Originally Posted by
gnaget
There is no variance when you drive against traffic from DC to Tysons. I was doing this regularly up until 6 years ago. There is a hell of a lot more variance with the crappy metro system.
My suggestion was that (with his budget) the guy lives in a mediocre place walking distance from Cap One and he will pay maybe $1000 less in rent. When he wants to go somewhere interesting then he can drive (~15 min) or now take the metro into DC. I don't see the point in living in a mediocre, over-priced place around Clarendon or Rosslyn; it is a very sterile area. You pay $$$ for being close to downtown DC. You can get the same shopping around Tysons and McLean. There is a Trader Joe's and Whole Foods (across the street from each other) just a mile or two down route 7 toward Falls Church.
"Driving against traffic" benefits are still there but they have become less meaningful in the DC area than it used to be. And there is variance involved, even when doing the "drive against traffic". That said, I'm a fan of the idea of being walking or biking distance to work, especially when the work neighborhood is acceptable and the lodging costs a better value.
Reduced variance in travel time for the most commonly taken trips during the work week makes for less unwelcome outcomes during or arising from commutes; and with walking/biking commutes, the variance in travel time and the travel time tend to be such that it makes for a better quality of life. Living in DC and having to drive to McLean every workday is not generally a way to as reliably achieve the kind of quality of life or work-life balance that can be had by living in Arlington or Fairfax.