New Grad Moving to Arlington...tips? (Richmond, Alexandria: credit, insurance, apartment complex)

[dingo050]

Hi everyone,
I'm new to the forums, but have already learned a great deal from reading older posts. I'm graduating from college (go Bruins!) in a few days (finally!) and moving to Arlington to work for a consulting firm at the beginning of July. I'll be living in Ballston (Fairfax and Buchanan), and was hoping to get some of my burning questions answered here. (I've lived in Dupont Circle last summer, so I'm at least a little familiar with the DC area)

Since I won't have a car and my room will be unfurnished, what do you suggest to buy furniture? I was thinking either Craigslist or IKEA, and renting ZipCar to transport furniture. Has anyone used ZipCar before?

I know there's a Safeway nearby, but are there other alternatives such as Trader Joe's, Bristol Farms, or farmer's markets in the area? Can anyone recommend a good dry cleaner in Ballston as well?

Since I'll be moving across the country, I was wondering if I should ship my possessions (I don't have much, but too much to check on my flight), or use a moving service. Also, would you recommend taking the Metro from Reagan or just springing for a cab to Arlington?

Thanks everyone, and I look forward to hearing from the responses. I can't wait to live in Arlington!

[juniperbleu]

For buying furniture, CraigsList or IKEA are good bets. That's where most of mine came from (that is, except for the pieces from my parents' attic). I haven't used ZipCar, but I have several friends who have. They really like it.

The closest Trader Joe's for you would probably be near Foggy Bottom. There's another one in north Old Town Alexandria (near Braddock Road metro), and another on Leesburg Pike in Falls Church (you'd have to drive). There's also a Whole Foods in Old Town (King Street metro) and Logan Circle, and Harris Teeters all over the place. Regarding farmer's markets, there's several in the area. I've heard of ones on Columbia Pike in Arlington, Dupont Circle, and Old Town Alexandria. On Thursdays there's one in Penn Quarter on 8th Street near the Archives metro (small, but handy). There's also Eastern Market (a large every-day flea/farmers market).

And on to the airport. Your metro trip would consist of getting on the blue line to Rosslyn (4 stops), then transferring to the orange line (4 stops). Basically, I'd think of 1) when you're going (if it's later at night, it'll be slower since they don't run as frequently; if it's during rush hour Rosslyn will be a mess), 2) the weather, 3) how far you have to walk to your place and how many bags you will have. Actually, it might just be easier to suck it up and get a cab. Just look up general directions before you come so you don't get ripped off.

[jjl330]

I am in pretty much the same situation as you. Moving to Ballston area, working at consulting firm, and worked in DC last summer.

Anyways, I got most of my room furniture from IKEA, but thats because I have a car. The ZipCar seems like a good solution for that though. I saw some of those when I went down there last week. For my bed, I bought it at my home and had it to be delivered through a store near Arlington, which worked out nicely. And it depends how far you live from the orange line, but a cab shouldn't cost too much anyway. That's all I got. Good luck!

[slim04]

My friends without cars usually rents pickup trucks or minivans using priceline.com and picking it up at Reagan National off the Yellow/Blue line. My friends are real cheap and bid like $17 per day and it usually ends up being like $40 with taxes and insurance (if you need it).

The pick up trucks might have a real heavy hardtop that would have to be removed (probably need at least one other person to help you remove it) if you buy a couch or a tall item.

My really cheap friend buys a $6 board of sheetrock at Lowes or Home Depot and then rents their pickup truck for $15-20 for 75 minutes use. He ususually does this to pick up free or really cheap furniture from Craigslist.

[dingo050]

Thanks for the advice, everyone! Slim, I'm only 22, so would the underage car rental fee apply to priceline?

Thankfully, I don't need a couch or anything, just a bed, desk, and small dresser. For convenience, I'm thinking about just buying them brand new at IKEA so I can fit them easily into a car, and then assembling everything at home.

As for transportation, I think I'll suck it up and cab it, since I'll have huge suitcases and it's only 7 miles.

I'm not familiar with Harris Teeters- is that a Safeway-type market?

Thanks again, everyone!

[sel430]

I too am moving to Ballston in August and am looking at apartments in the area. I have narrowed it down to Richmond Square and Avalon at Ballston and was wondering if either of you two had looked into either place or had heard any pros or cons about either of them? Thanks!

[jahutch]

Originally Posted by sel430

I too am moving to Ballston in August and am looking at apartments in the area. I have narrowed it down to Richmond Square and Avalon at Ballston and was wondering if either of you two had looked into either place or had heard any pros or cons about either of them? Thanks!

I am considering moving back up to NOVA (if I can ever find a job up there =P), and if I do, I'm looking at Ballston also. The one thing I will say from my research is that, of the two places you mentioned, Richmond Square is closer to the Metro and the "center" of Ballston. Avalon isn't that far away, but its up towards I-66, and is far enough from the Metro (0.5mi) that it'll take a bit more time to walk to Metro for your morning commute. On the other hand, it IS cheaper. That said, if location is the main criteria, I'd probably pick Richmond Square.

[DCguy03]

I was in a very similar situation just a few months ago...moved from Boston to NoVA! I live in the Court House neighborhood, which is just 3 stops down the orange line from Ballston.

This is an awesome area to live in if you are young and recently out of college. Lots of great bars and pubs, shopping, close to DC, and very safe.

I just joined zipcar and it is the best way to go. Saved me from having to buy a car. The cars rent from $7.25 - $11/hr, except for a few like the BMW 328 which is $13/hr. That might seem like a lot at first, but the price includes parking, insurance, and gas...and with gas at $4/gal it starts to become a bargain. I use it usually about 3 times a month for shopping trips or picking up friends at the airport...whatever I need. As long as you don't need a car for commuting, zipcar will work well for you in DC. Oh and btw their minimum age is 21, so you will be fine (unlike most reg rental car places which charge a $20 fee if you are under 25...)

Since I moved here with only what I could carry on a plane, I have been doing the furniture shopping thing on craigslist too. Best way by far to get high quality furniture for ultra-cheap prices

I used zipcar's Tacoma pickup truck that is parked right next to the Ballston metro station to pick up a bunch of craigslist furniture. It's so convenient bc you can just go online, book the truck, then walk down the street and hop in. Much easier than getting someone to drive you to a Home Depot or rental car place, plus those places aren't usually open during weeknights (which is when you frequently pick up cl furniture).

Also if you are have a discount code - it is DCcar25 so just enter that when you sign up at zipcar.com and it will give you $25 in free driving credits.

Welcome to NoVA! I'm sure you will really enjoy yourself here. If you have any other questions please feel free to ask!

[dingo050]

Sorry Sel, I only looked at townhouses and houses in Ballston, no apartment complexes. Have you considered renting out a basement? Depending on your current living situation, that might be easier than finding an apartment.

Seems like there's a lot of us recent grads moving to Ballston...where are y'all from? I'm coming from LA, and have heard about the current heat wave...not looking forward to it. Maybe we should start a support group, haha.

Thanks, DCguy! I've just signed up for Zipcar as well, but I opted to pick up my Zipcard at the DC office, so hopefully the Tacoma(s) will be available when I need it, since I need my Zipcard to reserve. Do you know if the driving credits can apply after I've signed up? I checked out places in the Courthouse neighborhood as well, and thought it was awesome. I had a tough time between Ballston and Courthouse- the fact that I could walk to work in Ballston was the deciding factor.

Did you have any trouble meeting people when you first moved to NoVA? I'll be moving in right before the weekend of the 4th, so it should be an fun time.

[PhilY]

I've been living at Richmond Square in Ballston for the past 8 months and I love it. I didn't really look at other places when I was looking for a place but I have 0 complaints about this place. Repairs are done the next day and done right. Staff is friendly enough. The gym is better than most I've seen. The metro and IHOP are right next door. If you move into Richmond Square and don't need a parking space, can I borrow it?