Miami to Clarendon (Arlington, Alexandria: buying, college, rooftop)

[clb2613]

I am moving to Clarendon the first week of September. I am a 30 year old single male, young professional. I would appreciate any suggestions on general activities, nightlife and things to do? I literally do not know anyone in NOVA/DC so any information is truly appreciated!

[popalnet]

As long as you don't love warm weather all year round and clear blue ocean waters, you will be just fine. Clarendon has a lot of people in their 20's and 30's and single. DC is only minutes from Clarendon. For nightlife, you can just hang out in Clarendon, but if you seek more, then DC's Georgetown, Adams Morgan, Dupon Circle, Chinatown area should make you satisfied. If you want a really exciting time, like no other place in America, go to NYC on the weekends. It's less than 4 hours away.

[CaseyMac]

Clarendon was definitely a good choice on your behalf! The winters will be tough-gray skies and 40s. But there are tons of things to do for people in your age group and if you get lonely, there are always cheap flights back to FLL!

[jb124]

Originally Posted by clb2613

I am moving to Clarendon the first week of September. I am a 30 year old single male, young professional. I would appreciate any suggestions on general activities, nightlife and things to do? I literally do not know anyone in NOVA/DC so any information is truly appreciated!

Clarendon is easily the best place for a single professional person to live in Northern VA, in my opinion. It has most of the best restaurants and bars/clubs in North Arlington and has access to the Metro for the ones in DC and south Arlington.

For stuff to do you can pretty much just wander around. Arlington has periodic festivals and community events. We also have a decent amount of bike paths and you'll see plenty of people jogging and waking their dogs in the evenings. Once you get here just look for stuff you like to do or search for it on the internet. You'll find everything from kickball leagues to free salsa dancing lessons. You can also try sites like meetup.com, thingstododc.com, or prosinthecity.com (the last two charge fees for many events).

[FranklyRE]

I live in a building called Clarendon 1021, Google it, I absolutely love it.

Frank

[pgwiz1]

Originally Posted by clb2613

I am moving to Clarendon the first week of September. I am a 30 year old single male, young professional. I would appreciate any suggestions on general activities, nightlife and things to do? I literally do not know anyone in NOVA/DC so any information is truly appreciated!

I have lived in Clarendon for 6 years, and absolutely love it. If you go out to restaurants and bars, most people are young professionals. In terms of going out places, some of my favorite bars in Clarendon are: Clarendon Ballroom (best in the summer with a rooftop deck), Liberty Tavern (seems like the new place to be), and Tallulas (attached to it is called the EatBar and it's a wine bar), but you can pretty much find a whole range of places in the Courthouse/Clarendon/Ballston corridor. If you want a more low key place or a pool place, etc, etc.

If you are looking to meet new people in the area, try some of the DC young professional organizations --- they hold events and is a great networking arena. Some examples are: Things To Do and www.dcyoungpro.com.

Good luck!

[clb2613]

Thank you everyone for the help. I really appreciate it! I have lived in South Florida for the majority of my life, it will be refreshing to have a change. I am active in sports and go to the gym regularly. Are there any gyms that are pretty close that you guys would recommend?

[pgwiz1]

Originally Posted by clb2613

Thank you everyone for the help. I really appreciate it! I have lived in South Florida for the majority of my life, it will be refreshing to have a change. I am active in sports and go to the gym regularly. Are there any gyms that are pretty close that you guys would recommend?

In Clarendon/Ballston area, there are many gyms -- Sport and Health and Golds come to mind first. I belong to Sport and Health, and what I have liked about that is that they have a multi-gym membership, so you can use many of their gyms in the area (which is great if you work somewhere other than Arlington and want the flexibility to go to another gym).

In DC, there are many outdoor events and various leagues you can join. Playing touch football in the DC mall is a favorite pass time for many, as is biking, roller blading and running on the numerous trails. In the winter (or a more indoor activity), there are also indoor rock climbing places like the Sportsrock. The closest one is in Alexandria, about 8 miles away. Pretty much any sport you're interested in, you will easily find a league to join --- a great way to meet people too.

[ENCE]

Originally Posted by FranklyRE

I live in a building called Clarendon 1021, Google it, I absolutely love it.

Frank

Frank,

Since you live in Clarendon 1021, I was hoping you might be able to give me some unbiased insight (as much as possible) into the place. My wife and I are under 30 with no kids, and were possibly looking into buying there. And though we enjoy the somewhat urban lifestyle with young professionals in the area, we are trying to avoid a building that would remind us of off-campus college housing again, with loud 20-somethings and constant partying in the building, especially since we may start a family while living there. Your thoughts?

Also, I noticed a musty smell in some of the common areas of the building. Could this be due to the flooding that I read about? Anything being done to address this problem?

And are the thin walls/flooring/ceilings in the building as bad as I've read? We can deal with city noise since we know to expect that coming in, but are concerned about rowdy neighbors possibly keeping us up at night or just causing a general disturbance.

Thanks in advance for your response to this lengthy post.