Anonymous wrote:I have a friend who commutes to downtown dc from Gainesville VA and I think she truly really hates her life.

She has a beautiful house though!

Is she ever simultaneously home and awake to enjoy it? No snark. I just always wonder. That just sounds so rough.

I remember seeing an academic study a while ago that said long-distance commuters are not happier in their larger house. I wish I could find that link.

Also think about the 10+ hours a week that are erased from your life. That's 40 hours in 4 weeks. Then add it up for a year, and you got 12 extra weeks at work.

To 16:07, one of the elementary schools in Bowie, Whitehall was a Blue Ribbon school and then just won the National Blue Ribbon distinction (one of 289 schools nationwide). Bowie is nice, close to lots of shopping options, but the commute in during rush hour is long.

To 16:07, one of the elementary schools in Bowie, Whitehall was a Blue Ribbon school and then just won the National Blue Ribbon distinction (one of 289 schools nationwide). Bowie is nice, close to lots of shopping options, but the commute in during rush hour is long.

I have a friend who commutes to downtown dc from Gainesville VA and I think she truly really hates her life.

She has a beautiful house though!

True but disingenuous to say it ONLY takes 30 minutes when your driving into DC at 5 AM

Agree. WTF cares that your employer allows you to come into work at 3 a.m. for some reason? That's unicorn rare and you people who do this shouldn't be posting to brag about your awesome 38 minute commute from Olney/Burke/Annapolis in the middle of the night, doing 84 mph.

Nobody else can nor wants to life that horrible life.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I opted for Bowie. On off hours I can be into the city in <30 mins (Capitol hill area) during traffic times it could take anywhere from 30mins- 1hr 15mins. I couldn't deal with a 1.5-2 hour long commute once a day much less twice. It's not common mine takes more than 45mins which seems bad enough.

Since you are stuck unless you sell the house I would look into telecommuting as the others have said.

NP here. What are schools like in Bowie? I was just out there last weekend at Queen Anne's pumpkin patch--it seems nice and rural for being so close to the city.

NP here. We bought a house close to Bowie (closer in, in Lanham-Seabrook). Bowie has some great elementary schools. Middle Schools are more mixed, but Bowie high school is supposed to be one of the best in the county (although its test scores are too low for my taste). The crime in Bowie is also a non-issue imho, even though it is in notorious PG County. Having done a lot of research before I bought, I think half of PG's stigma comes from being a majority-minority county. Another issue is the lack of shopping in the area, although it is getting better and Bowie has a nice mall, and is close to Crofton which has some shopping as well.

True but disingenuous to say it ONLY takes 30 minutes when your driving into DC at 5 AM when every other sane person is sound asleep. And when do they drive back, 8/9 PM?

23:08 - my post should read "if I left FOR work around 6:30" or "if I left FOR work after 7"....

too much wine during the debates, obviously.

(also - leaving work at 4:30 p.m. was hugely preferable to leaving work at 5:00. that half-hour difference shaved over 20 minutes off my commute, often more than 30.)

To be fair, commute time can really depend on when you leave for work. I lived a mile from Vienna metro, 15 miles from my job in DC. If I left work around 6:30, the commute to 10th & Penn took 34 minutes. If I left work after 7, it took twice that. The poster who said it only took them 30 minutes to get in might be leaving really early or really late.

Now I live in Arlington because the commute was making me crazy, but I haven't driven into work yet. I'm sure it would be faster, but not sure how much faster.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for telling your story. Confirms our decision to stay in our house and all the crap DC has to offer for our 15 minute walk to work. No house, yard, space, whatever is worth a 1.5-2hr commute one way, everyday. Sounds truly soul sucking.

There's a happy medium.

If I were single, I'd probably opt for a nice condo closer in. But with kids, I don't regret moving farther out. My commute is only 30 minutes - on a bad day, and we are out there, as there's only one way into our neighborhood.

So if OP likes a bigger house in a quiet area, I'm sure there are other options that don't such the life out of her b/c of a miserable commute.

Where do you live and what time are you commuting? Are you commuting to DC or to somewhere else (some little office out in the exurbs?).

Because if you claim to be living far out and commuting to DC, I'm calling BS on you.

I live in North Arlington, and at rush hour, my commute can be 30 minutes for the 4 miles I have to drive to Farragut West (granted, I usually just take metro or the bus, both of which I live near). Off hours that drive is 8 minutes, but that hardly counts unless you have accommodations at work (early schedule, flexible hours, etc).

You most certainly are lying if you really live "out there" and commute to DC.

wow, the first honest comment about commute time from arlington I've ever heard on this forum.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for telling your story. Confirms our decision to stay in our house and all the crap DC has to offer for our 15 minute walk to work. No house, yard, space, whatever is worth a 1.5-2hr commute one way, everyday. Sounds truly soul sucking.

There's a happy medium.

If I were single, I'd probably opt for a nice condo closer in. But with kids, I don't regret moving farther out. My commute is only 30 minutes - on a bad day, and we are out there, as there's only one way into our neighborhood.

So if OP likes a bigger house in a quiet area, I'm sure there are other options that don't such the life out of her b/c of a miserable commute.

Where do you live and what time are you commuting? Are you commuting to DC or to somewhere else (some little office out in the exurbs?).

Because if you claim to be living far out and commuting to DC, I'm calling BS on you.

I live in North Arlington, and at rush hour, my commute can be 30 minutes for the 4 miles I have to drive to Farragut West (granted, I usually just take metro or the bus, both of which I live near). Off hours that drive is 8 minutes, but that hardly counts unless you have accommodations at work (early schedule, flexible hours, etc).

You most certainly are lying if you really live "out there" and commute to DC.

Anonymous wrote:I opted for Bowie. On off hours I can be into the city in <30 mins (Capitol hill area) during traffic times it could take anywhere from 30mins- 1hr 15mins. I couldn't deal with a 1.5-2 hour long commute once a day much less twice. It's not common mine takes more than 45mins which seems bad enough.

Since you are stuck unless you sell the house I would look into telecommuting as the others have said.

NP here. What are schools like in Bowie? I was just out there last weekend at Queen Anne's pumpkin patch--it seems nice and rural for being so close to the city.