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1993. Geez, am I that old? I turned 33 myself yesterday!
Have you seen how they've replaced the natural turf on Madison's football field with astroturf (or something similar)? It'll be interesting to see if the Warhawks start suffering more injuries as a result...
On a side note about Pan-Am, I worked at the Safeway there over summer one time when I was home with the parents during college. They've completely remodeled it and it's quite nice now. Occasionally I'll hit Glory Days or Microcenter.
Fairfax Circle seems a bit far to walk from the Vienna metro. On another side note, my dad went shopping at the Home Depot over there on New Years Eve and had his car stolen. They found it in DC about 3 weeks later.
And yeah saganista, the south Vienna residents sure have it better when it comes to back roads!
1993. Geez, am I that old? I turned 33 myself yesterday!
Have you seen how they've replaced the natural turf on Madison's football field with astroturf (or something similar)? It'll be interesting to see if the Warhawks start suffering more injuries as a result...
On a side note about Pan-Am, I worked at the Safeway there over summer one time when I was home with the parents during college. They've completely remodeled it and it's quite nice now. Occasionally I'll hit Glory Days or Microcenter.
Fairfax Circle seems a bit far to walk from the Vienna metro. On another side note, my dad went shopping at the Home Depot over there on New Years Eve and had his car stolen. They found it in DC about 3 weeks later.
And yeah saganista, the south Vienna residents sure have it better when it comes to back roads!
Wow, we are classmates, I am class of 1993 myself. Now, I am so curious who you are?? male? female? played any sports? In the band? If I knew you, what would be the one clue that would tell me who you are?
This could be a fun game!
I did not know about the football field, interesting. Have you seen the renovation, it is a totally different school! It is nice. I worked there one summer giving SOL tests, it was so weird!
Pan Am is a strip mall? Most people would think of it as a shopping center.
"Strip Mall" defined by Wikipedia: A strip mall (also called a plaza or mini-mall) is an open area shopping center where the stores are arranged in a row, with a sidewalk in front. Strip malls are typically developed as a unit and have large parking lots in front. They face major traffic arterials and tend to be self-contained with few pedestrian connections to surrounding neighborhoods.
Sounds like Pan Am to me! But we're just talking semantics here... one could easily say Pan Am is both a strip mall and a shopping center.
Quote:
Originally Posted by saganista
It's about a mile from the Metro station. Fairfax Circle is meanwhile about two miles away. Forest Gump couldn't walk there in 10 minutes.
Checking Google Earth... following sidewalks/paths it's .75 miles to Pan Am, and .83 miles to Fairfax Circle. LOTS of folks make that walk - trust me - I often come across them jaywalking on 29 - not smart! And I made walks of that distance everyday working in DC - the nearest grocery store to our office was .60 miles - walked that easily in <10 minutes. I do walk fast though, so those times don't account for any leisurely strolling.
And you really shave some time off the walk to Fairfax Circle if you're cutting through the now-vacant Fairlee Drive. Mainly because you're sprinting to avoid being sexually assaulted! Fairfax Times (http://www.fairfaxtimes.com/news/2008/feb/13/woman-assaulted-vienna/ - broken link)
Quote:
Originally Posted by saganista
Assuming it ever gets built, MetroWest will be a mixed use community, not a strip mall.
I never said MetroWest would be a strip mall - I said it would be a "shopping area". According to MetroWest's horribly outdated website and Fairfax County's MetroWest information, they plan to build restaurants, shops, banks, dry cleaners, and even a 15,000-30,000 grocery store (comparable to the size of a small Whole Foods).
It will be interesting to see if MetroWest is able to get rolling. I imagine Pulte has other pressing concerns at this point, like staying in business.
Hi -- I actually live within walking distance to the Vienna metro and am getting ready to sell my house in the spring (sooner if you want it!). I don't know what your range is, but we are selling for $699,000. Ours is a four bedroom, three full bath home. We renovated everything except the kitchen, but we have put in all new appliances. It is on a cul de sac and the neighborhood is lovely. Let me know if your interested and we can talk.
Sounds like Pan Am to me! But we're just talking semantics here... one could easily say Pan Am is both a strip mall and a shopping center.
The distinctive physical characteristics of a strip mall are linearity and the absence of a major anchor outlet. Pan Am is non-linear and includes Safeway, CVS, Michael's and MicroCenter.
Quote:
Originally Posted by claude henry smoot
Checking Google Earth... following sidewalks/paths it's .75 miles to Pan Am, and .83 miles to Fairfax Circle.
Distances are actually as the crow flies. Requires walking through buildings. Actual walking distances for people without super-powers from the South exit of the Vienna Metro station: To Pan Am Shopping Center: 0.8 miles. To Fairfax Circle Shopping Center: 1.7 miles.
Quote:
Originally Posted by claude henry smoot
LOTS of folks make that walk - trust me - I often come across them jaywalking on 29 - not smart!
And you can tell where they're coming from? More super-powers?
Quote:
Originally Posted by claude henry smoot
And you really shave some time off the walk to Fairfax Circle if you're cutting through the now-vacant Fairlee Drive.
It isn't vacant, it's abandoned. Hard to make much time getting around all those jersey barriers and making your way through the demolition debris.
Quote:
Originally Posted by claude henry smoot
I never said MetroWest would be a strip mall - I said it would be a "shopping area".
A little late to the party on being concerned over that distinction.
Hi -- I actually live within walking distance to the Vienna metro and am getting ready to sell my house in the spring (sooner if you want it!). I don't know what your range is, but we are selling for $699,000. Ours is a four bedroom, three full bath home. We renovated everything except the kitchen, but we have put in all new appliances. It is on a cul de sac and the neighborhood is lovely. Let me know if your interested and we can talk.
Unfortunately it is over our budget. But it sounds like a very good house. Do you mind telling me on which road it is? We'd keep an eye on it when it is on market.
Wow, we are classmates, I am class of 1993 myself. Now, I am so curious who you are?? male? female? played any sports? In the band? If I knew you, what would be the one clue that would tell me who you are?
This could be a fun game!
I did not know about the football field, interesting. Have you seen the renovation, it is a totally different school! It is nice. I worked there one summer giving SOL tests, it was so weird!
Interesting. Nope, I wasn't in the band although I knew a few people in it who I hung out with. I'm definitely male, at least the last time I checked! Did you hit the 10 year reunion? I actually went, crazily enough. Hrm, I had a close group of friends, I was fairly quiet and probably disappeared in the background. I didn't play sports at Madison, but I did teach Tae Kwon Do locally. I played soccer and basketball in Vienna youth leagues until around 10th grade. I had Mr. C for English and Mr. Ward for Government. I also had Mr. Entley, the alien physics teacher. =D Heh, maybe should set your profile to allow you to receive e-mails and I'll send you a message and we can continue this game via messages...
The renovation is crazy. I went to see the girls and boys basketball teams play a couple of years ago and the interior looks so different than what I remember. I actually visited Madison during school hours (like alumni used to do when we were there) once about 7 years ago with a former classmate/friend and it was CRAZY. All the students looked so young! And we didn't know it at the time, but apparently we weren't supposed to be there. We were walking around during a class change and stuck our head in to talk to some former teachers...who fortunately didn't report us! But yeah, the renovations have made the school look completely different!
I live about 20 minutes walking distance near Vienna Metro. I believe it will depend on where exactly you decide to buy. In total, the area is great. Buses are a bit frustrating for timing but for the most part, you don't even have to drive to the train station. I drive my car maybe 2-3x a week..and its new.. Driving becomes your 2nd or 3rd option and for the most part, your weekend car. That alone makes your commute a lifesaver. I'm hating the cold weather right now but once it starts to warm up, walking is going to be a much viable option that I will actually enjoy saving money doing. This area is prime. I rent a room here and pay $300 more than what I was paying in my last place 20 minutes across town. That's a lot when you think about it, but considering the convenience and the cutdown on the commuting stress, etc. I felt it was well worth it in addition to more privacy. I don't even think twice about it. I will say that the Vienna area in total is absolutely gorgeous as you explore. By far, one of my favorite areas other than maybe living in some part of NW DC or maybe Arlington. The closer you live to the metro, you'll see townhomes that while priced a little high, you may actually be getting a much better value for the money considering how close you are to the line. But metro fare will be more depending on where you are traveling to work.
The distinctive physical characteristics of a strip mall are linearity and the absence of a major anchor outlet. Pan Am is non-linear and includes Safeway, CVS, Michael's and MicroCenter.
Wow. Moving on...
Quote:
Originally Posted by saganista
Distances are actually as the crow flies. Requires walking through buildings. Actual walking distances for people without super-powers from the South exit of the Vienna Metro station: To Pan Am Shopping Center: 0.8 miles. To Fairfax Circle Shopping Center: 1.7 miles.
I guess your "super power" isn't reading other people's posts thoroughly. Let me point out an important set of words from my post... "...following sidewalks/paths...". I used Google Earth's "Measure>Path" tool to plot paths from Vienna Metro to Pan Am/Fairfax Circle following commonly used paths and sidewalks. If you need assistance using this tool, I'll gladly walk you through it - it's very precise and quite useful.
Quote:
Originally Posted by saganista
And you can tell where they're coming from? More super-powers?
Yes, I admit I do have super-powers. For example, when I see someone carrying a Safeway bag full of perishable food products down Saintsbury Drive heading towards the South Vienna Metro entrance, I use those super-powers to make the startling deduction that people actually walk from the Safeway at Pan Am to the Vienna Metro. Those same super powers also tell me that when I see a constant flow of people entering/exiting the now-vacant Fairlee Drive cut-through, they're not taking a nature walk. They're using the road as an access path as they cross 29 to reach Vienna Metro. The briefcases and backpacks I see them carrying do slow them down as they walk AROUND the concrete jersey walls, but they somehow manage. Oh, and some of these people are wearing aprons and/or restaurant clothes. At first, I wondered, "Why are they cooking on the Metro - I didn't even realize there was a Club Car!" But then I focused my super powers as best I could, and I realized, "Hey, these people are commuting to restaurants further down the Orange Line!" I almost feel guilty using these super powers... WHY WAS I CHOSEN!?!?
I walked to Vienna Metro via the South entrance for a solid 3 years - give me a break.
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Driving becomes your 2nd or 3rd option and for the most part, your weekend car. That alone makes your commute a lifesaver. I'm hating the cold weather right now but once it starts to warm up, walking is going to be a much viable option that I will actually enjoy saving money doing. This area is prime. I rent a room here and pay $300 more than what I was paying in my last place 20 minutes across town. That's a lot when you think about it, but considering the convenience and the cutdown on the commuting stress, etc. I felt it was well worth it in addition to more privacy. I don't even think twice about it. I will say that the Vienna area in total is absolutely gorgeous as you explore. By far, one of my favorite areas other than maybe living in some part of NW DC or maybe Arlington. The closer you live to the metro, you'll see townhomes that while priced a little high, you may actually be getting a much better value for the money considering how close you are to the line. But metro fare will be more depending on where you are traveling to work.
