“Sketchy” areas stay sketchy until people commit to living their and commit to helping better the community.

Commuted from butchers hill to Fenton street via car 3 days a week for 2 years. My boss was cool with 630a-230p hours so traffic was never a problem. Would suggest something like that if you can, not bad at all, maybe 47 min each way.

After Southwest canceling my flight home from Albuquerque to BWI twice this week, I decided to rent a car and pursue the 26 hour drive home. There was no way I was going to take the chance of another cancellation.

With or without traffic?

I used to make the drive from Baltimore to Bethesda regularly. Honestly 95 is usually pretty free-flowing in the mornings in my experience with some minor backups as you’re leaving Baltimore, but it clears pretty well after the 695 interchange. The DC beltway is gonna be where you really hit traffic so that’s what I’d be looking at and figuring out what time you’ll arrive there. In the evenings, expect beltway traffic, then some traffic around the 100 & 32 interchanges, and some more going into downtown Baltimore. I’d say your average commute will be 45min-1hr on a decent day, depending where in Baltimore you live (this is assuming you’ll be by 95).

My biggest piece of advice would be avoiding BW Parkway/295 as much as you can…as in, don’t take it unless an accident has happened on 95. My GPS has tried to take me on that road ever since I moved to Maryland years ago and it’s always a shit show of traffic and hold ups. And lord forbid you get one slow person in the left lane who’s stubborn, because traffic will get held up for miles. It is almost never faster to take 295 unless you’re going into downtown DC, and you’re not. There is almost never not traffic around numerous interchanges (495, 197, 32), unlike 95 which really only gets traffic at rush hour.

I was also going to suggest the Y. I used to go to the Waverly one and there were people of all ages. Raggedy tshirts are welcomed. They do have personal trainers but I have no idea how much they cost. There's a rehab place associated with a local hospital in there too if you need a physical therapist.

Another suggestion would be that if there are any trainers you liked at the JCC, look them up and see where they are/if you can go there/if you can get appts with them at other gyms.

Messaged you!

That drive freaking sucks

It’s in transition. It just looks sketchier than it is in certain parts of the neighborhood. Keep your general good wits about you. You’re not in any immediate danger living there.

I work in the dc/nova area, live in Baltimore. Sometimes the work is closer to or in Baltimore but I spend roughly 60% of the year commuting to and from the 495 corridor. The time you are expected to be at work makes a HUGE difference in how the commute is. 7-3. Very light traffic in the morning, moderate traffic in the evening. 8-4. Moderate traffic in the morning, heavy traffic in the evening. 9-5. Heavy traffic in the morning, even heavier traffic in the evening.

If you can work earlier hours it's not THAT bad of a commute, peak hour commutes can be hell sometimes.

If you plan on living in Baltimore living nearer to 95 will shave off 20-40 minutes daily. If you have to go through downtown or take 695 your commute will be extra painful.

Having said that I'm pretty adjusted to having a long drive every day, I prefer living in Baltimore where my salary goes a whole lot further than the dc metro area. Plus, I think Baltimore is much more fun and laid back than dc. I have a company vehicle so gas and maintenance aren't my problem, that may factor into your decision if you drive your personal car.

I live in Bmore and grew up in Rockville and live not too far from SS. Generally speaking, it takes 45 mins if you’re on 95 to 495. Maybe up to an hour or an hour and fifteen minutes. Definitely doable, but can be rough during rush hour.

25th and barclay here, i like it that i’m close enough to greenmount that the rent is cheap, i don’t feel unsafe but its gritty enough to keep my family visiting down

This is accurate.

If you are the 6th person in the pickup queue, and each rider ahead of you is 5 minutes late, your ride is now 25 minutes late. Unless MobilityLink gets a sudden influx of new vehicles and drivers, there is no way to easily solve this problem

Barclay is great!

When I moved to a rowhouse that has one side along an alley and had to put a spigot in, I installed one of these: Aquor house hydrant. It has two benefits: first, you need a special attachment to turn it on (included with the kit) and second, it fits completely flush against the house so no one will bang into it and hurt themselves or their car.

Merritt Downtown Athletic Club has a very diverse membership, there are many older members. The facilities are top notch and people are very friendly. I’ve been a member for 5 years now and I love it. There’s a pool, a track, tons of machines, a hot tub, sauna, and steam room! There a many free classes too!

The commute from Baltimore to where I have an office in Fairland, which is well north of SS, takes about a half hour in the morning rush and 35-40 minutes back up 95 or 29 at night. Figure on 45-50 minutes in the morning and an hour+ in the evening.

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Go to the Y in Parkville!

As everyone else is saying: if you can stomach the cost, go with Amtrak. It's literally one hour door to door. A bus is half the cost but twice as long

There are a ton of seniors that train at fivex3.com. The coaches there are incredible. It’s not cheap but it’s worth it.

I would recommend you find a hotel in the area you want to live and stay a couple nights and experience the commute firsthand. Be aware of various religious holidays and such and try to do the commute on a few “ normal workdays “ because Jewish and Christian holidays will make traffic a lot lighter so make sure none of that is happening

I support the above poster. Those neighborhoods are very mixed, but basically east and south are where it gets sketchier. But it’s really not as simple as all that. Go down during the day, and if it looks nice, go down on a Friday night.

But Barclay st south of 25th for someone who doesn’t know Baltimore is not a great spot. Guilford isn’t too bad. I know several women in that area with mixed reviews of safety

I don’t have room mate or spouse to switch and I was able to get my bill for Internet/tv down to $140/month which isn’t bad