Recommendations for living in the DC area

Parent Cafe
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<p>BTW we do not have reciprocity…You must be licensed in ea area. My VA license doesn’t allow me to show homes in DC and vise a versa. Plus even if you have a license in another state/district the broker must be also licensed, luckily my broker has that, but for MD we are registered to another broker, who my office honors. </p>

<p>MRIS statement was me being sarcastic.</p>

<p>You did make an assumption and a slam to me and every other VA Realtor</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>If that was not meant to be offensive, than my apologies, but to me it was. The assumption I refer to is you never said a realtor, in other words did you really believe I was working in DC, b/c if you did you wouldn’t say a VA realtor.</p>

<p>I am not saying an urban experience isn’t great, but at what cost? Should they be broke b/c they can’t afford to live there? Should they commute 90 min ea way? Should they lower their stds and live in an unsafe neighborhood to fit their budget? </p>

<p>Lets agree to disagree, b/c as a realtor I can not see 1000k a mo. as a viable option, you need to spend 1500+ to be viable for a loft. My job is to listen to the client and then match their needs, I never can put my personal opinion in, its called “steering” and against the law</p>

42

<p>I appreciate all inputs, but before this gets out of hand, let me tell you my impressions so far and tell me where I am wrong (or right).</p>

<ul>
<li><p>It sounds like driving from DC or nearby Arlington to Tysons Corner is a very costly and time-consuming ordeal and should be avoided.</p></li>
<li><p>Using public transit (combination of train/bus) is an option but requires transfers and hence possibly a long commute. Living in Crystal City or Pentagon City would require two transfers (train to train to bus) and hence may be very long. As I understand it, transfers from train to bus do not eliminate the bus fare - just reduce it a bit.</p></li>
<li><p>To drive to Tysons for work and still be close to the Metro, the best options are near the last three stops of the Orange Line. The downside of this is that the surrounding areas are not hotspots for younger people … to get to any youth-oriented areas would require a ride on the Metro to at least Ballston or Clarendon.</p></li>
<li><p>It sounds like Ballston and Clarendon have a fairly significant youth culture and living in one of these places is roughly comparable with Dupont Circle (i.e., all three offer local “hangouts” but to go to museums or concerts would still require a Metro ride.)</p></li>
<li><p>Ballston and Clarendon, while still expensive, are significantly less expensive than DC-proper. They are also more likely to be car-friendly in terms of having available parking spots. (I imagine that DC-proper is like NYC - it’s best to not even have a car.)</p></li>
</ul>

<p>The question that I have concerning Ballston/Clarendon is: Would driving from either of these to Tyson Corner Center Mall be a daily disaster, or only a once-in-a-while headache? If the later, it sounds like these areas are good compromises.</p>

<p>So, where have I gone wrong before I pass all of this sage advice on to my son?</p>

43

<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>If that was not meant to be offensive, than my apologies, but to me it was…</p>

<p>I did not mean to be offensive, but since it was offensive to you, I apologize.</p>

44

<p>FF,</p>

<p>Ballston is your best of all options. 66/395/95/495/123 are disasterous everyday :(, however, everyone gets used to it rather quickly, it is just part of life in the metro area. The only time it isn’t disastrous is in August…everyone leaves town…</p>

<p>Rte 123 will now be going under renovation for the 1st stage of the Tyson metro. The metro will be if I recall correctly across from the mall (lost site of where they finally decided…above ground/under ground issue).</p>

<p>If he has flex time the routes clear up pretty quickly @9/9:30. Otherwise rule of thumb is 20 -30 mi/hr by car. </p>

<p>Go to apartments.com, apartmentfinders.com or washingtonpost.com For furnished apts., they usually have short leases, which maybe a good choice to let him get situated and then make a decision later on without losing a deposit. My cousin works in Tysons for a large co. across the st. from the mall, she has an engineering degree and was recruited out of GWU…I believe this corp is the largest employer in the area and a motivator to getting the metro out there…in the original design it was to stop right in front of the co.</p>

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<p>Agree. I always liked the day before Thanksgiving. 395 was a breeze.</p>

<p>I am so happy to be out of the DC area and in a town that has no concept of what real traffic is like; a town that has a beltline and not a beltway.</p>

46

<p>last week of dec is great too :), </p>

<p>Most dreaded areas…495 exit 49…people getting off Little River and trying to get 5 lanes over in less than a mi.</p>

<p>95 at the mixing bowl on Monday when all the snowbirds arrive and have no idea where they are going (got to get there by 3 for the AMTRACK). Can always tell it is April or Oct.</p>

<p>Mixing bowl at 8 am when they realize that 395 is on the left and 495 is on the right.</p>

<p>95 s. bound at 5:55 and everyone is waiting on the shoulder to get on the HOV</p>

<p>95 S bound exit 152 on a Friday, G forbid 4th July, if you aren’t through by 3, give it up</p>

<p>66 when there is an accident …no shoulder for the ambulance and fire dept.</p>

<p>66 around Dunn Loring, bumper to bumper and then for no apparent reason it just opens up.</p>

<p>395 around the Pentagon after 4 until 6-7</p>

<p>Let’s not forget about 123. And resign yourself for rainy days :(</p>

<p>Did I miss anything? And again we must be masochistic b/c in the end we love the area</p>

47

<p>“again we must be masochistic b/c in the end we love the area”</p>

<p>As a parent, I am excited about the opportunity to visit my son in DC. I think DC has more tourist-friendly activities than any other American city - and most of them are free. The Boston area (his other choice) is nice, but you quickly run out of things to do. I could spend days in each of the various Smithsonian museums.</p>

48

<p>Would your son consider an apartment in Tyson’s corner so he could walk/bike to work? Then after work hours, he could drive and park at the Dunn Loring metro and take the metro into D.C. That’s what I would do. Driving anywhere here during morning and evening rush hour is awful.</p>

49

<p>for over 25 years lived in the city, worked in the city, walked to work…never worred about driving any where any time…</p>

50

<p>“for over 25 years lived in the city, worked in the city, walked to work…never worred about driving any where any time…”</p>

<p>Yeah, that must be nice if you like being in a city. However, that’s not an option here.</p>

51

<p>However, that’s not an option here.</p>

<p>then Clarendon and Ballston would be good places to look…</p>

52

<p>FF, Some things you might want to consider doing while he lives there…</p>

<p>The torpedo museum/gallery (it has small artistry shops and the painted torpedos from WWII).</p>

<p>The Spy Museum (buy tickets on line) and go to chinatown afterwards for dinner.</p>

<p>FDR monument — off the track but worth it</p>

<p>Korean Memorial at night</p>

<p>L’Auberge for a special dinner (it has been in the MasterCard commercials and worth the price). They have only 2 seatings ( 6 & 9)and expect to pay @75 pp without alcohol. Located in Great Falls
McCormick and Schmidts (sp?) </p>

<p>Occoquan antique festival in June and Sept. (must take a shuttle due to the street being closed). great town to window shop when the festival is not occurring</p>

<p>The marathon in October</p>

<p>If you have a motorcycle bring it for Memorial Day Weekend.</p>

<p>Cherry Blossom festival </p>

<p>Inaugral festivities</p>

<p>New Years Eve on the mall</p>

<p>Tea at the Willard</p>

<p>Bull Feathers (old town or capital)</p>

<p>The Doubletree hotel in oldtown —the bar rotates around to see everything</p>

<p>Elizabeth Arden Red Door at Pentagon City…if you are married </p>

<p>Quantico Museum.</p>

<p>The Gold Cup if you like horses</p>

<p>Inner Harbor</p>

<p>The White House Visitor Center </p>

<p>Call your MOC and get a personalized tour of the cap.</p>

<p>Ford’s Theatre…go to hard rock for dinner</p>

<p>Bethesda</p>

<p>Kennedy center</p>

<p>Annapolis — great walking town.</p>

<p>If he graduated from an ACC college see if MD plays them in football, UMD is on the metro</p>

<p>Washington Zoo —gotta see the panda’s :)</p>

<p>Aerospace museum on the 66 corridor</p>

<p>Gift to son “The Washingtonian”. and the Washington Post, both have great suggestions of restaurants. I believe the Post is @$7 a mo for delivery. The Washingtonian is a magazine that is mo/bi mo —not pos., I pick up when I see the new one</p>

53

<p>I saw the Hopper exhibit today at the east gallery of the Smithsonian. I heard a docent say this is the first time so much Hopper has been in DC and it’s the first time for Nighthawks. Closes on Jan. 21.</p>

54

<p>Besides Fords and the Kennedy Center, DC, Virginia, and Maryland are extravagantly rich in theater venues everything from the Woolly Mammoth to Shakespeare at the Folger. My personal favorite is the Synetic Theater, [Synetic</a> Theater](<a href=“http://www.classika.org/Synetic/home.html]Synetic”>http://www.classika.org/Synetic/home.html). Their performances are breathtaking. I do miss them. We have nothing like them here.</p>

55

<p>Don’t forget Wolf Trap!! It’s an outdoor theater/amphitheater just outside Tyson’s Corner!! They have concerts, plays, and dance performances. You can be under the pavilion, or sit on the lawn. Either way it is wonderful, especially if you arrive early and picnic on the grounds before going in!!</p>

56

<p>I’d do the FDR Memorial during cherry blossom time – two birds with one stone. The smart people get down to the Tidal Basin by 7 am on a weekend and have the place mostly to themselves until about 10 am, at which point it turns into a mob scene.</p>

<p>The Tidal Basin during cherry blossoms is also a great time and place to take wine, cheese and a date for a sunset picnic. Bring jackets – it can be cold and windy in late March - early April.</p>

57

<p>CountingDown:</p>

<p>Have you ever tried to get down 14th st. and across the bridge during rush hour when the cherry blossoms are blooming? I hate, hate, hate that time of the year. Apparently most of the tourists who are walking believe that they are invulnerable when them come to DC; cross the street anywhere they want at anytime. Tourists in cars seem to believe that that five miles an hour is the standard speed in WDC. As for those on the subway–none of them ever seemed to have heard about standing on the right and most are flummoxed by the fare card machines. </p>

<p>And then there are the 100 13 year olds all lined up to individually get their fare cards during rush hour on the one day your fare card ran out.</p>

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<p>Nice weather + Spring Break + Cherry Blossoms peaking = Perfect Storm of Chaos on Metro and DC roads.</p>

59

<p>your screen name is always a hoot but more so in this context…we were in the National Archives just yesterday gazing at the foun(?)ding fathers and their documents.</p>

<p>as a VA parent who just returned from three days of touring in DC, I think the wisest thing your son can accomplish is to locate a decent person to share an apt with in Virginia for his initial year.
Our S lived near Eastern Market last summer in housing designated for short term lease. Great location…but he was robbed blind within a week while at work…however, the robber was very nice and also redid the deadbolt on exit. Inside job. </p>

<p>Young people are also often required to prove that their paychecks are at a certain level in order to get a desirable apt. The best apts go to the people who are the best risks. Young males we know living inside the city with downtown lives band together with others who have similar incomes…and they all have to prove their level of employment to get the best property to rent. This is what I think would be an appropriate goal for your S after Year One…when he has a chance to check out the whole scene and make his own friends. He can relocate based on his more developed social circle.</p>

<p>Don’t stress too much on year one…it will be a satisfying adventure that will morph into a new location for him as long as his access to his job is decent at first. He will have no problem getting downtown enough on weekends on the Metro as he takes stock of all the options. Upping the ante on location and access to downtown often takes connections and scheming that is part of making friends. </p>

<p>A relationship with an agent with Tyson’s focus would be where I would start.</p>

<p>I have very specific leads on excellent hotels options for your trips to DC when you get to that point. We enjoyed visiting a few times last summer.</p>