I would do what 10:02 says. The beltway will slow down around Tysons, but then it picks up again. I used to commute to Bethesda from Merrifield and it wasn't terrible in the mornings, as you're against traffic once you pass Tysons, but evenings were a bit slower.

I took Metro to South Arlington (Pentagon City) from Dunn Loring or Vienna for a couple of years and it wasn't too bad. That said, once the silver line is up, the orange line will have fewer trains, and the blue line has fewer trains too, so driving might be faster. I used to alternate between 29 and 50 to get to Rosslyn and DC, and they have little bottlenecks, but you should be able to do it in 45 minutes depending on where you're going. (less if you are leaving before 7:00 a.m.)

This may be helpful. I live in Pimmit Hills, so my beltway exit is about 3 miles off yours (which I assume is Rt 50). For about a year, I commuted to a job in Van Ness metro area. The commute took about 40 minutes by car, generously, and I left about 8.30 am. I took the beltway and then River Rd exit to get to Van Ness. My commute home at around 5.30 pm was by 10 to 15 mins longer. So add up 3 more miles to get from my exit to yours and do the match. It's not bad, particularly going to upper NW from our area.

VArealtor wrote:Where in NW DC?

I've found that the best way to commute from Fairfax and Merrifield into upper NW DC is to take back roads to Chain Bridge Rd. Avoid 66 at all costs.

Again, the ultimate commuting time while depend on where in NW you work.

This.

Also, Route 50 to Gallows is an alternative. It's slow with the lights, but steadier than 66 and it takes less time. 66 truly is a nightmare. Two lanes to support tens of thousands of Northern Virginia commuters, and they make the g&*damn road HOV for all of rush hour. The emissions caused by stop and go for hours afterward totally negate any savings.

Have you looked at west falls church, pimmit or vienna near the silver lines? You have three option-in of metro or hopping on the gw parkway or 66.

Where in NW DC?

I've found that the best way to commute from Fairfax and Merrifield into upper NW DC is to take back roads to Chain Bridge Rd. Avoid 66 at all costs.

Again, the ultimate commuting time while depend on where in NW you work.

I used to live across the street from Dunn Loring Metro, and my commute to Penn Quarter was routinely about 50 minutes. I'm sure driving would have taken substantially longer but I never did it, so can't give specifics.

By Metro? Yes, about that. By car: What time? Standard rush hour? It will take longer. Coming home in particular can suck - over an hour, usually, unless you can drive when 66 is HOV. If you're solo in your car, though, you can't get on 66W until 6:30, and everyone in town hits it at the same time. It's excruciating. I did it for two years and then moved back to Arlington because I couldn't take it.

Looking at houses in Vienna near Dunn Loring/Merrifield and am curious about the commute to from upper NW DC and also South Arlington (where we both work). 45-60 minutes?