Anonymous wrote:Why would you spend so much money on a house and get a crappy commute? If you have kids, crappy commute means they have less time with you and more time with daycare or the nanny.

Because they don't like crappy schools, crappy neighbors, or crappy houses?

OP here, thanks very much for the helpful replies. I am glad to hear the bus is a reliable option from many points in north Arlington!

North Arlington to DC is a great commute, not crappy at all. We moved from Fairfax to Arlington this past summer - we live in Country Club (where you can buy older/renovated for under $800K and be in yorktown schools) and my daughter goes to preschool in Ballston. I bought a parking spot at Ballston Commons mall and we park and I walk her to school, then hop on metro. I work 8:30-4:30. Occasionally we take the bus - the 51 and 52 ART buses stop blocks away from the house, and they're clean and safe, and can be quick if you time it right. Driving isn't so bad, either - you can take 29 or 50 (or GW pkwy) and get into town pretty quickly.

In addition to the 38 and the 3Y, the 1A,B,C,D run from Ballston west up Wilson towards Seven Corners and beyond. This opens up a lot of that area of Arlington to you, and you can easily buy into Madison Manor, Dominion Hills, Bluemont and Bon Air for $800K.

When we worked downtown DH and I used a combination of biking, driving and bus/metro based on weather and schedules.

Just another moment of love for the 3Y bus. Zoom down Lee Highway to downtown DC, listening to NPR the whole way. You can't do that on Metro.

Anonymous wrote:We currently live in DC and enjoy very short commutes to work (short walk to Metro, then four stops for me, seven for DH). We are looking for a home in north Arlington now. Our budget is $800K and it seems clear that is not going to get us a home within a mile of a Metro stop. Does everyone in north Arlington who does not live walking distance to the Metro drive in to the city? Is bus to Metro a giant time suck? Or a viable option? Is it worth the time/remotely cost effective to park in a private garage in Ballston and then Metro downtown? The thought of having no alternative to sitting in traffic is kind of killing me. We both have jobs that require substantial "face time" in core business hours, so it is not an option to leave at 6:30 a.m. and leave the office at 3:30/4:00.


TIA for any info about what folks do!

Parking at Ballston and Metro in is a lot more cost effective for one person.

I bike in, personally. It's only a few miles. No biggie.

Otherwise, yes, drive downtown. Depends on the day it'll take you 30 minutes.

Why would you spend so much money on a house and get a crappy commute? If you have kids, crappy commute means they have less time with you and more time with daycare or the nanny.

23:40 again - I just read through your whole post and wanted to add, re: what do people do:

Many, many in North Arlington take the bus. It is so convenient. The buses going into the District (3Y, 38B, 3A/B/E) headed West are all professionals. I really love living here partially because of this. (We still have two cars, but I rarely drive- basically only drive if I have to.)

Some people , however, do drive and park in a garage in Ballston/VA Square/Clarendon/etc. You'd have to arrange for a monthly garage parking place. East Falls Church is the closest-in Metro stop that has Metro parking.

My experience is that it is really pleasant to take the bus all the way in to my job downtown, or to walk to Metro (I live just over 1 mi and it is nice exercise on a good day), or take a bus part way and metro part way.

Best of luck househunting!! You will love Arlington.

The 3Y which runs along Lee Highway to McPherson Square is awesome! It is a very quick travel time into the District. It runs from the intersection of Lee/Harrison to McPherson Square.

Also along Lee Highway, the 3A/3B/3E buses run every 10 min or so during rush hour. It is very easy to catch any of these buses to Rosslyn, and get on the Blue or Orange lines. The bonus is that you spend less time in the crowded Metro.

I also recommend the 38B, which is called the "Orange Line with a view." This bus runs from Ballston, along Washington Boulevard, Clarendon Boulevard, through Georgetown, to Farragut West. It is MUCH slower than the 3Y.. but very pleasant. This bus also runs about every 10 min during rush hour.

Also, there are the ART buses, which can be really convenient.

I live near Arlington Hospital, and that area is lovely and has great bus service to Ballston Metro, at all hours, due to all of the hospital workers. (Can walk too, but it is really great to have the options.)

I take the bus to the metro and it is always very reliable. Arlington has a transit bus with many different routes so depending on where you live, I would look at the Arlington transit bus as an option to get to the metro. Also, the regular bus has very frequent runs from Rosslyn up and down Lee Hwy through Arlington. There is also an express bus (3Y) that starts around Lee Hwy and Lorcom Lane and goes to McPherson Sq. making several stops throughout downtown area. The 3Y is the easiest option b/cs it's about 20-30 min from Arlington to downtown. 800K is definitely very achievable especially if you are willing to live more than 1 mile from metro. Good luck!

We are about to list our house at the high end of your range- we are 1 mile from Ballston metro (so you could technically walk but there are also bus options within 2 blocks).

2 houses in my neighborhood just sold in your range as well.

Keep looking, the houses are there (however, they are largely 3 bedroom, 2 bath so not sure if you are looking for bigger than that--if so, you'll have to go closer to falls church metro vs. arlington metros).

1. I bought a house within a mile of metro (juuuust barely) for $500K. So it is doable as long as you don't want the fanciest, biggest house in N Arlington.

2. My commute into my office in the city is about 20 minutes during peak rush on Rt 50 (about 8:30am). It's 8 minutes slightly off peak (at 9:30am).

3. The area of Arlington near East Falls Church metro is cheaper than near Ballston where I live. It's within your budget to get a bigger house closer to metro there. BUT it would be harder to drive in to the city.

Anonymous wrote:We currently live in DC and enjoy very short commutes to work (short walk to Metro, then four stops for me, seven for DH). We are looking for a home in north Arlington now. Our budget is $800K and it seems clear that is not going to get us a home within a mile of a Metro stop. Does everyone in north Arlington who does not live walking distance to the Metro drive in to the city? Is bus to Metro a giant time suck? Or a viable option? Is it worth the time/remotely cost effective to park in a private garage in Ballston and then Metro downtown? The thought of having no alternative to sitting in traffic is kind of killing me. We both have jobs that require substantial "face time" in core business hours, so it is not an option to leave at 6:30 a.m. and leave the office at 3:30/4:00.


TIA for any info about what folks do!

Just stay in DC. You don't seem eager to move, and no one is forcing you to do so.

Id investigate the bus. Parking at metro doesnt really work for ballston or closer in. May work at east falls church. Driving is usually much faster, once you know your route, its pretty fast.

We currently live in DC and enjoy very short commutes to work (short walk to Metro, then four stops for me, seven for DH). We are looking for a home in north Arlington now. Our budget is $800K and it seems clear that is not going to get us a home within a mile of a Metro stop. Does everyone in north Arlington who does not live walking distance to the Metro drive in to the city? Is bus to Metro a giant time suck? Or a viable option? Is it worth the time/remotely cost effective to park in a private garage in Ballston and then Metro downtown? The thought of having no alternative to sitting in traffic is kind of killing me. We both have jobs that require substantial "face time" in core business hours, so it is not an option to leave at 6:30 a.m. and leave the office at 3:30/4:00.


TIA for any info about what folks do!