Submitted by Appropriate-Algae-82 t3_ztx9qe in baltimore
I have a job offer in Baltimore and my partner has a job offer in DC. If I'm going to make the drive to Baltimore (~3 a week) from DC where would you suggest we live? We are in our mid 20s and prefer not to live in a total suburb. It's another 30 minutes on the bus from Penn station, so public transport feels like it could be a pain in the ass.
Yeah except then you live in Columbia. š¤®
I lived in Columbia for a year. This was in 1983, it was very surreal. Mostly because it attracts a certain type of people who are not real. My parents lived there for 12 years. It was good for them after they down sized from a large house to a town home. My father's health was failing. Still I thought the neighbors were AI creatures who were there as part of a government experiment or sci-fi film.
I know what you mean I had to live in a hotel for a couple months in Columbia. I would walk my dog in the adjacent neighborhoods and wouldnāt see a single person outside.
As a kid, I love to watch the British TV show "The Avengers" It always took place in a deserted town. Very creepy
Yeah itās not the most exciting place to live but thereās enough shit to do and youāre a short drive from two major cities. Life could be a lot worse than living in Columbia, Maryland. Iāve lived in all three: DC, Columbia, and now Bmore. Iāve hated none of them.
From comments I see youāll be working in Kernewood and your partner in Capitol Hill. The absolute best places for you to live then would either be Capitol Hill or near Penn Station and one of you takes the train to the other city. Especially if itās just 3 days a week of commuting for you, Iād say to live in Capitol Hill and walk over to Union Station, take any of dozens of trains that go between the cities in the morning for a 30-50 minute ride, then figure out transportation up to Kernewood. The total commute from Union to Kernewood would be around 1ā15ā, and most of that is on a train that allows you to do work or relax rather than drive. And if itās hybridized, your work might even be cool with you āclocking inā when the train leaves Union Station and being available remotely for that time (some employers play ball with this so see about it).
Now if your partner is also hybridized in his schedule, maybe try Mount Vernon Baltimore instead of Capitol Hill. Itās in walking distance to the train station and would possibly be half as expensive to find a place than Capitol Hill. As someone whoās worked in DC from Baltimore for years and lived in DC for two, I cannot emphasize harder just how much cheaper it is to live in Baltimore than DC. Like my entire home mortgage is less than I was paying for a small bedroom in a two bed in Truxton Circle (and that place was a steal).
I just would not recommend you living anywhere in DC and driving for rush hour. The two cities are super close, yes, but to get to Kernewood via highways is like trying to get to Adams Morgan, so unless off peak hours youāre looking at a long commute from somewhere like Capitol Hill. A compromise suburb just means both of you will have to commute and it doesnāt necessarily sound like either of you are looking for a suburban lifestyle from the comments. Also, there are far more train options and trains with less stops (Amtrak has 1 or 2 stops between Penn and Union) than any of the MARC towns inbetween.
tl;dr: Amtrak and MARC are your friends in this, look at things near the train stations and you both should be happy
Thanks for your comment. The main problem is the transportation once I get to Penn Station. I've been told the buses are really unreliable and that biking wouldn't be an option. Do you disagree? If I didn't have to drive it that would make a big difference.
I donāt currently take the busses in Baltimore so Iām not an expert. When I would, they werenāt quite as reliable as WMATA, but itās also a 10-15 minute bus ride on a major route so thereās only so itās sort of the best case scenario route. Iād defer to others on this.
As far as biking - itās around 3 miles with a 250ft incline, so Iād leave it up to you to decide if thatās doable. Thereās a fully separated bike lane just a block over from Penn Station on Maryland Ave that goes all the way up to that area.
This is really helpful to know about the bike lane thank you. Are there blue bikes there? Or I'd need to bring my own on the train?
Itās one of the better maintained of the fully-separated bike lanes too. Bikemore has a GIS map with labels for all the bike lanes in the city - as you can see, the corridor youād be biking has a bunch of separated or buffered bike lanes, arguably the best in the city.
Baltimore had something like Bluebike for a bit but the vendor had a huge maintenance backlog and the city just cancelled it. Now we have a hodgepodge of dockless bikes and scooters; I believe itās Spin, Bird, and Superpedestrian at the moment. (DCās Capital Bikeshare is a great system, btw - some healthcare plans and employers in DC will subsidize membership, along with transit like Metro and MARC.)
You can bring bikes on the train.
Can yāall move to Baltimore right by Penn station and your partner take the train to work?
I was going to throw this out until I saw yours. It's probably going to be easier and cheaper and more convenient for both of you to live in Mt Vernon and commute via Penn station (walkable from anywhere in Mt Vernon) if your partner works on the Hill. Union station is a block from the hill, and the MARC train is a totally reasonable commute, I did it every day for years. There's no changing trains, its a relatively relaxing straight shot from Penn station to Capitol hill. Your cost of living will also be extremely low compared even to the suburbs.
Living in Mt Vernon you're also not sacrificing on neighborhood. It's FAR from the burbs, very dense and cultured.
There is no city part of DC that is convenient to the Hill AND an easy commute to Baltimore, but if you're REALLY set on DC I have lived in the Lincoln Park area of Capitol Hill and the jump onto 295 north out by the stadium can be a pretty painless drive. I still recommend the first option though.
I second all of this. Yāall should really live in Baltimore and have your partner commute to DC.
I read further up and it sounds like the partner is not entertaining the idea, but there are SO many reasons it makes more sense.
I'm definitely open to hearing a good argument for this. My partner has lived in DC before, loved it, particularly being able to public transport super easily, and worries about the violent crime reputation in Baltimore.
Sorry I didn't get a chance to answer this last night. In essence I would sum it up that Baltimore is a city of neat little neighborhoods. Apparently the whole country who hasn't spent time here thinks it's the wire. It's true the crime numbers are high, but IN the nicer parts it's lovely and safety wise comparable to most east coast cities. DC is ironically the same way. Ask your partner if when he lived there he spent time in Trinidad or Mount Pleasant, I'm guessing the answer is no and those areas were racking up some serious numbers even just a few years ago haha. I've lived here for 12 years, in many parts, and loved every minute of it. I also lived in DC for 10 and I prefer it here.
As far as appeal, citiness, walk ability, culture, etc, I'd say I can't sum it up in a reddit post. Here's what I'd do: spend a day hopping around a couple areas of interest and see how you both actually like it.
Too many to name and I suspect someone will follow this up saying I left out more (which I did!) But it's not a bad list to start with for a slice of Baltimore city.
EDIT: Forgot about public transit. This is where DC does actually shine to be fair. The metro is in the top 3 subway systems in the country it's hard to beat. We do, however have free buses that will go roughly to most of the places mentioned above, but I will admit the city is a bit more uber-y / drivey than DC. Personally though I've walked between every neighborhood above.
u/tEnPoInTs left a great, comprehensive answer as far as a Reddit post can get!
Mount Vernon is a great area, and we're really privileged. With all of the restaurants, art, events, walkabilityāplus the city gives us more resources/keeps their eye on us more than other communities, it's a nice place to be.
I've lived here since I was 18 (8 years) after moving from Cleveland and it's fine. "Be pleasant, but also mind your business" kind of deal like any other city.
Baltimore is a lot more casual compared to DC's 24/7 corporate grind mindset. There's a lot more *ahem* charm here.
People love to sensationalize and bitch about the bad, but out of every place I have lived, Baltimore has one of the strongest community support networks in the country. Despite droves of people looking down on this city without knowing it, the people come together with support for one another.
u/Appropriate-Algae-82 if you and your partner have not already, ask your jobs about commuter benefits to see if either of you get discount tickets, gas/parking stipends, etc! The neighborhoods north or Penn are decent too, and you might get more bang for your buck in places like Remington or Old Goucher. Different options from apts, condos, and row homes in all.
If you live right next to Penn Station in Baltimore, youād be living closer to Union Station by train than Rockville or Vienna, and if theyāre working in Capitol Hill then itās a simple walk from there.
I feel like as far as random violent crime goes, DC has been worse than Baltimore in recent yearsā¦
I just saw the most recent numbers. Baltimore is worse, but (surprisingly to me) not by much. Baltimoreās violence gets over sensationalized in this sense and DCās gets swept under the rug.
My husband and I were in the same boat as you 7 years ago (I had an offer near Union Station in DC, he had an offer around BWI). We ended up in Mount Vernon, Baltimore and it was absolutely the right decision for us. The Penn line is super dependable and frequent, and I think I had an easier/more pleasant commute than many of my colleagues who took the metro (I'm full time remote now). Obviously Baltimore is more affordable, but I also like the vibe is much more down to earth than DC. Mount Vernon is super charming, great arts scene, and some excellent bars and restaurants.
We moved from a small city in the midwest, so crime was definitely on our minds too, but I honestly don't feel any less safe than I do in any other major city. I actually am more on edge in DC, but that's maybe just because my work is right by a homeless encampment.
If youāre living around Penn station in Mt. Vernon or Barclay, violent crime wonāt be much of an issue. Not anymore than many parts of dc. Violent crime is largely localized to areas that would not be convenient for yāall to live in Baltimore anyway. Penn Station gives yāall access to MARC, Amtrak and Acela trains, there are multiple bike lanes and bus routes in the area, great restaurants, shops, bars and just a few blocks to the west is the light rail which will get you north and south from BWI airport at the southernmost stop and Hunt Valley (a northern suburb 8-10 miles outside of the city) to the north. The light rail will also get you to the inner harbor and at the stadiumsā front doors (they both have separate stops.)You can get pretty easily from the light rail to the subway downtown. Also, art scape (one of the cityās biggest annual events) happens in the summer right outside Penn Stationās doors. I donāt live in the Mount Vernon/Bolton Hill area, but I definitely get the appeal, especially if one is trying to live car free and affordably in the dc/Baltimore area. Itās the confluence of a lot of great things including 4 types of public transit (which probably no other area of Baltimore has.) Definitely price compare an area of DC that yāall are considering living to Mount Vernon or Bolton Hill or Barclay in Baltimore.
Thanks for your thoughts. How is biking in Baltimore more generally? I visited very briefly and it didn't look like there were any bike lanes (where I was at least).
There are bike lanes. Not as many protected lanes as DC, but weāre getting there. Iāll post a link to our bike network and the big greenway trail project that is coming (and will be transformative.) I bike everywhere I need to go inside city limits. I have a small CUV for work only purposes (I work in construction so itās unfortunately pretty necessary until our bike network is completely built out at which point I may swap to an e-cargo bike.) The trains to DC allow you to take a bike on them, so your partner could do that if the distance on either end is more than a few blocks. The waterfront promenade is part of the city cycle network which is nice and probably rhe 2 best bike lanes in the city are right by Penn Station with the 3rd best being nearby.
Amazing. Thank you so much.
This is EXACTLY how I ended up living in Baltimore near Penn station
Honestly, Barclay, the neighborhood right by Guilford Brewery has improved so much in the last 5 years and itās going to explode once the improvements to Penn Station happen. It really is a good area to invest in/buy a house right now.
Where in DC does your partner work? Perhaps they could commute from the Greenbelt station? Laurel or Columbia could be good potential spots.
He will be working in capital hill. What are Laurel and Columbia like? Are they more family oriented or there are also young people?
Pretty messed up for him to make you commute all the way to Baltimore.
Well he's the man, so...
We're moving for my job, so hes definitely making the bigger compromise here
Both Laurel and Columbia car-centric stroad infested towns. Particularly Laurel.
Columbia isnāt stroady at all. Columbia has very good road hierarchy.
Little pawtuxent parkway, broken land parkway, governor warfield parkway, Snowden river parkwayā¦ you canāt get from one development to another without crossing a winding stroad with no sidewalks. Itās not a walkable town. It wasnāt designed to be one. It was built when car centric design was king. Sure is has meandering walking paths, but they donāt get you from point a to point b without winding around a neighborhood and tripling the distance a pedestrian would have to walk.
None of those are stroads. A stroad would have sidewalks, constant businesses directly off it, billboards, etc. All of those are roads.
I donāt think you understand what constitutes a stroad. Stroads definitely donāt have sidewalks off of them in many cases, including in MD. Houston and FLA are notorious for this type of stroad. The only thing most of the Stroads in Columbia donāt have is constant driveways intercepting the roadway. Everything else they have. They have high speeds, the areas around them arenāt accessible via anything but a car, wide,highway sized lanes, long turn lanes, large signs meant to be seen from speeding cars, constant traffic lights, and even destinations just off of them with massive parking lots between. All of these are āfeaturesā of stroads and all of them are things found in the major thruways in Columbia. Itās a suburb built around cars and Stroads. Sorry.
Yes, I watch a number of urbanist channels on YouTube too. (I prefer City Nerdās video more though.) Columbia does not have stroads.
> They have high speeds, the areas around them arenāt accessible via anything but a car, wide,highway sized lanes, long turn lanes, large signs meant to be seen from speeding cars
Youāve described a road or a highway - and in the video you linked to, those are the descriptors has had for roads and highways. Itās in the first like two minutes.
> constant traffic lights
Debatable for Columbiaās distances, and for the purpose of those lights primarily being for collectors intersections.
> and even destinations just off of them with massive parking lots between.
They donāt directly load onto the main parkways of Columbia, though. Nearly every one of the big box strip malls loads onto a side-road which then meets up with the parkways. Thus, thatās proper traffic hierarchy and not a stroad. If it was a stroad, all of the big boxes would load directly onto the parkways. See: your video.
Like really, the video you linked to has footage from undeniable stroads and nothing in and around Columbia looks like them. The closest is Town Center around the Mall, but thatās not even as clear cut as being āstroady.ā Columbia could be called auto-oriented (although that does a slight disservice to the model for the villages being walkable), but itās not stroady like Laurel, Silver Spring, College Park, Towson, etc.
The side roads are Stroads. Keep watching the video, not just the first 2 minutes. You chop up my reply to try to fit your narrative, high speed roads with traffic lights is stroad. Highways and roads donāt have traffic lights. I donāt know why you defend Columbia to a fault, but one trip to it will show youāre wrong.
You know what, after youāve now changed what you were even calling a stroad from the beginning and ignored me saying I watched the entire video (even referring to such to say the sorts of things featured in the latter half donāt look anything like Columbia) just to quip that Iām defending āColumbia to a faultā (never was) - I really donāt have any more spoons for you.
Dude, Columbia is Stroads all over the place. If you watched that entire video and still think youāre right, I suggest you read Strong Townsā book because youāre wrong.
Y'all should live in Baltimore and he can take the MARC down to Union Station, which is in walking distance of Capitol Hill.
But, if living in/near DC is a must, you could look at Silver Spring, or any of the neighborhoods on the east side of DC. You want it to be easy to get on the BWP or 495/95.
Comparing Columbia vs Laurel: Living in the newer apartments near Columbia mall will probably have a younger crowd than Laurel. They have definitely been trying to build up Laurel more, but Iād say Columbia would be closer to ācity living.ā I lived in Laurel for 3 years as a mid/upper 20s and thoroughly enjoyed it, but I prefer living in the suburbs and traveling to the city for fun as opposed to living directly in the city. I did commute from Laurel to Hampden 5 days a week pre-covid and hated the commute though lol (35 mins with 0 traffic, but 55-75 mins in rush hour).
Agree, I lived in some of the first new apartments over by the mall. It wasn't horrible and could still walk to many things. It is still suburbs but superior to Laurel living imo.
Columbiaās trying to attract younger professional crowds. Theyāve built so many damn apartment buildings there for the last ten years. Theyāve got the renovated live music venue, some bars, lots of restaurants, the all important Whole Foods š and a very good shopping mall with a movie theater. even through malls should all be dead, this one is thriving.
And itās rather equidistant from both cities. Thereās a MARC train station near Columbia that can take you to DC and Baltimore. And each one is like a 30 minute drive on the highways.
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I live around Hampden area and commute to SE DC 3x/week. It's a peculiar location so I can't take transit unfortunately but I have taken MARC regularly for other jobs. If your partner can use the MARC, look at Remington/Old Goucher - walking/biking distance from the train, lovely walkable neighborhood with lots to do, accessible to the rest of the city by car, bus, or foot. If they're driving, those neighborhoods are still lovely, but also look at Hampden - it's crazy walkable, the neighborhood's very cozy, and you're right off 83 for a car commute. You could also look at Reservoir Hill and Bolton Hill, but they have fewer amenities (re: fresh groceries) than the other neighborhoods I mentioned. A 3x/week commute is doable, and the COL has always been so much lower (and the vibes so much nicer) in Baltimore that I don't mind the commute.
Thanks so much for this advice! Unfortunately, I think I'm losing the battle to live in Baltimore and commute to DC. My partner is pushing hard for us to live in DC and commute to Baltimore (and be much more poor lol)
The inner DC suburbs are just as vibrant as the city itself. Plus transit is A LOT better in the DC area than in Baltimore
True! Any particular area within the inner DC suburbs you'd recommend with a commute to Baltimore? We're totally new to the area
Maybe look into Silver Spring. Takes me about an hour door to door when I go to Silver Spring, as long as itās not peak rush hour.
It's not super clear where in each city you'll be working. That will determine my advice :)
My partner will be working in Capital Hill, I'lll be working in Hamden.
I would so, so, so strongly recommend living in Hampden and bearing the triweekly train commute to Capitol Hill. If for no reason other than the people are *so* much nicer in Hampden than in Capitol Hill and you'll spend 1/3 the cost on housing, with just as good (or better!) proximity to food and other city perks. This is speaking as someone who's been living in and around Hampden for 5 years now, and has been commuting either to Suitland or the Nat'l Mall for the entirety of it! I grew up in the DC suburbs and Columbia and there are reasons that I continue to live where I do. The voice of experience is speaking!
The reasonable recommendation, since it's all up to you and your partner, is that you guys come spend an afternoon and evening in Baltimore and explore on your own. Especially in Hampden, since that's where you'll be working!
This is good to know. I've definitely heard wonderful things about the people in Baltimore. Would I take the bus to Penn station and then take MARC from there? Are there other options than the bus? I've heard it isn't very reliable in Baltimore?
For a visit, right? Light rail! Take MARC to Penn, then catch the light rail at Mt. Royal and ride it to Woodberry. It's quite direct and it's $1.40/ride no matter the ride length. The buses aren't that bad unless you have a strict schedule - I wouldn't take one for my daily commute, but I would take one to go shopping or to dinner, if that makes sense.
It would be almost an hour walk to work if I can only take the light rail to Woodberry, sadly. My schedule for work will be quite strict so the bus does make me nervous
Not to split hairs, but fares are $2 per ride now, hasn't been $1.40 for years, like maybe like 8 years lol
Agree! It's going to be an brutal and odd commute from Hampden to DC as Hampden is more of a neighborhood/place to unwind and come home too... check out this recent post on the comparison between Bolton Hill and Capitol Hill...https://www.reddit.com/r/baltimore/comments/zma76z/bolton_hill_from_capitol_hill/
Interesting, there aren't offices or anything in ahampden so I'm curious what kind of work you do that'd be hybrid here. As for commuting here from DC, take the train to Penn Station and it's a quick walk to the light rail Mt Royal stop and you can take it to the Woodberry stop. When the weather is nicer I'd recommend just getting on a scooter and riding up Falls rd
Interested to clarify. Youāre working in Hamden or Hampden?
Closer to Kernewood
Live Uptown like in Brightwood or Takoma, DC or Silver Spring for easier access to the highway. Your partner can take the Red line to Capitol Hill.
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Look at Downtown Columbia? Its not the city, but it's definitely building enough that it can scratch an urban itch amenity wise.
You're geographically between both. Drive can be anywhere from 30 minutes to 1-1/2 hours to either depending on traffic. Also BWI airport/MARC train is a 15-20 minute drive which is always a plus.
Source: Lived in all 3
Live in Baltimore specifically Mt. Vernon, or Hampden if you're alright with a quick bike ride down the fallsway to Penn station and commute to Union. It's significantly cheaper from a cost of living perspective and a decent area in the city.
Edit: I also commute to DC twice a week and live in NE Baltimore, based on your other comments anywhere on the Penn/Camden lines would probably be alright but only DC and Baltimore have much if any public transportation associated with the commute. I'd figure out who needs to be more available to their work, and who has more flexibility and plan around that.
How biking accessible is baltimore? I'm definitely open to a part bike commute--are there bike lanes?
Expect a long commute. Keene wood isnāt super accessible from the South.
How long would you anticipate? Google seems to say between 1-2 hours but that's a very wide range....
Depends on the time of day. Two hours in rush hour sounds right.
Oof. I think I'd aim to avoid it. Leave early and come back quite late. Like 5 am-7:30 pm ish
Life will be rough on those days.
Indeed :(
I definitely agree with the other suggestions to live in Baltimore and have your partner commute to DC. But if you want to live in the DC side of things, look into College Park and Laurel, you can take the Camden line into Baltimore during weekdays and you can get into DC easily via metro or bus.
What general area of Baltimore? I did a reverse commute from silver spring to the security square area for years and it was very doable, but the answer really depends.
Right by Kernewood in Baltimore. Thanks for any insight you might provide!
Have a possible similar situation coming up, considering silver spring and commuting to downtown Baltimore area. What was your commute like typically?
I lived in the four corners area of silver spring (where the beltway and 29 meet). I had a flexible schedule, so Iād drive in early in the morning and leave before rush hour. It was about a 45-minute drive and quite easy (via 29 to I-70). Iām not sure downtown will be quite as easy, just because itās a more congested drive. Getting out of silver spring in the morning was usually a breeze, though, since itās a reverse commute.
How early did you leave?
Iām wondering if something along route 50 would be best for you. I lived in Truxton Circle and sometimes commuted out to MD (Laurel, Greenbelt, and Landover) and it wasnāt terrible because I could get on Rt 50 to 295 fairly quickly. Bloomingdale was cool.
I was wondering if Ivy City ever really came up.
Thanks for the suggestions. I'll do some research. What's your experience of Truxton vs Bloomingdale vs Ivy City?
I lived on a really rough street in Truxton so my experience was really not great. Basically you donāt want to be near N Cap Street.
I loved walking around Bloomingdale.
Ivy City is not that great - there's no decent access to public transit & it's still pretty rough, if you're not used to living in a very urban environment.
The first two are real and genuine urban neighborhoods. All the pros and cons.
Ivy city is mostly cons, Target and weird bars. Feels like ultra gentrified Mt Clare.
Eckington or NoMa would be better than Ivy City. Closer to the metro while still being close to the highway to get to baltimore.
Eh, Truxton isnāt great if theyāre trying to get to Baltimore easily on a commute. I lived there from 2019-2021. Florida to Dave Thomas Circle is a nightmare. Ivy City would be a little easier.
Throwing my 2 cents out here.
Other comments state your partner works on the Hill. You could live in Mt. Vernon (artsy historic neighborhood in Baltimore) near Penn Station. The MARC train is pretty painless and the neighborhood is pretty fun. Grab some under 40yr/o (very) cheap tickets at the BSO and Centerstage for some top tier entertainment. Plan to go to the Everyman theater on pay-what-you-can nights and splurge on tickets at the Hippodrome occasionally. Regularly visit the Walters and BMA art museums (both free). Enjoy some excellent bars like the Brewers Art, Owl Bar, and Wet City. Enjoy walking literally a few blocks to get to the dentist, doctor, and gym (if your apt doesn't have one).
Same advice as some other comments, really, just wanted to give my personal take from doing exactly the above for a few years.
Takoma Park. It's halfway between city vs. suburb, you have healthy food choices, great neighborhood culture, red line to Capitol hill is easy and driving to Baltimore from there is a reverse commute, mostly.
Live in Mt. Vernon or Bolton Hill in Balt, then they take the MARC to DC. It really will best of both worlds. If you are set on living in DC, then decline the Baltimore job and find something in DC.
Others have already chimed in, but in your position, I would live in Mt. Vernon in Baltimore, especially if you are both taking public transit or you are driving and your partner is taking public transit.
That way your partner can be close to the train station and you can be close to work. That said, if you are both willing to drive, that would open up a ton more options on where to live.
Union Station is pretty close to Capitol Hill so he can walk to work once he gets off the train (within reason of course).
Seems a bit nonsensical to choose DC as the homebase given the situation, but if you must I'd choose somewhere around H street/capitol hill within walking distance of Union Station.
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I know people who do Arlington to Baltimore but it is hybrid schedule - would depend how much you want to be drained after work
How long does their commute take and at what time of day?
Uh, I'd say at least an hour maybe an 1 hour and 20 min. I've heard people say as high as 1 hr 45 minutes - but, there is also the MARC (still an hour but not driving)
Are you on a hybrid model in Baltimore?
Yea, I'd be in the office probably 3 days a week and WFH 2 days a week.
I would maybe do Alexandria or Arlington potentially if you are up for long commutes and you want a city feel but it will be brutal and your BF would have to do the making of dinners on the days you are driving probably or get take out. You could train from those areas into Baltimore too. You aren't going to get a "city feel" on a lot of the mid point spots between MD and DC
Go onto google maps and it will give you a better idea on long it would take depending on location for Alexandria/ Arlington but those would have night life. It can be draining I know though, but, doable
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Take the train, don't drive. Will save you so much stress.
I would love to, it's just the lack of transportation to Kernewood area once I get into Baltimore
For driving to baltimore, union market. Its right off of new york avenue which gets you onto 295. It has a red line metro. I work in DC and my experience has been union market is the best part of DC for getting to and from Baltimore.
The best places would be in the PG County area near or close to New Carrollton Train station. The MARC, AMTRAK and METRO is there and it's pretty safe with parking.
I would consider the inverse and live in Baltimore City
Thatās going to be hell
PuebloEsNoBueno t1_j1gauz7 wrote
One of you is going to have a brutal commute if you want to live in an urban setting. The most realistic option would be to live in Columbia and have equal-ish commutes (DC being a bit further but not by a lot).