Neighborhoods of Arlington (Alexandria, Reston, McLean: apartment, rent, condo)

[ca68605]

I just accepted a job in McLean, VA and will be moving within the next few weeks. I was considering Reston but told that for my age (22) Arlington is where I want to be. I was looking for some information about the different parts...Ballston, Rosslyn, Clarendon, Crystal City, Shirlington...etc. How are these areas different? How far apart are they? What kind of commute can I expect to McLean?

[mlv311]

Rosslyn, Court House, Clarendon, Virginia Square and Ballston are all in North Arlington and accessible by metro (subway) on the Orange line (Rosslyn also has a stop on the blue line). The main street there is Wilson Blvd. This area is probably the most popular among young professionals. Most of the housing is in large, high-rise apartment/condo buildings. You can walk to restaurants, bars, stores, etc. It's always busy day or night. I lived in this area for many years and loved it. Lots to do and safe.

Crystal City and Pentagon City are on the metro's blue and yellow lines. You have several shopping malls as well as restaurants. Again, most of the housing is in large, apartment buildings. I think housing cost is comparable to the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor.

Shirlington is not accessible my metro, but I think housing may be less expensive there. I'm not too familiar with Shirlington so I'll let others comment on it.

Edited to add: This map may help you visualize where everything is: http://www.stationmasters.com/System...ystem_map.html
(click on the stations for a street map)

[claremarie]

There is no Metro service to McLean. The Orange Line extension to Dulles via Tyson's is still years away. If your office in McLean is at the CIA, you can drive there from Ballston in well under 30 minutes. If your office in McLean is at Tyson's, add about 15-20 minutes, depending upon the exact location. At 6 am on Sunday or midnight, you can get from Ballston to Tyson's in 20 minues....maybe less....

[jb124]

Originally Posted by ca68605

I just accepted a job in McLean, VA and will be moving within the next few weeks. I was considering Reston but told that for my age (22) Arlington is where I want to be. I was looking for some information about the different parts...Ballston, Rosslyn, Clarendon, Crystal City, Shirlington...etc. How are these areas different? How far apart are they? What kind of commute can I expect to McLean?

Arlington is the place to be for someone your age, assuming money is not a major problem. Arlington is very expensive but that's where the young and hip hang out (but not the young and rich, for that, see Georgetown). Ballston, Clarendon, and Courthouse are within a couple of miles of each other and you can walk it if necessary. Once you include Rosslyn you'll want to take some form of transportation. Crystal City and Shirlington are in south Arlington and are not 'close' to the Ballston corridor (but there is a semi-decent nightlife in the Pentagon City / Crystal City area). I love Arlington and post about it so often that I'm sure the forum residents are sick of me at this point. If you have any specific questions, let me know. You can also check my other posts for ideas.

As to commuting to McLean, I assume you mean Tysons, which is where I currently commute. It's only 8 miles for me (in Ballston) but takes a solid 30 mins (at 8:15 am), just to give you an idea. A lot depends on where in Tysons you are as well. For example, I'm at the far end and can take the Toll Road and jump off of Spring Hill Road and I'm there, while someone who works at SAIC (for example) would have a few more lights to contend with so it might take longer, or they might even take 66 to 7 instead of 66 to the Toll Road.

Bottom line: If I were 22 again and just moving to NoVA, I'd totally get an apartment on the Orange Line (walking distance for sure) anywhere from Courthouse to Ballston (I'd pick Clarendon at this point), no matter what the cost. Get roommates if necessary. With that said, if I came in with family money, I'd skip to NW DC (Georgetown, Adams Morgan, etc).

Side note: you can take a bus to McLean/Tysons from the Ballston Metro. You can also take the metro from Ballston/Va Square/Clarendon/Courthouse to West Falls Church and hop on an express bus to the Tysons office area. It takes a while (45 mins) but is no stress and eco-friendly. I use the metro/express bus method myself now and then.

About Reston: The places I would live in Reston at 22 (by the Town Center) are almost as expensive as Arlington. Once you get outside of the TC area it's all families and fractured familes. Reston has a great sense of community though (as does Arlington).

[ca68605]

jb124: Thank you so much for the information! It's nice to know that people actually enjoy living in NOVA. Coming from a small town in the South I've always pictured it as an unfriendly and chaotic place, but I am glad to know otherwise, especially since I will be calling it home soon. I will be working at Booz Allen, of the routes that you mentioned which would be the best coming from Ballston to that part of Tysons?

[jb124]

Hmm BAH is right in the middle of Tysons if I remember correctly. My co-worker who also lives in Ballston takes 66 to Rt 7 and drives all the way through Tysons to the far end where we work and I take 66 to the Toll Road which drops me off at the far end of Tysons (like I mentioned). So what I would do if I worked at BAH would be to try both for a week or so each (need to try more than one day each because traffic is SOOO variable). One thing to note is that my route (the Toll Road) adds $1 or so to my daily commute, which may or may not be a factor. If you go via the Toll Road, make sure you get a SmartTag/EZPass (device you stick to your windshield that auto-debits tolls).

The busses will likely go past BAH, but it might be longer than the 45 mins. What I really liked about bussing is that I can put on my MP3 player and read, which is something I hardly ever find time for anymore. Check out www.wmata.com for bus/train routes and you can even get door to door directions/times.

Yes, unfortunately, NoVA can be very impersonal, especially if you are coming from the south. You'll get used to it, but the key is to not lose your hometown sensibility. While many people here seem rushed, 90%+ of the time a simple smile and a 'hello, how are you' will drop peoples' hostility levels noticably (and I grew up here even). There will always be those people who think they can order people around and/or ignore traffic laws because they drive a BMW 650, but that happens even in the South. And Arlington really is the place to be. Sure, you can live (much) further out for cheaper, but you'll have to drive in to Arlington or DC for any decent nightlife, which is important for the twenty-something crowd. It's better to pay $1200 a month rent than face a high risk of DUI or have to drive 30-45 mins back in to town to get to your kickball/soccer/etc league on the Mall.

Generally speaking, once you get out of the Arlington and Oldtown Alexandria areas, there is little to no nightlife for a young professional in NoVA. There are some pockets here and there (like Reston Town Center), but suburbia is not a productive place to meet a potential life partner. Not that that's the goal of moving to NoVA, but...

[claremarie]

Another "back road" route from Ballston to Tyson's is to take Glebe to Old Dominion, left on Kirby, right on Great Falls Street, left on Chain Bridge, right on Anderson to 123. Then, left on 123 to Tyson's.
I've found that there is much less traffic on the 123 approach to Tyson's than on the Route 7 approach.

[saganista]

Originally Posted by claremarie

Another "back road" route from Ballston to Tyson's is to take Glebe to Old Dominion, left on Kirby, right on Great Falls Street, left on Chain Bridge, right on Anderson to 123. Then, left on 123 to Tyson's. I've found that there is much less traffic on the 123 approach to Tyson's than on the Route 7 approach.

Yes, particularly on 123-South. Some days Lee Highway or Washington Boulevard out to Falls Church and then Great Falls as specified will work as well, and that's important because it means that there are options.

Anyway, yes, BAH is on Greensboro Drive right in the middle of the Tysons mess, so ca68605 will be stuck with some bad stuff at that end. But it's maybe a mile of that, so it won't be ghastly. The bus options outlined above are also good ones from a stress point of view, and I certainly agree with others that in any case, you owe yourself a shot at the Ballston Corridor if that's doable financially. You've got it all right there on a 24/7 basis. Eventually, there will come a time when you prefer a little peace and quiet, but until then, there isn't a better place to be around here...

[claremarie]

I picked up a son at a gym in Tyson's this morning, which happens to be across the street from Booz Allen. If I were driving here from the Ballston corridor, I would probably bypass all the major roads by taking Great Falls Street across 123, after which it becomes Lewinsville Road, then left on Spring Hill Road, which becomes International Drive after crossing the Dulles Toll Road. Then right on Greensboro. You miss most of the worst Tyson's traffic this way. There are very few lights on Great Falls/Lewinsville.

[saganista]

Bob like a butterfly, sting like a bee. It's considerably longer distance-wise to come in the back way, but if you were consistently hitting irritating levels of traffic on 123-S, you might break about even on time while gaining in terms of aggravation by going around...