northern VA vs. Long Island

[JD984]

Originally Posted by Alicia Bradley

But you can still get a good (hot) sub there, right? That seems to be one of the things that transplants from that part of the world miss the most after they settle in NoVA.

If you think that's a big deal, it begs the question as to why you previously felt obliged to post "There's a difference?"

Car 54 already noted that no one should come to this area from Long Island and then complain about the local pizza. By all rights, that ought to cover calzones and veal parms, too. They are all part of the same basic food group.

While we're on the topic of food, I'm going to put in a gratuitous plug for the local El Floridano food truck, which sells a warm Cuban sandwich that is delicious and very similar to what you'd get in NYC (not Long Island), Union City, or Miami.

[Alicia Bradley]

My NE food-obsession-of-the-moment (not to eat, since I've never actually been anyplace that's sold them - just to ponder) is 'the steak and egg sandwich/sub.' And I don't mean a breakfast food served on an English muffin. I think it's a lunch/dinner thing. And the 'steak' refers to, you know, the sliced beef you would find in a (hee hee hee) cheesesteak (the thing I probably would have called a 'Philly steak and cheese sandwich' before moving here).

But now for the good news: I finally had a STROMBOLI!!! *does a happy dance in memory of the experience* And, no, it was not the same thing as a calzone. Though you will occasionally find calzones that some tricky person is trying to pass of as 'strombolis.' AFAIK, never a stromboli being passed off as a calzone, though. (The first time my SO and I speculated about what strombolis might be after seeing the term on a local menu, he broke out into an impersonation of this guy -



- asking, "You want a piece of me? Eh? Eh?")

[JD984]

Originally Posted by Alicia Bradley

My NE food-obsession-of-the-moment (not to eat, since I've never actually been anyplace that's sold them - just to ponder) is 'the steak and egg sandwich/sub.' And I don't mean a breakfast food served on an English muffin. I think it's a lunch/dinner thing. And the 'steak' refers to, you know, the sliced beef you would find in a (hee hee hee) cheesesteak (the thing I probably would have called a 'Philly steak and cheese sandwich' before moving here).

Maybe you should try the Chivito or Milaneso at Fast Gourmet in DC (14th & W) - accessible from NoVa on the Green/Yellow line:

fast

I think I would probably skip breakfast and dinner if I were having this for lunch, or breakfast and lunch if I were having it for dinner.

Fast Gourmet also has a hot "Cuban" sandwich, which is tasty, but not really the type of Cuban sandwich you'd get in Miami or the heavily Cuban suburbs of NYC like Union City or parts of Jersey City.

[Alicia Bradley]

Originally Posted by JEB77

Maybe you should try the Chivito or Milaneso at Fast Gourmet in DC (14th & W) - accessible from NoVa on the Green/Yellow line:

fast

I think I would probably skip breakfast and dinner if I were having this for lunch, or breakfast and lunch if I were having it for dinner.

Fast Gourmet also has a hot "Cuban" sandwich, which is tasty, but not really the type of Cuban sandwich you'd get in Miami or the heavily Cuban suburbs of NYC like Union City or parts of Jersey City.

Fast Gourmet looks cool!! I love the idea of nouveau Mid-Atlantic comfort food (with the tiniest dash of pan-Asian fusion.. though in NoVA, at least, some Korean, Vietnamese, and South/Central American comfort foods [various 'homestyle' Korean dishes, pho, rotisserie chicken] have actually become cross-cultural/mainstream comfort foods). Salads being an afterthought is actually very apt, too.. hehe. *sigh* I suppose I can always get a salad someplace else.. or make one at home (in the summer, at least, when the farmers' markets are open).

[Middlin]

Duffman's observations are correct. If you do move here, you will be the envy of most of your neighbors since you won't have a commute which is rare in the area. Gainesville has a lot of amenities, very family friendly and more affordable than closer in communities. I've lived in Bristow (adjacent to Gainesville) since 2003 and have lived all over NoVA. I like the slower pace and less congestion. Where we don't have the beaches there is some gorgeous scenery here in Virginia. Good luck with your decision

[brooklynborndad]

https://www.city-data.com/forum/long-...nt-so-bad.html

[nancy707]

No Pizza
No Bagels
No Deli's
No Beachs...

more traffic
more traffic
more traffic

[alexei27]

Reviving my own thread from last year...


A job opportunity came up again in the Vint Hill area and am looking at where to live. We think we have narrowed it down to Gainesville, Haymarket and Warrenton. Gainesville "looks" more DC suburb-ish...and Warrenton/Haymarket more like a small town. The center of town in Warrenton is gorgeous, but seems a bit above our price range.

I was wondering if you could help compare the the 3 against the following...

Schools - good, bad, ugly?

Culture (we've got daughters from Haiti and China). I know there is good and bad everywhere, but how accepting are the towns?

Neighborhoods...we'd like to avoid a gated/HOA type community. These see to be more prevalent in Gainesville?

Homes...we're probably looking at a budget of 300K...and need 4 BR. It looks like there are decent homes in all 3 towns. Any thoughts on that?


What else could you tell me that would help one way or another. Thank you!

[Caladium]

Congrats on the job opportunity. You'll probably have more success if you post this question as a new thread. Wish I could help you but I don't know a lot about that part of Nova. Others do, however. We had a fairly long thread on Warrenton recently that you might find helpful.

[Jon_In_NOVA]

I grew up in Suffolk County, specifically Medford. I've been in NOVA for ~5 years and before living in NOVA I lived in Ann Arundel County south of Baltimore MD.

A few pet peeves with NOVA:
Food isn't as good. There aren't many mom and pop shops (bagel shops, chinese, and especially Delis)
Vehicle tax is disgusting for what I pay in property tax
Things are more difficult to drive too. No LIE or Sunrise to take and get off on the exit you need.
All my friends and family still live up there, and they are very well into the rat race, it seems standard to work 50+ hr weeks without OT.

Things I like:
NOVA has a newer feel
Better schools
Job oppurtunities

Other then that, suburbia is suburbia if you ask me. Traveling all over the country in the army in years past, this is my outlook. Georgia, Ohio, NC, MD, SC, Nor Cal, etc.