Apartment suggestions in Alexandria VA (Arlington, Mount Vernon: apartments, neighborhood, theater)

[bubbly2009]

Hi all,

Help me in selecting an apartment in alexandria va. really confused over the reviews.

With Regards
Bubbly

[akorosdc]

Where in Alexandria do you want to live?

I liked Archstone Newport Village, and my friends like living in Foxchase of Alexandria. I have more friends in Fairlington who are also happy.

[ersatz]

Bubbly - If you want some good recommendations, you really need to give people a better idea of what you prefer.

Price Range?
Efficiency? Three Bedroom?
Family size?
Public transit or easy parking preferred?
Neighborhood - bar/theater/clubbing scene or easy shopping access or quiet neighborhood?


Etc.

[zotmeister]

Originally Posted by juniperbleu

Where in Alexandria do you want to live?

I liked Archstone Newport Village, and my friends like living in Foxchase of Alexandria. I have more friends in Fairlington who are also happy.

I read some bad reviews of both places juniperbleu....are you sure they are good places, as I am looking as we speak.

[akorosdc]

Originally Posted by zotmeister

I read some bad reviews of both places juniperbleu....are you sure they are good places, as I am looking as we speak.

I read the reviews of Archstone after I was already moving out and felt like they were describing a different complex. Sure, there were some little annoyances, but the description made it sound like a hell hole. It was a good-sized apartment for a decent price, and aside from being far from a Metro station the location was actually pretty good. It was easy for us to get to Old Town, Arlington, Shirlington, and DC. When we moved in it was clean, we never had any bugs (aside from a few that flew in from the balcony; they don't have screen doors so until I rigged up my own we let a few nighttime bugs in), the set up for utilities and cable/internet/tv was easy, and overall we really liked living there. Coincidentally, while at a "friend of a friend's" barbeque after we moved out we found current and former ANP residents who were also happy with the complex.

As for the annoyances, the ceilings/floors are very thin, so chances are you will hear your neighbors moving around. We had Clompy McLoud-Foot upstairs who walked very loudly which was annoying at times. Oddly enough, we never heard our next-door neighbors. Also, the management could be better. It isn't horrific, but there were a few times when it was difficult to get them on the phone. I learned that if you call twice in a row they typically pick up the second time. I got annoyed when they waited a full day to fix my toilet, but their reasoning was that we have 2 bathrooms, so it wasn't an emergency. That was the only real repair we had (another time I called them because I thought I broke the washer, but instead I was just being an idiot). Yes, there are some Hispanic kids who hang out in the parking lot, but we never felt threatened at all. It's just some kids hanging out, they're not doing anything wrong. Our number 1 complaint was that we couldn't walk to a Metro station. That's something we should have thought of before, but without knowing the area and our prospective transit needs we didn't think about it. Honestly, if it had just been me I would have been tempted to stay another year, but my roommate works crazy hours and the whole bus thing stressed her out. I also wanted to start graduate school in DC, which would have meant tricky bus situations.

All in all, the problems really weren't that bad. Most of them are just part of living in a managed apartment building (which I hadn't done before and haven't yet done since). To avoid the noise, get a place on the 3rd floor, and bugs are typically less of a problem on higher floors as well (this is anywhere I've lived). Proximity to a Metro station was our primary reason for moving, but if you work fairly standard hours or drive to work it's really not that bad. We even recommended it to a friend of ours who is happy there so far.

As for Foxchase, my one friend has lived there for over 2 years, and 3 others have lived there for almost two years. The one-bedroom apartment she originally had was very small, but her 2-bedroom place (which was cheaper than ours at Archstone) is huge. She's not really interested in moving away and hasn't had any complaints about the complex. I do have 2 friends who lived there for a year and did move out. Their primary complaints were that it was boring and they wanted to be able to walk to a Metro station for easy access to DC. Most of the people I know there drive to work in Virginia, and the one who takes the Metro is one of the "in by 7, out by 3" guys, so he's fine with the shuttle/bus option.

[brit3218]

I need help on finding an apartment in Alexandria as well. I am willing to pay between $700-$1200 for a one bedroom/one bathroom apartment in a decent neighborhood, with an easy commute to downtown Alexandria as well as an easy commute to downtown DC. I would like an area where there are lots of restaurants, shops,etc. Is anyone familiar with The Encore Apartments, Foxchase Apartments or the Mount Vernon Square Apartments? I checked them out online and I like what I see but I would really love some more input.