thanks for all the insight... let me try to clarify my situation a bit better....
i'll be a federal govt employee, so i believe i'll receive some form of transit subsidy, even if it doesn't cover the whole cost (i currently receive it here on the west coast)

it looks like my work place will be within one block of the charles center metro station of the baltimore subway lines... not sure if that makes connection to the marc stations any easier?

my biggest concern is not about rent but rather now complicated/long the commute would be... 2 hours would be the max i'd want to spend door to door (public transit)... is that doable?

thanks