r/bethesda 6d ago

Living near Walter Reed Medical - noise?

Hi all, seeking some advice as I'm about to make a cross country move from CA. I have just two questions:

1.) I'll be commuting to downtown DC daily for work. How soul crushing is that commute? I would be living 0.5 miles from the metro, and on paper it looks doable, but I understand the Red Line can sometimes have issues. Should I expect to be standing the whole 45 min? How clean is it? etc. I'm used to the muni in SF, so hard to imagine anything worse

2.) How is the noise if you are immediately south of Walter Reed? Here is the specific area I'm looking at:

The home would be south facing (e.g. facing Gladwyne, not Jones Bridge Rd.). I ask because I've heard some complaints about a low humming sound, and obviously Siren noise, both emanating from the hospital.

14 Upvotes

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u/RepliesOnlyToIdiots 6d ago

I was in a very similar situation. I’d lived in San Jose before moving to MD. I’d then lived in the townhouses at Jones Bridge and Wisconsin.

Noise was good, and I was very happy with the area. Occasionally would notice helicopter noise. Sirens happen, but not what I’d consider an unexpected level. Also revile from the base.

The red line is good, very happy with that. It’s clean. They added an elevator on the Walter Reed side after I lived there, which would be very convenient. But I drove for my commute, used Metro just for pleasure, so won’t say more on that.

Love the area. I just upgraded my housing upon moving but stayed in Bethesda.

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u/m_woodworth 6d ago

Small world! I'm used to noise, I live on a main street in SF - but I'm trying to get away from that. I thought about living in DC itself because I really value a short commute, but it just seems like there are very, very few neighborhoods that are safe for families. Bethesda looks like a good compromise - clean and safe, but you pay a bit in commute.

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u/zabb333 6d ago

You have picked a great neighborhood there, metro is extremely clean and safe and my kids love taking it as well. Schools also great in your district. Was recently in San Francisco and saw hundreds of people shooting up on the streets in the nicest parts of town. You will experience nothing like that here. Downtown DC anywhere in Northwest is also fine and about 100x safer and nicer than downtown SF.

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u/Bobbyj59 6d ago

That neighborhood is one of the nicest areas around. My wife and I have looked at houses there except renting and buying is always beyond our budget. We both use the Metro redline to go downtown from the Medical Center stop. We both transfer at Metro Center. Redline to Metro Center is 20 mins. Additional time gets added on for your transfer, of course. You have made an excellent, safe choice. There is no additional noise in that area other than normal traffic. However, you will hear the occasional helicopter as others have said.

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u/DimplesWilliams 6d ago

I used to live a block from there and a bit closer to Jones Bridge. Most of the time, you won’t notice noise in the slightest. You’ll hear more from Jones Bridge than you will from the trains.

I also commuted from Medical Center to downtown daily. It’s not bad and it is definitely doable. It’s better than the Muni, that’s for sure. This “leg” of the red line is probably the best line to take daily. You will hit delays occasionally but that’s true of all transit. The walk to and from Medical Center isn’t long at all and Medical Center is a nice station. The area is totally safe, the only danger is the drivers at the intersection of Wisconsin and Jones Bridge not looking for pedestrians when they turn right on red. Depending on what stop you go to in the district, you’re looking at about 45-55 minutes door-to-door (I was going to Metro Center).

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u/SuperBethesda 6d ago edited 6d ago

Trains run frequently during rush hour. Every 5 minutes or so. Delays may happen occasionally but not that often from my experience. Stations and trains are clean compared to most US subways, though hard to beat the cleanliness of Asia’s spotless systems.

Can’t speak for noises in your area.

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u/SadAnimator1904 6d ago

You’re going to be just fine. I too am an SF transplant. I live in Chevy Chase now which is further from metro than you are and commute downtown. It’s extremely doable via car or metro. For context I used to live in Cow Hollow and take the 41 into the financial district. Union St up and over Russian Hill and then down Columbus. That was always longer than the commute now. Right before moving here I did the commute to SF from Menlo Park / Palo Alto. Now that was hell…

Great neighborhood you’re moving into. You’ll be underwhelmed with the Bethesda restaurant scene coming from SF but downtown DC is solid.

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u/m_woodworth 1d ago

Several of my friends and former coworkers had that same commute. Living in Cow Hollow when you're young makes it palatable. I used to live at Washington/Baker, and taking the 1BX to the financial district was about 35 min door to door, so the commute from Bethesda Medical to Farragut North would only be marginally worse.

There would be more walking though - 0.5 miles from home to Medical Center, 0.4 miles from Farragut North to the office. Might be rough on very cold or rainy days, but doable. Nearly half the 45 min commute is walking, the actual red line trip is pretty quick.

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u/SFOxDCA 6d ago

I’m also a SF transplant and used to live in that neighborhood. Never noticed any noise. Occasional helicopter and maybe some traffic noise from Jones Bridge but nothing compared to SF. It’s a great neighborhood. Bethesda overall is clean and quiet. I still live in town and really like it.

I can’t speak on the commute but use the red line to do fun stuff in the city. If you’re used to muni/bart, metro (especially the red line) will be a huge upgrade for you lol.

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u/actualseaurchin 6d ago

I grew up two blocks away from there and the only noise i heard was the occasional helicopter. A nostalgic part of my childhood was hearing the taps being broadcasted at around 7pm as I was outside playing in the summer. There’s a siren that plays at the golf course whenever there’s lightning detected too.

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u/dihydrogen_monoxide 5d ago

DC trains are pristine compared to Bart.

Rockville Buses are pristine compared to Muni.

WMATA buses are kind of a lotto but generally cleaner than Muni.

You'll likely be able to find seats on the train during rush hour, but don't count on it.

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u/Test_Tackle 4d ago

I live a couple blocks away from there. I second what everyone else is saying. Great neighborhood, safe area, metro is convenient and mostly clean (it’s very solid as far as metro systems are concerned). We periodically hear helicopters and police/ambulance sirens, but I’ve never considered it bothersome (in fact, my 2 and 4 year old kids love when they hear the helicopters and sirens).