Walking from Pitt and Madison to Braddock Rd. (Arlington, Fairfax: renting, condos)

[smithsonianprof]

Hi all:

I am considering renting a condo at N. Pitt and Madison (Port Royal condos) and would be walking to Braddock Rd. metro to get into the district everyday for work. I notice that this passes the projects. I am a single woman who stands 5'0" Is this safe? If I have to come back at night is it going to be a problem? Is there a better bus to take from that area?

Thanks for the advice!

[Tone509]

Heaven forbid I should ever need public assistance, I would hope I would qualify to live in the Parker-Gray homes as, at least from the outside, they are some of the better maintained public housing units I have ever seen.

That said... I think if you dropped down to on Pendleton and go west from there, you may feel more comfortable. Alternately, you could catch the #2 Dash bus which starts and ends on Fairfax St which crosses Madison.

[jbird82]

I don't know exact crime statistics for this particular area, but I live across the street from Braddock Rd metro and see many women walking alone each day. At night might be a different story, but as a young male, I've never felt unsafe walking around this neighborhood any time of day.

[jbird82]

I agree with Tone about walking down to Pendleton as you might feel more comfortable. Was going to suggest this in my first post.

[Tone509]

I also remembered that both the #2 and #4 DASH buses head north and south on Fairfax, crossing Madison. That should give you a bit more flexibility. You can pick up a all-inclusive guide on any DASH bus or download it online.

[smithsonianprof]

Thanks to all!

[car54]

I would definitely take the bus....especially after dark.

Besides the projects, you have the homeless shelter in the old DMV building at N Henry and First Sts...there's all kinds of nuts around there.

Besides that, just crossing 6-lanes of Route 1 (Henry & Patrick Sts) can be hazardous to your health.

[Tone509]

Originally Posted by car54

I would definitely take the bus....especially after dark.

Besides the projects, you have the homeless shelter in the old DMV building at N Henry and First Sts...there's all kinds of nuts around there.

Besides that, just crossing 6-lanes of Route 1 (Henry & Patrick Sts) can be hazardous to your health.

I've personally never seen anyone hanging outside of the Carpenter's Shelter. As they invite homeless families and children in their doors, I would think there would be relatively few stereotypically threatening homeless males.

But yes, you'll need to be on your P's and Q's crossing Route 1!

[smithsonianprof]

...a couple of people have suggested walking along Pendelton instead of Madison. Any suggestions there? Does any route aruond there get deserted?

[CaseyMac]

I would say as a general rule, never walk through this area alone at night. Splurge for a cab, whatever you have to do. North Old Town has always been like this--some absolutely wonderful places near some projects. You can definitely have a wonderful life there, you just need to exercise caution on some blocks. If you have your heart set on having free reign so to speak with the walk-to-Metro thing, Arlington has your name on it!