Where to live if commuting to DC and Baltimore (Columbia: crime, home)

[Canuck2008]

My husband works in DC and I just got a job in Baltimore (Pratt St/Harborfront). Where would be the best to live to minimize commuting time for both of us?

Ideally, we'd like to take transit, if possible (but we could drive to a metro/MARC stop).

Any helpful tips are greatly appreciated!
Thanks.

[PenguinSix]

Well Columbia is half way technically. Bowie or Odenton or Laurel might also be a bit near the middle ground too. You might want to look at the MARC maps. Where in DC does he work? Near Union Station or a Metro?

However, my general recommendation is that you seriously consider one or the other. One person has the longer commute, the other a very short one, but in exchange that person handles the housework, buying groceries, etc. The alternative is that you both come home very exhausted from your trip and you have no time for the necessities of maintaining a home.

[SmokeyLisa]

I agree with Penguin Six, if you stay near mass transit, you can open up several additional towns closer to DC and Baltimore. You might want to add some other not exactly 1/2 towns that might work as well such Silver Spring, Ellicott City (you could drive to public transportation) and Elkridge to your list. You didn't mention price or schools, so I'm assuming they are less important.

[Merc63]

I'd like to put in a word for the Pikesville/Sudbrook park area, near the metro station. Where I live, I could (and regularly do) walk to the Metro station and ride downtown easily (my wife used to work just on Pratt street at the Hard Rock and took the metro down there). and it's pretty eazsy to get from here to DC, being on the "correct" side of the beltway/I-70/Rt 29 set of roads to get there. Housing is pretty good, and crime is apparently quite low.

[CHIP72]

Laurel - halfway between Washington and Baltimore and served by the MARC Camden Line.

[BKmachine]

Anywhere between Laurel and Columbia.

[Canuck2008]

Thanks everyone for your replies.

Penguin Six: Good point about distributing the commute and household maintenance. I must admit, I'm nervous about the impact of these big commute times on quality of life.

My husband works in downtown DC near GWU/Foggy Bottom. In Baltimore, I'll be working on Pratt Street at World Trade Center (Inner Harbor).

Merc63: how did your wife get to work? That's precisely the location I'll be working in. I tried the Camden Line a couple of days ago to see what it was like, and it took a good 15 minutes to walk from Camden Yards to the hard rock cafe/world trade center.

[vivo]

traffic to dc is worse. so I would nix columbia. traffic up 95 to baltimore is much easier than 95 to 495 from dc plus dc has metro.

[kettlepot]

Originally Posted by PenguinSix

However, my general recommendation is that you seriously consider one or the other. One person has the longer commute, the other a very short one, but in exchange that person handles the housework, buying groceries, etc. The alternative is that you both come home very exhausted from your trip and you have no time for the necessities of maintaining a home.

CANUCK 2008,

I want to second Penguin Six's idea, or at least that you seriously consider it. I lived in CT, commuted into NYC, and it was brutal. However, if someone had been at home before me, to get dinner ready, start a load of laundry so it could be finished before bed time, and/or do a few late afternoon errands and such before the shops/stores closed down, it would have been a lot easier. But if you are both coming home late, missing the shopping hours, and having to cram it all into your Saturdays (along with every other home task), just so you have Sunday to rest... well, you get the idea. Now, I'm not saying you SHOULD do the either DC or Baltimore thing, just that you should seriously consider it.

[Canuck2008]

Thanks for your advice, kettlepot! After looking at commute times, I think I'm leaning in that direction (i.e., I would have the lengthy commute and he'd grab the DC metro to work). Might look at Silver Spring, MD, which seems like a good starting point to drive to Baltimore.

Can anyone advise on the best highway to take to Baltimore and around what time traffic gets stuck entering Baltimore? I've heard the Balt-Wash Pkwy is better than I-95...