New to McLean - looking for families with small kids (Chesapeake: lease, home)

[vegemitekids]

We've recently moved from Australia and living in Chain Bridge Forest area. For us there was no choice of housing locality as it a long term leased home by my hubby's employer. It is a lovely home, attractive area, and our neighbors are very friendly (albeit 20 years older than us). But where are all the kids? We NEVER see anyone! Ok, it is hot, and it is prime vacation time, but it's like a ghost town around here. There is no community park/playground that we can walk to to meet other kids and my 5 year old is driving me crazy. We have been to Clemyjontri a few times - too hot, no shade - and a couple of lovely parks in Arlington, but their doesn't seem to be anything within 10-15 minutes drive for little kids. We've hung out at Starbucks and Greenberrys(?) to no avail. We're not stalkers. I don't like to talk about kids 24/7. I'm not looking for a serious relationship here, in fact I kind of prefer my own company and value my privacy, but it would be nice to get together with someone in my neighborhood every now and then for the kids to have a play. The community centre only seems to run playgroups for younger kids. Can anyone give me some advice? Due to my husband's job we have a pretty good social network, but feeling a bit sorry for my little one.

[buildinginva]

Clemyjontri is so crowded that it's hard to connect with anyone. Have you gone to smaller local parks? We live on the border of McLean and Falls Church, and really like Cherry Hill Park and Lincoln Park in Falls Church. Also, you could sign your kid up for classes. We've had our 3 y.o. take various classes (swimming, soccer etc.) at the Spring Hill rec center in McLean.

Also, you should check out dcurbanmom.com forums for other ideas. There are mom groups you could join (e.g., MONA in Arlington) that get together.

[buildinginva]

Another idea - look into joining a local pool, that's where the action is in the summer. There are several in the area (I know of Chesterbrook, Kent Gardens and Tuckahoe pools in McLean and High Point in Falls Church). Most have wait lists, but some have August memberships they offer to people on the wait list (I now High Point does it).

[claremarie]

We used to live nearby (and have Australian friends living right in your neighborhood! -- but their younger child is a senior in high school), and I can relate to the ghost town thing. Do check out the local pools. Chesterbrook typically has a wait list, but Highlands Swim and Tennis (on Linway Terrace in McLean) usually has August memberships open now. That's where many families will be with young kids, especially during heat waves. Also, check out the local libraries for story hours. I second the nomination of local parks -- the one on Harrison Street in Arlington is particularly nice and shady, and walking distance to Chesapeake Bagel, Starbucks, and Baskin Robbins. It has an official name, but we always called it "the park on Harrison Street" and basically lived there when our boys were small. It's on Harrison between Little Falls and Lee Highway.
Lots of people go away about this time of year, as you noted.

[vegemitekids]

Thanks for the park suggestions, I hadn't heard of a couple of them and will definitely give them a try. As for the pools -coming from Australia we have been used to paying a couple of dollars to visit good public outdoor or indoor pools. I haven't yet got my head around the concept of paying around $700 for a summer lease which we may use twice a week. Especially this year with such a short time to go before the end of 'swimming season' (which is another new concept for me!). I have looked into Chesterbrook and Kent Gardens (yes, a long waitlist), but not Highlands or High Point. Does anyone know the public pool in Arlington on Quincy St (I don't remember the name)?

[NYmama2dallas]

Arlington only has indoor public pools (?). There is a pool on Lee Highway called Overlee that has pretty reasonable August memberships.

[claremarie]

You can pay a few dollars to visit the Spring Hill Rec Center in McLean (operated by Fairfax County), but it's indoors, but there are very few outdoor pools that are open to the public. The closest one to you is Upton Hill (they call it a "waterpark" now) in Arlington, operated by the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority. Upton Hill - Waterpark I used to go there to swim laps before we joined Overlee in Arlington. That was about 20 years ago, so things may well have changed, but my experience was that there were a LOT of unsupervised kids and young teenagers there, making for a not very pleasant time. But it's certainly worth a visit -- maybe it's improved over the decades.
For better or for worse, most families with kids and a parent at home usually join one of the neighborhood swim clubs. They all have swim teams, which does keep the kids busy for a good chunk of the summer. We went pretty much every day, which greatly brings down the "cost-per-use" figure.

There is another outdoor swimming option nearby, although it's actually in DC. The East Potomac Park (known locally as Hains Point) has one of the few 50-meter outdoor facilities in the area. It's got limited operating hours as it's also used by several swim teams, and probably not suitable for small children. But if any adults in the family are lap swimmers, it's lovely. My son had practice there during the summer for years.
East Potomac Park Swimming Pool
(202) 727-6523
Hours: Open June – mid October, Monday – Friday: 1 p.m. – 8 p.m., Saturday – Sunday: Noon – 6 p.m. Closed Wednesdays.

[michgc]

Check out Upton Hill Waterpark. My friend used to go there a lot and liked it. It's busy earlier in the day with day camps but later on it empties out a bit. Also, there is a park in Arlington that I like on the corner of Washington Blvd and George Mason Drive. It's fenced in which is nice. It's a community type park - not big like Clemyjontri.