Moving to the DC/VA/MD Area (Arlington, Alexandria: apartment complexes, lease)
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The school I will be working for is Maury Elementary School. Its near Capitol Hill on Constitution Ave. So far the way I've mapped it, I'll either take a bus or drive to the Metro station, take the blue line into dc, Capital South, get off and take the bus to the school. I'd really like to learn how to use the public trans because I will be new there and I'm not use to driving in heavy traffic. Sorry, even on it's worse day, Michigan traffic is only about 45 minutes total with a back up. Now a serious accident and well of course about an hour, but trust me, nowhere near like on the east coast.
Beyond that particular school, all the schools that have been contacting me are in SE DC. I don't care where I work, just where I live. I'll work just about anywhere, but when it's time to go home, I must have peace, quiet, serenity and frankly, beauty. I want to be proud to invite someone over not worried or scared. And yes I know, no place on earth is 100 percent safe. Anywhoo...
Just looking for some tips, help, advice, suggestions, what have you. I've been reading different posts and threads, so i'm getting a pretty good idea about things, but would still like some help if that's okay.
as an aside -- do NOT think you'll be saving any money by using the metro system as opposed to driving -- the metro is very expensive to ride and very expensive to park -- unless u get transportation subsidies from your job it can run you $200-$300/month
i wish you the best of luck -- i lived there for 38 yrs and we made over $100k/year there and could not make it...
... it's just that once that light turns green, for some reason if people aren't the first car, they assume they'll never make the light, panic instantly sets in, and you have the domino effect of horns behind you if you aren't instantly on the gas...
They can blow it out their arse!! With all the red light runners around here...pausing when your light turns green is the smart thing to do!
I was in my school bus one morning on Pope's Head Rd, waiting for the light at Fairfax County Parkway. I got the green and paused as I always do...good thing too, a loaded tractor trailer ran the red, (not yellow!) light big time...at high speed. If I had stepped on it when my light turned green, we would have been T-boned. I have no doubt that dozens of kids and myself would have been killed.
The good news is that a citizen witnessed the whole thing and e-mailed FCPS...I got an award, and a nice check out of it! (this was back when FCPS had discretionary $$$! lol)
"My friends and I have gone to Rock It Grill along King Street in Old Town several times now to do karaoke, and we always like the crowd there.... Hard Times Cafe, a local chain, also has some pretty good, quick, and cheap food. I'll have to defer here to Tone509, but I've heard there is a pretty good ice cream and/or gelati place in Del Ray for the warmer months."
Alright, got it. I love Karaoke (my friends and I) so we will be frequenting that place when they come to visit (and they will, they have already told me so)
"as an aside -- do NOT think you'll be saving any money by using the metro system as opposed to driving -- the metro is very expensive to ride and very expensive to park -- unless u get transportation subsidies from your job it can run you $200-$300/month"
"i wish you the best of luck -- i lived there for 38 yrs and we made over $100k/year there and could not make it..."
I'm sure that the cost will be around the same. My car is older and frankly being stalled in rush hour traffic burns a lot of gas. My car is small, but when I actually think about it, it will come out the same. Either way, I want to use public trans because it's a new city and I don't exactly know my way around yet. Yes, I'll have my GPS (hahahahahaha) but just wanted to try it. Who knows, we're so stuck on cars in the Midwest, I doubt if I will be able to do it forever.
I know you lived there for 38 years. I've lived in Michigan about that long, minus a few years in Chicago and trust me, the cost of living everywhere is just hard these days. I don't have children and I know how to live quite "frugally" Not to mention, it's time for me to budget properly in my life. I'm sure I'll be fine. As long as I can pay my rent and get to work, I can work everything else out. Besides my guy makes good money and he will be helping, BELIEVE THAT!! Thanks so much.
LOL!!!!!!!! You guys, the traffic conversations are a hoot!! It's frustrating, I know and we have the same problem here. Red light runners, people who stop at the green light, people who dash in and out of traffic, speed racers I call them. And why, only to put all of our lives in jeopardy?? Sad really. Which is why I want out of my car. But the freedom of driving is hard to give up.
I lived in Chicago for about 4 years and got use to driving 90 on regular basis. Matter of fact, if you drove too slow, police would stop you. Teeheehee!
"My friends and I have gone to Rock It Grill along King Street in Old Town several times now to do karaoke, and we always like the crowd there.... Hard Times Cafe, a local chain, also has some pretty good, quick, and cheap food. I'll have to defer here to Tone509, but I've heard there is a pretty good ice cream and/or gelati place in Del Ray for the warmer months."
Alright, got it. I love Karaoke (my friends and I) so we will be frequenting that place when they come to visit (and they will, they have already told me so)
I live real close to the Rock It Grill, but I've never gone. The reason is that they have probably the worst TV commercial that they play constantly on cable.
I wonder if they only play it in the City of Alexandria. Has anyone ever seen it?
To the OP, Maury Elem. is actually pretty convenient to the metro station in Union Station. It's about a 15 minute brisk walk. Or you can take short bus ride on the C street bus that goes through Capitol Hill.
Union Station opens up both the red line, VRE, and MARC trains for public transportation options. I'd consider Silver Spring and Takoma Park as places to check out.
"To the OP, Maury Elem. is actually pretty convenient to the metro station in Union Station. It's about a 15 minute brisk walk. Or you can take short bus ride on the C street bus that goes through Capitol Hill.
Union Station opens up both the red line, VRE, and MARC trains for public transportation options. I'd consider Silver Spring and Takoma Park as places to check out."
Thanks for the help. Yep, I have been studying the map, so I can tell it's not far from there at all. Yes, I know maps are to SCALE people, I'm not nuts, but I could tell it wouldn't be that bad. So anywhoo, a brisk walk or, catch a ride or the bus. We will see. Can't wait. As for where to live, I've checked out Silver Springs and and for everything I need on my "must haves" list, it was a little high. Alexandria actually seemed closer to where I was going. But I will check into Takoma Park. Although, I don't know I really got a good feeling about Alexandria. But hey, it's always good to have options. Thanks a bunch!!
i wish you the best of luck -- i lived there for 38 yrs and we made over $100k/year there and could not make it...
Sounds like a spending problem, not a cost of living problem. I mention that because statements like this often terrify people into thinking that it's impossible to live somewhere without making six figures; when it's not- you just have to adjust your expectations.
I am interested in hearing where OP found an $800 apartment. Be sure to visit during the day and the night just to make sure this place you've found is somewhere you'd actually want to live. There's some questionable areas in Alexandria to me. I grew up in Novi, MI to give you a reference as to what I am used to.
"Sounds like a spending problem, not a cost of living problem. I mention that because statements like this often terrify people into thinking that it's impossible to live somewhere without making six figures; when it's not- you just have to adjust your expectations."
"I am interested in hearing where OP found an $800 apartment. Be sure to visit during the day and the night just to make sure this place you've found is somewhere you'd actually want to live. There's some questionable areas in Alexandria to me. I grew up in Novi, MI to give you a reference as to what I am used to."
Hello Neutral. I am from Detroit. Living in a suburb of Detroit right now.
In one of my earlier replies, I gave the street and area the apt is in. The price is actually closer to 900 bucks, but for right now it will have to do and I don't know my exact salary yet, so I don't want to go any higher than a grand before I know I how much I will be making. The place is called Seminary Hill Apts. on Kenmore ave. The cross streets are Duke, Braddock and Beauregard. So I'll check it out. I found a couple in that price range, not too far from the Van Dorn station. I'm sure I'll be fine.
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Alright, got it. I love Karaoke (my friends and I) so we will be frequenting that place when they come to visit (and they will, they have already told me so)
I'm sure that the cost will be around the same. My car is older and frankly being stalled in rush hour traffic burns a lot of gas. My car is small, but when I actually think about it, it will come out the same. Either way, I want to use public trans because it's a new city and I don't exactly know my way around yet. Yes, I'll have my GPS (hahahahahaha) but just wanted to try it. Who knows, we're so stuck on cars in the Midwest, I doubt if I will be able to do it forever. 
Thanks for the help. Yep, I have been studying the map, so I can tell it's not far from there at all. Yes, I know maps are to SCALE people, I'm not nuts, but I could tell it wouldn't be that bad. So anywhoo, a brisk walk or, catch a ride or the bus. We will see. Can't wait. As for where to live, I've checked out Silver Springs and and for everything I need on my "must haves" list, it was a little high. Alexandria actually seemed closer to where I was going. But I will check into Takoma Park. Although, I don't know I really got a good feeling about Alexandria. But hey, it's always good to have options. Thanks a bunch!!
