OP, several blue or yellow line northern va metro stations will be closed this summer for maintenance. Don’t forget to take that into account.

The McLean/Reston/Sterling corridor is all orange and silver but don’t lose sight of that...

Are these jobs both set in stone? I just feel like no where is going to give you a semi decent commute. I used to work in DC and DH worked in Dulles. We lived in Falls Church. I had an hour + commute (unreliable by bus and metro) and DH had a 45 minute driving commute. We didn't think we could have kids with each of us having a nearly hour commute so I got a job in Reston and moved here. We both have under 10 minute commutes now.

hmm. Don't worry about daycare- something will work out. You will be able to get a home day care spot or a nanny share.
Have you used the metro trip planner?
https://www.wmata.com/schedules/trip-planner/trip-planner-results.cfm?locationLatLng=&destinationLatLng=38.9114532%2C-77.07527470000002&location=WIEHLE-RESTON+EAST+METRO+STATION&destination=Georgetown+University+Hospital&travelby-trip-planner=BCFKLRSTX123&arrdep-trip-planner=D&hour-leaving-trip-planner=8&minute-leaving-trip-planner=14&period-leaving-trip-planner=AM&month-leaving-trip-planner=5&day-leaving-trip-planner=16&route-trip-planner=T&walk-distance-trip-planner=.75

I would try a trip from a few different locations. I wouldn't necessarily assume that being in parts of Arlington is faster than being in Reston- if you are looking at public transit. For example I plugged in from Wiehle metro (Reston) to Georgetown Hospital- I got a commute of 87 minutes. Then I tried Shirlington library (south arlington) to Georgetown Hospital and also got a commute of 87 minutes. South Arlington is also going to be substantially worse for your husband- b/c he will have to get across Arlington, then start heading out 267.

Setting aside prices, it seems like an ideal location would be McLean, near Chain bridge. You can drive down Chain Bridge Road, and across Chain Bridge, for a pretty quick commute to Georgetown Hospital. He can drive out 123 to 267.

I know you mentioned biking to work? This could be a good way to get there depending on your physical fitness, need for shower and accessibility of shower, what type of clothing you wear at work, willingness to bike in all weather. But I would think carefully about the realism of this plan.

Anonymous wrote:

marion3332911 wrote: Hi,
We are relocating from Florida to Virginia in August with our daughter who will be 18 months by then.
We would like to find a house around the Arlington area (I’ll be working in DC and my husband in the Ashburn/Sterling area).
I just started ringing daycare centers today and was shocked when they announced wait lists of 6 months to 2 years and tuition of around $2500 a month.
Our current daycare charges $1200 for infants and $990 for toddlers and no waiting list so that is quite a shock.
We are quite reluctant to commit on a place before being able to see it and especially before knowing where we are going to live.
Do you think it is realistically possible to find our daughter a spot in daycare within 2-4 weeks, after arriving in Virginia around August 20th ?
We are open to daycare centers, home daycare and don’t know much about nanny shares but could consider it. And if possible at a rate lower than $2500...
Would welcome any thoughts and comments as we are getting quite worried...
Thanks in advance.
Marion

The answer is obviously no. You don’t have the time or opportunity to get a deal. Just try to get a spot at a reputable preschool. You waited too long.

This just isn't true as many pps pointed out. Lots of empty spots. It's only 3 month olds that have trouble getting in (due to lower ratios for infants). If your kid is over a year old, there are plenty more spots available. I pay $800 a month in Sterling at an inhome. $1200-1500 seems average for centers like kindercare and la petite. My work downtown has spots for $1800 for infants.

I'd look at in home daycares in Arlington, around where you'll be living. You do NOT want to put your kid in daycare out in Sterling if you live in Arlington.

Once you know what area of Arlington you'll be living in, try to connect to local moms group (on Facebook is best) and get a recommendation.

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for the tips.
Unfortunately where I will be working in DC (Reservoir Road, near the Medstar Georgetown University Hospital) seems to not be so great for public transport. From what I gather, closest metro stop would be Farragut West, and I'd still have 25 minutes on the bus after that, so I'm guessing a commute of at least an hour and a half. My daughter is asleep by 7pm, so weeknights I would hardly see her.
For my husband, best case scenario, if we find a daycare close to our house, I'll drop our baby off in the mornings so he can work early shifts, he'd be starting work at 7am and finishing at 3pm, hoping this would make the commute easier. If she has to go to daycare around Sterling for a bit then he would have to work 8-4 or 9-5, longer commute I imagine, with a baby in the back, but that would only be temporary, until we find somewhere closer to home.
Hard work to find somewhere with 1) ok commute to Sterling/Ashburn 2) ok commute to DC by public transport or bike (really trying to save on the expense and headache of getting a 2nd car) 3) good daycare close by 4)housing and daycare at a price we can afford, and all that with no knowing the area at all...

Let's look at the issues point by point and their feasibility and what I've come up with is you're really SOL at this point and you must be willing to splurge a bit to sustain your working situation:
1) ok commute to Sterling/Ashburn/ok commute to DC by public transport or bike (really trying to save on the expense and headache of getting a 2nd car)
This is practically a nonstarter. For the commute to Sterling/Ashburn with any semblance of public transportation to DC, your best bet is Reston. However, your commute to DC would be a pain, especially in the part of town where you work--a higher end area where public transportation is limited for a reason. Also, the Washington DC metro is not the most reliable system, especially in summer and the fact that part of the silver line is above ground doesn't help. Therefore, one of the priorities has to be give up. I'd lean more towards giving up the reliance on public transport. That way your living quarter won't be limited to living in close-in proximity to public transportation.
2) good daycare close by Based on your working situation, there are two primary solutions. If close to housing--one of you does drop off and the other does pick up. If you DH can do early shifts, then he does pick up. Yes, you might have to sacrifice some facetime with your child if 7:00 p.m. bed time is a strict requirement. Close to worksite--this solution will only work for you. However, given where you work childcare expense will be high.
3)housing and daycare at a price we can afford, and all that with no knowing the area at all... You should get the picture by now that the DMV area has one of the highest cost of living in the country, which is why many people here say that they are midlevel earners when their HHI is at 200k. I'd also try and look into any nanny share arrangements.

I would agree Reston might be doable. Rent can be as little as 2400 within a mile of the metro and daycare for two at a Montessori is around 3800. The commute would be an hour via metro but it would be the same pretty much from Ashburn.

Is there a bus or a shuttle or something that can get you from the silver line in Rosslyn (if you lived in Reston) to work? Even Uber or Lyft depending on how the rest of your budget works out?

During the period you have to work so far apart, one of you is going to have very limited time with your child. There is no magic location that makes Georgetown and Ashburn close together.

OP, I recommend Reston as well. We live here and DH commutes to Crystal City/Arlington and it takes a good hour in the evenings about about 35 min in the morning (he leaves at 6am though and I do mornings with the kids).

We have childcare in Reston; there are several excellent centers but infant childcare (under 2 years) will run close to $2k/mo. Even Bright Horizons is in that range and so are all the nonprofits. There are other options and some quality in homes so that would be an option.

I think you’re going to find Sterling/Ashburn too far, especially if you have to get on 28 or use the greenway (which is also v expensive). Your commute is going to be killer unless you live in Arlington or McLean.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - what is your housing budget? That will also determine where you live.

Around $2000 if I have to have a car, up to 2500$ if I can commute to work by bike/public transport/uberpool.
We are after a 3 bedroom or 2 bedroom + basement/family room/den.

That is going to be very difficult to swing in Arlington, unfortunately.

We have seen some properties around there in that price point. Not luxury but that’s not what we are after. I’d love to live a bit further than that but dying inside at the thought of hardly seeing my baby girl all week because of the commute...

You have seen them in person?

Nope, listings from the estate agent.

They found a 3 bedroom for 2k in Arlington? Pray tell.

Not 2000$, no but 2500$ (as explained in my post if I lived in Arlington I wouldn’t need a car so my budget could stretch further), yes there are several.

Not OP, but if you search Zillow rentals, several do come up. Mostly in S. Arlington. Not sure of the neighborhoods.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - what is your housing budget? That will also determine where you live.

Around $2000 if I have to have a car, up to 2500$ if I can commute to work by bike/public transport/uberpool.
We are after a 3 bedroom or 2 bedroom + basement/family room/den.

That is going to be very difficult to swing in Arlington, unfortunately.

We have seen some properties around there in that price point. Not luxury but that’s not what we are after. I’d love to live a bit further than that but dying inside at the thought of hardly seeing my baby girl all week because of the commute...

You have seen them in person?

Nope, listings from the estate agent.

They found a 3 bedroom for 2k in Arlington? Pray tell.

Not 2000$, no but 2500$ (as explained in my post if I lived in Arlington I wouldn’t need a car so my budget could stretch further), yes there are several.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - what is your housing budget? That will also determine where you live.

Around $2000 if I have to have a car, up to 2500$ if I can commute to work by bike/public transport/uberpool.
We are after a 3 bedroom or 2 bedroom + basement/family room/den.

That is going to be very difficult to swing in Arlington, unfortunately.

We have seen some properties around there in that price point. Not luxury but that’s not what we are after. I’d love to live a bit further than that but dying inside at the thought of hardly seeing my baby girl all week because of the commute...

You have seen them in person?

Nope, listings from the estate agent.

They found a 3 bedroom for 2k in Arlington? Pray tell.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are many places in Arlington where you won't get a spot before your daughter enters K. Don't get suckered into paying deposits for those places.

Consider an au pair and part time preschool. It's super common around here. It sounds like you could make do with 45 hours of coverage work by staggering your hours.

Thanks for the idea but really not keen on having someone live in.

This may fall in the category of beggars cant be choosers. You are going to have a very hard time finding daycare within your budget in Arlington on short notice. I'm not keen on taking my kids with me to work, hence the au pair.

I see your point but we would need a bigger place if we were considering an au pair so it wouldn’t be that much of a saving as we d have to pay more in rent.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - what is your housing budget? That will also determine where you live.

Around $2000 if I have to have a car, up to 2500$ if I can commute to work by bike/public transport/uberpool.
We are after a 3 bedroom or 2 bedroom + basement/family room/den.

That is going to be very difficult to swing in Arlington, unfortunately.

We have seen some properties around there in that price point. Not luxury but that’s not what we are after. I’d love to live a bit further than that but dying inside at the thought of hardly seeing my baby girl all week because of the commute...

You have seen them in person?

Nope, listings from the estate agent.