How horrible is the commute from Ashburn to DC

[Anonymous]

It's not terrible if you are willing to pay the toll every time you go in. The 267 toll isn't terrible, but the 66 toll can be awful - last week I saw it was $35 one day.

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

Move to a much smaller home closer in and your wife gets a job. Done.

[Anonymous]

Buy a townhouse in McLean, how much equity are we talking here? Also, there are many other options between McLean and Ashburn? Why Ashburn is my burning question.

So, either it’s blood pressure from the commute or heart issues from overwork. Pick your poison or downsize to something smaller closer in. I have done 3hr/day commute, I did it for 7 yrs, 5days/week, it was HELL.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would be going into the office 3 days a week

3 kids

Looking to cash in on appreciation of our McLean home that we bought 6 years ago

Wife works from home

why do you need the cash?

OP here

I'm in one of those careers where you can make a lot of money and die at age 50 having never seen your kids or hop out at age 40, move to government, and make 5-10% of your prior salary as a GS-15. I'm opting for the latter

Umm if this is the case and you are making 10x the salary of a GS-15 ... then why are you even considering moving, you could easily find a lovely and enormous house in DC or McLean within budget?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would be going into the office 3 days a week

3 kids

Looking to cash in on appreciation of our McLean home that we bought 6 years ago

Wife works from home

why do you need the cash?

OP here

I'm in one of those careers where you can make a lot of money and die at age 50 having never seen your kids or hop out at age 40, move to government, and make 5-10% of your prior salary as a GS-15. I'm opting for the latter

Umm if this is the case and you are making 10x the salary of a GS-15 ... then why are you even considering moving, you could easily find a lovely and enormous house in DC or McLean within budget?

He wants to see his kids.
But I don’t think Ashburn is the answer

[Anonymous]

267 toll road and hit 66 exactly when the toll ends (I think 9:30). It’s doable one day a week but I think 3 would be painful. If you are
moving to government, there are still agencies and components that have <3 days per week in the office. We’re still at one, I know many others who are at two, and some positions are fully remote.

There are also a handful of agencies that have a Herndon or Reston office and will let you work from there.

[Anonymous]

P.S. For all the hate it gets on here, I actually think the Ashburn/Broadlands/Brambleton area is lovely. It is a little generic, but everything is clean and new, and the schools are good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know people who do it. They work very early - 6:30 to 3 - to make it work. Commuting at normal times would be terrible.

I also know several. They were in a carpool and drove a Prius.

[Anonymous]

OP, what is your commute/driving tolerance? I commute in 2x a week from the western exurbs (Fauquier not Loudoun) and it’s about 1 hour 10 minutes door to door each way. I take the 66 express lanes all the way in, which yes is expensive but totally worth it. I do not mind my commute at all. Traffic on Mondays and Fridays is noticeably lighter, so those are the days I go in. I get in around 8 and leave around 4:30.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would be going into the office 3 days a week

3 kids

Looking to cash in on appreciation of our McLean home that we bought 6 years ago

Wife works from home

why do you need the cash?

OP here

I'm in one of those careers where you can make a lot of money and die at age 50 having never seen your kids or hop out at age 40, move to government, and make 5-10% of your prior salary as a GS-15. I'm opting for the latter

So...biglaw partner to DOJ trial attorney?

NP DOJ trial attorneys do not have sedate work lives. If you are looking for work/life balance, that ain’t it.

I billed 2800 hours last year. Is the DOJ really comparable?

It really depends on the office but I had some brutal years. If you have a big case or an upcoming trial, 60-hour weeks or worse are not uncommon. I left DOJ for a job that actually gave me the work life balance I was looking for. You do have more control over your life at DOJ than at a firm but it can still be rough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would be going into the office 3 days a week

3 kids

Looking to cash in on appreciation of our McLean home that we bought 6 years ago

Wife works from home

why do you need the cash?

OP here

I'm in one of those careers where you can make a lot of money and die at age 50 having never seen your kids or hop out at age 40, move to government, and make 5-10% of your prior salary as a GS-15. I'm opting for the latter

I think you need to try to cut down on the in-office days. Are you a lawyer? There are GS-15 positions at federal agencies that are 1-2 (or zero) in office days.

[Anonymous]

Does it have to be Ashburn? There are lots of townhomes within walking distance of the Vienna Metro.

If I were you, I’d look at jobs in a LCOL area. For under $500,000, we’re in one of the best pyramids in the state. You might be able to pay cash. DH’s commute is 15 minutes each way. It’s seven minutes to one after-school activity and three minutes to another. I’d you’re willing to move to Ashburn, look farther afield. Albemarle, Henrico, Midlothian, and James City County all have at least one really good school pyramid. There are probably other counties.

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does it have to be Ashburn? There are lots of townhomes within walking distance of the Vienna Metro.

If I were you, I’d look at jobs in a LCOL area. For under $500,000, we’re in one of the best pyramids in the state. You might be able to pay cash. DH’s commute is 15 minutes each way. It’s seven minutes to one after-school activity and three minutes to another. I’d you’re willing to move to Ashburn, look farther afield. Albemarle, Henrico, Midlothian, and James City County all have at least one really good school pyramid. There are probably other counties.

Henrico?

Thanks for the laugh.