things that upset you about nova (Alexandria, Reston: rent, credit, home)

[JD984]

Having recently been to the West Coast, the lack of In-N-Out Burgers here is now upsetting me.

[Joke Insurance]

Originally Posted by JEB77

Having recently been to the West Coast, the lack of In-N-Out Burgers here is now upsetting me.

I've ever been on the West Coast but I would love to have at least one In-N-Out Burger in Fairfax County, along with a Sonic, White Castle, Sheetz and Wawa.

[Yankeesfan]

One of my relatives up north posted last night about having had Chick-Fil-A here in VA and now being disappointed that he can't get it at home. What I would love to have here is Tim Horton's (donuts and more), which I've had while traveling in the midwest.

Has anyone been to Marie Callendar's restaurants in the west? I saw one about 20 years ago but we didn't stop in. I remember being surprised because I only knew the name from frozen foods, which I think may have been a smaller selection back then.

[IndiaLimaDelta]

Originally Posted by mcleanexec

All the liberals who enjoy paying more in taxes.

I don't have a problem with folks who want to pay more taxes. Have at it: Gifts to the United States Government: Questions and Answers: Financial Management Service

I am upset at those who want others to pay more. It ain't "social justice" if you are volunteering someone else's money. Seems to me that we are getting more of those types in NoVA of late. That upsets me.

[jzcrandall]

Originally Posted by Joke Insurance

I've ever been on the West Coast but I would love to have at least one In-N-Out Burger in Fairfax County, along with a Sonic, White Castle, Sheetz and Wawa.

And White Castle.

[Kembek]

I miss having really good department stores. Ever since Woodies and Hechts closed their doors we're stuck with Macys. I wish Dillards or even Boscovs or Bontons would open up shop in NOVA.

[Yankeesfan]

Originally Posted by IndiaLimaDelta

I don't have a problem with folks who want to pay more taxes. Have at it: Gifts to the United States Government: Questions and Answers: Financial Management Service

I am upset at those who want others to pay more. It ain't "social justice" if you are volunteering someone else's money. Seems to me that we are getting more of those types in NoVA of late. That upsets me.

Indeed. But when they're encouraged to make a voluntary contribution in the amount they feel undertaxed by, they decline. (Applicable to NoVA since this has happened here on this NoVA board.)

[Yankeesfan]

Originally Posted by Kembek

I miss having really good department stores. Ever since Woodies and Hechts closed their doors we're stuck with Macys. I wish Dillards or even Boscovs or Bontons would open up shop in NOVA.

That's for sure. I bought most of my children's clothes from Hecht's; they had beautiful things and great sales (with their ubiquitous coupons, of course). I just shop online now.

[The Dissenter]

Originally Posted by JEB77

Having recently been to the West Coast, the lack of In-N-Out Burgers here is now upsetting me.

This post reminds me that nowhere in NoVA has as good of fried chicken as Indi's in Louisville.

[SteelCityRising]

Wow. I only read through page 8 and had to stop before I broke out in laughter.

I lived in Fairfax Couty (the "ahead of the curve" planned community of Reston, to be precise) for a year-and-a-half and now live in Pittsburgh.

My grievances?

1.) The passive-aggressive people ... who largely think (or imply) "there must be something wrong with you" if you dare offer a critique or pass judgment against the quality-of-life in Northern Virginia. Contrary to popular belief everything isn't "sunshine and puppies" in NoVA if you're not affluent. In Pittsburgh we're criticized from time to time for various reasons, and instead of just brushing off the poster (or person) as being irrational, insane, a whiner, etc. we intelligently debate that person or (get this!) are WILLING TO ADMIT WE HAVE FAULTS! I still harbor a grudge against a few members on this sub-forum who, instead of debating my grievances, chose to instead personally attack me at every juncture, unchecked.

2.) The high cost of housing. Saying NoVA's housing prices are "comparable to what you'd pay in San Francisco, NYC, L.A., etc." is asinine because NoVA is a suburb---not a world-class city---and even though it's NEAR a world-class city access into it is sub-par with Metrorail trying desperately to play "catch up" far too late in laying down new rail lines and adding new stations. I strongly resented paying a similar rent for a 1-BR apartment in the outer suburbs of Fairfax County, where it would often take an egregiously long time to access city amenities, as I'd pay for a studio in the heart of a city with soul, character, and charm. I paid over $1,300/month for a 1-BR in Reston, which is quite a haul from DC and offers nothing for young professionals who don't think "posing" at Reston Town Center for happy hour is a true urban experience. I now pay $700/month to live in a historic rowhome within walking distance to Downtown Pittsburgh and still don't know what that $600/month price premium to live in Reston really afforded me in terms of a "bang for your buck" factor. I could NEVER afford to buy my own home in Northern Virginia whereas I'm already house-hunting in Pittsburgh. My mortgage payment will be $350/month (including taxes and insurance).

3.) Speaking of "soul, character, and charm" where was that in Northern Virginia, outside a few small pockets like Old Town Alexandria, Winchester, and Fredericksburg? We're living in a neighborhood that was rooted in the 1800s and features original brick sidewalks, historic sets of city steps to traverse our very steep topography, and rowhomes that look much as they did 120 years ago. Our Downtown is a breathtaking mish-mash of 1800s buildings set against a backdrop of modern skyscrapers (with more on the way). Reston's architecture made it feel like I was living in a 1970 bubble. Leesburg's "charm" was destroyed by overpopulation. Ashburn featured more beige vinyl siding than I have ever seen in my life. Tysons Corner was an immensely depressing place to work from an aesthetic standpoint. I always laughed when I saw families from Loudoun County coming to Reston Town Center to pretend they were in the "real" city instead of some creepy sterile open-air office park/plaza.

4.) The emphasis placed upon higher education, career promotions, professional accreditations, status, money, etc. There was this overwhelming vibe of "have to be more successful than my parents' generation", "have to be more successful than my neighbor", "have to be more successful than my peers", etc. I'm not saying it's necessarily a terrible thing to continuously strive to better oneself. With that being said I felt like I was in a constant professional rat-race/boiler room. Just about all of my peers talked about work, getting their terminal degrees, work, sitting for their CPA, CFE, CIA, or Bar exams, work, etc. outside of WORK. It was if people in NoVA largely lived to work instead of worked to live. How depressing.

5.) Traffic. What angers me the most about NoVA's traffic is that officials permitted all of these places like Ashburn, Leesburg, Reston, Sterling, Chantilly, Centreville, Fairfax, etc. to mushroom in growth BEFORE making sure the infrastructure was available to service the needs of that new population. I always felt like NoVA was living in a "build first, plan later" mindset, and as an urban planning aficionado I couldn't help but shake my head in disgust. There's no reason why it should have taken me 45 minutes to commute from Reston to Tysons Corner, which was just six or seven miles away. Pittsburgh's traffic is a BREEZE in comparison, and before people start talking about population disparities bear in mind NoVA and Pittsburgh both have roughly 2.5 million inhabitants, if I'm not mistaken. I can't believe someone in this thread said "at least we're not Bahrain!" in regards to driving/traffic. That's like Cleveland saying "at least we're not Detroit!"