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You won't find a place here that has everything Hoboken has to offer, but if "a reasonably short commute with a good college/young professional crowd and night life" is what's most important to you, the Orange Line corredor in Arlington is your best bet. You can always move into DC later if you find Arlington too "sterile" (i.e., shiny/new), but it's the best place to start.
You won't find a place here that has everything Hoboken has to offer, but if "a reasonably short commute with a good college/young professional crowd and night life" is what's most important to you, the Orange Line corredor in Arlington is your best bet. You can always move into DC later if you find Arlington too "sterile" (i.e., shiny/new), but it's the best place to start.
When people call Arlington sterile, it's not really the shiny / new buildings. It's more a cultural sterility: mostly homogenous white, middle class professionals and not much in the way of nightlife, great food (though there is some for sure), or culture.
It's more a cultural sterility: mostly homogenous white, middle class professionals and not much in the way of nightlife, great food (though there is some for sure), or culture.
This is what I never really understand. Arlington is far more diverse than DC west of Rock Creek Park, and has a lot more bars (excluding Georgetown), but you rarely hear people call Cleveland Park sterile. I mean, if by Arlington people mean the Ballston-Rosslyn corridor, then I get the white comment, but that's like saying "DC" when you really mean Ward 8.
This is what I never really understand. Arlington is far more diverse than DC west of Rock Creek Park, and has a lot more bars (excluding Georgetown), but you rarely hear people call Cleveland Park sterile. I mean, if by Arlington people mean the Ballston-Rosslyn corridor, then I get the white comment, but that's like saying "DC" when you really mean Ward 8.
Well, people usually do mean the Ballston-Rosslyn corridor if they're considering urban-style neighborhoods in or around DC. You don't see too many people suggest Foxhall or the Palisades on here either for someone looking for the criteria the OP is.
When people call Arlington sterile, it's not really the shiny / new buildings. It's more a cultural sterility: mostly homogenous white, middle class professionals and not much in the way of nightlife, great food (though there is some for sure), or culture.
I expect it's both; some people believe an area only has charm or character if a substantial percentage of the buildings were constructed before the 1940s, and others think areas patronized primarily by white, middle-class professionals are sterile. If the latter notion is the correct test of "sterility", Hoboken has probably been a "sterile" place for quite a while, since it's absolutely full of young, white middle-class profesionals who party with each other and take the PATH train or ferry to their jobs on Wall Street.
In the DC area, criticisms of Arlington's "sterility" are often made by those living in DC who wish their own preferred DC neighborhoods just had a little bit more going on, and would be more vibrant if people weren't hanging out in Arlington and enjoying themselves there instead. At the end of the day, whether in Williamsburg, Hoboken, U Street or Arlington, people tend to hang out with others with whom they have something in common.
You won't find a place here that has everything Hoboken has to offer, but if "a reasonably short commute with a good college/young professional crowd and night life" is what's most important to you, the Orange Line corredor in Arlington is your best bet. You can always move into DC later if you find Arlington too "sterile" (i.e., shiny/new), but it's the best place to start.
So the whole city of DC can't offer what the 1.3 square mile 'burb of Hoboken does?
When people call Arlington sterile, it's not really the shiny / new buildings. It's more a cultural sterility: mostly homogenous white, middle class professionals and not much in the way of nightlife, great food (though there is some for sure), or culture.
Huh? Arlington is like so diverse. There's more to Arlington than bar hopping with preppy fresh-out-of-college types in Clarenden. Which I've done and had fun but to say that's all there is to Arlington is just I don't know...incorrect. I'm not a foodie. Arlington has restaurants just like DC has restaurants. Culture? Really? I mean Arlington is so diverse, not as diverse as say... Montgomery or Prince William counties but still pretty darn diverse especially in my hood. I've got black, white, Hispanic neighbors. There's a mosque the next block over and a Salvodoran (I think) around the corner. I mean no one is going to come to my hood for nightlife but that's the only thing that matters for some people when thinking about a neighborhood.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stephen 81
This is what I never really understand. Arlington is far more diverse than DC west of Rock Creek Park, and has a lot more bars (excluding Georgetown), but you rarely hear people call Cleveland Park sterile. I mean, if by Arlington people mean the Ballston-Rosslyn corridor, then I get the white comment, but that's like saying "DC" when you really mean Ward 8.
I agree. With the exception of Mt. Pleasant, DC is basically just black and white.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bluefly
Well, people usually do mean the Ballston-Rosslyn corridor if they're considering urban-style neighborhoods in or around DC. You don't see too many people suggest Foxhall or the Palisades on here either for someone looking for the criteria the OP is.
But that's the point of the matter there's more to Arlington than Ballston-Rosslyn or God collar popping in Clarenden. I don't know I guess I'm just a big Arlington fan. Although I will say that Alexandria beats Arlington in the diversity department but that only goes so far. And going back to the original title I'm thinking that the Hoboken of DC is well not in the city proper myself. There's nothing wrong with that. That's what I like about where I'm in Arlington. I can be crossing within 10 minutes shucks even 5 if I play my cards right traffic wise. But I don't have the expense that comes with city living although I will admit to thinking about getting a spot on the Hill.
I really can't thank you all enough for the feed back, this has been a great help for me. That being said allow me to clarify a few things. First, diversity isn't really an issue for me. I am a white middle class professional like many in Hoboken are, thats why I was trying to find a similar area. As long as the area I'm going to live in is relatively safe I don't really care how diverse it is. Also, I don't really mind what the area feels like architecturally speaking. I'm fine with it being historic or shiny and new.
It seems like even if there is nothing quite like Hoboken near D.C. the consensus is that Arlington may be the closest to what I'm looking for. Seeing as how some people on here have posted different opinions, can anyone confirm that Arlington has a pretty decent night life with a relatively young crowd?
It seems like even if there is nothing quite like Hoboken near D.C. the consensus is that Arlington may be the closest to what I'm looking for. Seeing as how some people on here have posted different opinions, can anyone confirm that Arlington has a pretty decent night life with a relatively young crowd?
Yes. You will want to concentrate your search efforts in and around the Orange Line Corridor of North Arlington, specifically in the neighborhoods of Ballston, Virginia Square, Clarendon, Court House, or Rosslyn. Clarendon and Court House are typically the two most "happening" areas of those mentioned. Rosslyn has a nice modern skyline (considering DC doesn't have one), but it's still mostly dead after 5 PM when all of the office workers leave. The advantage to Rosslyn is being within easy walking distance to Georgetown, which in and of itself may be a very expensive option for you to consider. Ballston is the furthest west neighborhood along the corridor and features an indoor multi-level shopping mall and some bars and restaurants; it is the most convenient neighborhood to I-66 and Tysons Corner. Virginia Square is a very tiny neighborhood on the eastern reaches of Ballston. Clarendon and Court House each have quite a bit of nightlife, shopping, and dining.
If you want to be really savvy I'd consider looking into a neighborhood that's about a mile's walk from the Metrorail line. You can generally find cheaper rents in a place like Cherrydale, for example, while still being within walking and biking distance of all that the Orange Line corridor has to offer. I found a nice 1-BR apartment with parquet hardwood flooring in Cherrydale earlier this year for $1,350/month. That's about what you'd expect to pay for a decent 1-BR apartment in a very far-flung sterile suburb like Reston, where I currently reside. Most decent 1-BR apartments immediately near the Orange Line will run upwards of $1,600/month.
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