big firm lawyers have done this and have been so happy about it.

Are you permitted to have a grandparent or nanny do you coop service (or some of it) if your job makes it harder to take time in the middle of the day?

No. Only the parent is permitted to coop. The previous poster has named some other wonderful preschools right nearby if the cooping option is unworkable. Bannockburn is in close proximity to a bunch of great preschool options.

I have very mixed feelings about a place that won't show flexibility on this. On one-level, I guess it helps foster greater community among the parents. But it ignores a variety of dynamics present in many families today. For a variety of reasons, grandparents play a very big role in many children's lives and I would think that their presence would weaken the community. And a single parent is often going to have a harder time getting away from work as the sole bread winner and may need to rely on help to cover some daytime class duty. Is the community really stronger by making it harder for such a parent (and their kid) to take part. Finally, parents higher up the food chain generally have a greater ability to take off during normal hours and make it up at other times of their choosing. Lower level employees and/or more blue collar workers often don't have that freedom. Maybe there wouldn't be that much true economic diversity anyway given the location, but inflexibility on coop coverage doesn't help the matter and a coop, being generally more affordable, might otherwise be a good option for people on tighter budgets.

[Anonymous]

How's the diversity there?

[Anonymous]

Meh, much of it is adjacent to River Rd and Goldsboro. You can also hear the beltway. Tranquil it is not

[Anonymous]

carderock springs, right down the road just above cabin john, has a similar vibe, community pool, great and brand new elementary school. houses are mostly midcentury modern, no teardowns in carderock 'historic distrct'.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:carderock springs, right down the road just above cabin john, has a similar vibe, community pool, great and brand new elementary school. houses are mostly midcentury modern, no teardowns in carderock 'historic distrct'.

Carderock Springs is almost directly on the beltway. Which sucks.