Thinking about moving to D.C. for possible career change, for something on the hill. How is traffic and is it worth bringing my car? Lived pretty much my entire life in So. Cal. I am use to the traffic here, however what is traffic like on the east and how about the parking situation?

Is it advisable to get a smaller car for parking issues, or something like an SUV to traverse your winters? Would an IS300 with snow tires survive the weather as well as the urban "elements" in D.C.? Thanks.

N1

 

well honestly if you are gonna be working in DC, and you will be living in the suburbs i would say its nice to have your car but i wouldn't advise driving it to work everyday. outside of dc is ok, but commuting to work will be hell as i'm sure you already know about being from so. cal. another thing is parking is crazy expensive, its just not worth it. taking the metro to work would be a smarter move. but having your car for those saturday night georgetown rides is definitely nice to have. don't be fooled by the winters here we don't see that much snow, at the MOST we see 2 major snow storms a year. So in conclusion bring your ride just plan on taking the metro to work especially on the hill it will make your life that much easier, and don't worry about the winters they aren't that rough they actually are pretty much a joke, this coming from someone who hates snow, not too much snow just real cold. Just my 2 cents.

 

You say you're in suburban hell - well imagine hell with REALLY bad roads.

 

I went to college in Northern VA, and from experience the traffic is hell. It really pisses me off sometimes. Four lane highways are always cluttered at rushhour and even at odd times of the day. You can't go down the street to the grocery store in your "quaint" suburban town unless you plan on spending major time in traffic.

I would recommend taking the Metro to work, but kind of sucks not being able to drive your own car. Rents are through the roof: $900+ 1 bedroom apt.

As Bitkahuna said, within DC, the roads are terrible. Potholes everywhere. I would not recommend driving on those big rims lots of you have. I see no problem as vehicle size...plenty of SUV's, no problem that I see.

Look at my post subject for my opinion of the area!

Later.
JPritch

 

These guys aren't troopers....when I used to work for my cousin's construction company in DC, I drove to work every day with my SC300. Besides pot holes big enough to similate a hit from an NFL Middle Linebacker, dented rims, loosen underpinnings & umpteen fowl conversations to neighboring motorists......it was GREAT!

I will be the first to admit, it would be many times easier to use the Metro system to move around efficiently, but, but, but......the thought of leaving my Lexus in a Metro Station parking garage or lot just does NOT sit well with me. Dented doors, key scratches & targeting vandalism is just too much of a chance for me to take.

Overall, the DC area & surrounding suburbs is just like any thriving metropolis.....traffic, rent, high property values are all part of the territory. BTW the traffic has gotten much worse of the recent years & won't get any better as certain sections of 495 are being revamped to handle the additional conjestion. the really bad part about this is that these projects won't finish for years to come (Mixing Bowl in Springfield, VA & the Wilson bridge rennovation that connects Southern PG County, MD to Northern Va).

The area itself does have some interesting sites & things to do. Besides, salaries tend to be more here due to the cost of living here.

BTW, does anybody remember the sink hole that happened in Dc a while back that actually swallowed an entire car on 395? That was the funniest thing that "didn't" happen to me!

 

traffic.. SUCKS in this area. during rush hour u really dont need to be worried about pot holes since u wont be moving more than 5mph. i think the metro area is rated worse then NY in terms of traffic.. not 100% sure though... but i call it home and havent moved away so i guess it isnt THAT bad!!

 

If you're going to the hill, you're in for trouble. I drive in to D.C. every day for work and its a mess. Metro isn't really much better, unless you're a morning person, due to the stations that have parking only have a limited amount and limited would be the understatement of the year. That having been said, most mid to late 20 single people usually live either in the city, in Bethesda or in Arlington. That way you're either in D.C. or close to the D.C. night life and you have a night life within walking distance as well. You're also reasonably close to the Metro, so you don't have to worry about signing your car's death certificate. (One of the VPs in the office actually filed a claim w/ his insurance company to get a new rim). In summary, only if you're living in one of the "more distant" suburbs will you need to worry about traffic. Otherwise, like JPritch said, you only have to worry about your rent.

IMO, the roads in D.C. are swiss cheese, VA's are better, and MD's aren't really that bad... of course MD also has a crazy gas tax...

On a side note, D.C. was rated as the number one city for singles by some magazine (yeah, I forget which)

 

Whoa from the looks of this thread, DC has worst roads than ny . Best thing to do when you have big wheels and its raining and its at night. DON'T DRIVE cuz you wont be able to see that 5 foot size pothole.

The BQE right now is all torn apart. I have one question, WHY O WHY o WHY do construction people tear up the highway and LEAVE IT THAT WAY for like 2 months?!?!

And another thing, do you notice how a construction crew would do one part of street for 6 months, then come back the next year and DO THE SAME EXACT SPOT?!?. Around my area, they kept doing the same spot for the last 3 years.

Everyone where I go, I see construction, construction and they never seem to be finished.

 

I think that was 'Intern Weekly'.

 

i agree with every body. dc has the worst roads i've ever seen in my life. and i've been to quiet a few different cities and countries. i live just outside of dc but i go there 3 to 4 times a week and the roads just suck. trying to avoid pot holes is an adventure in itself.

and the traffic, dc metro area was rated the second worst in the country right after L.A. (i think). you're talking about a rush hour that lasts from 4pm to 8pm, the roads are busy even on weekends.

real estate prices have jumped really bad too in the past few years. so good luck with that.

crime is not as bad as it used to be but there are still some areas in dc that even cops don't dare to go to.

other than that everything is peachy around here

i hope we didn't scare you.

 

Thanks for all the great info. Nothing permanent yet. Just thinking that I need a change from so. cal. Right now on my list is D.C. or Portland, OR. If I end up going to Portland, I may end up working for Subaru. As for D.C. have no idea yet. Sister and Bro-in-law all heavily into the beltway lobbying scene, so they want another convert. Or perhaps I will become an Intern, hopefully no congresswoman will wack me, I graduated from USC too.

 

You haven't been to Delhi, India. Not only do you have to worry about various animals, but the roads there have blackholes, not potholes...

The speed limit there's 45km/hr for a reason... to save your car...

 

Hmmmm......DC or Portland......Portland or DC....?????

Portland and for that matter the state of Oregon and the entire Pacific NW is so damn beautiful and serene. For me, there would be no choice. If all my family and friends weren't dotted along the East Coast, I would be up there in a heartbeat!

-JPritch

 

Are you nuts? I'd need a job paying at least $250K a year to get me to move to DC.

 

why does everyone hate on DC so much, yeah we got really bad traffic but I love this area. I think if you are coming from Southern Cal, DC would be great because much like Southern Cal its rich in culture here, but at the same time it is different and give you the change you want. I think the metro is excellent for commuting to the city but it is expensive. Its very clean when compared to other systems also. Lots of things to do also. I guess it depends what you are into, but DC is great with lots to do if you are single. The only other place I would rather live is actually Southern California. Tell me if I'm wrong but does Portland have anything like Georgetown or Adams Morgan?