Mount Pleasant Washington DC has a lot to offer and is an excellent spot for anyone wanting to put down roots in a great location that also offers fabulous commuting opportunities.
Its history goes back to the Civil War days, and today it has offers a great choice of apartments, houses, and places to enjoy your free time. Because it’s so close to the center of Washington, it’s becoming an attractive option for many commuters.
It’s a diverse area with a “village” or small-town feel. It really is just waiting to be discovered. Don’t believe us? Take a look at our Mount Pleasant Neighborhood Guide and see for yourself.
It tells you everything you need to know about retail and grocery shopping, arts and education, dining, nightlife, outdoors, health and fitness, and convenience stores in Mount Pleasant.
If you’re set on moving to Mount Pleasant, you may have already taken a look at our Mount Pleasant featured apartments. This may have left you with questions about your future commute to your place of work or study.
If that sounds like you, never fear, we’re going to walk you through all commuting possibilities from Mount Pleasant to other parts of the city.
Let’s dive in!
Where’s Mount Pleasant?
It’s located in the northwest quadrant of Washington DC. On the map, it’s below Crestwood, above Lanier Heights and to the east of Woodley Park and the Smithsonian National Zoological Park.
With its small-town vibe, old-style architecture, historic district, nearby parks, farmer’s market, Latino culture, and vintage storefronts, it’s becoming an excellent choice for commuters, not least because it has brilliant transport access.
Getting Around
Washington, DC, is easy to get around and very accessible. There are clean and safe Metro trains, plenty of bus routes and it’s easy to walk around too.
There are also taxis, UBER, the DC circular, and cycling. Here’s our guide to getting around, from door to desk in no time.
The Metro
Getting around Washington DC is quickly done by Metro. Transport in the city is run by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA).
Luckily, DC has a great transportation system, and if you don’t want to drive every day and do battle with the traffic, you’re in luck.
The Metro is known to be safe, clean, and efficient, and trains run from 5 am to midnight on weeknights, and 7 am to midnight on weekends.
Six color-coded Metro train lines are running through Washington DC. If you want to get to and from work by Metro from Mount Pleasant, you’ll be pleased to know that there are options. You can either use the Metrorail Green Line or the Metrorail Yellow Line.
The Green Line goes from at Greenbelt to Branch Avenue stations, and the Yellow Line goes from Fort Totten to Huntington stations. Both lines stop at Mount Pleasant’s stop: Columbia Heights, which is located on Lamont St, NW.
The WMATA journey planner will give you an estimate of your journey length and information about any delays.
For example, if an escalator is out of service, or if there are any station closures due to maintenance work. You get the idea. With the help of the WMATA, you can factor these delays into your travel plans.
Metro Cost
Metro ticket fares are calculated according to how many stops you travel, and prices are higher during commuting hours, ranging between $2.25 to $6 per trip, at the time of writing. Off-peak fares go from $1.85 to $3.85 per trip.
Seasoned DC commuters know how busy the Metro gets and know the informal and formal commuting commandments.
However, for anyone new to the city, and therefore, the Metro, take a look at WMATA’s helpful guide to Metro etiquette. This includes tips on which side of the escalator to stand on, eating and drinking, and safety procedures.
The Metrobus
There are hundreds of Metrobus routes in the city. This includes buses to and from Mount Pleasant to other parts of Washington DC.
There’s a handy route planner you can use to work out journey times from Mount Pleasant, which bus you’ll need, and how much a ticket will cost you.
The site also has access to live traffic updates and can give you information about congestion and whether or not there are delays to journeys. Ticket prices from Mount Pleasant to Downtown DC are around $2.00 each way.
The 42 and 43 bus routes serve Mount Pleasant. The 42 bus runs daily and has multiple stops connecting Mount Pleasant commuters to Columbia Heights Metro station.
It’s worth noting, the 43 runs during rush hour only. Either bus can also connect you to the Red Line via Dupont Circle station in around 15 – 20 minutes.
The Popular Places
If you’re keen to have more detail about a particular commute, we’ve chosen a few of the more common and popular commutes from Mount Pleasant below.
Commuters working at the Bethesda Medical District can get to work in just under an hour. You can grab the 42 or 43 bus and then the Red Line at Dupont Circle heading to Grosvenor and get off at Bethesda or Medical Center Station.
If you’re a student or work at the university, then the 42 and 43 are also your commuting buddies if you’re headed to Georgetown and the university. Once you get to Dupont Circle, you can board the free GUTS bus.
If Downtown’s your commuting destination, grab the S1 toward Potomac Park, which will take you around 30 – 40 minutes depending upon traffic.
Cash-Free Travel
You can buy a SmarTrip®️ card. The card is plastic, looks a bit like a credit card, and you load money onto it.
The card is embedded with a computer chip that tracks the value of your card, which you use to touch in and touch out at the circular targets on top of or inside station fare gates as you start and end your bus and Metro journeys.
The DC Circular
It’d be remiss of us not to mention this incredibly popular and free service. The service runs along six specific routes.
Rather like the Metro, each route has a designated color, and the circular buses stop at specific points of interest along each route. Passengers can get on or off the bus at these designated stops.
The closest DC Circular to Mount Pleasant is the Green colored route that traverses Woodley Park – Adams Morgan – McPherson Square.
Buses on this line run Monday – Thursday 6 am to 9 pm, Monday–Thursday: 6 am -Midnight, Friday: 6 am – 3.30 am, Saturday: 7 am – 3:30 am and Sunday: 7 am-midnight, with extended hours during the summer months.
Riding, Walking, and Cycling around Mount Pleasant, Washington, DC
There are plenty of ways to get around the city. The path you chose to take is up to you.
If you don’t want to ride the bus or hop on the DC Metro, check out these alternative travel options below.
Taxis
There are plenty of taxis in DC. At the time of writing, over 6,000 taxis were working in the city. Taxis charge fares by meter and take cash, debit cards, and credit cards.
There’s an app called the DC Taxi Rider that commuters can download, and it’s Android and iPhone compatible. It will help you calculate fares and estimate your journey. You can also pay for your ticket via the app.
Uber
Alternatively, you can travel by Uber. All you need to do is sign up, open an account, and download the Uber app to your phone. No cash is required unless you want to tip your driver.
Car
Some commuters prefer to drive their own vehicle in from Mount Pleasant. If you’re unsure where to park your vehicle, check out ParkWhiz.
This gives you the prices of all garages and lots around the city, and you can reserve a parking slot rather than waste time each morning looking for a parking space. Prices start at $11.
If you’re mindful of your carbon footprint and only want to use a car every now and again, you can use car share. Here’s where you pay to use a self-service vehicle by the hour or day.
Rates vary but include insurance, gas, and maintenance. There are plenty of car-share options in the district, including on-demand self-service cars left in designated parking spots across the city.
Cycling
Whether you own your own bike or you want to use one of the city’s bikes, both are possible when commuting from Mount Pleasant.
An effortless way to cycle to and from work (without having to keep your own bike) is Washington DC’s Capital Bikeshare scheme. It’s the most extensive bike-sharing program in the US.
The scheme is simple. Cycles have been installed across the city that commuters can access 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There are also plenty of bike lanes to make cycling more straightforward and safer.
All you have to do is sign up online, by phone, or at a Bikeshare kiosk. Options are 24 hours, monthly, or annual memberships. The first 30 minutes of any trip is free; for more information, you’ll have to contact them directly.
There are multiple bike stations in Mount Pleasant, which you can find by typing in your location on the site’s Find a Station map.
Cycling isn’t just for commuting, and we’ve put together a great guide to cycling around DC for when you’re not commuting or working.
Walking
The Mount Pleasant district is pleasing to walk around with older style architecture, vintage storefronts, and small-town feel.
It boasts Walkscore of 97, and because of its proximity to downtown DC, it’s possible to make your daily commute on foot.
If you follow a straight route from Columbia Heights Metro Station to Downtown, a quick Google calculate tells us it’s a mostly flat walk that’ll take you around 40 minutes. It’s definitely where you can live and run errands without a car.
Top Tip: Test Your Commute
Before choosing to live in Mount Pleasant, DC, it’s worth figuring out just how long or short your commute will be.
Some people choose to make the journey itself before committing themselves.
Our advice is to make the journey during different times of the day, especially during rush hour. That way, you’ll experience a more realistic feel for your commute.
It will give you a better sense of where you want to live in Mount Pleasant when choosing your DC apartment or house.
Ready for Your Commute From Mount Pleasant Washington, DC?
If having read this, you think that Mount Pleasant Washington, DC, is your number one location choice for your next apartment or house, we can help you find the home of your dreams.
If you’re relocating, read our guide on seamlessly relocating to DC.
If you’re already familiar with Mount Pleasant and DC in general, but want our help finding your dream home, give us a call at (833) 202-6055 or contact our corporate office, Monday to Friday at 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.
