Making a Life Without Driving a Car

What High-Rise's Residents May Lack Is Only a Walk Away

Marcia Potts, 54, used to weigh more than 300 pounds. Now she's down to half of that.

"I started in this pool," she said about her fitness regime, which includes swimming in her apartment building's rooftop pool during the summer, working out at 4 a.m. on the treadmill in its 24-hour fitness center and walking around downtown Bethesda.

Triangle Towers, the 16-story high-rise building where she lives, has helped her create a healthier lifestyle because of its location within walking distance to downtown Bethesda. It is also a short walk to a Metro station and to the National Institutes of Health, where she works. The building provides residents with older, larger apartments in a recently renovated building that has a yoga studio and retail space on the top floor.

Potts moved into her studio apartment at Triangle Towers, a 260-unit building, about nine years ago. She has loved living there ever since, she said. "I feel like I'm from Bethesda," she said, noting that events such as Taste of Bethesda are held right outside her door.

"It's the location. It's wonderful to be able to walk around. You can go to the store. There is a little bus you can ride around Bethesda," she said. The Capital Crescent Trail is also nearby.

Olga Leskova, 47, has lived in a large one-bedroom apartment at Triangle Towers for about a year and a half. Its close-to-everything location has made her life far simpler, she said.

There are more than 300 restaurants in Bethesda -- and two grocery stores within walking distance for those times she doesn't want to eat out. "I'm so happy to live in this area," she said.

Leskova sold her car because it seemed a waste of money to pay for parking and insurance when she doesn't need to drive.

Brett Jortland, 30, originally chose the building because it is close to NIH, but he has since begun working in the District. His commute via Metro takes about 45 minutes from door to door. Although he has a car, which he keeps in the Triangle Towers parking garage, he rarely uses it.

Jortland said he is pleased that the building is so close to restaurants and that the neighborhood is so large. In comparison, he said, Cleveland Park and other D.C. neighborhoods just have commercial strips.

Even with the many restaurants, Jortland does cook, if infrequently. The kitchen in his one-bedroom apartment suits his needs, he said.

Triangle Towers kitchens have gas cooking, garbage disposals and, in all but the studios, dishwashers. The apartments are renovated as needed upon turnover.