Looking at Arlington/Alexandria neighborhoods (Orange: rentals, hotel, house)

[Azmordean]

Hey all,

I am thinking of moving back up to NOVA soon, and if I do so I will likely live somewhere in Arlington or Alexandria that is walkable, with Metro within walking distance. I have spent some time checking out various neighborhoods. I'm going to list my impressions of them below, along with some questions. My hope is that the more knowledgeable on here can (1) correct my impressions where they are wrong and (2) answer the questions I have. Thanks in advance!

1) Ballston:

This neighborhood seems pretty cool. It is no means big, but seems to be, like most of the "urban villages," a pretty neat urban enclave. It seems that between the mall and the storefronts, there is a pretty good mix of retail, restaurant, and services options. The multiple high rises provide a lot of residential options. The location of the Ballston Metro stop seems excellent - its close enough in for a quick DC commute, but far enough out that the orange line trains aren't full yet.

Question: Is there a main "street level" strip to Ballston? The neighborhood is neat, but when I go there at night, it seems a bit dead. People on here mention its a really hip place, but from what I see its *mostly* residential high rises, with a few restaurants and such mixed in. I'm certainly not seeing the variety of food and night life options I thought I'd see (such as the ones I see in Clarendon). Am I just missing it?

Question: This actually goes for the whole Rosslyn-Ballston corridor. I enjoy biking - how is it around here? It seems like there aren't many off road options other than the Custis trail, which you have to ride on road to get to. Is the Custis trail nice? How long a ride is it to get to the Mt. Vernon trail?

Virginia Square:

This seems to me to be almost entirely residential. There is a bit more green space than in Ballston, which is nice, but it seems like you'd need to go to Ballston or Clarendon to get to many restaurants/night life options.

Clarendon:

This seems to be the hub of Arlington to me. It by no means has a ton of options, but for a neighborhood its size, it seems to house the majority of the retail, restaurant, and night life. That being said, rentals here seem higher than in Ballston, which is saying something.

Question: How bad is the Orange Line when it gets to Clarendon in the AM? Part of my attraction to Metro as opposed to driving is to have a predictable commute - ie, I don't have to build in extra time for traffic and such. If I have to wait through 2 trains because they are so full they don't let anyone on, that kind of defeats the purpose, and I'd rather live elsewhere.

Court House:

This seems to be another mostly residential area, its chief advantage being its close proximity to DC. Doesn't seem to be anything particularly stellar about it otherwise though.

Rosslyn:

Rosslyn seems kind of dead - like an urban office park. Am I missing something? It seems the kind of place that would be a good place to work, but that lacks amenities for residents.

Crystal City:

I want to like Crystal City. The biggest pro I see here, honestly, is the green space. Walking down Crystal Drive is a very nice experience - it is very park like. I like that, because I enjoy walking and biking. I also like the closeness to the Mt. Vernon trail - I don't have to bike on road for long before I hit it. And of course, the DC access is fantastic, and you don't need to deal with orange line overcrowding. BUT the place seems DEAD. I was there on a Saturday afternoon... and there just weren't many people walking around. Most of the stores, and even some of the restaurants, seemed closed. The area seems like another "urban office park" with some real nice highrises tossed in. Probably a nice, convenient, quiet place to live, but lacking much vibrancy.

Old Town Alexandria:

I love visiting Old Town, its one of my favorite areas in NOVA. But I wonder about living there. It seems to have lots of bars and restaurants, but the crowd seems a bit older, and it seems to lack ordinary amenities within walking distance (grocery stores, gyms, etc). Also, the heart of Old Town is toward the waterfront, which isn't exactly a quick walk from the Metro.


So what are people's thoughts? Also, where would you live as a 27 year old single young professional? I'm leaning towards Ballston or Crystal City right now. Ballston because there's just so much I can do when I walk out the door. Crystal City because of the greenness. I gotta admit, it seemed there were very few parks or even mature trees in the Ballston corridor, which is probably the thing that disappoints me most about the area as a guy who likes to be outside. When I was in Clarendon, I saw a family spreading out a picnic in the lawn of the Whole Foods store. Its pretty sad when a sliver of grass next to a parking lot is the best place you can find for a picnic...

[Fallout Zone]

I kept nodding my head in agreement as I read your post. It seems as if you have a pretty good handle on these areas.

Ballston is not as "hip" as Clarendon, but there are few places (maybe none?) in N. Va that are. That being said, it is still a nice area with a bunch of dining options. I do think that perhaps the nightlife aspect has been overrated, but again that is in comparison to Clarendon and the DC neighborhoods.

As far as biking, here is Arlington's bike map: Bike Arlington: Arlington County Bike Map

As far as Crystal City, did you go over to the 23rd/Eads St. area? There is a bar/restaurant near there that I attend to watch football Sunday afternoons, and there is always a bunch of people around in that couple of blocks area. Not sure how well the area is attended at night, but it might be better than the office building/hotel/concrete jungle east of Rt. 1.

[mlv311]

I think your overall observations are pretty much on target; however, if you choose to live anywhere between Court House and Ballston, you'll have easy access to shopping, restaurants, movie theatres, etc. I lived two blocks from the Court House metro for more than 8 years and loved it. I walked everywhere.

My husband lived in Crystal City while single and he loved running on the Mt. Vernon trail. If you choose to live in Ballston, you might want to check out Bluemont Junction Park for biking. There may be other options, but I remember this one as being a very nice park.

To answer your question about metro, when I lived in the area, I had no problems getting on the metro to go to work downtown. However, if your job is on a line other than orange (particularly if you have to switch from blue to orange at Rosslyn), you'll definitely have to wait to make that transfer during evening rush hour.

[Azmordean]

Thanks for the info all. I may ultimately make my decision based on the job.. if the Orange is the easy line to take, I'll go for Ballston, if Yellow is preferable, I'll consider Crystal City some more. I do know about the little restaurant strip in Crystal City on 23rd Street - that's nice, but it doesn't seem to have quite the same vibrancy a place like Clarendon does. On balance, the Court House - Ballston corridor seems better for a single person my age. Crystal City has its plusses though, so we'll have to see what happens on the job front!

[juniperbleu]

I have friends who live in Pentagon City and Crystal City and love it. It tends to be a bit cheaper, yet still convenient and metro accessible. By the way, Pentagon City is walkable from Crystal City (10 minutes or so, depending on where you are), and is a little more active than Crystal City. They're both still quieter than other areas, but not as bad as Rosslyn.

Old Town is great, but you're right about it being a bit older (30s and up, I'd say). Of course, if you live close it's a great place to go on a Saturday for breakfast/lunch or to hang out in the park. There are some decent rentals near Braddock Road metro as well.

Definitely wait and see what the job entails. Trust me and everyone else, you do NOT want to have to transfer at Rosslyn.

[Azmordean]

Originally Posted by juniperbleu

I have friends who live in Pentagon City and Crystal City and love it. It tends to be a bit cheaper, yet still convenient and metro accessible. By the way, Pentagon City is walkable from Crystal City (10 minutes or so, depending on where you are), and is a little more active than Crystal City. They're both still quieter than other areas, but not as bad as Rosslyn.

Old Town is great, but you're right about it being a bit older (30s and up, I'd say). Of course, if you live close it's a great place to go on a Saturday for breakfast/lunch or to hang out in the park. There are some decent rentals near Braddock Road metro as well.

Definitely wait and see what the job entails. Trust me and everyone else, you do NOT want to have to transfer at Rosslyn.

Thanks for the info. I don't forsee myself having to transfer at Rosslyn (Except possibly to go to the airport from Ballston, but that'd be at off hours hopefully). The worst would be a transfer somewhere inside DC. Still, I'd like to avoid having to transfer at all.

[caution]

I didn't see Shirlington on your list. You might want to check it out. They've come a long way in the last few years, and while the "cool fun hip" zone is small, it's a neat place. If you're a dog owner, there's a nice dog park down by the creek too.

I lived in Arlington Ridge before, but you have to drive. I live on the edge of Crystal City now, so we can walk to just about anything.

[Azmordean]

Originally Posted by caution

I didn't see Shirlington on your list. You might want to check it out. They've come a long way in the last few years, and while the "cool fun hip" zone is small, it's a neat place. If you're a dog owner, there's a nice dog park down by the creek too.

I lived in Arlington Ridge before, but you have to drive. I live on the edge of Crystal City now, so we can walk to just about anything.

I like Shirlington a lot, but for me, the lack of Metro access is a deal breaker. Easy walking distance (as in, a few blocks at most) to Metrorail is one of my requirements, and I think the neighborhoods I listed are the only ones in Virginia to which that applies.