how bad is commute from Vienna, Oakton to DC?

[Anonymous]

Hov to toll on i66 will change everything

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Currently own tiny sh!tbox rambler in great elem school district south of Oldtown Alexandria ... DH and I bought before we had any kids, now we have 2 kids, 3 and 1.

While zoned for great elem school, middle and high school are pretty rough. We need a bigger home, now in 2 bedroom, and just realized we can get decent place in Viennna, Oakton for same price as larger home in our area (Ffx county part of Alexandria).

We commute to McPherson Square area in DC, although DH works from home a lot. Takes an hour in mornings, usually 75 minutes on way home from where we are... would Vienna, Oakton be that much worse?

I used to live in Vienna next to the metro. It'll be close to an hour. If you drive to the metro, the parking is full after 7:30 am. Forget about driving, it would be a nightmare. I'm in McLean now close to N Arlington and the drive takes me around 1 hour around 8 AM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live in Vienna and commute daily to McPherson, and it's about an hour door to door, when metro is running on time. I think that's going to increase when the new "service" levels are put into place at the end of June because trains will run less frequently. (Metro: Higher Fares, Less Service)

Breaking that down, it's about 15-20 minutes to drive there, park, and walk to the station, 35 minutes on the train (again, when on schedule), and a 5-10 minute walk to get out of the station and into the building.

This is where you are wrong... OP asked specifically about Vienna/Oakton... meaning she is looking at the area right around the Vienna metro. I live very close to it (in a SFH worth 900K -- not a th or condo). It is literally 3 min. to the metro parking garage on the north side. It is 20 min. from Vienna to Roslyn station. Exactly. I've timed it. So, add on 10 min. to get to McPherson. 10 min. to walk from the metro to office. I would say 45 min. max. Might be less.

Are you seriously telling me that I don't know how long my commute takes? (I mean, yours sounds like some over-optimistic bullshit to me, but I don't know where in the surrounding area you live and am willing to give you the benefit of the doubt.) I live in Vienna and have for nearly a decade. It takes me 15-20 minutes to drive from where I live IN VIENNA to the actual metro station, park in the garage, and walk from the garage to the actual platform. I am not at the furthest reaches of Vienna, either. I'm on my third home in Vienna, and the best I ever did was 10 minutes when I lived on Ware near Kingsley.

OP did not once say that they were looking at living right on top of the metro. They said Vienna/Oakton, which covers a pretty wide area. Most of Oakton is further away from the metro than I am, and headed to the metro, you're dealing with traffic going both there, to 66, and to the local elementary schools. And god help you if you have to get on 123 at all. Unless you're in the 66 side of Vienna Woods, the surrounding townhouse/condo/apartment communities, Edgelea, etc., it's not a five minute hop to the metro, and the walk from the parking areas at Vienna are not like the ones at the walk-up stations like EFC.

I am also so impressed that you managed to work in that you live in a $900K home -- and not one of those attached-type things, either! -- in a thread about commuting times. How DCUM of you. Is your HHI over $500K as well?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Currently own tiny sh!tbox rambler in great elem school district south of Oldtown Alexandria ... DH and I bought before we had any kids, now we have 2 kids, 3 and 1.

While zoned for great elem school, middle and high school are pretty rough. We need a bigger home, now in 2 bedroom, and just realized we can get decent place in Viennna, Oakton for same price as larger home in our area (Ffx county part of Alexandria).

We commute to McPherson Square area in DC, although DH works from home a lot. Takes an hour in mornings, usually 75 minutes on way home from where we are... would Vienna, Oakton be that much worse?

I used to live in Vienna next to the metro. It'll be close to an hour. If you drive to the metro, the parking is full after 7:30 am. Forget about driving, it would be a nightmare. I'm in McLean now close to N Arlington and the drive takes me around 1 hour around 8 AM.

Nope, not the case. I've been parking at Vienna for about five years now, and have never had a problem getting a spot as long as I got there by 8:30 or so. Since SafeTrack, Metro ridership is in the toilet, and I can get a spot on one of the lower floors of the south garage at pretty much any time. On Mondays and Fridays (fed AWS days), the south garage is a ghost town.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Currently own tiny sh!tbox rambler in great elem school district south of Oldtown Alexandria ... DH and I bought before we had any kids, now we have 2 kids, 3 and 1.

While zoned for great elem school, middle and high school are pretty rough. We need a bigger home, now in 2 bedroom, and just realized we can get decent place in Viennna, Oakton for same price as larger home in our area (Ffx county part of Alexandria).

We commute to McPherson Square area in DC, although DH works from home a lot. Takes an hour in mornings, usually 75 minutes on way home from where we are... would Vienna, Oakton be that much worse?

I used to live in Vienna next to the metro. It'll be close to an hour. If you drive to the metro, the parking is full after 7:30 am. Forget about driving, it would be a nightmare. I'm in McLean now close to N Arlington and the drive takes me around 1 hour around 8 AM.

Parking in Vienna is never full. I take it almost every day and get there at 9:30.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Currently own tiny sh!tbox rambler in great elem school district south of Oldtown Alexandria ... DH and I bought before we had any kids, now we have 2 kids, 3 and 1.

While zoned for great elem school, middle and high school are pretty rough. We need a bigger home, now in 2 bedroom, and just realized we can get decent place in Viennna, Oakton for same price as larger home in our area (Ffx county part of Alexandria).

We commute to McPherson Square area in DC, although DH works from home a lot. Takes an hour in mornings, usually 75 minutes on way home from where we are... would Vienna, Oakton be that much worse?

I used to live in Vienna next to the metro. It'll be close to an hour. If you drive to the metro, the parking is full after 7:30 am. Forget about driving, it would be a nightmare. I'm in McLean now close to N Arlington and the drive takes me around 1 hour around 8 AM.

were you using the south garage or north garage? DH uses the north garage and says it's always super easy to get a spot on the main level. He tends to go at 8:00, 10:00 or even as late as 1:00.

[Anonymous]

I live in a SFH 1 mile from Vienna Metro. My car ride is literally 3 minutes including parking at metro. I leave my house at 7:13AM and arrive to McPherson Square before 8:00AM everyday! This AM it was 7:56 when I arrived.

The Vienna/Oakton area near the metro is sought after for a reason. THs in the area range in price fro 500K (no garage) to 760K with a 2-car garage. SFHs range in price from the 500K-1.2 million.

Good luck with your move. I think you will enjoy the area. Its very convenient.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live in Vienna and commute daily to McPherson, and it's about an hour door to door, when metro is running on time. I think that's going to increase when the new "service" levels are put into place at the end of June because trains will run less frequently. (Metro: Higher Fares, Less Service)

Breaking that down, it's about 15-20 minutes to drive there, park, and walk to the station, 35 minutes on the train (again, when on schedule), and a 5-10 minute walk to get out of the station and into the building.

This is where you are wrong... OP asked specifically about Vienna/Oakton... meaning she is looking at the area right around the Vienna metro. I live very close to it (in a SFH worth 900K -- not a th or condo). It is literally 3 min. to the metro parking garage on the north side. It is 20 min. from Vienna to Roslyn station. Exactly. I've timed it. So, add on 10 min. to get to McPherson. 10 min. to walk from the metro to office. I would say 45 min. max. Might be less.

Are you seriously telling me that I don't know how long my commute takes? (I mean, yours sounds like some over-optimistic bullshit to me, but I don't know where in the surrounding area you live and am willing to give you the benefit of the doubt.) I live in Vienna and have for nearly a decade. It takes me 15-20 minutes to drive from where I live IN VIENNA to the actual metro station, park in the garage, and walk from the garage to the actual platform. I am not at the furthest reaches of Vienna, either. I'm on my third home in Vienna, and the best I ever did was 10 minutes when I lived on Ware near Kingsley.

OP did not once say that they were looking at living right on top of the metro. They said Vienna/Oakton, which covers a pretty wide area. Most of Oakton is further away from the metro than I am, and headed to the metro, you're dealing with traffic going both there, to 66, and to the local elementary schools. And god help you if you have to get on 123 at all. Unless you're in the 66 side of Vienna Woods, the surrounding townhouse/condo/apartment communities, Edgelea, etc., it's not a five minute hop to the metro, and the walk from the parking areas at Vienna are not like the ones at the walk-up stations like EFC.

I am also so impressed that you managed to work in that you live in a $900K home -- and not one of those attached-type things, either! -- in a thread about commuting times. How DCUM of you. Is your HHI over $500K as well?

settle down and take a valium -- you're way too uptight. I made no comment contesting the veracity of your personal commute. What I said was that you were telling OP about a commute from somewhere different than what OP mentioned. When someone says Vienna/Oakton -- I take that to mean the part of Vienna that is nearest Oakton -- which is right by the metro (i.e. Oakton High School? Hello?) I live in that area and it is literally 3 min. driving out of the driveway to parking at the metro lot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live in Vienna and commute daily to McPherson, and it's about an hour door to door, when metro is running on time. I think that's going to increase when the new "service" levels are put into place at the end of June because trains will run less frequently. (Metro: Higher Fares, Less Service)

Breaking that down, it's about 15-20 minutes to drive there, park, and walk to the station, 35 minutes on the train (again, when on schedule), and a 5-10 minute walk to get out of the station and into the building.

This is where you are wrong... OP asked specifically about Vienna/Oakton... meaning she is looking at the area right around the Vienna metro. I live very close to it (in a SFH worth 900K -- not a th or condo). It is literally 3 min. to the metro parking garage on the north side. It is 20 min. from Vienna to Roslyn station. Exactly. I've timed it. So, add on 10 min. to get to McPherson. 10 min. to walk from the metro to office. I would say 45 min. max. Might be less.

Are you seriously telling me that I don't know how long my commute takes? (I mean, yours sounds like some over-optimistic bullshit to me, but I don't know where in the surrounding area you live and am willing to give you the benefit of the doubt.) I live in Vienna and have for nearly a decade. It takes me 15-20 minutes to drive from where I live IN VIENNA to the actual metro station, park in the garage, and walk from the garage to the actual platform. I am not at the furthest reaches of Vienna, either. I'm on my third home in Vienna, and the best I ever did was 10 minutes when I lived on Ware near Kingsley.

OP did not once say that they were looking at living right on top of the metro. They said Vienna/Oakton, which covers a pretty wide area. Most of Oakton is further away from the metro than I am, and headed to the metro, you're dealing with traffic going both there, to 66, and to the local elementary schools. And god help you if you have to get on 123 at all. Unless you're in the 66 side of Vienna Woods, the surrounding townhouse/condo/apartment communities, Edgelea, etc., it's not a five minute hop to the metro, and the walk from the parking areas at Vienna are not like the ones at the walk-up stations like EFC.

I am also so impressed that you managed to work in that you live in a $900K home -- and not one of those attached-type things, either! -- in a thread about commuting times. How DCUM of you. Is your HHI over $500K as well?

So you don't really live "near" metro. I mean Ware and Kingsley is on the other side of Nutley and down a ways. But, if the OP is looking 'near' metro - the 1-1.5 mile stretch of 22181 and 22124 then the PP paints an accurate picture.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Currently own tiny sh!tbox rambler in great elem school district south of Oldtown Alexandria ... DH and I bought before we had any kids, now we have 2 kids, 3 and 1.

While zoned for great elem school, middle and high school are pretty rough. We need a bigger home, now in 2 bedroom, and just realized we can get decent place in Viennna, Oakton for same price as larger home in our area (Ffx county part of Alexandria).

We commute to McPherson Square area in DC, although DH works from home a lot. Takes an hour in mornings, usually 75 minutes on way home from where we are... would Vienna, Oakton be that much worse?

I used to live in Vienna next to the metro. It'll be close to an hour. If you drive to the metro, the parking is full after 7:30 am. Forget about driving, it would be a nightmare. I'm in McLean now close to N Arlington and the drive takes me around 1 hour around 8 AM.

were you using the south garage or north garage? DH uses the north garage and says it's always super easy to get a spot on the main level. He tends to go at 8:00, 10:00 or even as late as 1:00.

It's the same for the south garage. You can get a spot anytime.

As for commuting times, I wonder if everyone is factoring in the time to walk from the garage and then waiting for the train. Once I'm in the garage, I budget about 10-15 minutes from the time I leave my car until the train leaves the station. It takes about 5 minutes to quickly walk to the station and trains will run every 8 minutes starting later this month. All that being said, I live about 15 minutes from Vienna Metro and it takes me an hour to get to Metro Center.

[Anonymous]

45 minutes to an hour is the correct answer.

[Anonymous]

Don't listen to the BS. You are easily talking an hour each way from Vienna and even longer from Oakton.

[Anonymous]

Do it! But go for oakton, Vienna is so much traffic and strip malls. Oakton is lovely. I'd say one hour commute into the city due to traffic. Carpool for 66 and cut that in galf

[Anonymous]

About an hour to 1 1/2 hours each way unless you're going before 6 am.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do it! But go for oakton, Vienna is so much traffic and strip malls. Oakton is lovely. I'd say one hour commute into the city due to traffic. Carpool for 66 and cut that in galf

Oakton is too far out to commute to DC, and no one with a serious DC job wants to carpool.