<p>Singer is correct, anytime of the day 66 is PAINFUL…I live off 66 and G**forbid there is an accident you are looking at hours. Crystal City is basically Pentagon Row and expensive. Any car ride will be horrible unless you are in Falls Church/Fair Lakes/Mclean. Look at exit 49 on 495, this is the 66 jct. Dunn Loring is 63 (?) on 66. Arlington is extremely expensive, b/c it is near falls church and dunn loring metro. </p>
<p>Remember location, location, location and METRO is the location everyone wants.</p>
<p>THERE is NO METRO to TYSONS and the closest metro would be falls church or dunn loring, it would be easier to know what co., and area of tysons. Check out Metro to make sure rtes work with his times, if he has to work late he might be SOL to get a bus…Sorry live there and h has worked at puzzle palace, their routes aren’t always every 10 min.</p>
<p>In the end which does he want to be … close to action on the weekend, pay hi rent, drive 75 min ea way for 25 mi. or be close to work, drive on the weekends and pay less</p>
<p>Hayden, you are right Crystal City is convenient to DC(and the Reagan National Airport). I am not sure all apartments have cheap parking, though, for the car commute to Tysons.
And the Metro stop serves the Blue and Yellow lines, which you can take to Metro Center to catch the Red line.</p>
<p>bulletandpima,
I agree that if it were me, I would rather have the “short” commute and low(er) priced housing out near where I worked and then on weekends drive into the city. However, the last two summers he lived in the Boston area near the T and commuted out to the burbs and he liked that arrangement.</p>
<p>I know that there are no metro rail stations where he works, but I think what irishforever was suggesting was to take the orange line out to West Falls Church station and then transfer to a bus to get to his office. I checked the maps that Singersmom07 linked to and it does appear that this could work since there is a bus line that connects from the rail station to right near his office. I guess the question is how often the trains and buses run so that you don’t spend forever waiting for a connection. However, if I had to make that commute, I would rather it be sitting on public transportation while I slept or read.</p>
<p>I just went into MRIS, the best you can get for crystal/pentagon/arlington is 1650. Gates of Mclean has a rental for 1250, Barcroft in falls church has one at the price range. There are no listings through realtors Crystal city under 1700.</p>
<p>mominva - you’re correct about Crystal City not being on the red line. I got confused by our son talking about the red line so much, but that’s the line he gets on last to get to his destination. Thanks for the correction.</p>
<p>FF - our S got two roommates, and the 3 of them have a 3-bedroom in the apartments. That’s why I thought the price was doable. The benefit to roommates is that with a 3-bedroom, there is a lot of room to rattle around in and have privacy from each other. No place is perfect when trying to live in one of the top 5 most desired cities in the entire country, is it? But again, I wish you/him a lot of luck. </p>
<p>I guess if both our sons end up living in Arlington, they still won’t be bumping into each other at political rallies, will they ? :)</p>
<p>fundingfather~I am assuming that you mean Tysons Corner Mall and Tysons II (the Galleria) which are across a major road, 123, from one another. Lots of buses would go from West Falls Church to that area. It is somewhat against traffic, but you would be surprised at the amount of “reverse” commute there is, especially in the evening, of people getting back to the Arlington/Alexandria area from Tysons. Ballston and Rosslyn are close in on the Orange line, so easily accessible to DC after work or on the weekends!</p>
<p>A cousin’s daughter transplanted from New Jersey to Fairfax Co. a few years ago and originally lived around the Vienna/Fairfax/GMU area. Not quite as singles-oriented as Clarendon/Ballston/Alexandria, but as reasonable a commute to Tyson’s as there might be. A big welcome to the area to your son!</p>
<p>I don’t think the Yellow Line stops at Metro Center. I think you can use it from Arlington/Pentagon City to downtown D.C. though - I think it stops at L’Enfant Plaza.</p>
<p>Clarendon and Ballston is where recent grads tend to live. Easy Metro for those who like public transportation, more parking than Crystal City. He still may not be able to afford his own apt. but it is less than living in the District or MD, and so much nicer!</p>
<p>“Clarendon and Ballston…and so much nicer!”</p>
<p>Also boring……someone just out of college should live in the city…enjoy and learn from the urban life….there will be time to live in “nice” neighborhood when they are settled down and raising a family. </p>
<p>Look at Capital Hill, DuPont Circle, Adams Morgan, and around Catholic University. </p>
<p>It may be just me but my idea of the last stage of hell is a “nice suburban neighborhood.”</p>
<p>Yeah, ut the commute by car would be at least 90 min. ea way to Tysons. One time I had to go from the Pentagon to Little River Tpke (8 mi) and it took me 53 min. Figure it is a 30 min. bus ride just from Pentagon to No. ARlington, add at least 15-20 min from DC to Pentagon and 15-20 min from No. Arlington to Tysons, plus walking to and fro from bus stop and waiting for interchanges and you are at 90 min. Tysons is not a h*** whole, there is a social world. However, those who live in DC have a problem accepting at first that VA is not married life, 2.5 kids and a fence. I have sold to many young singles who have no regret, they actually spend less time commuting and willing to go out on weekends instead of exhaustion from horrible commutes. I actually have gotten referrals b/c their friends then want to move out of the DC area. </p>
<p>Finally Tommy in the end how can you go out in those areas if your whole paycheck is consummed by your rent? FF is looking for less than 1k a mo…anywhere in those areas would be in an area that I wouldn’t even put a rat in. Most basement converted apart. go well over 1k, and you share the kit., and laundry with the owners.</p>
<p>The lofts in Pentagon Row go for @ 1100-1300 a mo. and that’s only 600-700 sqft. or in terms kit/ba/bdr/living would be 20 X 30… remember a queen size bed is 5 X 6. a ba. is at least 5 X6, add in a hall and a kit and all you now have room for is a wall unit and a bistro table</p>
<p>My son and three friends from college are living in Arlington, in the complex right by Pentagon City. There are about four high-rise apartment buildings there, within walking distance of the Metro, about 20 minutes into DC. The apartment is about $3000 per month, but with four of them it’s quite do-able. They’re very happy there. Google “River House” in Arlington.</p>
<p>If it were me I’d be focusing on the boring?/exciting! areas of the Orange Line corridor in Arlington including Ballston/Rosslyn (look for rentals at River Place) and Clarendon.</p>
<p>Another option is living near Dunn Lorring Metro, also on the Orange and using the less traveled Gallows Road route to get to Tysons.</p>
<p>I actually put a client in River house and she loved it. Even though there is a gym, she joined Bally’s. She worked at the smithsonian and took the metro in to work. The Harris Teeters is amazing as all of the HT’s in the area. I personally loved EA Red door and DSW. </p>
<p>When I placed her there, in 2005 she paid 1100 a mo for a loft.</p>
<p>Nothing beats the unbiased opinion of a real estate agent licensed in Virginia on the benefit of living in Virginia and the problems of living in a city.</p>
<p>BTW, I am able to work in DC, don’t make assumptions about something you do not know about. Many RE’s have all 3 areas. However, as I have stated this is about a person working in Tyson’s and having limited funds. Should I rec. that they spend more money to put them in a bad place, have no money due to rent, parking issues, gas prices are 30 cents more a gallon.</p>
<p>Again we are talking about limited funds and no roommate option placed into the equation…since you know the area more than me, I assume you have MRIS to look up and find a suitable apt in the DC areas you are speaking of for under 1k a month. Good luck!</p>
<p>Also the majority of the respondents are also keeping the s on the va side</p>
<p>Tommy, as of today’s listing there is 1 available in “walking distance” to Adam’s Morgan for 1500 p/m and a lovely 521 sqft to live in…so there’s my rec. go live in a 20 x26 home. Of course there is another one that is 1100, ut is willing to accept sec 8 also, that one is 450 sqft and built in 1910, no note saying it has been ren., and since sec 8 is regulated that means they are not allowed to charge more due to what the home has to offer.</p>
<p>Now go over the river and you can have a loft over 600 sqft, for sev. hundred less a mo., which do I offer? Remember, answer carefully, client wants 1000 or less, will work in TYSONS and would like to be near a metro to go to DC. Did I skip a beat, isn’t that VA</p>
<p>BTW, I am able to work in DC, don’t make assumptions about something you do not know about.</p>
<p>I made no assumptions concerning your ability to work in D.C. As I understand the business many RE agents have cross border arrangements so that they can operate in other jurisdictions. </p>
<p>I suggest you read carefully what I write before you jump on me. The last time you took me to task was over a phrase you assumed to be improper simply because you were not acquainted with it. </p>
<p>All I am saying is that the urban experience is a good experience for young people to have. It is my opinion and nothing more. I offered it to be of help to the poster who wrote in asking for help. </p>
<p>since you know the area more than me, I assume you have MRIS,"</p>
<p>I am not so sure that I know the area better and you are incorrect in you assumption that I have MRIS.</p>