Businesses in Fairfax County (recommendations?) (Arlington, Alexandria: rent, day care, home)

[kehaulani]

I'd love any recommendations for the following:

• Dog groomers
• Doggie daycare / boarding facilities
• Asian markets (groceries)
• Recreation centers w/ pools
• Toddler playgrounds (are there any indoor playgrounds?)

Also, are there any areas in Fairfax County that may be deemed unsafe or not so desirable? We've pretty much determined that we want to live in F.C. and are trying to determine which neighborhoods narrow our search down to. We have a 16 month old and would love to live in a neighborhood with other young families. Being near a metro and communting aren't as big of issues as are being in a kid/dog friendly (and safe) neighborhood. Any recommendations as to which areas we should look at? We'll probably rent for the first year, or atleast until we're more familiar with the area. We'd like to keep our rent at around $2k/month.

[gnu]

There is an H Mart at Merrifield, and a Super H Mart in Fairfax City along Lee Hwy. Providence is a decent rec center with indoor/outdoor pool and gym. There are also a number of regular gyms in the area.

I don't think any part of Fairfax could be called unsafe, but off the top of my head I would say some undesireable neighborhoods are Culmore/Bailey's Crossroads, or along Columbia Pike. Personally, I'd stay west of Seven Corners, or, if east of it, above 66.

Falls Church is a nice quiet suburban area, and the City of FC has lots of young couples due to the walking distance of the elementary school. Fairfax City has more of an old-timey city center feel to it. Again, almost all of FC is really affluent and safe, and I don't think that there is anywhere that is outright dangerous (except maybe the Culmore/BC area - fine for shopping, but I woudn't want to have to call it home).

[DavidS827]

I would also stay away from Hybla Valley. It's a pretty rough section of the county. Just a thought, but you may also want to research the western suburbs. Fairfax is already saturated with businesses, so you may have a better chance of making it if you went to western Loudoun or western Prince William.

[seldomseen]

I can't really answer all of your questions, because they exist all throughout NoVa...but in terms of the Asian Market you may want to consider Eden Center (703) 204-4600 in Bailey's Crossroads in Falls Church. This is probably the largest centralized Asian shopping conglomeration in NoVa.

There's also a nice little Thai shopping center on Route 7 going towards Skyline (next to the Thai Resturant). The other Asian spot I know if is called Ban Thai, and it's located on Route 1 in the Alexandria section of Fairfax County. Other Asian shopping spots are pretty much just scattered through out NoVa.

Good Luck!

[lchoro]

Clarendon/Arlington - Little Saigon Vietnamese district
Bailey's Crossroads/Falls Church - Eden Center Vietnamese mall
Merrifield - H Mart Korean market
Fairfax City - Lotte and Super H Mart
Centreville - Grand Mart Korean/Hispanic market
Sterling - Grand Mart Korean/Hispanic market

Lotte and Super H Mart have a eat-in food court.

There are a lot of smaller Korean grocery stores in Annandale and Springfield. Those two and Fairfax have a large Korean population.

There's a small Japanese grocery store in McLean called Naniwa. There are two more across the state line in Rockville and Bethesda. Rockville has a about a half-dozen Chinese and Korean grocery stores on or just off the Pike, including the previously mentioned H Mart and Lotte.

There seem to be a number of Indian grocery stores in the Herndon and Sterling areas. Since they're building Bahai Faith temple on Rte 7 in Sterling, there's probably a decent size population in that area (including Great Falls, Reston, and Ashburn).

[saganista]

Originally Posted by kehaulani

I'd love any recommendations for the following:

--Dog groomers
--Doggie daycare / boarding facilities

In addition to the Asian markets, Merrifield is home to A Dog's Day Out, a large 24/7/365 cageless boarding facility for dogs. There are other boarders and many groomers and trainers in the area. This is an upscale region and people here have pets and want to treat them well, so the services you seek should be quite easy to find.

Originally Posted by kehaulani

--Recreation centers w/ pools

Fairfax County runs nine Rec Centers, and I think all of them have pools. Swimming is a very big deal in NoVa so acquatic facilities abound. The Rec Centers are clean, modern, and up to date in terms of facilities, and they support a wide range of activities. $6.50 per visit, no other fees or charges. You can also get monthly and yearly passes at a discount if you'll go often. Area YMCA/YWCA's also tend to have nice pools. Most neighborhoods also have private outdoor pools for summer use. More than 100 of those pools compete in the Northern Virginia Swim League. Many of the high schools also have swim-and-dive teams.

[mlv311]

As far as toddler activities, we like Burke Lake Park in Fairfax Station. It has a carrousel, a little train, ducks, etc. It's a beautiful park and a lot of fun for young ones. You can see farm animals at Frying Pan Park in Herndon. The Reston Zoo is also neat for toddlers, especially the petting zoo. Many developments have a tot playground and sometimes an outdoor pool too.

[lchoro]

If you move into Fairfax County, you might want to take a side trip to the Clemyjontri Playground in McLean.

Playground: Clemyjontri Park, Clemy Park, Fairfax County Park Authority (http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/clemyjontri/playground.htm - broken link)

[judycohen]

[quote=kehaulani;1044163]I'd love any recommendations for the following:
[LIST][*]Dog groomers[*]Doggie daycare / boarding facilities[/LIST]

I take my Beagle to Olde Town Pet Resort in Springfield [url=http://www.oldetownepetresort.com]Olde Towne Pet Resort - Northern Virginia Pet Care services, Boarding, Grooming, Spa Treatment[/url] - it's not far from 95 near blacklick and Alban roads. They are very nice, very clean and very accommodating as I work near the Pentagon and sometimes need to leave the dog for just a full day of "doggie day care" if my husband or kids won't be home to take care of the dog midday or dinner time. I've called at the last minute and they've usually been able to get us "in"

They have grooming there so I get the dog bathed and his nails clipped when needed.

The staff is very friendly. I have used other services in Fairfax but they are the best.