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.

McLean is a great area (it's not a walk-able neighborhood, even those who live in the middle of McLean drive everywhere they go) if you are married with kids (or older). It's really not a place for singles unless you're older, divorced and need to live near your kids who now reside with your -ex. ;)

Anyone single and under 40'ish would be wise to stick closer to the Courthouse/Clarendon/VA Square areas for the more youthful vibe.

If the Cap One location in question is the big building on Cap One Dr (off 123), there's really only one choice within walking distance -- the new complex on Spring Gate Dr. Next choices would be well the other side of 123, over a mile away. There are probably closer choices on Westpark, but then you need to somehow walk across the Beltway.

If the location is one of the branches in "downtown" McLean, that's a different story, but now you're a goodly hike from Metro.

I'm looking at Clarendon and the move time gets closer and closer. However, studios near the metro are 2K+, and studios not near the metro... well, there aren't many apt not near the metro. I looked into Tyson and McLean as well, but those two places just aren't as populated as I'd like. I like to be able to walk to places, and I don't want to commute to work, regardless of traffic conditions.

It looks like I can't get as much as I thought with 2K monthly rent. Just have to shell out more money I guess. Is Rosslyn any good?

As mentioned, Ballston or even Virginia Square should be a bit cheaper than Clarendon.

I also think that the idea of living in McLean (or thereabout) and working in McLean and then going into D.C. or even Arlington after work is one of those things you talk about the possibility of doing but would find far too much hassle very quickly.

I know people who lived out there and thought they'd do that but in the end moved back to Arlington or Alexandria because at the end of the day you end up kind of isolated out there especially if you're not a family man and your social circle are other young adults whose lives revolve around D.C. and inner Arlington.

Does DC have a monthly unlimited subway pass like there is in NY? If not and I metro Clarendon - McLean for work everyday, how much would that cost?

That's incorrect. There are at least 5 buildings or complexes less than 1 km from Cap One inside the Beltway. The most interesting one is Commons of McLean, which was designed by the famous modernist architect Charles Goodman. The construction is high quality and have been told that it is sound isolated unlike the newer garbage you will find in Clarendon.

Spring Gate Dr. is awful. Right next to the Beltway. It is a condo that was either built or converted during the bubble. I remember that there was like a forest of for sale signs when things started getting ugly in 2006-7.

Nope. You can look it up on Wmata.com. My guess is $7-$8 round trip.

But you should realize that metro is a disaster. Today, for example, you would not have been able to get to work on that route. You definitely need a car for back-up, and figure hassles with parking or $200 a month if it is not included if you live in Claredon-Rosslyn corridor.

Rosslyn is decent, but it is still somewhat more sterile and "sleepy" than the Courthouse -- Clarendon stretch. For the better part of the past twenty years, Rosslyn's newer buildings had higher rents than Courthouse/Clarendon's buildings of a comparable age. I find Rosslyn great because it's at least somewhat more convenient for Alexandria/DCA and downtown DC if using the Metro a lot. It even has been pretty good with getting out to Dulles, but the future of that is very much up in the air now.

These are the only kind of passes that I see marketed for at least Metro use:

http://www.wmata.com/fares/purchase/passes.cfm

Why can I not use the metro today? Does that line/section close often?

There was a transformer fire somewhere near the MD/DC border. The Silver line was shut down except EFC to Reston from 7 am for most of the day on Monday.

These problems are quite common and that's why I do not recommend taking metro if you need to get somewhere on time.

Many people are giving up on metro because of continuous operating problems. It is really quite bad.

A nice thing about Rosslyn is also that you can easily hop on the GW Parkway to go to McLean and there won't be any traffic during rush hour. On I-66 there is reverse commuter congestion.

But Court House is like less than a 15 min walk from Rosslyn.

One general comment about Rosslyn-Clarendon is that it was historically not an upscale area so there are still some very nasty legacy apartments. They won't be cheap necessarily. I think there is still a "welfare client" Motor Inn on Wilson or Clarendon.

The whole Rosslyn to Ballston stretch was historically not an upscale area, although Rosslyn's buildings used to have significantly higher rents than comparable buildings along the Courthouse-Ballston stretch until around ten years ago. Even 15 years ago, the better buildings in Rosslyn used to have higher rental prices per square foot than most of the comparable buildings on Mass Ave NW in DC or anywhere along the Courthouse-Ballston stretch.

Rosslyn is relatively deserted compared to Courthouse-Clarendon, but the area is still safe and has some very decent buildings. And the Rosslyn area has worked out better for me than Courthouse/Clarendon, especially if driving out "deeper into Virginia" during rush hour is involved.

I've not seen any "welfare client" motel on Wilson or Clarendon in Rosslyn in a long time, unless Hyatt and the Courtyard Marriott have suddenly been reclassified. :D