My commute is from Arlington to Sterling, and I've discovered that no matter when I leave home between 8:30 and 10:00, I'll get to work at around 10:30.

10 miles, about 30 minutes from scenic Rock Creek Parkway to Georgetown. Best part: my wife comes along for the ride to her office.

I commute from Gaitherburg to Chevy Chase. I catch a ride to Shady Grove, read the paper to Friendship Heights, and then catch the #1 ride-on to Chevy Chase Circle-and the driver asks me how I'm doing every morning. I rather enjoy my commute, even if I do get asked "What stop is the [fill in tourist location here]?" 10 times a day lately, taking the oppurtunity to listen to my ipod, read the latest book, or drive myself crazy with killer suduko puzzles! Sure beats driving.

We live and work in the same neighborhood, so I also have a 15-minute walking commute to work. I even walk home for lunch some days. By the way, I saw your car on S Street and it's been ticketed. You'd better check on that.

My commute starts in Chesapeake Beach, I drive 7 miles to a commuter lot and board a MTA bus for the 30 mile ride to 17th & K. It's always a interesting ride. No telling what you will see looking down at cars along the way. Yes, people in cars, please be careful about what you do in your cars, you never know who is observing you... From 17th & K it's catch a Circulator Bus to Georgetown. An average commute takes 1 1/2 hours that's on a good day. Thankfully, I have my commuter bus family to keep me entertained as well.

Man, are you lazy -- just walk the extra half mile to get back to your car's normal parking spot! It'll take you ten minutes and everyone can use the exercise. =)

My commute right now takes 30 seconds. That's the time required to wake up, say, oh, crap, and roll out of bed and then take the long walk to my computer in the dining room.

I commute from Winchester to Dulles Airport daily. The usual worst part of the trip is the Leesburg bypass, especially the westbound trip. Rt 7 climbs a mile-long steep grade that starts just where Business 7 joins the bypass. Heavy trucks cannot pick up speed due to the grade so whatever speed they're at when entering (10mph - 15mph, whatever)remains just that. Traffic can routinely back up into the Greenway. Aside from that its not a bad ride. Kinda pretty. Dodging deer tends to keep you awake.

I car pool with a friend from Reston to L'Enfant Plaza each morning & finish my commute to Gallery Place via Metro. The 25 mile trip usually takes about 50 minutes.
My evening commute is a regularly hell-ish journey from Gallery Place to Metro Center to West Falls Church (via the always overcrowded Orange Line- last night I had to wait for the 3rd train to even get onto a car- we won't talk about the stand-up, sardine-in-a-can ambience). The final leg of my journay is to wait 15 minutes or more to take the 980 bus to the Herndon Monroe P&R. A recent trip involved no a/c and sitting on the side of the Dulles Toll Road as the bus recovered from over-heating!The reurn trip regularly takes 90 minutes.

I have multiple forms of transportation to get to work downtown from my home in Burke. I first drive 10 minutes to the VRE, take a 45 minute VRE ride to L'Enfant, hop on the blue line to McPherson Square, then walk 10 minutes to work. Total time is 1:20 but it beats driving, which takes 40 minutes with no traffic, but 2 hours on a typical morning.

Speaking of the metro, I rode a few stops at lunch on an errand, and a young woman was panhandling in the car. What are we now, New York? I've never had that happen in 10 years living here. Usually panhandlers stop at the escalator. I've always counted on the metro station to be a relatively safe and panhandle-free place.

Metro from Arlington to Gallery Place area. On a 4-car Orange Line train during rush hour. Every time I see a 4-car train on the Orange Line during rush, it make me LIVID. There's not enough capacity when the system is running as promised. But it seems like it doesn't run as promised much of the time.

Metro claims they don't run 4-car trains, but of course they do. Inexcusable!

What I'd like to see is the actual accounting for the trains that ACTUALLY run and how close they stick to the schedule. My sense from statistics presented on the WMATA website is that, during peak hours, they're essentially ALWAYS 10 minutes late to the end of the line. But still no real plan to deal with it.

I commute from inner Silver Spring to L'efant plaza. The train ride takes about 20-25 minutes. The walk to the train station takes 20-25 minutes. All together it's about an hour to go 10 miles.

I like it because I get a walk in morning and evening, so that time is really exercise time. I don't drive or pay for parking so that saves me money. The ride on the train is nice for reading.

I'd rather do this than a similar commute that was all in a car, as I like the walk and it allows me to unwind. I keep tabs on my teenaged children via my cell.

Sterling Park to 18th & F st NW. I drive to the Herndon/Monroe Park and Ride to catch the 980 Express bus or the 950 bus to West Falls Church. I then take the Orange Line to Farragut West and then walk 4 blocks to my office. It usually takes me an hour and a half each way on a good day when the buses aren't broke down/stuck in traffic or the Metro isn't delayed which happens to be almost every single day. Still...it beats sitting in traffic and paying for gas as the bus/metro cost is $6.35 a day.

Don't hate me. I have a seven-mile commute from near East Falls Church METRO (exit 69 off I-66) to near Tysons II. I arrive at the office by 7 a.m. and leave by 4 p.m. to avoid the vast majority of traffic issues - I come via Lee Hwy, 66 to the Toll Rd extension, then 123 to Tysons Blvd, and I usually return by the same route. Generally, it's less than 15 minutes each way. That is, except for those afternoons when 66 East backs up onto the Toll Rd extension prematurely, then it could easily be 45 minutes by that route, unless I take Great Falls Street off 123 through McLean and Falls Church to give me about a 25-minute commute. However, the latter is far less likely to happen than the 45-minute ride from hell, thanks to VDOT camera operators who can't change the HOV message on the sign above the 267 exit from 123....they party hard or sleep at the VDOT Control Center while hundreds of us stew in our cars with only an illegal U-turn across the median to get his home sooner.

I commute from Clifton to Arlington each day. Before I was allowed to use HOV, I took 29 all the way into Rosslyn, the commute generally took an hour and quarter. Now, with HOV, I usually get there in 45 minutes. on a good day I can actually make it in just over 30 minutes!

It is most important for me to NOT leave the house late! For every 5 minutes delay, I get to work 10-15 minutes later.

For the Arlington to Sterling commuter, try leaving considerably earlier. I leave home at 6:45 to get these times.

I commute from the West End of Alexandria to Old Town Alexandria. Most days I use the DASH bus and connect with Metro at Van Dorn to hop over to King Street. I drive about once a week (usually when it's raining since I get a free car wash!)

I fear for my life when crossing my street to catch the bus because while I have to cross 4 lanes plus a grassy median, I'm given only 15 seconds by the stingy crosswalk signal. I manage to have one lane left to cross by time my signal runs out. I've complained to the City for an extra 10 seconds, but to no avail. Needless to say, my behind gets a nice work out scrambling across the street before my time runs out.

The blue line car that arrives is always packed, but I've figured out the pattern and manage to get a seat in a half empty car most mornings, since people are lemmings, and they tend to cluster around the top of the escalator on the platform rather than spread out along its expanse. Those cars stopping near the escalator crowd just happen to be the ones always full from Franconia. (Evil Laugh...)

We are a one car household, so we take turns with the gas sipping Jetta. I drove to work this morning and I notice there's a perpetual lane blockage on Duke Street at Reineckers Lane (in front of the Whole Foods). The road is only 2 lanes to begin with and many people commute down that street to get to the PTO Offices or to Route 1. What's been blocking the lane so long? It appears that the right lane has become an impromptu parking spot for someone's tree trimmer machinery (a tractor-like thing just sits there with NO ONE ever working with it, regardless of the time of day I drive or walk past it.) This causes backups out the kazoo because the lights are already poorly synched along Duke Street, and then you have "me first"-ies who just have to get through the intersection and who end up blocking it so that when the light changes, no one in cross traffic can move in any direction. It generally takes me 15 minutes to get from Beauregard Street to Diagonal Road. It then takes another 10 minutes to go 4 whole fricking blocks to Peyton St! Grr...I feel so blessed to have Metro and my own two feet as a commuting option.

Oh...my fiance has a reverse commute to the Burke area, so he's all good!

The traffic in this area truly sucks big time! I arrive at work totally PO'd ready to rip somebody's head off. It usually takes me about a half hour after I get to work to fully decompress.

As and aside, instead of spending $2 billion/week on that stupid war in Iraq, I wish we could spend some of it on new roads and mass transit for the DC area. But who am I? Those 59 million misquided souls who voted for Bush must like squandering our national treasure on needless wars and enjoy sitting endless hours in traffic jams. I hope all you Bush voters rot in hell! How do you like them apples!

i commute from odenton to n capitol & mass ave. every morning, my husband and i leave our house at 548 a.m. to catch the 601 MARC train from odenton to the city. the train ride is about a half-hour and is pretty relaxing, except for a small group of people who must chat loudly every morning. as soon as i get on the train, i pull out my ipod, which has made my commute much more relaxing. i read until we get to seabrook and then i catch a 17-min nap until we get to union station. from union station, i walk about 3 mins to my building, while my husband hops on the metro and continues on the red line to medical center and then walks to his building. overall, my commute is fairly relaxing and is almost always the same, except for the occassional train delay.

I think I have most of you beat for the BEST commute. No, I don't live above the store, but my bike commute takes about 8 minutes from my apartment in Dupont Circle to my office at the corner of 16th and K. From New Hampshire, I ride straight down 17th Street to K, turn right on K for one block and lock up the bike in the garage (actually it's not a garage, it's the storage/garbage area). The commute is even easier if I leave before 9:30 in the morning when 17th Street is still a one-way Southbound street. I love it!

As a lowly slug from the Route 17 VDOT lot in Stafford, my commute changes daily. In my year of slugging, I have at various times been proselytized, terrified and, during one memorable ride, cooked alive (simmered 60 minutes at 100 degrees). But it is worth it. I get to live in Fredericksburg and work at the VA - both of which I truly love.

I go from North Potomac to Shady Grove Rd. It takes about 10-15 minutes depending on how many school buses I run into. It could probably take less time if the lights were timed right.

Usual 5 minute walk to the Silver Spring Metro. 18 minutes in a very comfortable setting. Couple minute walk to the office.

Rate it about an 8 (didn't get a seat to myself) - and a 10 is when I ride my bicycle for the 8-mile trip to work

I commute from Fairfax/Merrifield to Old Town. Takes about 20 minutes, unless I'm caught up in some inexplicable Wilson Bridge back-up.

My office view is of the previously mentioned tree-trimming equipment and the perenially-blocked lane on Duke Street (you are right CyanSquirrel). So glad I don't go that way on Duke street.

arlington to bethesda:
north on glebe road to chain bridge, east on canal, left turn onto arizona, left onto macarthur, past sibley hospital to dalecarlia pkwy, westmoreland circle to western ave, river road to little falls pkwy, arlington road to edgemoor to old georgetown rd. avg. time: 45 minutes.

alternate route: 50 east to rosslyn; key bridge to M st west; foxhall to reservoir to macarthur; resume as above. if school's in session, 50 minutes; if not, 40-45.

not awful, not great.

Falls Church to Bethesda: A 50 minutes to hour bike ride along the WO&D/Custis trail to the Capitol Crescent trail. The only congestion I encounter is bike to work day, and the entire month of January when everyone has made a New Year's resolution to lose 10 lbs.. so they start running. However, from February until a week before bathing suit season, it's smooth riding!

Court House to Metro Center. It varies from 15 minutes to 45 minutes depending on how the trains are running. Today was about 20 minutes, and due to the train back-ups, I even got a seat which only happens about once every 3-4 months! So I'll give it a 9 out of 10.

Commute home is always pleasant and not very crowded due to the fact that I'm usually at work past 7:30. I always get a seat.

I drive from North Arlington over Chain Bridge and down Canal Road, to the Expressway and past Lincoln, eventually down Independence to near Capitol Hill. It's 25 minutes door to door, and generally not bad around 7am. Anytime after 8 it's a bear however. The evening commute takes me over the 14th St bridge, GW Pkway to Spout Run. Again, usually ok unless there's an accident.

I commute from Burke, VA to Pennsylvania Ave. each day. Some days I ride in a car pool, some days I take the bus to the Pentagon - both routes depend on the (formerly fast) HOV lanes which can now only be described as HOV lanes as they often move at the same rate as the regular lanes and fairly often, like today, even slower. Both options now take 1 hour and 15 minutes - before Hybirds in the HOV, I made it from home to desk in one hour or less.

Every morning I check the clock on the cable box to see if I have to hop off the couch, put down the coffee cup and jump into the car to go half a mile to the office. I usually leave at 7:52, pull into the garage and up the elevator to be at the computer at 8:00 I love my job. NOT, but I am not on 66 or 495 either

I have a 10 minute drive to the Rolling Road VRE, a 20 minute train ride to the Alexandria station and a 10-15 minute walk to the PTO compound. Pretty simple altogether, though VRE has been plagued by many delays thus far in June. The worst part is heading home and crossing Duke St. to get to the West side of the Alexandria train station - as already noted, the back-ups on Duke towards the Beltway are horrific and trying to cross Duke, even when the light is in your favor is risky business. Forget pricey construction ideas... a simple crossing guard would help!

Bealeton, VA to DC: This involves a 35 minute drive to Broad Run VRE station, followed by a 1 and half hour ride into L'Enfant Plaza, followed by a 10 minute metro and walk to my office location. Easily 2 hours and 15 minutes each way....on a good day! Oh well...at least I get to nap on the VRE to help pass the time and I'm spared the expense and aggravation of what would likely be a 3 hour ride each way if I drove.

1) Wake up and drive to Centreville Park and Ride.

2) Catch a Metrobus to Vienna-Fairfax Metro.

3)Take Metro to Rosslyn.

4) Take GUTS bus across the river to work at Georgetown.

This usually takes about an hour and a half to two hours. Longer if, like yesterday, every Orange line train bound for Vienna arrived in Rosslyn totally packed to the brim, and there was already about a thousand people standing on the lower platform.

Today I drove in (after waking up late). That involves taking 28 up to Dulles, then taking the toll road in.

Commute from Upper Malboror MD to Vienna VA 36 miles 40 minutes, 495 to 66 if I leave .01 seconds after 0530, 36 miles 1 hour 30 minutes - just cruising along with 40,000 of my fellow crawlers. Return trip is about the same, unless someone is on the side of the road eating a banana, no accident, just standing there eating a banana - 2 hours minimum. I think I have seen everything from refrigerators to full size boats abondoned in a lane of traffic on teh beltway - what a freakshow driving here is....

wheaton to tyson's corner; ratings:
morning is 45 cars out of a possible 55 cars
afternoon is 27 cars out of a possible 55 cars

the rating system is arbitrary, but you get the idea. in the afternoon, tyson's to anywhere north of tyson's is terrible traffic but i don't think it's too bad b/c i just listen to the radio. you can't realistically expect it to not be jammed.

Today was an 8 out of 10.

I catch the bus to the Pentagon at the door to my building. It was running late today, but that's ok, because I was too. From there I take the blue line to McPherson Square. Then I either walk the 4 blocks to my office, or on rainy days take the bus (yes, I'm lazy). It takes about an hour. It would only take about 25-30 minutes driving on the way in. It probably wouldn't be too bad on the way home, but for (others')safety I don't drive.

Brookland/CU to 14th & G NW takes me about 20 minutes from my door to my desk. I love it when Metro is running well. When it isn't, I try to count my blessings (sometimes it works) and not curse under my breath. This morning I dropped my purse as I was stepping into the train. My purse fell into the gap between the platform and the train. I almost had a heart attack feeling it drop and I thought I was going to die when it went down. Not a good morning needless to say.

When I was attending Hood College, my commute was from Germantown to Frederick, MD, a simple, uncongested 25 minute drive on 270/15 North. Ah, the beauty of the reverse commute.

0.5 mile walk down H St. through lovely Chinatown. Ipod in the ears to block out the profanity and propositions of the drunks waiting for the liquor store on 6th and H to open, sturdy shoes to repel the vomit, spit and other nastiness on the sidewalk. The walk home features drug dealers on 5th and H and crackheads and/or transvestites trolling on 5th St. It's about a 8 out of 10, higher if the loudly amplified, out of tune "musician" on 7th and H isn't playing/panhandling. I like the area, but it's not for the faint of heart.

I commute 30 miles and it almost never takes me more than 45 minutes no matter if i leave early or in the middle of rush hour so I consider myself lucky because i couldn't do the 6 am thing. I live in dc near missouri and New Hampshire (i call this area the northeast corner of northwest) and I commute to BWI. i'm mostly going against traffic and its generally peaceful. I get to live where I want and work where i want. some people at work think i'm crazy but once I tell them it only takes me 45 min most of them admit theirs is just as long if not longer from whatever suburb they actually live in.

I commute from Manassas to Reston. My commute can take from an hour to an hour and a half. Sudley Road is regularly backed up to I-66. Once on I-66 it is slow to the rest stop. Slows again at Rt. 28. (I'm not sure why it takes an entire shoulder of traffic to exit at Rt. 28 - been meaning to ask that)

I take Fairfax County Parkway from I-66 to Sunrise Valley Drive. I am lucky to get out of 2nd gear and into 3rd. I hate the fact that going that short of distance (mileage wise) can take up to 40 minutes. The worst part is just before Stringfellow and then again at Fox Mill up to Sunrise Valley.

I hate my commute! Going 17 miles shouldn't ever take up to an hour and a half.

I used to commute from Manasas to downtown Bethesda. That was an easy 2 - 2 hour 15 min. commute. I can understand that, it is when it creeps on on an hour and a half to get to Reston, I want to go nuts.

I don't even want to get worked up about my commute home. Most days it takes me over 20 minutes to get off of Sunrise Valley Dr. and onto Fairfax County Parkway. I go back roads now, but really, I shouldn't have to cut through housing developments.

GRRRRRRR!

My lovely Dupont Circle commute is about 60 minutes. I wake up at 8. Shower. Get dressed. Walk to the coffeeshop - read the paper in leisurely fashion while coffee is in one hand and a blueberry muffin in the other. And then at 9, I return to my house, sit down at my desk - and I go to work. :)

Between my wife and I, we have the best "combined" commute in the DC Area. She goes 1.5miles each way and I have the long commute at 4 miles each way (on the days I don't work from home). However, this was after she had to commute from Fair Lakes to the "Hill" every day for 2 years which took her an average of 1.5hrs each way!! Amazing what getting 3 hours of your day back can do!

I travel from the Aspen Hill part of Rockville to Baltimore. If I leave home at 7:30 or at 9:00 am, it takes 45-50 minutes. If I leave at 8 or 8:30, it takes 55 minutes. Not bad--and I don't need any tolled ICC to get there.

Today was smooth sailing. Just a few crazies going 80 mph on I-95.

NPR on the radio all the way.

I have the best commute. I go by bike from Woodley Park to 19th and L. It's downhill most of the way. The entire trip usually takes me 10 minutes... though this morning seemed to be a bit longer.... maybe 12 minutes. Generally motorists seems to be fairly accommodating of bicyclists on Connecticut Ave. I've never had a problem going to work, but on my return, when I have to go uphill most of the way, I sometimes am harassed by motorists who insist I "get off the road". That's quite frustrating. Overall, I love the fact that I can wake up at 8:30, get breakfast, take a shower, prepare my lunch, and be at work easily by 9:30.

Columbia to Bowie, about 30 miles in about 30 minutes.

Now that school is out, my commute is... nothing!

Having tackled Columbia to Rockville and before that Alexandria to Rockville (shudder), I'll give this commute an 8 out of 10. It would be higher if commercial vehicles would stay off the BW Parkway!

Let's see. Once the 90 or 92 bus actually shows up to cart me to 14th and U NW, I can count on at least some of the following events. People constantly surprised that they need some form of payment to ride the bus. People who think hygiene is optional and they opt out. People who assume I will like their music as much as they do. Strollers and luggage which would be barely manageable on the train but are serious hazards on a bus. People who eat and drink. A young woman who came supplied with nail polish to remove nail polish from her toes. (She sat next to me.) Men selling socks and underwear. Oh, the fun never ends, I'm telling you. The commute time? Usually 30 min from the time the bus actually shows. Total waiting and travel time can easily be an hour, esp on the trip home to Capitol Hill.

Hm. This looks like fun posting for the commenters, but it's not really very compelling reading. Maybe it'll settle down after everyone's initial post. (My commute this morning? Conked out in the car. My carpool driver is a very tolerant woman.)

My commute is easy: about 7 minutes by car (down to 4 minutes, if I hit the lights right); 12 minutes by bike; 25 minutes by ankle express. I love it. On the other hand, I used to commute from College Park to downtown Baltimore and the 50 minute commute was 'my time.' While that decompression time was wonderful, I'll take the short commute any day.

Mine's great in the morning, awful in the afternoon.

17 minutes in the AM from just inside the Beltway on Georgia ave, around the outer loop and up 270 to Shady Grove Road, one block on SGR to the office.

On the way back the same route would take 45 to 50 minutes, thanks to those S-curves. So I have a selection of backroads, NONE of which goes through a neighborhood. Thank goodness for Beach Drive and Capitol View.

The same trip by public transportation would take over an hour. We need the purple line.

i commute from my bed to my home office, which is downstairs. so i would say it takes about 20 seconds between the time i wake up and the time my butt is in the chair. of course i get dressed and eat first, but without that stuff, i'd say 20-30 seconds.

i commute from bwi to ft lauderdale [almost] everyday. it's fabulous! just hop on a southwest plane and i'm there in 2 hours.

i'm a pilot, btw.

From South Arlington to Downtown DC (5 miles), I do the following (roughly):

8:50 am Leave home
8:56 am Board Arlington Transit bus
9:03 am Arrive at Pentagon City Metro
9:10 am Board Blue Line train
9:30 am Arrive at Federal Triangle
9:35 am Arrive at office

Roundtrip cost = $4.40

A 45 minute commute to go 5 miles!

On occasion, I drive in to work. Traffic=30 minutes; no traffic=8 minutes. Cost of parking=$17

I commute from Columbia to Gaithersburg which is about 25 miles each way, I take all back roads of course, 32 > Brighton Dam > 108 > Brink Road > 124 which takes me 50 min to an hour. However, now that school is out it only took me about 40 minutes today. Listening to my WTOP, my MP3 player, or talking on the phone makes the time go by faster. Trust me, this is no commute I picked on purpose, my job no longer had positions near where I was in Columbia and Chantilly, Reston and Herndon where out of the question so Gaithersburg it was. After I talked to a few people, my commute is pretty average. I've met some people that come from as far as Gettysburg, WV and past Quantico so I'll take my commute and run with it. For now anyway :)

Is this open to non-Washington-area commuters as well?

I live in Rhode Island and work in Boston, and my commute is approximately 60 miles. When I was driving, it averaged about three and a half to four hours a day, round trip. About 60 miles in all, much of it on I95.

I decided to stop driving when a lunatic in a black SUV deliberately rammed my car from behind while I was stopped at a red light. There were cars ahead of me and to the side, so I don't know what his problem was; I hadn't cut him off or anything like that.

He rammed us, backed up, and rammed us again. I looked out the window at him, and he screamed "What's yer problem?".

"You're HITTING us, you crazy bastard!" I shouted back. His response was to back up and ram us again - not hard enough to break anything, but hard enough to shake us up a lot.

My 2-year-old son was in the back seat, crying, so I chose the better part of valor and drove away when the light turned green. The lunatic followed us for several more miles before our ways parted. I called the police, only to be told "There's nothing we can do".

I never found out what that guy's problem was. But soon after I started taking the train. My commute is still about three and a half hours a day round trip, but it's less stressful.

Just wondering how much monthly train passes cost in other areas. I pay $181 per month for my train pass, and we're facing yet another fare hike - a 25% one - at the end of the year. That seems high for a ride that many riders have to spend standing up, jammed in the aisles, often in cars without air conditioning!

My old commute was against traffic. I pulled onto Kennelworth Ave at East Capitol Street and headed towards College Park laughing at the cars (not) going in the other direction. Then I graduated and started working out near Dulles while living near 7 Corners in Falls Church. I spent 25 minutes every morning trying to go 5 miles to the exit for 66 where I then eventually made it onto the toll road and sped the rest of the way to arrive at work after over an hour in traffic and usually 20 minutes later than I had meant to get there. Variations using other highway exits to avoid the East Falls Church backup either took longer or had backups of their own. 9 months of that and I'd had enough. I took a huge paycut, but I now commute 12 miles down 6th Ave (in Denver) with a view of the Rockies the whole way... total time to work, 15 minutes... and people out here have the nerve to complain about the 'traffic'!

My commute is from Germantown to Bethesda. I get to take the trip from hell on 270 each morning. Besides everyone tailgating, putting on make-up, reading the newspaper, watching state troopers pull over HOV Violators, the usual slamming on brakes, then speeding up again and then slamming on the brakes again, someone trying to cross four lanes of traffic with their gas pail in hand, the oops thats my exit let me cut everyone else off to get there, to the flashing of headlights, no headlights, no tail lights, and of course the high beamers. Then accidents, need I say more? So to drive to work can take anywhere from 20 minutes to 1 hour and a half, but it is always amusing and keeps you awake....usually.

My old commute was against traffic. I pulled onto Kennelworth Ave at East Capitol Street and headed towards College Park laughing at the cars (not) going in the other direction. Then I graduated and started working out near Dulles while living near 7 Corners in Falls Church. I spent 25 minutes every morning trying to go 5 miles to the exit for 66 where I then eventually made it onto the toll road and sped the rest of the way to arrive at work after over an hour in traffic and usually 20 minutes later than I had meant to get there. Variations using other highway exits to avoid the East Falls Church backup either took longer or had backups of their own. 9 months of that and I'd had enough. I took a huge paycut, but I now commute 12 miles down 6th Ave (in Denver) with a view of the Rockies the whole way... total time to work, 15 minutes... and people out here have the nerve to complain about the 'traffic'!

I commute from Falls Church to Springfield. Its 20 minutes door to door. Hop on to RT 7 east, then 66 west, then Beltway East to VanDorn Street. South on VanDorn to the Kingstowne area. Wah-la. Nice and easy, both ways. The beltway opposite direction is usually backed-up if not crawling both morning and evening! Gotta love an actual reverse commute. These circumstances are getting harder and harder to find. I'm actually buying a place in my current neighborhood (and going from lots to NO disposable income) so I can keep this going.

Never had to take Metro, thank god because I hate it during rush hour and it only gets worse every year. After taking the bus (25-35 mins. most days) and enjoying my book for about 10 years, I changed jobs and now drive ~10 miles and 25 minutes from the National Cathedral to Alexandria. I love driving, playing my music as loud as I want and not stopping every few blocks. My employer gives me $25 per week commuter stipend, which fills my tank enough for the commute and more.

Columbia to 15th and L St., NW - 45 minutes each way on a good day (there are never good days). I leave my house around 9. Used to be that being a late arriver meant far less traffic. Not so much any more. The BW Parkway rolls along at 10 mph from Laurel to the Beltway and New York Avenue is a nightmare of epic proportions. The new convention center has added even more fun with the out-of-towners crossing where-and whenever they want - taxis lined up two abreast - buses hanging out in the middle of the intersections because, well, they can and clueless drivers stopping (STOPPING!) to figure out where they need to go next. The joy!

I commute everyday from Hagerstown to Gaithersburg. On the weekend, this is a 40-minute ride. Monday - Friday 1 1/2 hours to get to work and 1 hour to get home. I have no idea how the people in Virginia who use I-95 survive. Mine is bad, there's is even worst. It's a wonder we all not on top of a bridge or water tower!

What ever happened to the energy crisis? There are three people in my car everyday, but only ONE in all the rest? Ok, not all, but most!!

Where are the trains or metros?
Where is the long term planning for mass transit to Frederick, Hagerstown, and Baltimore?
Where is the leadership and vision from our elected officials?
The government has spent a billion dollars on a bridge to get people into D.C.; How about some improvements to get them out?
You spend years on a Springfield interchange upgrade, that when completed, will save the average commuter 1 minute!!!
The government talks about telework, but only a few actually offer it.

Someday our world will pay for its selfish ways. Unfortunately, it will be our grandchildren and their kids that have to deal with it.

If 1/3 of you would start carpooling, we could have major (positive) impact on the future. A future where our kids will be proud, not trying to figure out how to clean up the mess we left behind.

Chesapeake Beach to Suitland Federal Center: Route 260 to Route 4 to the Suitland Parkway to Silver Hill Road, about 28 miles total. 35-40 minutes inbound, 30-35 minutes outbound, with the difference being (a) the backup at Dowerhouse Road inbound, and (b) the badly timed lights on Silver Hill Road inbound. My wife and I commute together, which is a real plus. And aside from the two minutes on Silver Hill Road, it's a visually appealing trip, too - the Patuxent River, and lots of trees. Also, headed home, I can stop for barbecue at Little Hawk's BBQ on 260 just off Route 4, and on Fridays in late summer and early fall, the folks from Harris Orchards set up their produce stand just off Route 4.

My commute would be lovely if the 10A was 15 - 25 min. late every morning. Not including the lateness of the bus, it is a 2 min. walk from my apartment to the bus stop, a 15 - 20 min. bus ride and then a 15 min. metro ride and lastly a walk across the street to my office above Starbucks. Not bad, but not as good as my last commute which was 10 min. with no traffic and 15 min. if the traffic got a little nasty.

My commute that ended this past year thank goodness was possibly a 1 or 2 out of 10. Leave my house in fairfax at 5:30 to get on 495 north, take that to either 95 or 29 to 70 to get to 695 in baltimore. By the time I reach baltimore traffic is already attrocious, so it adds another hour to the one it took to get up there. From 695 I got on 83 south to Northern Parkway. It was miserable, taking 2 to 4 hours just to drive one way. Not to mention the reverse commute in the evenings.
Now I just have to take 495 to Old Georgetown and am so much happier w/ a 6 or 7 out of 10

I commute From the Silver Spring metro to Farragut North, then hoof it to 19th and E. While I could probably to the walking portion with my eyes closed, that has become dangerous recently with the crazy construction on F Street. I generally amuse myself on my commute by finding the person sitting near me on the metro reading the Bible (are they hoping to find the secret passage where God says we don't need to work?). It hasn't happened yet this week...

I love, love, love my commute! It's 1 mile door-to-door between my condo (Penn Quarter) and work (just east of L'Enfant Plaza). If I want to take the Metro, it's like a 3 minute trip. If I want to walk, it's a walk across the Mall. All in all, very pleasant.

I just moved from Cleveland Park. I love CP, but I was SO over the commute (deal with the Red Line's issues every morning rush, change at Metro Center to the Blue/Orange, deal with the Blue/Orange's issues every evening rush)!

should be if the 10A wasn't, not was, sorry :(

Well, I am fortunate enough to live very close to the W&OD bike trail. my commute from Gallows Road to Rosslyn takes about 35 minutes and 0 gallons of gas. It takes about 5 minutes longer for the return trip. I do pay to belong to a GYM which allows me a shower each morning, but it still beats paying 3 bucks per gallon. But the best thing about biking is that I leave all that office stress on the trail.

I drive from Kingstowne to downtown DC (Metro Center area). Usually takes about 35 minutes, straight up Van Dorn to Seminary Road, then onto I-395 there. Usually I take the 14th Street Bridge and the 12th Street Tunnel, but I sometimes use Memorial Bridge depending on where the backup for the 14th Street Bridge begins. Or on a day like today if the radio says the highway is slow I take Beauregard Street/Walter Reed Drive to Columbia Pike. On the whole the drive via the streets is less stressful than the highway, but ever since I got rear-ended on Russell Road two years ago I've become more reluctant to use the streets as an alternate route.

I have taken the Metro on occasion, either by driving to Franconia-Springfield or (once) taking the Fairfax Connector bus to the Van Dorn stop because I had had to leave the car at the mechanic overnight and driving my other car was no solution (you can't drive two cars home too easily, after all). The bus was actually fine, but my departure times in the evening vary too much to allow me to rely on making a fixed bus schedule. Driving to the Metro takes longer than driving to work, so I only take the Metro when I take one of the cars in for servicing.

On the whole I think my commute is fine with the exception of the approach to the 14th Street Bridge, which is just a war zone in terms of rudeness, shoulder-drivers, people who cut over and use the merge lanes to pass, etc.

I commute from Baltimore to DC everyday. Evvveryday. I leave before 7am and get to work late nearly each day close to 930am. I bought a new car recently with great gas mileage and hope the new car smell will continue keeping me high with happiness. The nosepickers who don't think half their car is made of glass are fine entertainment as well. Not to mention the people seriously grooving to their music who REALLY don't think anyone's watching. Otherwise, I've invested in satellite radio to keep me from losing my mind and counting the seconds until the following weekend where I'll wake early anyway just to make those two precious days last a bit longer.

I leave Rockville for Springfield between 8:30am-9:00am. It's about a 35 minute ride via the Outer Loop depending on how many VA Drivers want to go 50 in the left lane.

Going home is an entirely different story. I leave around 7pm and generally take the Inner Loop back to 270. Some nights, I make it in 40 minutes; but, every once in a while the return trip will take an hour and a half for no 'good' reason. Occasionally, if I hear of a jam, I'll take 395 to the GW Parkway and get onto the IL right by the AL Bridge. It avoids the nightly 66 merge mess.

You know, living in Maryland and working in Springfield has given me an appreciation for both kinds of drivers. Maryland drivers tend to be faster, but more erratic; Virginia drivers are a lot slower, but more courteous. Don't know which I prefer, but I do believe there are less tie-ups overall in Maryland.

Kate Jones,
Would you be willing to let me tag along with you one morning on your commute? It sounds like a good one and would be fun for our readers to hear about. Waddya say? You can e-mail me at ginsbergs@washpost.com.

My commute from Centreville to Arlington - nearly 25 miles - easily an hour and a half each way leaving at 6:30a.m.

What a way to live!! Commute and work all day to go home to a 400k TOWNHOUSE that Fairfax over assesses each year causing a mortgage increase. Then - on a good night - go out to eat and wait an hour for a table.

Then I moved - Now I'm making almost just as much as I did in DC - in a single family home that was more than $100k less than I sold my townhouse for - and my new commute -

SIX miles - taking on average 12 minutes. Oh - and I park for FREE!!

So sad people continue to endure that DC rat race lifestyle.

All bike, all the time. About 12 minutes. Winter makes you feel tough, gas makes you feel rich, exercise makes you feel good.

Hey, wait! The bicyclists are establishing a pattern. Any people bike to work and hate it? Or even dislike it?

I commute from Bethesda to Shady Grove Road with a little detour to drop off my husband at the Bethesda Metro (he works downtown). Takes 20-25 minutes. (I'm not complaining. I did the Gaithersburg to Bethesda while they were widening 270. I've also done Gaithersburg to Reston. That was a b*tch.)

Old commute as of yesterday 11 miles trying to get on Howard rd exit which would have been a 20min commute turned into a 45-50 min commute.Today my commute is 10 min against traffic,I transfered closer to home.

Also a biker. 10 minutes to work (all downhill, from Columbia Heights to Judiciary Square via Georgia Ave/7th Street/various side streets), 15 minutes home. It's easy and fast, although too many drivers unwilling to cede a few extra inches of space can occasionally make it stressful. Rain or shine, the bike always beats a half hour of stop-and-go crowding on Metro, or sitting in traffic and paying for parking.

Today not so good - 10 min walk to Bethesda metro, off at Farragut North, 5 min walk to office - 30 minutes total

When I'm not nursing a #$@%^ ice hockey injury, it's an 8 mile bike ride through the forest and along the river on the Capital Crecsent Trail, plus an exhilarating 1 mile gauntlet through the city. 30 minutes or fewer I'll take any day (rain, snow, 98 and humid) over the alternatives...

I commute from Clifton to Gaithersburg--35 miles each way. If I leave the house before 6:45, I can drive the 15 miles to Tysons Corner in 30 to 40 minutes, and then it's only 20 minutes for the 20 miles from there to Gaithersburg. When I see all the people sitting on 270 South as I go 70 mph in the other direction, I always feel sorry for them (but also an evil glee for not being over there). Coming home usually takes an hour to an hour and 15 minutes.

Taking Metro would be a minimum of 2 hours each way, so driving is the way to go. I actually enjoy much of the commute, when I am on open highway and can just cruise. I also have satellite radio and an iPod to keep me company, and a cellphone with a Bluetooth earpiece so I can be semi-productive if I want (I usually don't).

My commute begins at the crack of 7 with a short ride to the other side of Route 29, as I am too afraid to sprint across it while still wiping the sleep from my eyes. From there, I pick up the Z9 Express, which despite being limited-stop, still picks up a healthy number of people on its way to the Silver Spring Metro. The ride takes between 15 and 45 minutes, depending on how bad the traffic backs up at New Hampshire Avenue.

Upon arriving in Downtown Silver Spring, I am usually able to jump off the Z9 and get right on a J2 or J3 to Bethesda. This morning, my Z9 became a J3. However, I did switch seats.

The ride down East-West Highway is surpisingly more predictable than that going down Route 29. My favorite part of the commute is when I cross Rock Creek Park and catch a first glimpse of the mansions in Bethesda. It tells me, "You have arrived." (But, then again, so do the skater kids and homeless people I see in my first glimpses of Downtown Silver Spring.) From the Bethesda metro it's a two or three block walk to my building.

Between the six or so bus routes I've tried over the past two weeks, my commute - coming or going - can take anywhere from 45 minutes to two hours. I love those Bethesda mansions, but the people living in them are keeping me out of a Purple Line and in traffic. It's about time something was done.

Live with the folks in McLean, just quit my job near Chevy Chase for a job in Manassas, near Nissan Pavilion!, with a slightly longer commute. Probably moving to Fair Oaks soon. Here's to suburban sprawl! Lots of gas, but at least I'm driving against 66 traffic, although just seeing the traffic on the otherside of the roadway is enough to exhaust me.

Leave the TH in Annandale at 7am. Drive on 495 to the slug lot at Springfield Plaza Mall (arrive: 7:12). Wait in line for a slug driver and off I go to L'enfant Plaza. During the 30 minute HOV lane commute I jam out to mp3's saved on my PDA or watch television programs I downloaded from the web as my PDA had Windows Media Player. Hop out of the slug car and stand in another line for a free shuttle bus which takes me to my final destination near Fort McNair. Arrival time? Somewhere between 7:50 and 8:15. Never can predict the commute time as so many factors are involved. Worst part of the commute? Waiting in lines. Second worse? The lady who slugs the same route and time as me who won't shut up in the car. Even if no one responds to her she continues to talk and ask questions as if we are paying attention to her. In the evening it's the same situation, only in reverse. Leave work at 4:30 and arrive home at 5:30. All told I don't complain too much as I'm not paying for the new Nat's stadium, er... I mean DC parking, gas, or putting miles on my car. I also get to chill out, close my eyes, and listen to music or sleep for much of the journey.

Travel from North Alexandria to near southeast. It amazes me being new to the area that a 5 miles drive takes 20 minutes considering there are only a handful of lights along the way. I've lived in a lot of places and this area definitely has the worst designed highway and road system in the country (I've seen much worse overseas).

I commute from Bethesda to Chevy Chase everyday. It is far enough that I can't walk to work now that it is getting warm outside, I get way too sweaty and stinky. My wife usually drops me off in the mornings and then I get some great exercise by power walking home the 2.5 miles with my laptop on my back. It is a great workout and I really need it! Personally I think my commute is a 15 out of 10. It is a perfect distance to get good exercise and if there is ever any problem (rain, hail, asteris a $1.10 bus ride and 20 min from my office to my house!

I live in Rockville and work in DC, near The Mall. I usually carpool with someone and we meet in my neighborhood behind a gas station near Route 28 and I-270 at 6:25 am. We are usually in by 6:55 am. We leave work at 4:30 pm and are generally back by 5:05 or 5:10 pm, depending on who is driving (I'm the slower driver). Our commute in takes us down I-270 to the Beltway to the Clara Barton Parkway/Canal Road. From there we go over the Whitehurst Freeway and head past the Kennedy Center and the Tidal Basin to Independence Avenue.

Once a week, I need to stay late for a meeting and take the Metro back and I HATE it! The Metro is ALWAYS very crowded when I leave work these nights (usually between 5-5:30) and often I just miss a train at Metro Center when transferring, and this could cause me to miss my busses at the Rockville Station and have to wait an additional 20 minutes or so! And forget about getting a seat and enjoying a leisurely book on the commute! I find myself wedged in between people and their backpacks and briefcases. Compared to my normal 40 minute commute home, it takes at least 65 minutes to go home via the Metro and Ride-On, with it possibly taking as long as 85 minutes if I just miss a bus!

My commute today was a 27 out of a possible total of 48, which is the miles per gallon I average in my Toyota Prius for my daily Falls Church to Capitol Hill drive. I'm becoming annoyed at the late rush now, though, and I wonder if others are experiencing it. I'm a journalist, which means I don't have to wake up as early as your average government bureaucrat commuting downtown, and I can stroll into work around 10 or 10:30 a.m. So what's annoying me is the traffice jam on the Roosevelt Bridge around 9:30 or 9:45 a.m. Don't these people have serious jobs that require them to be at work by this time? What are they all doing this late on the bridge - this is supposed to be MY commuting time, not yours. This late rush phenomena has turned my commute from a 30 minute breeze to a 45-50 minute annoyance.
Also annoying right now is the construction on Independence near the Tidal Basin - easily adding 10 minutes to my commute each morning.

My commute was a lousy 50 out of 194 railcars. Crowded metro, natch. Man next to me on the platform stretching his arms up, wafting eau de armpit my way, lovely. 4 car train and about 8.5 million people on the platform, give or take a half a million. What else is new. Man with backpack standing in front of me, shoving backwards so that the backpack met my face quite intimately, great. I really love the sound of people snapping gum and blowing bubbles, as it quite reminds me of cows in the field. And the best of the best, I couldn't get off at my stop because there were too many people and no one was willing to get off the train. I'm really looking forward to tonight.

It's enough to make me rethink parking fees and gas prices.

I live on the east side of Burke, within walking distance of the Rolling Road VRE station, and work at L'Enfant Plaza. It takes me 8 minutes to walk to the VRE station, so I usually leave my house about 11 minutes before the train is due.

The train ride is 35 minutes, and I always get a seat. I usually sleep in the mornings and read in the evenings.

My office is just across the street from the L'Enfant train station, so my commute takes about 50 minutes door-to-door. So it's not too bad since it is a relaxing ride and I telecommute one day per week.

Pretty reasonable commute most days -- Arlington Forest to McLean. Streets to 66 westbound at Fairfax Dr./Westmoreland, get off the Toll Road at 123 southbound, streets to the office. About 20 minutes if I leave the house by 0730. If I leave after 0800 it's 30 minutes.

Going home it's usually streets all the way; usually 30-40 minutes, but much nicer than being on the Toll Rd. and 66.

During the week I live in Maryland, and drive home every Friday to Charlottesville. When I moved back up to the metro area after a 20 year escape, I had to learn to drive all over again. I tell my kids that if you can learn how to parallel park while going 80 mph, then you can drive anywhere on the beltway or metro DC. My Friday commutes are the most fun, MD 4 to the beltway, to the mixing bowl, to Old Keene Mill Road, then over the river and through the woods to the back side of Manassas on to 28 and then 29 and I'm home free. Now that I'm back in the metro mode, those clowns in Charlottesville are starting to annoy me, they dirve the speed limit, slow down too soon for yellow lights, then there are those stupid Cavalier bumper stickers attached to all those Volvos.

My commute is from Leesburg to Vienna. With no traffic it can take about 30 minutes. Average for Monday-Friday is 45-50 minutes. If I dare take Route 7 all they way, I have to count on an hour because of all of the lights (that are timed horribly).
I occasionally will take Route 7 home. Especially if I hear there is slow traffic on the Toll Road/Greenway, because if I am knowingly going to sit in traffic I am not going to pay for it.
There is also problem with getting off of the Greenway in Leesburg (on the way home). Because most of the people are going west (and I Exit East), everyone rides in the right lane and then has to cut over to exit and causes lots of slow traffic (sometimes about 5-6 miles of slow traffic).
Sounds fun doesn't it??

Thank you Jesus I have it good. I was so sick and tired of either Metrorail between Greenbelt and Crystal City or driving NY Ave. that I finally relocated to within walking distance of my job (another blessing). My kitchen has a washer-dryer (good!). My office is on South Glebe Road opposite a) my bank b) my gym c) my vet (a feline blessing) and d) a Giant. The neighborhood seems infinitely safer than Greenbelt too. Oh yes a car is helpful for finding cheap dry cleaners, the occasional trip to friends in a neighboring state, and leaving in the event of the next hurricane, but I didn't expect the increase in gas prices. So, move close if you can, and don't leave a good thing.

Am I the only person who LIKES standing on metro? I sit all day at work, so I am more than ready to stretch my legs for the 30-35 min ride.

I commute from Bowie, MD to Old Town Alexandria everyday, which on a good day averages about an hour each way. It's taken me as little as 40 minutes (thank you long hours at work, August and Congress recess!) and as long as 2 1/2 hours one way (thank you rain, accidents, construction, my stupid alarm clock). There's pretty much only about 3 ways I can get to work - Rt. 50 to the Beltway, Rt. 50 to Kenilworth/295 to the Beltway, and Rt. 50 to Kenilworth/295 to 395 to GW Parkway. If there is some secret, special way that I'm missing out on, somebody please let me know!

There isn't much scenery on any of my drives, so I've sort of started creating my own. If I go 295 South to the Beltway, the Blue Plains Sewer Treatment plant is always a nice, fragrant way to start the day. If I go the Beltway to the Wilson, I'm constantly amused by the nose pickers, the dancing drivers, the newspaper readers and make-up appliers, and the drivers who are totally convinced that the other lane contains the meaning of life and they just HAVE to get over. Probably my favorite amusement now are the stuffed animals. You know - the ones people pile up in their back windows? This morning I counted 15 teddy bears, one hippo, two elephants, three monkeys and one thing I just couldn't figure out in the car in front of me. I still can't figure out if they were all smiling at me to say "It'll be OK" or laughing at me for enduring this commute for the past 4 years.

I'm one of the handful of people here that bicycles to work. I live near Mt. Vernon, and commute to "Lawyerland" at 19th & K. It's 16 1/2 miles one way, and takes me about an hour and a 15 min. Others can do it faster on a bike, but I prefer to keep a nice leisurely pace and enjoy my ride. (Of course, I'll pick up the pace if there's a thunderstorm coming!). Some people think I'm crazy for biking in all sorts of weather, but I think THEY'RE crazy for putting up traffic or Metro or high gas prices/parking fees. Once in a while I have to take the Metro due to having a cold or if there are more than 3 inches of snow or icy conditions, or a scheduled event later in the day, and although I'm THANKFUL for having Metro and not having to drive, it doesn't take long for me to be irritated/annoyed by the train delays, overcrowding, incessant replaying of the "Door is closing, stand back, move to the center of the train," announcement, etc. I'm always very thankful to return to biking, where life on the path is quiet and peaceful, where I can see cool wildlife along the way (I've seen a fox, a deer, bald eagles, a beaver, turtles, etc.), and where fellow bicyclists greet each other and help each other along the way. I'm always surprised that there aren't MORE people who bike to work - given that this area is GREAT for its bike path system, connecting so many towns and cities. I hope that the numbers will change in the future - they don't know what they're missing!