Moving to NoVa - any cool areas??

[NOVA_guy]

Originally Posted by citizenchan

Not a criticism of you, but I have a bone to pick with the Mosaic district.

It is cool, hip, and trendy - that is accurate.

But I also find it completely contrived and soulless - Even soul-sucking. It seems to me like the developer surveyed a bunch of 24 year olds asking what they think a "revitalized" live/work/play/eat/shop center should look like then took the top 30 most common comments and built them all in one place. It's hard to explain.

It feels unauthentic, like the developer said "Here, you like this because our research says so, and you're too much of a follower to bother deciding if you like it anyway, so 'Go, my child, feast and be merry in this Neverland I have built for you.'" Maybe that's it, maybe it's more of a fantasy of what a real city center should be, than an actual city center.

If you watch South Park, I find no difference between SodoSopa and Mosaic.
I guess I can sum it up with a typical afternoon in the Mosaic District

You laugh and sip your venti macchiato as your nephew calls "Checkmate" in the game of giant lawn chess you're playing. You lay back on the glistening, manicured turf and watch Giada DeLaurentis roast wild mushroom and black truffle canapes on the giant 50-foot TV screen. When the segment is over, you hop on wifi because you're finally ready to write that blog post about how disappointed you are that the quality at Nando's Peri Peri has really gone down in recent months.

Sorry, I am not a fan.

Completely agree regarding Mosaic and I've always said this. And the thing that's crazy is it's not cheap. My friend is renting a 1 bedroom and she's paying just about what you would pay in Tysons... To me, Mosaic is nothing but a major shopping center with a few apartments thrown up near by. I remember when they first built it my co-workers were so excited about it, I just never really got the hype.

At least Reston Town Center has its own vibe and energy, it's not as soulless and generic as Mosaic. Maybe because of all the high rises and nearby metro, but RTC feels like a true urban area.

[LynchburgLover]

Daughter & husband like Mosaic. Convenient to a lot of stuff. Son-in-law uses shuttle to Dunn Loring Metro. The complex has a lot of amenities.

[frostopsy]

Fun would be anything along Wilson in Arlington. Old Town and Del Ray Alexandria for a distant 2nd place. Reston is Stepford territory.

[bhouse]

The OP said he doesn't want anything like a "new planned development", so that immediately throws out such places that have been mentioned as the Mosaic District and Reston.

You've lived in Wicker Park and love Silver Lake, both really cool neighborhoods that I also happen to love. You won't find anything like that in DC even, much less NOVA. The closest you will get in VA is North Arlington (similar amount of bars, shops, restaurants; walkable; slightly newer than you would probably like, with less character than you're probably looking for). Old Town has alot of character, but is lacking somewhat in the "fun" aspect; plus your commute would suck. The closest you will get in DC is probably U St; again the commute would be awful.

The Arlington-Reston commute isn't too bad, especially in the morning because you're generally against traffic. I have an office out there and drive it sometimes. In the afternoon it can get rough, but doable. Depending on how close your wife works to the Wiehle-Reston metro, that would be an option as well and she wouldn't have to change lines.

The options are limited for what you're looking for, but North Arlington (Clarendon/Courthouse specifically) is probably the closest to what you want.

[Old Guard]

Originally Posted by rmm0484

Del Ray in Alexandria
Many/Most Arlington Neighborhoods
Reston is not too shabby itself

Takoma Park DC/MD Bethesda MD and other DC/MD hip areas like the waterfront are probably what you would love, but it may not work with the Reston angle

I would also contact a Real Estate Agent - a good one would help you hone in on what you desire.

Del Ray was immediately what I though of too!

Good call on Bethesda as well. I rate your post a 10/10. Would read again.

Originally Posted by citizenchan

Not a criticism of you, but I have a bone to pick with the Mosaic district.

It is cool, hip, and trendy - that is accurate.

But I also find it completely contrived and soulless - Even soul-sucking. It seems to me like the developer surveyed a bunch of 24 year olds asking what they think a "revitalized" live/work/play/eat/shop center should look like then took the top 30 most common comments and built them all in one place. It's hard to explain.

It feels unauthentic, like the developer said "Here, you like this because our research says so, and you're too much of a follower to bother deciding if you like it anyway, so 'Go, my child, feast and be merry in this Neverland I have built for you.'" Maybe that's it, maybe it's more of a fantasy of what a real city center should be, than an actual city center.

If you watch South Park, I find no difference between SodoSopa and Mosaic.
I guess I can sum it up with a typical afternoon in the Mosaic District

You laugh and sip your venti macchiato as your nephew calls "Checkmate" in the game of giant lawn chess you're playing. You lay back on the glistening, manicured turf and watch Giada DeLaurentis roast wild mushroom and black truffle canapes on the giant 50-foot TV screen. When the segment is over, you hop on wifi because you're finally ready to write that blog post about how disappointed you are that the quality at Nando's Peri Peri has really gone down in recent months.

Sorry, I am not a fan.

I agree. I do not like the Mosaic center because the roads are too narrow and the buildings are high enough to block the light sun. They needed to make it more open and walkable IMHO. So when I go there it is just a shopping trip or to go to a restaurant. It is not a place I consider fun in anyway. It is like you scaled down a place with high rises and made everything smaller and more congested.

I need to explore the Merrifield Garden Center side as that looks like it may be more enjoyable.

[r0lf3cbn]

Originally Posted by bhouse

The OP said

Who? Oh, the person who made one post and never came back.