Young, single, late 20's will be working in DC for the government

[logybogy]

Meh. Everyone seems to claim that the orange line is the place to be for young professionals.

I've never lived there, but I worked there for a while and lived within walking distance of the Vienna metro.

Didn't seem to do much for me other than take extra money out of my wallet every month.

Since I will be working in DC in a building with very restricted parking, the only way for me to even get to work is by walking, the metro or through an employee carpool program. I guess I could drive in and look for street parking or a garage every day but what an expensive pain in the ass that would be in DC.

I'm not wed to anyplace in particular. If there's a good argument that the orange line in arlington is a waste of money in my situation and there's a much better cheaper alternative somewhere on the orange or blue lines, I'd love to hear it. I'm just as comfortable getting my entertainment by going to the free museums, lectures, day trips to parks or the beach than getting drunk at a bar. In fact, as I approach 30 I'm getting more and more bored with the bar scene.

[pcity]

I should have brought this up sooner, but here's one more idea, if you want to do this on the cheap-

Check out Columbia Pike close to the Pentagon, the part in between Adams St. and Washington Blvd. You're not on the Metro, but the buses come extremely frequently on this part of Columbia Pike, every 5-10 minutes or less. Once you get on the bus, it's less than 10 minutes to Pentagon or Pentagon City Metro. Much easier than commuting to DC from Alexandria.

Columbia Pike has a "seedy" reputation on this forum, but here's the secret: Only the western part is really seedy. The eastern part is nicer.

And here's the best part: 1BR's in the 1200-1300 range.

If you want to go out in Clarendon, you either drive or do the 30-35 minute bus-plus-Metro there and then cab it home for 10 bucks.

The negative, of course, is that you miss out on living in the Orange Line frat party atmosphere. So it might be harder to make friends in your building or surrounding buildings. There are young professionals in those Columbia Pike apartments, but not nearly as many as on the Orange Line.

[logybogy]

Is it easy to make friends in the apartment/condo complexes? Are people approachable and friendly in VA? Maybe it's a Florida thing but wherever I lived people just did their own thing. I rarely knew much about my neighbors.

[pcity]

I've lived in two different apartment buildings (neither one on the Orange Line) and never made a friend in my building. I've met the vast majority of my friends at work or through people at work. I'm shy though, so I might not be the best person to answer this.

Two of my friends (one of whom lives on the Orange line) have met a lot of people through their building. How? They have dogs and are constantly running into the same people when they walk their dog. The dog also works as an instant icebreaker.

[logybogy]

Yeah, that's a good point about the dog thing. A friend suggested it's also a good way to pick up women.

[fumanchu41]

Originally Posted by logybogy

Is it easy to make friends in the apartment/condo complexes? Are people approachable and friendly in VA? Maybe it's a Florida thing but wherever I lived people just did their own thing. I rarely knew much about my neighbors.

People are much different around here, especially the closer you live to DC. You will definitely miss the southern hospitality. You'll probably have better chance of making friends through work and being introduce to other circles. Don't count on making friends within your condo or apt complex. A few years ago when we were living on the Orange line, we've had neighbors in our building that would not speak a word in the elevator. Even if you say Good morning or hello, they look at you really strange and wouldn't even say a word back.

Can't wait to move back down South.

[logybogy]

A few years ago when we were living on the Orange line, we've had neighbors in our building that would not speak a word in the elevator. Even if you say Good morning or hello, they look at you really strange and wouldn't even say a word back.

This is how it was when I lived in Miami. The people were very hostile in general and completely self-absorbed. Where I live now in northern florida which has a much mroe southern flavor than miami which is basically an annex of latin america, people are generally friendly and say hi and will smile and won't look at you like an alien if you start a conversation. It'll probably take a little adjustment to get back to the big city a-hole mentality. And I may not like it. I have a 3 year plan to get my grades and if DC isn't working for me after that I'll look to take a job somewhere else in the country at a much higher salary than what I am making now.

[akorosdc]

Originally Posted by logybogy

Is it easy to make friends in the apartment/condo complexes? Are people approachable and friendly in VA? Maybe it's a Florida thing but wherever I lived people just did their own thing. I rarely knew much about my neighbors.

I didn't really "make friends" with them, but I knew several of my neighbors in Alexandria and now talk to several in my complex in DC. It probably depends on where you are and who you're around, but I never found it to be a problem.