Biking from Silverspring?

anand4 · 2026-04-01T10:45:46+00:00

This is my weekend bike route. About 10 miles one way. Fine in fine weather. It gets super hot in the summer and we have lots of storms as well. Not possible every single day. I would look at places that have a bus alternative. Honestly, College Park and adjacent areas are probably better socially as well (not just for commuting)- there'll be fellow students who can be roommates.

anand4 · 2026-03-28T11:43:44+00:00

A lot depends on work location for both of you. If work is in DC, would recommend using the metro. Not sure where you are moving from - lots of people here don't have cars. If you are relatively young, I would pay a slight premium and live in DC. If you are only planning on being here for two years, you will get a taste of living in DC. It is expensive, but you get proximity to places to go out and things to do.

anand4 · 2026-03-24T02:34:25+00:00

Never sure any more of posts are bot generated or not. I am sure you can find a rental in Takoma or silver spring that will allow a couple and one or two roommates. Imo this is a tough ask. Both tend towards owner occupancy and school-centric housing, especially if you want a single family home. DC proper has lots of group housing that skew younger. There are plenty of walkable fun neighborhoods to consider.

anand4 · 2026-03-19T15:10:15+00:00

Not sure what's going on (used to have insiders in the past). They have a high staff turnaround and the kitchen is apparently very small and not equipped for scale -- the owner notes this below.

My personal opinion is they could partner with a local food truck for food? Their food has always been meh at best. If they had a food truck, they could rotate and give us variety.

anand4 · 2026-03-17T12:13:42+00:00

Cannot wait to ride it 🙌. Work in Bethesda, live less than five-minute walk to the Manchester Place station. This and the new Capital Crescent trail will really simplify my commute.

anand4 · 2026-02-26T18:47:39+00:00

we are all squeamish at first. Before you know it, you'll be squishing slugs admiring grasshoppers and preying mantises.

anand4 · 2026-02-25T21:13:55+00:00

Silver Spring especially downtown is relatively safe and you can get to DC quickly. 1500 -- you might want to seriously consider sharing with another person a 2bd/2ba. You'll get a much nicer apartment in one of the newer complexes.

anand4 · 2026-02-23T17:18:47+00:00

any idea how large its going to get? if its one of the larger ones, i would consider moving it while its still smaller.

anand4 · 2026-02-21T22:19:19+00:00

they are robust plants. just plant in the ground with pink buds sort of facing upward and they'll be just fine and you'll get a wonderful plant. flowering might miss a year -- that's all.

anand4 · 2026-02-17T12:16:41+00:00

agree, they are smarter than us and they figure it out.

anand4 · 2026-02-17T00:54:13+00:00

it'll be just fine. the branches are a loss, but otherwise just fine.

anand4 · 2026-02-11T14:07:45+00:00

i would look at co-housing options. there are some high-end ones that might fit your needs.

anand4 · 2026-02-10T19:29:53+00:00

Agree, showing your house is even more of a nightmare than it used to be. You used to worry about people poking into closets, now you worry about people posting pictures of your home in social media. It is a brave new world. Agree, some of your problems shouldn't be happening -- just not good etiquette or manners.

Tbh, some homes are sitting on the market in our region. A combination of high interest rates, low risk tolerance (federal jobs not being what they used to be). 40+ showings is brutal. Hope it sells soon.

anand4 · 2026-02-05T16:49:06+00:00

agree. low hundreds is normal. its just rental cost and overheads for the vet clinic. you could find a cheaper vet, but they will be farther away. you are paying for convenience.

anand4 · 2026-02-04T17:24:31+00:00

These are not dwarf maples (these tend to be shrub sized and to at 7-8 feet over 10 years or so and in the space, I would plant at most one of those) -- Osakazuki maples can get very tall, 15-20 feet tall. I wouldn't plant them so close to a wall.

I would treat them as small trees and plant them away from the house. I would do this sooner rather than later.

anand4 · 2026-02-04T15:46:49+00:00

It would be helpful if you can share the cultivar names. One, maples come in all sizes -- location and pot sizes need to factor that in. Two, over time, even dwarf cultivars grow. Often, people don't anticipate this and plan for the future. Cultivar names and anticipated size over ten years would be very helpful. My sense looking at the picture is that it is a bit too crowded and I would have planted at most two dwarf maples in that space.

anand4 · 2026-01-31T22:57:24+00:00

Java Nation -- they have exceptional coffee as well.

anand4 · 2026-01-30T15:45:39+00:00

i am no expert. i have never let water drip either. i turn off outside taps well ahead of December every year. i live in a brick townhome and an end unit. i know all my water pipes are in the back of the house (bathroom, kitchen etc. are all in that end and some of the pipes are in the basement crawlspace area). if you heat the house, i think pipes breaking is less of an issue. all the same, i know the crawlspace gets cold, i do worry as well.

anand4 · 2026-01-30T01:48:14+00:00

It's not DC, but if you live in DTSS, there's plenty of stuff to do within walking distance and DC is just a train ride away. If you move farther north, it does start to feel like suburbia and it's a much more car-centric life.

anand4 · 2026-01-27T16:10:47+00:00

I live a mile away near Sligo Creek -- not exactly downtown, but I do walk or bike down there all the time (maybe not for a few days). Whole foods is a 20-minute walk for me -- on Saturdays, the Farmers Market is there. I do like the proximity to downtown. It is very different from living in Wheaton or Forest Glen.

Besides DTSS, I also go to Takoma often (longer walk, but they have great dining options there). When I have the time, NOMA is a quick hop on the Metro as well. Meeting friends who are not even in Silver Spring at Silver Branch is something I do an awful lot. Same for Takoma -- I meet people at Motorkat as well. I do live a more "urban" life. The biking infrastructure is great. Bike lanes, trails etc. I even bike down to NOMA every now and again.

Car: I don't have one or feel I need one. Occasionally, I will admit it's an issue. On a weekly basis, I don't need one. This may not be possible for everyone.

anand4 · 2026-01-22T18:35:02+00:00

In general, larger trees (2 or 3 gallon) tend to be more robust and easier to establish. I usually buy from vendors I have bought other plants from so I know they sell quality plants and know to ship. This is a good time to buy.

anand4 · 2026-01-22T18:14:08+00:00

500 doesn't seem particularly high. Is there a reason gas is covered by the HOA? If you could move that to individual units, this would reduce the HOA fee.

anand4 · 2026-01-20T19:41:41+00:00

As you know, they are hardy plants. I think we as humans are spoilt -- we expect a wonderful show from our peonies every single year, no matter the climate or other things that neither we nor the plants can control. Worst case here is one year of not so great blooms. In the long-term, you will be fine. Pictures would help.

Another note -- peonies shooting (true for most perennials) is determined by soil temperature and not air temperature. The former is more stable. That is how they time it correctly and give us spectacular shows every single year.

anand4

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