Vienna - Info (Alexandria, Reston, Fairfax: high crime, buying, schools)

[JfromReston]

Originally Posted by ScranBarre

What if there are no sidewalks and the road is busy?

Try running on the natural paths in the Walker Nature Center - they are easy on the knees and are never busy.

BTW - This morning I took advantage of the rain and the recent Snakeden Branch stream restoration project and paddled my canoe from Soapstone Drive to Lake Audubon. I love the Walker Nature Center!

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by ScranBarre

What if there are no sidewalks and the road is busy?

Stop being combative. Several people told you there are 60 miles of running trails in Reston.

You seem to have a problem with aggression. Don't take it out on private property, that isn't cool. That means don't stomp on flowers, don't spray paint graffiti, trash goes in a trash can, etc.

I can't believe you have to be told this. One more time, just to be clear, don't take your aggression out on plants or on your neighbor's property. Also, just in case you don't know, don't take your aggression out on animals. Animal cruelty is totally not acceptable. I some in some places angry young boys like to shoot small animals. Maybe they do that in Scranton, I wouldn't know. Let me tell you, that's not cool here. If you've got a bebee gun, don't use it on squirrels or your neighbor's cat or any little creature.

Don't take your aggression out on the road. Don't take your aggression out by pushing little old ladies at the store. Don't take your aggression out in any destructive way.

Take your aggression to the gym, that's the only place it belongs.

[neighborhoodfind]

[quote=terrence81;8426688]My two cents? Well first of all I like Vienna. Now I will say that yes that the way the strip malls on 123 are set up it does encourage going from strip mall to strip mall versus walking from store to store. The way the area is set up, a lot of houses would have to be torn down and a few businesses too, in order to build something more walkable. It's just too much trouble.
quote]

I don't believe it too much trouble at all actually. All along 123 there are old strip malls pulled very far from the road with lots of space to build. You pull the store fronts up toward the street but you leave enough buffer for plantings and a large walkway. You put the parking in the back. Voila...you have a nice pedestrian friendly place for people to stroll, eat, shop, and people who need car access can pull up in the back. It's being done all over America. I'm not looking for lots of cutesy boutique stores either. I'm looking for restaurants, an ice cream shop, maybe some clothes retailers (could be chains), places real people shop.

I agree Vienna is charming. So take a good thing and make it even better.

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by neighborhoodfind

I agree Vienna is charming. So take a good thing and make it even better.

Sounds like a good project for you to take on. We don't want to pay for it but if you do, go for it. And if you open a store or cafe or even your own pedestrian mall, I'll come by and shop there.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by FromVAtoNC

Stop being combative. Several people told you there are 60 miles of running trails in Reston.

You seem to have a problem with aggression. Don't take it out on private property, that isn't cool. That means don't stomp on flowers, don't spray paint graffiti, trash goes in a trash can, etc.

I can't believe you have to be told this. One more time, just to be clear, don't take your aggression out on plants or on your neighbor's property. Also, just in case you don't know, don't take your aggression out on animals. Animal cruelty is totally not acceptable. I some in some places angry young boys like to shoot small animals. Maybe they do that in Scranton, I wouldn't know. Let me tell you, that's not cool here. If you've got a bebee gun, don't use it on squirrels or your neighbor's cat or any little creature.

Don't take your aggression out on the road. Don't take your aggression out by pushing little old ladies at the store. Don't take your aggression out in any destructive way.

Take your aggression to the gym, that's the only place it belongs.

Well you certainly are the queen of ASSumptions, aren't you? For your information the furthest thing from my mind would be to harm any animal, much less an individual human being. In fact, I even capture insects and release them outdoors instead of squishing them and make it a point while running to try to avoid stepping on caterpillars or any other creepy crawlies. Just because I have still YET to be given a good reason for there being such a dearth of sidewalks in NoVA doesn't mean that I'm an aggressive person in general. You're correct in that I do unleash my aggression at the gym; my impending six-pack isn't going to tone itself!

[terrence81]

Originally Posted by ScranBarre

What if there are no sidewalks and the road is busy?

Well then you don't have a choice. But you still don't try to mess up their yard particularly flowers that someone worked hard. Fairfax county installs sidewalks not homeowners so it isn't their fault or those poor flowers. Although using the walking trails might be a better choice. At the same time I agree there are a definite lack of sidewalks around here.

More does need to be done to build more sidewalks so that pedistrians can walk to their destinations without having to dodge cars. However, this isn't unique to Virginia. This might be the only characteristic that Fairfax county shares with the "real" south, so unfortunately it's not a new thing. The cities that have the highest number of traffic accidents involving pedistrians are in the south and sunbelt.

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by ScranBarre

Just because I have still YET to be given a good reason for there being such a dearth of sidewalks in NoVA doesn't mean that I'm an aggressive person in general.

(I edited this post myself because my opinions about aggression could be seen as a personal attack. So I decided to remove them. I'll just leave this one thought, which is the bottom line.)

Seriously, if you want to be successful here you have to chill out. I honestly think you're a nice person, but you have to drop this combativeness.

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by terrence81

Although using the walking trails might be a better choice.

There's no "might" about it. Reston has plenty of trails and sidewalks for you to run on. There are plenty of roads that do not have heavy traffic, too. You can find plenty of places to get exercise, there is absolutely no reason to be destructive to someone's yard. As you've been told repeatedly for weeks now.

There may be areas in NOVA that have no place to run, but those neighborhoods are not anywhere near you. You're just looking for an excuse. Because (in my opinion) you like the thought of stomping on flowers and messing up peoples' yards. Otherwise you'd stop trying to defend this behavior. Instead you'd say "now that I know about the paths that's where I'll run."

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by FromVAtoNC

There's no "might" about it. Reston has plenty of trails and sidewalks for you to run on. There are plenty of roads that do not have heavy traffic, too. You can find plenty of places to get exercise, there is absolutely no reason to be destructive to someone's yard. As you've been told repeatedly for weeks now.

There may be areas in NOVA that have no place to run, but those neighborhoods are not anywhere near you. You're just looking for an excuse. Because (in my opinion) you like the thought of stomping on flowers and messing up peoples' yards. Otherwise you'd stop trying to defend this behavior. Instead you'd say "now that I know about the paths that's where I'll run."

Actually, the roadway directly in front of my complex does not have sidewalks on many stretches, so to imply that this is "not anywhere near me" is false. My parents and I walked through the grassy areas alongside the roadway when we were trying to explore our surroundings because vehicles along the roadway were traveling at a pretty decent clip, and we didn't feel comfortable being IN the street. If I want to walk to Lake Anne via North Shore Drive from my area, then I DO have to walk on many sidewalk-less stretches.

I only stomp through "yards" when confronted by homeowners who are ignorant of the law. My parents and I were walking beside the roadway, and this is PUBLIC property, not a "yard." If you choose to maintain that "yard" right up to the very edge of the asphalt, then that's too bad. It's not going to force me to run into the street and potentially into the path of a speeding vehicle just to avoid any sort of "unpleasantness."

[Denton56]

Originally Posted by neighborhoodfind

There's no question you need retail thats driveable. No one is is going to be walking to Costco and carrying 3 24 packs of coke home. However, there is room for both pedestrian friendly retail and other types of retail.

And developers could make a ton of money transforming even just one strip mall into pedestrian friendly retail, shops restaurants, with parking in the back. It would not add to the congestion on 123....that can't get any worse.

BTW, my income taxes in Virginia are higher than they would be in California.

Not a chance. If you are employed, making over $37,000 a year, your CA income tax rate is between 8.3% and 10.3%. In Virginia your rate is 5.75%.

The Tax Foundation - State Individual Income Tax Rates, 2000-2009

In addition to that, our sales tax rate is half the rate of CA, 5% vs 10.5%.

Vienna was a wonderful town until too many know-it-alls moved in from other states and thought they should be able to tell town residents how they should live.

If the shoes fits.................