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Old 11-07-2008, 01:31 PM
 
3 posts, read 6,240 times
Reputation: 10

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Hi I will be in Crystal City Arlington on tomorrow for business. I am looking for suggestions on where I should dine and sight see.

Secondly, I am really interested in touring some of the neighborhoods in Arlington as I am contemplating on moving there. I read the blog of the guy asking almost the similar question I am, but he was single and 27 and looking for something a little different than me. I will give you some background about myself and what I am looking for and maybe you can help me.

I currently live in Chicago, and I am married with 2 children. I am looking for a nice neighborhood to raise my children (safe enough to ride their bikes, play outside, etc) and friendly neighbors, but I also want to be near shopping and good dining. I would like to live close to DC if possible. Coming from Chicago I am use to a city environment with lots to do, and I dont want to lose out on much of that, but I want my kids to be in a neighborhood with a good school system. Right now we live in a kind of expensive neighborhood, with a modern apartment great dining, but not really family friendly. There are no grocery stores in walking distance or tree lined streets where the kids can ride bikes and skateboards

So I guess we are looking for a neighborhood that would be great for the kids but also satisfy us. Not sure if there is a good mix of city and "country" life in Arlington. And since I may work in DC or Maryland I dont want to be too far away from Arlington.

Any suggestions?
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Old 11-07-2008, 01:42 PM
 
Location: Springfield
2,765 posts, read 8,326,599 times
Reputation: 1114
why are so many people from Chicago taking over Washington lately?
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Old 11-07-2008, 02:30 PM
 
Location: Town of Herndon/DC Metro
2,825 posts, read 6,890,118 times
Reputation: 1767
I lived in Chicago (Wicker Park) 12 years. DC Metro reminds me of a small Chicago-it has a little bit of everything Chicago has, just in bite size.
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Old 11-07-2008, 05:56 PM
 
822 posts, read 3,002,036 times
Reputation: 444
There are so many options for you. What is your price range? I would say that a drive to Great Falls Park (in Great Falls) would give you a feel for the area; I haven't lived in Arlington in many, many years, but if you head towards Marymount University you'd see some of my favorite Arlington neighborhoods. Close in I would suggest Arlington, Falls Church, and Alexandria - in each case there are good parts and not so good parts. Further out you have all kinds of options, but you'd probably want to focus on Fairfax County. You might also want to look at Bethesda.
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Old 11-07-2008, 07:17 PM
 
Location: The Country of Virginia
208 posts, read 1,217,574 times
Reputation: 84
There is plenty to see in Alexandria. Such as the George Washington Masonic Monument off of Kins Street. There are plenty of thing to do in Alexandria. Scince there really arnt any bad area's feel free to explore. The worst you could do is off East Braddock road and wyth street or off of Richmond Highway but most likelly you wouldnt be going through there anyhow.

There is plenty to do in Arlington as well as outskirts of Falls Church and Fairfax county.

It depends on what it is you like to do....What your price range is?

There are great schools everywhere in Northern Virginia.

I would pick living in Alexandria VS Arlington though there is much more historic sites and I just really like that kind of stuff.

Just dont move to Richmond.....Yuk!
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Old 11-07-2008, 07:48 PM
 
311 posts, read 1,058,060 times
Reputation: 169
If you have the time, venturing out to Mount Vernon is definitely worth it.
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Old 11-10-2008, 06:16 AM
 
Location: Fly-over country.
1,763 posts, read 7,332,693 times
Reputation: 922
Quote:
Originally Posted by VRE332 View Post
why are so many people from Chicago taking over Washington lately?

The same reason you saw a whole bunch of Texas plates 8 years ago. (I'm sure you were being sarcastic though. :-)
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Old 11-11-2008, 08:22 AM
 
Location: Arlington, VA
593 posts, read 2,439,353 times
Reputation: 301
I'd recommend the Clarendon area - or if you want to trade a bit more space for a slightly longer commute (assuming you're commuting into DC), then Falls Church is another good option.

No matter where you go in NoVA, look for a place with a metro stop nearby. That makes it easy for spontaneous family outings into the city, and your kids will love it. The housing near metro lines also tends to hold/grow in value here, even when the rest of the market is declining.
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Old 11-11-2008, 09:18 AM
 
1,348 posts, read 3,585,685 times
Reputation: 944
Quote:
Originally Posted by VRE332 View Post
why are so many people from Chicago taking over Washington lately?

Because there's a new sheriff in town.
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Old 11-11-2008, 09:25 AM
 
3 posts, read 6,240 times
Reputation: 10
Thanks for all of the great suggestions. I had a wonderful time this weekend. I got to see NOVA, DC and Maryland. VA is the most beautiful by far. I have to go back and see more neighborhoods
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