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[fearless_winnower]

My DH has a job offer in DC, at a research institution where its not possible for me to get a job.  A school in Baltimore has a position that seems to be a perfect fit (at least the way it's written).  My question: Has anyone lived in between Baltimore and DC, and is the commute reasonable?  I'd prefer to use public transport to the extent possible, and know that MARC runs between Baltimore and DC, but how reliable & quick is MARC really?

Thanks guys :-)

[madhatter]

I haven't taken the MARC, but the commute is doable. Obviously, you pick a community between the two cities.

[psychgrad816]

I agree that the commute will suck, but is doable. Train timetable-wise, it’s easier to take the MARC to commute into DC if you live in Maryland than to try to do the reverse commute on it (living closer to DC, commuting into Baltimore). Plenty of people do the one partner in Baltimore, one in DC thing. I had a friend who did it for a couple of years—they had one car and lived within walking distance of a MARC station in Baltimore. She drove to work in Baltimore, he took the MARC into DC.

In the DC area, plenty of people live all over the metro area and commute to all kinds of places. I work in DC, and people in my office live as far away as Frederick, MD and Fredericksburg, VA. Some people do it because their spouse works in a different spot of the metro area, and a lot of people do it because of housing prices. People’s idea of a “reasonable” commute can be different here than it is in other places.

[carebearstare]

You can totally do this, but you must reconcile yourself with an hour or more commute (possibly for both of you). This may sound like a lot, but it's typical for most of the metropolitan areas up and down the East coast. DC traffic is especially bad, and the commuter rails and metro system can get to be expensive. Also, the cost of living can be really high in some of the more desirable Maryland suburbs of DC.

Also, if you have kids, schools will be a factor. Not surprisingly, some of the areas with the best public schools are going to be the most expensive.

[quotiazelda]

Lots of people live in Baltimore and commute to DC. Baltimore is much, much cheaper. The commute will suck, though. On a good day, Baltimore to DC on MARC will still take over an hour, esp. if your husband will have to transfer to Metro.

Some place like Columbia might be a good compromise. It's halfway-ish, and the commute into DC wouldn't be quite so bad as if you lived in Baltimore. According to friends who live there, the schools are very good in Columbia, if that's an issue.

[carebearstare]

Some place like Columbia might be a good compromise. It's halfway-ish, and the commute into DC wouldn't be quite so bad as if you lived in Baltimore. According to friends who live there, the schools are very good in Columbia, if that's an issue.

I can vouch for the high quality of the Columbia public school system. However, it's not a cheap place to live, not in the slightest.

[bluezebracat]

If you live at the tip of the Green Line (Greenbelt), one of you can drive to Baltimore while the other takes the subway in to work. Housing in Greenbelt is cheap.  You will need a car, even though this is the east coast.

Good luck

[undisciplined]

What about places like Laurel or Bowie?

[ford_prefect]

A commute between Baltimore and DC is doable, but it could be stressful depending upon exact location. A few observations:

1) How one defines "Baltimore" and "DC" can make a big difference when it comes to commuting time. If we're talking northern DC suburbs to more southern/central parts of Baltimore (ie, University of Maryland Baltimore City or Johns Hopkins), it would not be a terrible commute in either direction. If we're talking further-out locations that involved either the DC or Baltimore beltways (I-495 or I-695), it would likely be more hair-raising. Traffic in the city of DC itself is terrible, but nearly all of the schools in the area are accessible via Metrorail.

2) To extend point #1, I would live as close to the I-95 central corridor as possible to minimize commuting time. Silver Spring, Burtonsville, Beltsville, or Laurel would all be doable.

3) I've never done it myself, but MARC trains do not seem terribly reliable to me. Based on the traffic reports, I hear, they seem to be delayed 20-30 minutes at least once a month and canceled entirely at least a few times per year. They also don't work terribly well if you have a non-standard schedule (such as a night course). Amtrak has frequent service between DC Union Station and Baltimore Penn Station if you're in a true pinch (although they cost more). There's also an express bus that runs between Greenbelt Metro (north end of the DC Metro line) and Baltimore-Washington International Airport, which then connects to Baltimore light rail.

[cyano]

I was staying with family in Baltimore and commuting into DC for work for a few weeks this summer. Most days, I drove into Greenbelt metro station and then took the subway. Part of the drive was on the I-695 which was fairly congested. I drove a few times all the way in and found that it was actually slower than public transit (to downtown DC). I found it tiring, but I've never had a significant commute. I was working about 10-12 hours a day , I allowed an extra hour in case there was a problem with public transit on the way to work, the metro was 45+ minutes and the drive into the metro station was another 45+ minutes. That meant, up to 16 hours a day away from home. Living closer to Greenbelt station would be much easier. If it's possible, a reverse commute would be easier yet. I believe the metro is much less expensive than the MARC? Nieces and nephew are in public school in Baltimore and it seems to be very good where they are.

[nanoputian]

I would agree with everyone else that the two body DC/Baltimore situation is doable, and quite common. Although MARC trains run less often from DC to Baltimore, it will be an easier ride and you will get a seat, versus (likely) overcrowding by the time the Baltimore trains get to the closer DC suburbs. I took MARC for over a year and found it reliable enough. Yes, there were some awful nights and delays, and if I *had* to be on time for something I always took the next earlier train, but thankfully I had a flexible job where 20 minutes in either direction didn't matter too much. (I wasn't teaching at the time) It probably depends on your tolerance for delays and flexibility on either end of your commute.

Relative to the rest of the DC area, Columbia is less expensive than, say, Bethesda or Kensington, or almost any of the closer-in suburbs. I will also second the recommendation of Greenbelt as a very good location for both Baltimore and DC commutes. Good luck with the decision!

[anon_expat]

I commuted (and was not the only one!) from DC to Baltimore on the MARC and it was fine.  This 'reverse commute' means less crowded trains but fewer trains running.  However you would get to live in DC which is a great, albeit expensive, city.  Yes the MARC was delayed sometimes, but much less regularly than being delayed in traffic every day.

That said, Baltimore is a great, eclectic city too, so living there and squeezing onto the trains to commute the other way is possible too.  Colleagues who did not take the trains and spent time stuck in traffic seemed to find the commute much more stressful than those who used public transport, so I would not necessarily advise driving from too far out.

[bluezebracat]

This would be my suggestion: Live in DC near Union Station.  Have a used car/backup. 

You will be a) doing the reverse commute b) if MARC doesn't work the pricier emergency option of Amtrak exists and c) you can always take the car.  Don't live in between the two cities, pick one, unless you are strangely attracted to an expensive suburban lifestyle (Bowie and Greenbelt excepted, boring places that they are with no substantive suburban advantages) and the commute is paradoxically tougher and less reliable.