[oxcam:62] Living/working in Bethesda without a car

[Jeff]

Who does it? How good is public transportation in the area for the
purpose of getting groceries, traveling around late at night, etc?

Does anybody use Zip cars? It looks like there are a good number of
them near the NIH for about $10/hour.

Thanks!
Jeff

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[Brett]

Jeff,

Although I had a car when I was in Bethesda, I didn't use it all that
often, and many people do without one entirely.

Much depends on exactly where you live in Bethesda, but if you're in
Bethesda proper (as opposed to north of the NIH campus) then you can
walk to get groceries quite easily. The bus system is reasonably
good, but I only used it occasionally so I'll let someone else speak
to that.

For night life, the Metro has stops close to most of the major places
you'd want to go. There's one in downtown Bethesda, and then of
course near the major hotspots in DC itself (Adams Morgan, DuPont, U
Street).

As I had a car, I didn't use Zip Car, but as you've already found out
they're quite handy for those times when you do need a car.

Hope this helps. You're likely to meet/be friends with people with
cars too. You'll be able to work it all out.

brett jagger

[Shivang]

I agree with the previous post -- I live in Bethesda proper and
everything (i.e. Metro, groceries, bars/restaurants) is a short walk
(10-15 min) away. I also use Zipcar to get out of the city for short
trips and I've found it to be pretty awesome.

[Joel]

Hi Jeff,
I just thought I'd add a comment about bus access. If you end up
living north of NIH, there's excellent access buses that will take you
into town to get groceries, see movies, eat out, etc. These buses also
run during the night.
Joel

[Jennifer Schymick]

Hi Jeff,

I agree with everyone above. I lived in Bethesda both immediately
north and south of campus. The bus system is great for getting to the
mall and grocery stores north of campus. If you live in Bethesda
proper, there is a free Bethesda8 shuttle that loops around the city
every 8 minutes. It stops at the metro, grocery stores, and Bethesda
row shops, however everything is pretty much within a 5-15 minute
walk. Additionally, NIH has a shuttle service that loops around the
campus. If you're looking to head into DC, the metro is almost always
faster than by car and there are two stops that service NIH/Bethesda.
In my opinion, the DC metro is one of the best systems in the
country.

A car would be great for getting out of town.... perhaps if you're
itching to trek to the beach for a weekend. But it is certainly not
necessary day to day. As far as zip cars go, I never used one.
However, my NIH mentor does not have a car. He pays for a zipcar
membership and uses it about once a month.

Take care,

Jenny

[Jeff Alstott]

Thanks, folks! Sounds very doable!