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Hi. I'm a single female in her 30s with a dog, looking for a pet friendly apt. I'm new to the area and was told Alexandria would be the best fit, but I'm not so sure.
I work in DC and have to commute 5 days a week. I do have a car, but would prefer access to public transportation like the metro. I would also enjoy access to fun things to do, restaurants, and night life. My budget is between $1500 and $2000.
Does anyone have any suggestions on best locations to live if you work in DC?
Where exactly in DC? "Alexandria" is huge BTW, only the Old Town section is really walkable to public transit. Arlington is slightly younger than Alexandria too.
As the other poster suggested, if you could provide a bit more information (within your comfort level), that may be helpful.
In particular, if you're looking to use Metrorail and work near a particular station, that can help guide you to the appropriate line.
Because ideally, it's better to not have to change lines, and the budget you provided should be fine for either Alexandria or N. Arlington (which does skew younger--in some cases much more so--than Alexandria, but has more "night life," depending on your requirements for that).
For example, if you work along the Yellow Line from SW near L'Enfant, through Archives on Pennsylvania Ave. or in Chinatown, a spot near King St. Metro at the western end of Old Town may be a great fit.
And of course, any place along the Ballston-Rosslyn commercial corridor in N. Arlington provides Orange/Silver Line access to numerous locations downtown.
Again, your budget works nicely for either, and you are wise to avoid driving here!
For any place you are checking out, I would recommend consulting both the "apartment ratings" site, and the other well-known one that has mostly restaurant reviews, for reviews of your potential rental. Both are useful.
1) Rossyln-Ballston Corridor- pro- lots of young single professionals. Close proximity to DC. The area was built around the metro so it is very easy to commute via public transit. The corridor consists of 5 metro stops along a 2.5 mile stretch, so it it pretty built up with lots of restaurants/nightlife. con- the nightlife can be a little 20-something Bro-y. It can feel a little cookie cutter/lacking in charm. It is also probably the priciest 1-br area in NoVa.
If I were to live in this area I would look for an apartment near Clarendon/Courthouse. It is more vibrant than Rosslyn and more convenient to the city than Ballston/Virginia Square.
2) Old Town Alexadria- pro- most charming area of NoVa, feels more like it's own little organic city vs. a DC TOD zone. Lots of restaurants/nightlife. Very walkble. There are modern apartment buildings near the metro at Braddock/Eisenhower Ave and older townhomes in the heart of the old town district. con- skews more towards older/families. There is a young professional population, but it is not as tapped into the 30-something DC/Arlington scene. It is further from DC, so commute will be longer. Also, this is a preexisting city that happens to have a couple metro stops on its edges. So the metro is more of an afterthough to Old Towns setup. Much of Old Town is a 15+ min walk to the metro stops.
If I were to live in Old Town, I would look for one of the newer apartments closer to the metro. You will be in walking district to Old Town's scene, but with easy commuter access to the District.
3) Pentagon City/Crystal City- pro- if you work on the yellow line this area is more convenient to DC than the R-B corridor and closer than Old Town. con- very cookie cutter/generic mall feel. Seems very oriented toward Defense contractors. Crystal City is very quiet on the weekends.
Personally, I would only choose this area if I felt Old Town Alexandria was too far out and Rosslyn-Ballston was too inconvenient. It isn't a bad place, very functional, but just a little too bland.
4) Del Ray Alexandria- pro- cheaper alternative to Old Town, cute small town feel, limited but nice restaurant scene along Mt Vernon Ave. Slightly closer via car to DC/Arlington than Old Town is. Growning ammenities nearby with Potomac Yard development. con- not exactly metro accesable. You would need to walk/bike/bus to the metro. Would probably add 20 min to your commute.
Overall, I might consider this area if I were looking for something a little bigger/quieter than the other areas. The metro access (relative lack of) would be a disincentive. But, if you could probably find places that aren't much further from metro than much of old town alexandria.
In the past I would have recommended living in DC. But $1500-$2000 is getting to be a harder price range for pet friendly places inside DC. (At least west of the river, which is the more livable option for DC.)
If it's on the red line you might want to check out Takoma or DT Silver Spring as well.
I think for your price range in Arlington/Alexandria you may find that you are living in a matchbox or in an apartment with zero amenities... which is okay if that is not a priority for you.
other than the dog, being close to a metro and nightlife, what are some of your "must haves" for an apartment and complex?
The suggestion of Silver Spring is a good one BTW. That's where I live. I moved from LA a year ago and refused to downgrade furniture just to fit into a VA apartment. For example, I pay $1700 for a 850 sf 1 BR, walk through closet, laundry in apartment, dog, and complex has doorman to accept packages, a pool, a nice gym, rec room, attached liquor store (that wasn't one of my requirements, but it's a nice perk HAHA), and is 2 blocks from "downtown" Silver Spring movie theaters, restaurants, stores, etc. I am also across the street from metro, 45 minutes including walking time to the office off the waterfront metro stop or from the pentagon.
When you are talking to apartments, be sure to ask if they have employer discounts and mention the company/agency you work for. Also, the day you lock in could change the rate on the apartment, so ask if there's a better rate if you lock in say this week versus the next week.
I considered the VA side, but honestly, the 550 sf apartments were unappealing and the neighborhoods seemed too vanilla for my interests. But that's just me.
The suggestion of Silver Spring is a good one BTW. That's where I live. I moved from LA a year ago and refused to downgrade furniture just to fit into a VA apartment. For example, I pay $1700 for a 850 sf 1 BR, walk through closet, laundry in apartment, dog, and complex has doorman to accept packages, a pool, a nice gym, rec room, attached liquor store (that wasn't one of my requirements, but it's a nice perk HAHA), and is 2 blocks from "downtown" Silver Spring movie theaters, restaurants, stores, etc. I am also across the street from metro, 45 minutes including walking time to the office off the waterfront metro stop or from the pentagon.
To add to this, I live in Courthouse, which is commonly cited on this board as the best part of the Rosslyn - Ballston corridor in Arlington. It really is great, but I pay nearly $1k more than this poster for an almost identical setup, sans pool.
We are two blocks from the courthouse metro.
I second the recommendation for Silver Spring.
Also consider:
South Del Ray is within walking distance to the Braddock metro.
Duke street and Telegraph road just west of Old Town is about a half-mile from the King St metro, and rents there are in your range. It has a more suburban feel out that way though.
Takoma Park is also a good option, but there are fewer apartment options and fewer restaurant/food options than Silver Spring. You'll want to be near the Carroll, 410 / Philadelphia Ave, and Ethan Allen junction between Carroll and Piney Branch for the best Metro access.
The DC side, Takoma, is very bland.
Why settle for Virginia when you can live in the District. You haven't told us where you work but places like U Street, H Street, Capitol Hill, the Navy Yard, etc are all dynamic and provide a much higher quality of life than available in Virginia. Sell the car and put the difference into living.
provide a much higher quality of life than available in Virginia.
How so?
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