Going out in DC when living in Arlington/Alexandria

[claremarie]

There is at least one large fleet of radio-dispatched cabs operating in the area, as another option to finding a cab on the street.

[dg12x]

Originally Posted by kers0714

Hi! I recently got a job in Alexandria for the coming fall. I am looking to move around the first of August and would love any advice people are willing to offer about living in the area. My work is located in what looks like Southeast Rosemont (I don't know the area well so I just pulled that off google maps.) I want to stay within a 15 min drive of there, but closer is always a plus. Another big factor is that I want to be able to get in and out of DC on the metro fairly easily. I have a number of friends in the area and I'm hoping that I will be able to get in and out of DC on weekend nights without having to worry about driving myself in and out. The nice apartment buildings within walking distance to the metro all seem to be veryyy expensive. How does parking work at the metro stops in Alexandria/Arlington? If you go in around dinner on Friday/Saturday night, is it hard to find parking? Is it expensive? Is it easy to get a cab home from a metro stop on weekend nights after midnight? I basically am wondering how people manage getting in and out of the city on weekend nights when living in Northern VA without driving in. Any help is so appreciated. Thanks!

Congrats on the job! I moved down to this area late last October for a job in Old Town Alexandria along King Street. Being just a couple years out of college, I was first drawn to areas near the metro stops in Arlington where a lot of the younger crowd is, but they were a good deal out of my price range. Since I was afforded a parking spot and have car, I chose to live in Shirlington Village (west of the Rosemont area right on 395...takes me anywhere from 15-25min to make it into Old Town depending on how I hit the traffic lights). For nights/weekends, if I want to get into DC and don't want to take the car, I'll either take the bus to the Pentagon stop or drive to Ballston and park in the Commons Mall garage. It's just $1 to park after 6pm and all-day on weekends (it has a pedestrian bridge which gets you over to the metro). If I get back late to metro stop where I don't have my car, I can usually call up a taxi with little issue. For the $600 or so I save each month in rent, I can afford to pay for a few taxi trips.

Whatever you decide, good luck!

[kers0714]

Ah you all are the best! This makes me much less concerned about living near the metro, as the only real reason I wanted that was to be able to get in and out of the city on weekend nights. Thank you!

[seiketsu]

As others have stated, the best way to get into DC at night is to drive; the Metro/taxi combination is a major time and money suck. Trains run only two or three times an hour at night, and you can spend an hour getting from King Street to U Street if you don't time it right and upwards of $40 round trip with taxi from the station -- or you could drive it in 15 minutes and park for free. And buses simply are not an option late in the evening, most stop running long before midnight.

Honestly, I don't think you'll spend as many weekends there as you plan. If you're not already in the city for work, it can seem more hassle than it is worth to meet up with people there. If you have DC snobs as friends (those who would rather take 45 minutes to get from one hotspot neighborhood inside the district to another, but absolutely refuse to take 20 minutes to ride to Arlington or Alexandria), you'll find that you see them less and less as you make new friends who live and work near you. There is plenty to do in Arlington and Old Town in the evening. I can't remember the last time I went into DC for barhopping, although maybe I'm just getting too old for that.

[terrence81]

Originally Posted by seiketsu

As others have stated, the best way to get into DC at night is to drive; the Metro/taxi combination is a major time and money suck. Trains run only two or three times an hour at night, and you can spend an hour getting from King Street to U Street if you don't time it right and upwards of $40 round trip with taxi from the station -- or you could drive it in 15 minutes and park for free. And buses simply are not an option late in the evening, most stop running long before midnight.

Honestly, I don't think you'll spend as many weekends there as you plan. If you're not already in the city for work, it can seem more hassle than it is worth to meet up with people there. If you have DC snobs as friends (those who would rather take 45 minutes to get from one hotspot neighborhood inside the district to another, but absolutely refuse to take 20 minutes to ride to Arlington or Alexandria), you'll find that you see them less and less as you make new friends who live and work near you. There is plenty to do in Arlington and Old Town in the evening. I can't remember the last time I went into DC for barhopping, although maybe I'm just getting too old for that.

Well I still love going out in DC but I think its healthy for Virginians to drive in the District every now and then. I'm sorry I get irritated with my VA people who are afraid to drive in the city especially at night. Yeah parking sucks big deal quit trying to be a princess and park a few blocks further from your destination. Sorry rant. My point is that yeah driving into the city is healthy (if you're not drunk of course) and I agree taking the train into the city on a Friday night is exciting at first but gets old.

Also the last train makes me feel like Cinderella. Sometimes I'm out having an okay time and I'm ready to go home but there have been times for whatever reason I wasn't ready to call it a night. Oh so and so is having a party. Hey let's talk some more at this all night diner I know. No I can't have to catch the last train.

At the end of the day try different options and see what works for you. I'm just saying that driving and watching my drinking (although I'm not above crashing at someone's house if I'm too drunk). If you're not the type to close down the bar. If you have a friend's couch you can crash on that makes a difference.

[zotmeister]

I moved to Alexandria about 9 months ago so I'll give you my perspective. I would agree with many around hear and not worry about getting into DC on the weekends. Once the commuter traffic is gone driving into DC on the weekend is a breeze, with the assumption you can find parking. My suggestion is parking at Pentagon City, which charges $2 (yes $2!) after 6 pm and on weekends. You can hop on metro that way and not deal with DC parking and get to where you need to be. That is usually how I get into DC. Makes life easier that way. Enjoy....so far living in Alexandria has been great.

[GoHokiesGo]

I drive into DC and Arlington nearly every weekend on Friday/Saturday nights. As many have posted, parking is free starting around 6:30-8pm (depending on what area) so you can park in any of the metered areas along the street for free.

I almost always find a parking spot when out and about within a few blocks of where I'm headed. Usually by heading 2-3 blocks into residential areas, you're bound to find an open spot. And if not, there are generally garages for $7-10 that you can park at for the night. Adams Morgan is generally the toughest spot for me to find parking, but Dupont, Georgetown, Connecticut corridors generally have open spots somewhere nearby; same goes for Clarendon, Rosslyn, and Old Town - you may just need to have patience for 5-10 minutes to find a good spot.

Have fun and enjoy the city; Drive safe and, obviously, be aware of your alcohol consumption if you're the driver.