Public transportation or drive in DC
 

I will be taking some courses near the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in April next year. I am offered a place to stay in Herndon, Virginia. If I take the bus and metro, it'll be 1 hour 45 minutes each way. I can drive to Vienna/Fairfax Metro Station and take the metro. But it is still 45 minutes metro ride. The quickest way is drive all the way. But I'm worried about traffic and parking. Is there any public parking near WRAMC and how expensive is it?
Any suggestion is appreciated.

I visit with friends who live close to the Vienna station. She works in DC, he in Alexandria. They prefer Metro. You can always read or even nap on the the train, instead of white-knuckle driving in your auto. Get a pass and save $.

Do they have parking on the Army facility? If not, it's not really a neighborhood with a lot of parking.

I would drive to Vienna and take the subway. The drive into the city will get you hitting A LOT of traffic. It probably isn't a 45 minute drive. More like an hour or so.

What time of day will you be commuting?

MikeT's advise is wise. You can't go from Herndon to Walter Reed any faster than 1:45 with your own wheels. Might as well go subway.

There is no parking provided and I'll be travelling during the usual rush hour. What about parkings at the metro stations, either Silver Spring or Takoma?

There is parking at Silver Spring, not sure about Takoma. But by the time you get there, youi've already spend over an hour or more in your car.

Why are you opposed to taking mass transit? If it is as quick and cheaper, where's the downside?

I am trying to find a quicker way than than the public transit to travel because I don't want to spend over 3 hours on the road each day. But if drving takes just as long, may be I should just give up this offer to stay in Herndon and find a temporary rental in Silver Spring, Wheaton, Tacoma Park ....

Yeah...I think out of your two options, the Metro is the way to go. It may be just as long as driving, but at least you know you'll get there in that specific amount of time. With driving in the DC area, you just never know...you might get through ok (if driving during non-peak hours), but I think the odds may tip towards you sitting in traffic for a long time. Not to mention the aggravation of stop and go traffic. It tends to be a parking lot up there.

I think a total of 3 hours per day roundtrip of commute time in the washington area sounds like a usual amount...hey, if you took the Metro, you could use the commute time to study for your courses! If, you can stand reading on a moving vehicle without getting sick!