I do this drive on hov daily. 45 min door to door.

I live near the Dunn Loring metro area of Vienna, but right near 29. If I leave my house at 6 am (I don't take 66 at that point even though it's not HOV yet because it gets backed up if I leave any time after 5:50), best case scenario I can get to my office at Metro Center in 25 minutes. That's a rarity, it's usually more like 30 minutes. If I leave at 6:15 am, it will be closer to 45 minutes. Any time after 6:30 am, and it's almost an hour. If I leave work at 5 pm, it takes me a solid hour to get home. If I leave later and catch 395 right at 6 pm (when HOV ends), it can be 45 minutes, same with 66 if I catch it at 6:30. The commute sucks. I love Vienna, so I'm switching to a job in McLean because I'm sick of spending so much of my time commuting and not with my kids. Before I had kids I didn't care as much, and the hour commute each way (I took metro and my office used to be farther down the red line) wasn't as big of a deal. Now I hate it. YMMV.

I don't think anyone is being deceptive OP. It depends specifically on the location within Vienna or Oakton. Vienna/Oakton is a large area. We live in Oakton, very close to RT123 so Vienna metro is less than 2 miles away. We have friends who live in Vienna or Oakton (further off Vale Rd, almost bordering Oak Hill, Reston, etc) for whom it is a 20 minute ride into Vienna Metro each morning.

So...if you live in the close in Vienna/Oakton area near Metro, then you are in good shape with respect to getting into the Metro station within 5-10 minutes and then a 30 min ride to most commercial areas in DC.

Don't believe the good numbers.

Some folks may be leaving earlier than others. Some folks may be able to take 66 during HOV hours. I had to take either 50 or 29 when I was doing the commute from there, and it was dramatically different if you left at 6:30 v. 7:00. (same for coming home - I leave work at 4:30 and the drive is sweet. Leaving at 5:00 - takes 2x as long.)

Some folks may have exceptionally good luck with metro. I do suspect it has gotten worse on metro since silver line opened - the trains come less frequently. That said, there is something to be said for getting a seat at the first stop. I get on at Ballston now and a seat is rare.

Which do you believe, OP ... the half of respondents that can make it door to door in 30 minutes or the half that takes an hour+?

Either one half of the people in Vienna have discovered routes that the other half can't find, or one half is exaggerating/lying to rationalize/deny their commute.

To give you some perspective, I live near the intersection of Cedar Lane and Lee Highway (a 5-8 min drive to metro in the morning). My morning commute to L'Enfant Plaza + 7 min walk is 1 hour door to door (leave the house at around 6:40 and get to office at 7:40. My afternoon commute is about the same.

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.

My DH goes downtown sometimes and LOVES it. So easy to get to the garage at Vienna. He used to metro from Franconia/Sprngfld downtown... (ktown area). He says it was much longer to get to the metro garage and then downtown. (but we loved living in the kingstowne area).

OP -- this is a good commute.

I'm the PP who lives very near the Vienna Metro. I paid attention this morning: put the car in gear at 7:18 and rolled onto Roosevelt Bridge at 7:34. Today my commute took me down Constitution to 19th (7:38) and then to Bolling (gates at 7:50). Summer is the light season and I'm not saying the drive can't be worse, but it's not unusual either.

I would move to the city of Falls Church. They have some really nice town homes and new condos. Commuting is only going to get worse.

Whatever it is, it has to be better than living in DC and having people defecate on your lawn constantly.

Anonymous wrote:Such liars on here. I lived by Dunn Loring metro for years (5-10 mins closer than any part of Oakton) and it is effectively impossible to make it to the river in less than 30 mins between the hours of 6a-10a. All these posters must be conveniently leaving out the time it takes to get onto 66 and from 66 to their office.

There is no on-ramp to 66 from the Dunn Loring Metro area. I live a few blocks / one stoplight from an on-ramp. Just because you sit at a long stoplight at Gallows doesn't mean everyone does.

Also, your reference to 6a shows you don't drive the route often; HOV starts at 6:30 and plenty of people (including me) have gotten out the door just after 6 and made it to TR Bridge under the wire. After 6:30 traffic lightens up because of the HOV restriction.

We live in Falls Church near Vienna and driving would take 60-76 minutes to McPherson Square.

When I lived a mile from Vienna metro, it took me roughly 45-50 minutes to get to work via metro, no matter what time I left. Driving, if I left around 6:30, it took 34-37 minutes door to door to drive to my office. (10th and pen, and later 7th and E NW) if I left after 7:00, it took at least twice as long.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live a few blocks from the Vienna Metro but drive in with DD and DH on 66, dropping DH near the EOB. The morning drive is between 20 and 40 minutes if we leave at 7... I-66 is Hov now but will switch to toll later this year and I'm not sure how that will change traffic.
When I used to Metro, I'd say 30 minutes door to McPherson in the morning, again leaving at 7. For afternoon, add 20 minutes to all times, driving or Metro.

You are either a boldfaced liar or completely in denial. The train itself is 31 minutes on ITS BEST day, which of course is almost nonexistent. There is no humanly way you could drive of train in less than 40 minutes, and that would involve leaving before 5am and living next to the metro or I-66 on ramp and working next to the metro or off-ramp.

OP, please take responses with a grain of salt. People on DCUM consistently understate their commutes (just like they understate or deny the existence of other issues).