Unusual Question - Moving to Springfield?
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Topic: Unusual Question - Moving to Springfield?
Posted By: shorty5646
Subject: Unusual Question - Moving to Springfield?
Date Posted: 09 Jan 2012 at 12:29pm
Hi all,
I realize that this is a somewhat unusual question for this forum, but I am looking to relocate a bit further north of Woodbridge and am wondering if my fellow slugs could offer some advice.
For those of you who commute from the Springfield or Lorton, do you have any suggestions as far as *decent* areas surrounding the commuter lots (preferably townhouse communities as opposed to apartment buildings) that are reasonably priced and also within 10-15 mins of the commuter lots and/or Metro station(s)? I commute daily to L'Enfant Plaza, if that makes any difference. Not sure if there are any bus routes in Springfield or Lorton that go directly to L'Enfant, but I'd be open to that as well.
Just wondering if anyone here has any suggestions. I'm not looking to move until around May 1st, but am obviously beginning to research the areas a bit early.
Appreciate any help! Thanks.
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Replies:
Posted By: sluDgE
Date Posted: 09 Jan 2012 at 12:49pm
Shorty5646,
All Springfield slug line locations have townhomes nearby. Those locations include "Bob's", Daventry, Cardinal Plaza, Sydenstricker, and Rolling Valley. Bus lines go to either the Pentagon or the Franconia-Springfield Metro station.
Slugs at the "Bob's" and Rolling Valley slug lines can catch rides to downtown DC locations, while the other slug lines are mainly for slugs going to the Pentagon and maybe Rosslyn.
Not sure about any slug lines operating reliably in Lorton.
Check out the "Morning Slug Lines" tab on the home page of this website for details on each Springfield line.
Good luck. [:)]
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Posted By: colossus911
Date Posted: 09 Jan 2012 at 5:27pm
There is a really great, i mean great, town house community called Daventry off of Hunter Village and Old Keene mill.
They have their own Pentagon slug line and are 5 min to Bobs.
Neighborhood is really great, big parks and friendly folks.
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Posted By: Flyby
Date Posted: 10 Jan 2012 at 5:57am
Check out Newington Forest in between Silverbrook and Pohick Roads. Great High School a mile away, moderately priced town house and single family homes available for sale, great community. Our family has made that our home for twenty years and we couldn't have asked for a better location.
Flyby
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Posted By: shorty5646
Date Posted: 10 Jan 2012 at 12:40pm
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This is great to know - thank you all so much for your input! I really appreciate it.
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Posted By: Flyby
Date Posted: 12 Jan 2012 at 6:38am
The pickup point closest to Newington Forest is the commuter lot at Sydenstricker. Bob's is the next closest place on the way to 395 but Rolling Valley is also a possibility.
Flyby
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Posted By: nad139
Date Posted: 12 Jan 2012 at 7:50am
Orange Hunt neighborhood has lots of SFH's and very nice townhomes. Hunt Square Ct. and Park Hunt Ct (townhome developments - well built, very quiet, stable neighborhood) are just off the parkway, 5 min's from Rolling Valley and Sydenstricker, on the 18H and 18P bus lines, 10 - 15 min's from Franconia/Springfield metro. Sangster grade school next door. In the West Springfield High School cone.
jd
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Posted By: USA
Date Posted: 12 Jan 2012 at 6:18pm
I live in Kingstowne. Great area to live and there's easy access by either car or Fairfax Connector bus to two Metro stops (Van Dorn and Franconia-Springfield) and pretty easy access by car to Huntington. Both the Blue and Yellow Lines on the subway serve L'Enfant Plaza, though be aware that the subway from Franconia-Springfield to downtown can be expensive (potentially over $10 a day roundtrip plus parking).
The biggest limiting factor at rush hour for driving towards DC from either Springfield or the Kingstowne area is that you have to get across the Beltway and the ways to do that are limited. Between Braddock Road and the Wilson Bridge, your options for getting across the Beltway are (1) Backlick Road, (2) I-395, (3) Van Dorn Street, (4) Telegraph Road, (5) US-1, and (6) the GW Parkway. All of them can back up, some worse than others. (Van Dorn can be a crapshoot from day to day....I drive my wife to the Metro and some mornings it takes us 10 minutes whereas other days it can be 40 minutes. On those other days, I can usually tell by glancing up the road that it will be bad and we just turn around and go to Franconia-Springfield.)
The Bob's slug line is fairly easy to reach from Kingstowne, but when I worked downtown (I no longer do) I generally found that it wasn't worth my time to drive over there in the mornings because Springfield is not really the friendliest road system to use if you have to go to somewhere within Springfield (as opposed to going THROUGH Springfield en route to somewhere else). That is, I live off Van Dorn Street, and by the time I drove to Bob's and picked up slugs I'd be at least halfway downtown if I just headed downtown solo. If you look at a map you can see why that is.
In the afternoons, though, if you have to leave during HOV hours, the slugging system to Bob's is very helpful.
One caveat about these comments: I have not worked downtown since before the Mark Center monstrosity opened, so I do not know whether the changes in traffic around there might make going to Bob's in the mornings more effective.
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Posted By: shorty5646
Date Posted: 15 Feb 2012 at 1:46pm
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Thanks again to everyone for your advice; this has been really helpful. I'm curious to know more about specific commuter lots, whether used mainly for slugging or bus routes only - I've had a lot of trouble in the Woodbridge/Montclair areas with commuter lots being full very early, and a lack of adequate parking. Do Springfield residents have any similar issues with commuter parking?
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Posted By: sluDgE
Date Posted: 15 Feb 2012 at 5:50pm
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My understanding is the "Bob's" and Sydenstricker lots fill up early (by 7 to 7:30). The Rolling Valley lot usually has parking spots available all day long and I've caught slug rides there as late as 8 AM. The commuter lots on Gambrill Road and Backlick Road do not have slug lines and are used by permanent car pools and bus riders. I do not know the parking situation at the Cardinal Plaza and Daventry slug lines, but maybe a slug who uses them can post some recent info. Hope this helps.
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Posted By: smithma
Date Posted: 15 Feb 2012 at 8:42pm
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The LOT at Sydenstricker does fill between 7 and 7:30 but there is additional on street parking in the immediate vicinity. A few people will park at the Gambrill lot and walk over to the Sydenstricker. I know I have dropped people off at the top of the ramp at Gambrill in the evening on the way to Sydenstricker.
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Posted By: shorty5646
Date Posted: 16 Feb 2012 at 11:03am
Posted By: rvidolof
Date Posted: 08 Apr 2014 at 10:06pm
quote:
Originally posted by smithma
The LOT at Sydenstricker does fill between 7 and 7:30 but there is additional on street parking in the immediate vicinity. A few people will park at the Gambrill lot and walk over to the Sydenstricker. I know I have dropped people off at the top of the ramp at Gambrill in the evening on the way to Sydenstricker.
This question is for smithma: Is the Orange Hunt lot still up and running? I am moving to Springfield in July and I am .3 miles from the lot. Just want to know if I will be able to use this location or not... thx-Rob
rv
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