Tyson's to Arlington daily commute (Alexandria, Tysons Corner: apartments, lease, condos)

[joiseygirl732]

I currently live in No. Arlington and work walking distance from my office. I have considered moving to save on rent, but one place I was looking at (2bed/2bath apt) in Tyson's might be a little too much of a commute.

I used to do an Arlington to Tyson's commute last year, and it wasn't too bad.

Any opinions from people who commute from Tyson's to Arlington? My inclination is to stay put for now. I don't have a commute, but I still have a car (gas guzzler). I'm thinking a commute like this would cost me at least 150/month in gas alone.

[FindingZen]

OK...I should disclose first that I have never commuted from Tysons to Arlington.

But if I may ask: what attracts you to Tysons Corner as a living destination? It seems to me that people who tend to live there in an apartment situation do so to minimize a typically "nightmarish" Tysons commute. Perhaps to a lesser degree, they like the upscale mall shopping and proximity to Dulles.

I see that you will able to get more for your money compared to North Arlington...but it seems like there would be other affordable areas to consider that are more convenient as well, including South Arlington (i.e. Pentagon City, Crystal City).

[sonnymarkjiz]

People usually don't live in Tysons. They either work or shop there. Is it that much cheaper than Arlington though?

Anyway, I don't think a commute would be that bad? I used to stay in Ballston and commute to Tysons using Rt 50 to 495. It was about 30 mins. But since you're doing a reverse commute, I'd say about 20 mins.

[joiseygirl732]

Well I came across a person who needed a roommate, and the rent in that unit is apx. 300 dollars less than what I pay now to live in Arlington. The price really attracted me to check it out (and it is a nice place), but now that I think about it, I'm not sure if that 300 dollar difference is worth it.

and, I did notice after visiting the place over the weekend, that there's a lot of old people (and of course young families). As a single professional, I'm not sure how much I would enjoy living in Tyson's...especially considering traffic.

[sonnymarkjiz]

Yeah, I'm 25 and I couldn't live in Tyson's. The traffic alone there kills me. There's traffic there 24/7. Stay in Arlington. You're walking distance to your job, that's awesome in itself. There's not much of a nightlife or anything happening at Tysons.

[tysonsengineer]

Tysons isn't as bad you guys are saying. It depends where you are. First of all, when you leave in the morning from Tysons none of the out of towners are there yet so the roads that are "traffic nightmares" are wide open that time of morning. I have trouble staying at the speed limit.

Secondly, there are lots of nice areas in Tysons, I live on westpark and theres plenty to do including plenty of wine bars, Iris bar, Tysons I has lot of happy hour places, Chef Geoffs is fricken amazing. The area is obviously not arlington yet, but over the next few years it might start becoming more like it. Also if you are tired of going to the same post college dive bars or clarendon ballroom, I think you would find bars like Iris, Chef Geoffs, or Entyse to be pretty unique and new.

I would also point out that I can get to U Street in 20 minutes by the 05A bus and Green Line without the need for driving, and to Arlington in 15 minutes via West Falls Church in case I want to go there too. Most importantly you can save 500 to 600 dollars extra a month by living in Tysons which helps for going out.

The commute is pretty damn good to Arlington (I used to work on 29 and Glebe). Takes about 15 minutes on Old Dominion.

Again if you want the young college vibe still, for sure stay in Arlington. If you want a place with just as good of a selection of restaurants, and more of an older vibe I think you'd like Tysons. I'm 28, go out 3 times a week, and enjoy the hell out of my town.

Also, Sonny you live in Loudoun, of course you think Traffic in Tysons is bad, yer one of the people making it bad at 7-9am and 4-6pm.

[sonnymarkjiz]

Originally Posted by tysonsengineer

Tysons isn't as bad you guys are saying. It depends where you are. First of all, when you leave in the morning from Tysons none of the out of towners are there yet so the roads that are "traffic nightmares" are wide open that time of morning. I have trouble staying at the speed limit.

Secondly, there are lots of nice areas in Tysons, I live on westpark and theres plenty to do including plenty of wine bars, Iris bar, Tysons I has lot of happy hour places, Chef Geoffs is fricken amazing. The area is obviously not arlington yet, but over the next few years it might start becoming more like it. Also if you are tired of going to the same post college dive bars or clarendon ballroom, I think you would find bars like Iris, Chef Geoffs, or Entyse to be pretty unique and new.

I would also point out that I can get to U Street in 20 minutes by the 05A bus and Green Line without the need for driving, and to Arlington in 15 minutes via West Falls Church in case I want to go there too. Most importantly you can save 500 to 600 dollars extra a month by living in Tysons which helps for going out.

The commute is pretty damn good to Arlington (I used to work on 29 and Glebe). Takes about 15 minutes on Old Dominion.

Again if you want the young college vibe still, for sure stay in Arlington. If you want a place with just as good of a selection of restaurants, and more of an older vibe I think you'd like Tysons. I'm 28, go out 3 times a week, and enjoy the hell out of my town.

Also, Sonny you live in Loudoun, of course you think Traffic in Tysons is bad, yer one of the people making it bad at 7-9am and 4-6pm.

That last comment doesn't even make sense...besides, I thought you apologized a few weeks ago? I used to live in Arlington, just don't care for the post-college lifestyle anymore.


As for OP, Tysons engineer makes good points. Chef Geoff's and places on the 7 side of Tysons are amazing. But it depends on your quality of life (if you want quieter vs. The rowdy post-college atmosphere). But for me, like I said, I'd be super happy with a job I can walk to everyday vs. driving/commuting.

[ACWhite]

Tone509, I don't think that Pentagon City/Crystal City apartments that are otherwise similar to those on the Orange line are significantly cheaper (nor are single family houses). The biggest differences, when they are found, are probably due to age, condition, amenities, etc. Check out, for example, how closely 22202 compares to 22201, on the city-data demographics page. PC/CC is very close to DC and very convenient to a lot of other places (e.g., Old Town) and has two metros, which contributes to cost. Since >80% of households in Arlington don't have kids at home, schools don't have as big an impact on value there (or in Alexandria or parts of NW DC) as they may in other areas.

People should not lump that area in together with 22204 or 22206 (what most people mean when they say "South Arlington"). The prices (and demographics, neighborhoods, housing stock, etc.) are significantly different. And there are parts of 22204 and 22206 that are pretty pricey as well. Since you may be more familiar with Alexandria, an analogy might be that it is somewhat like not differentiating between Arlandria and other parts of 22301 and 22305.

[JD984]

Originally Posted by sonnymarkjiz

People usually don't live in Tysons. They either work or shop there. Is it that much cheaper than Arlington though?

Anyway, I don't think a commute would be that bad? I used to stay in Ballston and commute to Tysons using Rt 50 to 495. It was about 30 mins. But since you're doing a reverse commute, I'd say about 20 mins.

This is only correct insofar as more people currently work in Tysons than live there. The plan is to continue to increase the housing in the area.

I helped out over the weekend at a school fundraising event taking place at a grocery store in the immediate Tysons area. There were people of all ages and backgrounds coming to shop at the grocery store - a diverse group with many 20 and 30-somethings, as well as older shoppers. Obviously, it's not the Arlington bar scene and probably never will be, but neither is it uber-suburban, either. Any place with that many apartments and condos will be home to a fair number of younger residents. Of course, maybe they all make a bee-line for Arlington and DC on weekend nights.

[tysonsengineer]

Originally Posted by JEB77

This is only correct insofar as more people currently work in Tysons than live there. The plan is to continue to increase the housing in the area.

I helped out over the weekend at a school fundraising event taking place at a grocery store in the immediate Tysons area. There were people of all ages and backgrounds coming to shop at the grocery store - a diverse group with many 20 and 30-somethings, as well as older shoppers. Obviously, it's not the Arlington bar scene and probably never will be, but neither is it uber-suburban, either. Any place with that many apartments and condos will be home to a fair number of younger residents. Of course, maybe they all make a bee-line for Arlington and DC on weekend nights.

Again if you want younger vibe, post college, single and mingle kinda stuff then you should probably stay in Arlington, otherwise I dont necessarily Tysons is going to be "awful" like some people said. From the sounds of it, I would say you probably arent ready to move away from Arlington just yet. Stick around there for another lease cycle, see if you out grow it, and Tysons/Vienna/Falls Church will always be there with open arms when you want something different. Like JEB77 said, the area is beginning to really change, and there is a huge influx of 20, 30, and 40 somethings that are moving to Tysons. I have 3 friends 2 years out of college who live in Tysons and they say theres plenty of stuff to do on weekend nights here, or if they need to they head over to Falls Church (State Theater), Vienna (Jammin Java), Arlington obviously, or DC (quick 20 minute express bus right from westpark), or silver line next year. And unlike their friends who live in Arlington, when they get there by metro or bus, they can actually spend some money having fun instead of having to drink cheap beer at the worst bars (clarendon grill)