Anybody here live in/near Old Town Alexandria? (Arlington, Washington: apartments, hotel)

[Movinanshakin]

Looking at some of the newer apartments over by the USPTO. They say it's kind of a dead area and walking everywhere isn't practical, but Metro is nearby and the area is pretty safe, I hear. That and it's not far from where I'll be working.

As for the night life - is this mostly just a few small pubs and and restaurants?

My budget is pretty flexible. Any thoughts/recommendations/warnings about the area or specific apartment buildings appreciated.

[marie5v]

I know Old Town pretty well, but I'm not sure what USPTO is. Also, what's the question exactly? What kind of place were you hoping for?

[CAVA1990]

There were a couple of threads on this not long ago. You might want to do a search on "USPTO" as they used the same abbreviation in them.

[FindingZen]

That's the US Patent & Trademark Office. That area is called the Carlyle neighborhood. It's a pretty new area of high-rise apartments, office buildings and a hotel. It's true that there's not much happening at night but the rest of Old Town is literally next door. You'll see lots of restaurants and retail on and near the nearby main drag King Street, especially east of Washington St. From the Carlyle area to the waterfront, it's perhaps a 10-minute car/bus ride or an invigorating half-hour walk.

[Pandoras]

Originally Posted by Movinanshakin

Looking at some of the newer apartments over by the USPTO. They say it's kind of a dead area and walking everywhere isn't practical, but Metro is nearby and the area is pretty safe, I hear. That and it's not far from where I'll be working.

As for the night life - is this mostly just a few small pubs and and restaurants?

My budget is pretty flexible. Any thoughts/recommendations/warnings about the area or specific apartment buildings appreciated.

Are you looking in the Eisenhower area or near Carlyle? The Carlyle area is an easy walk to Whole Foods and the restaurants near King Street metro. I don't think there are any clubs there. It is a very nice neighborhood. If you don't want to walk far you can always catch a cab at the King Street Taxi line.

[Movinanshakin]

Originally Posted by Pandoras

Are you looking in the Eisenhower area or near Carlyle? The Carlyle area is an easy walk to Whole Foods and the restaurants near King Street metro. I don't think there are any clubs there. It is a very nice neighborhood. If you don't want to walk far you can always catch a cab at the King Street Taxi line.

That's pretty much the area I'm asking about (Carlyle). Looking for something in that area and was curious if anybody on this board lived near there or knew more about it. I knew a lot of it was under development a few years ago and just curious how accurate Google street view was (seems to be accurate).

[phrekyos]

I've lived (over 1 year) and worked (over 2 years) in Carlyle. I'm not into "nightlife" but I don't think there is much around here anyway. Just a few lounge/restaurant-type places. Of course, there are two metro stations that can take you to DC for that.

Most of the apt. complexes around are pretty nice. Just ignore the stuff on apartmentratings.com and such - people on there can be pretty hyperbolic is all I can say.

That said, the only reason I live here is because it's within walking distance to work. It's just too expensive otherwise.

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by phrekyos

I've lived (over 1 year) and worked (over 2 years) in Carlyle. I'm not into "nightlife" but I don't think there is much around here anyway. Just a few lounge/restaurant-type places. Of course, there are two metro stations that can take you to DC for that.

Nightlife in Old Town does consist of more than a few restaurants - many with a bar section - rather than dance clubs. Admittedly, a twentysomething person looking to cut loose may find Old Town a little laid-back. In that case, Clarendon and Ballston (in Arlington) are probably the best option for nightlife on this side of the Potomac.

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by Movinanshakin

That's pretty much the area I'm asking about (Carlyle). Looking for something in that area and was curious if anybody on this board lived near there or knew more about it. I knew a lot of it was under development a few years ago and just curious how accurate Google street view was (seems to be accurate).

The Carlyle area is very safe at night, it's just very quiet. Ratings websites aside, I would think that the apartment buildings in that area are in good shape since most are relatively new.

[Movinanshakin]

Originally Posted by phrekyos

Most of the apt. complexes around are pretty nice. Just ignore the stuff on apartmentratings.com and such - people on there can be pretty hyperbolic is all I can say.

That said, the only reason I live here is because it's within walking distance to work. It's just too expensive otherwise.

It's not cheap, that's what I noticed too. But in defense of the expensive places, they don't seem to have a lot of complaints, hyperbolic or otherwise. An agent I talked to steered me towards a place a bit further away that was only a hundred bucks cheaper a month, but it turned out to be nothing at all like what he described - sounded and looked (via Google Street View) pretty crummy (Park at Arlington). For that little bit of savings not sure it's worth the grief.