Moving from NYC to DC suburbs...tell me why you like the DC suburbs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC has all the pretentiousness of NY without the clout. I’d rather live and work in Baltimore than DC; at least the people there are real.

Have you been to Balt recently? It’s a mess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've lived in DC for the better part of my adult life (20+ years, spanning grad school to married with three kids - 12, 10, and 7).

Capitol Hill: I lived the first chunk on the Hill; both House and Senate sides. Really loved it as a young adult; should definitely have bought a place there when I had the chance! But, to be fair - depending where you are, there's not a lot of walkable commerce - ie grocery, Target, etc. Of course delivery services have filled that gap, but it was terrible when I was a carless grad student trying to buy groceries. The metro is so unreliable now too that it's not as great an option. And, as you point out - the schools not great.

Chinatown: I also spent some time in Chinatown/Gallery Place (about when it really turned). So much fun in terms of restaurants/bars, but I wouldn't go near there now for housing.

Old Town: We bought in Old Town when we got married, and I loved it so much. Basically perfect suburban living....apart from the terrible schools and awful zoning rules (if you're a homeowner).

Alexandria (down the GW Parkway) - hated this option - commute was awful, no neighborhood to speak of (though it was pretty, and affordable). Also terrible schools.

Vienna - this is where we are now. I resisted because it was so far out, but virtual work has made it so much easier. I really love Vienna for the neighborhood feel (we lucked into an amazing cul de sace situation with families we really like). Our kids are always out and about; riding bikes, walking to/from school, running dog walking businesses. Our kids able to ride their bikes to sports practices, the pool, etc. The restaurants are not great, but seems to be improving. Traffic on Maple can be terrible, but I'm able to avoid it most of the time. The bike trail is my savior, and there are lots of parks we can walk/scoot/bike to.

You are WAY out of date on Capitol Hill. I can walk to 2 Whole Foods, 2 Trader Joes, a Giant, a Safeway and a Harris Teeter in 20 minutes (drive in 5)... not to mention Union Market, etc, etc. No groceries? It also has good elementary schools and commuting proximity to reasonable charters for middle/HS, but obviously no guarantee.

I was going to say the same thing, lol. I do wish I had somewhere to buy t-shirts or underwear but I am overwhelmed with walkable grocery options on the Hill. Also coffee shops and independent bookstores. I have three bookstores within walking distance!

[Anonymous]

These threads are always so thoughtful and nuanced.

Not.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:If you haven't already bought in the suburbs, don't do it. You'll be miserable unless you live in a place like parts of Arlington and Alexandria.

If you move to a place like Reston or McLean, you will be miserable OP.

But what about the public schools being way better in a place like McLean? Unfortunately it just seems like the more city-like areas (or DC proper) gave bad public schools.

The public schools in McLean and Great Falls are the best in the state. Great Falls is rural and spread out but parts of McLean are walkable and there is easy Metro access.

I don’t understand people who think walkable to to anything in McLean is a benefit? They truly must never have lived in a city or like cities? It sounds awful to have the only things walking distance be soulless strip malls or a mush mash of little places surrounded by parking lots. It’s not the actual dry cleaner or coffee place that i yearn for, it’s the running into friends while walking all over, the variety of places, charm of the area, multiple options to sit outside, walking distance to parks, etc. and a real sense of community. We moved from the UWS to upper nw. While it was walkable to playgrounds and the library, it still felt isolated. We ended up moving again to old town, Alexandria and it feels a lot like the UWS. While we have cars and it’s easy to drive to the airport or beach or whatever, we pretty much walk everywhere. We go to the playgrounds and run into friends, there are lots of community events, the kids walk to sports, etc. The elementary school is excellent but we chose private for after that, although friends who stayed in public swear that it’s good as long as you’re in the gifted and talented classes

+1

Well, to be fair, once the Chesterbrook shopping center is fixed up, matters will improve.

It is kinda hideous and surprisingly so, considering the $$$ of the area. Friends from Winnetka, IL and Birmingham, MI have been shocked by McLean’s lack of high end shopping centers compared to what they have at home. Some things in “flyover country” can be very nice compared to what we’ve got.

I’ve been to Bloomfield, MI and sure it’s nice but come on, you actually want to live there as opposed to close to all the stuff that DC offers?

I don’t know what Winnetka IL is but same comment as above.

What does DC offer that is so special other than some museums people visit once a year?

I love DC, but I’m laughing at the ignorance of people who don’t know the US beyond a handful of places. DC has nice museums, but to act as if they are on par with some of those in other global capital cities shows how little knowledge some of these posters have. I have many well-traveled colleagues in Europe and Asia. If you ask them where they want to visit in the US, DC seldom makes the list. If you ask them about their favorite museums in the world, maybe 1 in 20 will mention something like Air and Space. If you ask about their favorite museums in the US, you are more likely to hear them mention museums in NY, Chicago. It’s perfectly valid to love DC, but understand many people here and around the world do not have the same love we have for the city.

+1

True, because the posters who claim "world class (whatever)" about DC have actually rarely resided in other places, sadly.

Wait, why are we talking about other global capital cities now? I’ve been all over Europe and a few places in Asia and never said DC was better.

I’m just saying so you actually want to live in Bloomfield, MI? DC is a large city and has a lot going on. Give me any city (NY, SF, Chicago etc) and I’d rather live in those areas than in a small town. That’s just me.

People on DCUM regularly, outwardly look down on Chicago, so it’s funny you mention that. Which is hilarious from an international perspective because DC is several notches below Chicago in terms of awareness, interest, and cultural importance.

+1

Just one example.

-2

International guy here...and DC ranks much much higher than Chicago in everything. A lot of DC references are known worldwide, and I'm struggling to think of one re. Chicago. The Bulls I guess!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand why New Yorkers do this. They leave NY, move to a soulless suburb of another city and then complain nonstop how they hate X city. No, you hate the burns.

Because NYC kinda sucks unless you are loaded. The non-rich convince themselves it’s the best place despite paying crazy high rents, high crime, gross subways. And yes, i lived there.

DC sucks unless you are rich too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand why New Yorkers do this. They leave NY, move to a soulless suburb of another city and then complain nonstop how they hate X city. No, you hate the burns.

Because NYC kinda sucks unless you are loaded. The non-rich convince themselves it’s the best place despite paying crazy high rents, high crime, gross subways. And yes, i lived there.

DC sucks unless you are rich too.

+1

This.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've lived in DC for the better part of my adult life (20+ years, spanning grad school to married with three kids - 12, 10, and 7).

Capitol Hill: I lived the first chunk on the Hill; both House and Senate sides. Really loved it as a young adult; should definitely have bought a place there when I had the chance! But, to be fair - depending where you are, there's not a lot of walkable commerce - ie grocery, Target, etc. Of course delivery services have filled that gap, but it was terrible when I was a carless grad student trying to buy groceries. The metro is so unreliable now too that it's not as great an option. And, as you point out - the schools not great.

Chinatown: I also spent some time in Chinatown/Gallery Place (about when it really turned). So much fun in terms of restaurants/bars, but I wouldn't go near there now for housing.

Old Town: We bought in Old Town when we got married, and I loved it so much. Basically perfect suburban living....apart from the terrible schools and awful zoning rules (if you're a homeowner).

Alexandria (down the GW Parkway) - hated this option - commute was awful, no neighborhood to speak of (though it was pretty, and affordable). Also terrible schools.

Vienna - this is where we are now. I resisted because it was so far out, but virtual work has made it so much easier. I really love Vienna for the neighborhood feel (we lucked into an amazing cul de sace situation with families we really like). Our kids are always out and about; riding bikes, walking to/from school, running dog walking businesses. Our kids able to ride their bikes to sports practices, the pool, etc. The restaurants are not great, but seems to be improving. Traffic on Maple can be terrible, but I'm able to avoid it most of the time. The bike trail is my savior, and there are lots of parks we can walk/scoot/bike to.

You are WAY out of date on Capitol Hill. I can walk to 2 Whole Foods, 2 Trader Joes, a Giant, a Safeway and a Harris Teeter in 20 minutes (drive in 5)... not to mention Union Market, etc, etc. No groceries? It also has good elementary schools and commuting proximity to reasonable charters for middle/HS, but obviously no guarantee.

I was going to say the same thing, lol. I do wish I had somewhere to buy t-shirts or underwear but I am overwhelmed with walkable grocery options on the Hill. Also coffee shops and independent bookstores. I have three bookstores within walking distance!

I end up buying these on Amazon. I often find I can order them in the evening and they'll be on my doorstep by next morning. The delivery is so fast around here that I am spoilt. I visited my parents in the LA and ordered something, and couldn't believe that it took 4 days to arrive!

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:If you haven't already bought in the suburbs, don't do it. You'll be miserable unless you live in a place like parts of Arlington and Alexandria.

If you move to a place like Reston or McLean, you will be miserable OP.

But what about the public schools being way better in a place like McLean? Unfortunately it just seems like the more city-like areas (or DC proper) gave bad public schools.

No. Close-in Arlington or Bethesda have excellent schools and walkable (to coffee) neighborhoods.

- resident of (the horror!!) Reston

+1 I moved from another large city (not nyc) to Arlington (westover). What I like - best of both worlds, I can be downtown at a museum with my kid in about 10 minutes by car on a Saturday morning, I can still walk to coffee, a few of our favorite restaurants and the farmers market, lots of playgrounds, but I also can easily get to a grocery store (with my cargo bike on the trail or by car and enjoy the large parking lot and ease), I can easily drive places when it’s easier to with my kids but I also hate the in and out of car seats so we also have a cargo bike and tote the kids on the trails as much as possible. Next year my son will start kindergarten and we have a great public school that the neighbors all seem happy with a short walk away. No stress there which is very nice and obviously a huge privilege. Life is pretty easy. Parks and trails a block away. Neighbors who have become good friends, I can text on a Saturday morning and have impromptu get togethers with friends and their kids who are similar ages. I probably outed myself to anyone who knows me traipsing around westover on our bike but they are becoming more common by the day.

If you end up further out, we have family farther out in a suburb that isn’t walkable to shops etc and the benefits there I do see too - it’s quiet, there is a lake nearby, lots of culdesacs and neighbors are chill and friends. Kids run around (they do in Arlington too).

Westover is a perfectly nice and pleasant place to raise a family, so why lie about it? It takes "ten minutes" to get from there to a DC museum only if you go by helicopter. There's a single strip of stores and no more than a few restaurants. The housing stock is charming but also old, dated, and expensive. And there is zero diversity in the local public schools.

NP. I just checked the Google travel time from my Westover area house to the African American History Museum and it says 15 minutes. We're obviously not talking about the time it takes to park and move people in and out of cars, but "about 10 minutes" while definitely on the short side of estimates isn't really a gross exaggeration.

It would take at least 30 to 40 minutes in real life.

Nope. Too bad you can't afford Arlington!

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:If you haven't already bought in the suburbs, don't do it. You'll be miserable unless you live in a place like parts of Arlington and Alexandria.

If you move to a place like Reston or McLean, you will be miserable OP.

But what about the public schools being way better in a place like McLean? Unfortunately it just seems like the more city-like areas (or DC proper) gave bad public schools.

No. Close-in Arlington or Bethesda have excellent schools and walkable (to coffee) neighborhoods.

- resident of (the horror!!) Reston

+1 I moved from another large city (not nyc) to Arlington (westover). What I like - best of both worlds, I can be downtown at a museum with my kid in about 10 minutes by car on a Saturday morning, I can still walk to coffee, a few of our favorite restaurants and the farmers market, lots of playgrounds, but I also can easily get to a grocery store (with my cargo bike on the trail or by car and enjoy the large parking lot and ease), I can easily drive places when it’s easier to with my kids but I also hate the in and out of car seats so we also have a cargo bike and tote the kids on the trails as much as possible. Next year my son will start kindergarten and we have a great public school that the neighbors all seem happy with a short walk away. No stress there which is very nice and obviously a huge privilege. Life is pretty easy. Parks and trails a block away. Neighbors who have become good friends, I can text on a Saturday morning and have impromptu get togethers with friends and their kids who are similar ages. I probably outed myself to anyone who knows me traipsing around westover on our bike but they are becoming more common by the day.

If you end up further out, we have family farther out in a suburb that isn’t walkable to shops etc and the benefits there I do see too - it’s quiet, there is a lake nearby, lots of culdesacs and neighbors are chill and friends. Kids run around (they do in Arlington too).

Westover is a perfectly nice and pleasant place to raise a family, so why lie about it? It takes "ten minutes" to get from there to a DC museum only if you go by helicopter. There's a single strip of stores and no more than a few restaurants. The housing stock is charming but also old, dated, and expensive. And there is zero diversity in the local public schools.

NP. I just checked the Google travel time from my Westover area house to the African American History Museum and it says 15 minutes. We're obviously not talking about the time it takes to park and move people in and out of cars, but "about 10 minutes" while definitely on the short side of estimates isn't really a gross exaggeration.

It would take at least 30 to 40 minutes in real life.

Nope. Too bad you can't afford Arlington!

Well, I did live in Arlington for over 15 years (it was a below mediocre experience BTW). And between walking to the Metro, waiting for the Metro, riding the Metro, and walking from the Metro to the museums, yes it did take at least half an hour. We did try driving once and, between parking and traffic, it took about this long too.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:If you haven't already bought in the suburbs, don't do it. You'll be miserable unless you live in a place like parts of Arlington and Alexandria.

If you move to a place like Reston or McLean, you will be miserable OP.

But what about the public schools being way better in a place like McLean? Unfortunately it just seems like the more city-like areas (or DC proper) gave bad public schools.

The public schools in McLean and Great Falls are the best in the state. Great Falls is rural and spread out but parts of McLean are walkable and there is easy Metro access.

I don’t understand people who think walkable to to anything in McLean is a benefit? They truly must never have lived in a city or like cities? It sounds awful to have the only things walking distance be soulless strip malls or a mush mash of little places surrounded by parking lots. It’s not the actual dry cleaner or coffee place that i yearn for, it’s the running into friends while walking all over, the variety of places, charm of the area, multiple options to sit outside, walking distance to parks, etc. and a real sense of community. We moved from the UWS to upper nw. While it was walkable to playgrounds and the library, it still felt isolated. We ended up moving again to old town, Alexandria and it feels a lot like the UWS. While we have cars and it’s easy to drive to the airport or beach or whatever, we pretty much walk everywhere. We go to the playgrounds and run into friends, there are lots of community events, the kids walk to sports, etc. The elementary school is excellent but we chose private for after that, although friends who stayed in public swear that it’s good as long as you’re in the gifted and talented classes

+1

Well, to be fair, once the Chesterbrook shopping center is fixed up, matters will improve.

It is kinda hideous and surprisingly so, considering the $$$ of the area. Friends from Winnetka, IL and Birmingham, MI have been shocked by McLean’s lack of high end shopping centers compared to what they have at home. Some things in “flyover country” can be very nice compared to what we’ve got.

I’ve been to Bloomfield, MI and sure it’s nice but come on, you actually want to live there as opposed to close to all the stuff that DC offers?

I don’t know what Winnetka IL is but same comment as above.

What does DC offer that is so special other than some museums people visit once a year?

I love DC, but I’m laughing at the ignorance of people who don’t know the US beyond a handful of places. DC has nice museums, but to act as if they are on par with some of those in other global capital cities shows how little knowledge some of these posters have. I have many well-traveled colleagues in Europe and Asia. If you ask them where they want to visit in the US, DC seldom makes the list. If you ask them about their favorite museums in the world, maybe 1 in 20 will mention something like Air and Space. If you ask about their favorite museums in the US, you are more likely to hear them mention museums in NY, Chicago. It’s perfectly valid to love DC, but understand many people here and around the world do not have the same love we have for the city.

+1

True, because the posters who claim "world class (whatever)" about DC have actually rarely resided in other places, sadly.

Wait, why are we talking about other global capital cities now? I’ve been all over Europe and a few places in Asia and never said DC was better.

I’m just saying so you actually want to live in Bloomfield, MI? DC is a large city and has a lot going on. Give me any city (NY, SF, Chicago etc) and I’d rather live in those areas than in a small town. That’s just me.

People on DCUM regularly, outwardly look down on Chicago, so it’s funny you mention that. Which is hilarious from an international perspective because DC is several notches below Chicago in terms of awareness, interest, and cultural importance.

+1

Just one example.

-2

International guy here...and DC ranks much much higher than Chicago in everything. A lot of DC references are known worldwide, and I'm struggling to think of one re. Chicago. The Bulls I guess!

Half my family is in Germany, my in laws are Italian. None of them want to visit DC (but they do, since we live here). They want to go to the National Parks, San Francisco, Chicago, NY, Boston. We occasionally host friends of theirs passing through DC -and they treat DC as a quick stop, not a destination.

[Anonymous]

I have not read many of these pages. But, OP, have you looked into Falls Church City? Great neighborhood, schools, with walkability to town.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:If you haven't already bought in the suburbs, don't do it. You'll be miserable unless you live in a place like parts of Arlington and Alexandria.

If you move to a place like Reston or McLean, you will be miserable OP.

But what about the public schools being way better in a place like McLean? Unfortunately it just seems like the more city-like areas (or DC proper) gave bad public schools.

The public schools in McLean and Great Falls are the best in the state. Great Falls is rural and spread out but parts of McLean are walkable and there is easy Metro access.

I don’t understand people who think walkable to to anything in McLean is a benefit? They truly must never have lived in a city or like cities? It sounds awful to have the only things walking distance be soulless strip malls or a mush mash of little places surrounded by parking lots. It’s not the actual dry cleaner or coffee place that i yearn for, it’s the running into friends while walking all over, the variety of places, charm of the area, multiple options to sit outside, walking distance to parks, etc. and a real sense of community. We moved from the UWS to upper nw. While it was walkable to playgrounds and the library, it still felt isolated. We ended up moving again to old town, Alexandria and it feels a lot like the UWS. While we have cars and it’s easy to drive to the airport or beach or whatever, we pretty much walk everywhere. We go to the playgrounds and run into friends, there are lots of community events, the kids walk to sports, etc. The elementary school is excellent but we chose private for after that, although friends who stayed in public swear that it’s good as long as you’re in the gifted and talented classes

+1

Well, to be fair, once the Chesterbrook shopping center is fixed up, matters will improve.

It is kinda hideous and surprisingly so, considering the $$$ of the area. Friends from Winnetka, IL and Birmingham, MI have been shocked by McLean’s lack of high end shopping centers compared to what they have at home. Some things in “flyover country” can be very nice compared to what we’ve got.

I’ve been to Bloomfield, MI and sure it’s nice but come on, you actually want to live there as opposed to close to all the stuff that DC offers?

I don’t know what Winnetka IL is but same comment as above.

What does DC offer that is so special other than some museums people visit once a year?

I love DC, but I’m laughing at the ignorance of people who don’t know the US beyond a handful of places. DC has nice museums, but to act as if they are on par with some of those in other global capital cities shows how little knowledge some of these posters have. I have many well-traveled colleagues in Europe and Asia. If you ask them where they want to visit in the US, DC seldom makes the list. If you ask them about their favorite museums in the world, maybe 1 in 20 will mention something like Air and Space. If you ask about their favorite museums in the US, you are more likely to hear them mention museums in NY, Chicago. It’s perfectly valid to love DC, but understand many people here and around the world do not have the same love we have for the city.

+1

True, because the posters who claim "world class (whatever)" about DC have actually rarely resided in other places, sadly.

Wait, why are we talking about other global capital cities now? I’ve been all over Europe and a few places in Asia and never said DC was better.

I’m just saying so you actually want to live in Bloomfield, MI? DC is a large city and has a lot going on. Give me any city (NY, SF, Chicago etc) and I’d rather live in those areas than in a small town. That’s just me.

People on DCUM regularly, outwardly look down on Chicago, so it’s funny you mention that. Which is hilarious from an international perspective because DC is several notches below Chicago in terms of awareness, interest, and cultural importance.

+1

Just one example.

-2

International guy here...and DC ranks much much higher than Chicago in everything. A lot of DC references are known worldwide, and I'm struggling to think of one re. Chicago. The Bulls I guess!

Half my family is in Germany, my in laws are Italian. None of them want to visit DC (but they do, since we live here). They want to go to the National Parks, San Francisco, Chicago, NY, Boston. We occasionally host friends of theirs passing through DC -and they treat DC as a quick stop, not a destination.

Duh, they already have visited DC several times so they are looking for new places. From that list all make sense...except Chicago.

Every European family I know would think Orlando, Miami or LA (or DC) before even realizing Chicago exists.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:If you haven't already bought in the suburbs, don't do it. You'll be miserable unless you live in a place like parts of Arlington and Alexandria.

If you move to a place like Reston or McLean, you will be miserable OP.

But what about the public schools being way better in a place like McLean? Unfortunately it just seems like the more city-like areas (or DC proper) gave bad public schools.

The public schools in McLean and Great Falls are the best in the state. Great Falls is rural and spread out but parts of McLean are walkable and there is easy Metro access.

I don’t understand people who think walkable to to anything in McLean is a benefit? They truly must never have lived in a city or like cities? It sounds awful to have the only things walking distance be soulless strip malls or a mush mash of little places surrounded by parking lots. It’s not the actual dry cleaner or coffee place that i yearn for, it’s the running into friends while walking all over, the variety of places, charm of the area, multiple options to sit outside, walking distance to parks, etc. and a real sense of community. We moved from the UWS to upper nw. While it was walkable to playgrounds and the library, it still felt isolated. We ended up moving again to old town, Alexandria and it feels a lot like the UWS. While we have cars and it’s easy to drive to the airport or beach or whatever, we pretty much walk everywhere. We go to the playgrounds and run into friends, there are lots of community events, the kids walk to sports, etc. The elementary school is excellent but we chose private for after that, although friends who stayed in public swear that it’s good as long as you’re in the gifted and talented classes

+1

Well, to be fair, once the Chesterbrook shopping center is fixed up, matters will improve.

It is kinda hideous and surprisingly so, considering the $$$ of the area. Friends from Winnetka, IL and Birmingham, MI have been shocked by McLean’s lack of high end shopping centers compared to what they have at home. Some things in “flyover country” can be very nice compared to what we’ve got.

I’ve been to Bloomfield, MI and sure it’s nice but come on, you actually want to live there as opposed to close to all the stuff that DC offers?

I don’t know what Winnetka IL is but same comment as above.

What does DC offer that is so special other than some museums people visit once a year?

I love DC, but I’m laughing at the ignorance of people who don’t know the US beyond a handful of places. DC has nice museums, but to act as if they are on par with some of those in other global capital cities shows how little knowledge some of these posters have. I have many well-traveled colleagues in Europe and Asia. If you ask them where they want to visit in the US, DC seldom makes the list. If you ask them about their favorite museums in the world, maybe 1 in 20 will mention something like Air and Space. If you ask about their favorite museums in the US, you are more likely to hear them mention museums in NY, Chicago. It’s perfectly valid to love DC, but understand many people here and around the world do not have the same love we have for the city.

+1

True, because the posters who claim "world class (whatever)" about DC have actually rarely resided in other places, sadly.

Wait, why are we talking about other global capital cities now? I’ve been all over Europe and a few places in Asia and never said DC was better.

I’m just saying so you actually want to live in Bloomfield, MI? DC is a large city and has a lot going on. Give me any city (NY, SF, Chicago etc) and I’d rather live in those areas than in a small town. That’s just me.

People on DCUM regularly, outwardly look down on Chicago, so it’s funny you mention that. Which is hilarious from an international perspective because DC is several notches below Chicago in terms of awareness, interest, and cultural importance.

+1

Just one example.

-2

International guy here...and DC ranks much much higher than Chicago in everything. A lot of DC references are known worldwide, and I'm struggling to think of one re. Chicago. The Bulls I guess!

Half my family is in Germany, my in laws are Italian. None of them want to visit DC (but they do, since we live here). They want to go to the National Parks, San Francisco, Chicago, NY, Boston. We occasionally host friends of theirs passing through DC -and they treat DC as a quick stop, not a destination.

Duh, they already have visited DC several times so they are looking for new places. From that list all make sense...except Chicago.

Every European family I know would think Orlando, Miami or LA (or DC) before even realizing Chicago exists.

I have nothing against chicago but why is it culturally significant? What do people go to see?

[Anonymous]

Real NYers don’t pay high rent. They lived there forever and have a rent stabilized unit or coop bought back in the day.

They don’t own a car. They don’t pay for water, gas or heat. They know the places to go to get deals.

I lived in Manhattan, actually born in Manhattan. I gaze up apt in 1997 when rent was $800. If I kept if maybe my rent be $1,200 today tops. My only bills was rent, electric.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:If you haven't already bought in the suburbs, don't do it. You'll be miserable unless you live in a place like parts of Arlington and Alexandria.

If you move to a place like Reston or McLean, you will be miserable OP.

But what about the public schools being way better in a place like McLean? Unfortunately it just seems like the more city-like areas (or DC proper) gave bad public schools.

The public schools in McLean and Great Falls are the best in the state. Great Falls is rural and spread out but parts of McLean are walkable and there is easy Metro access.

I don’t understand people who think walkable to to anything in McLean is a benefit? They truly must never have lived in a city or like cities? It sounds awful to have the only things walking distance be soulless strip malls or a mush mash of little places surrounded by parking lots. It’s not the actual dry cleaner or coffee place that i yearn for, it’s the running into friends while walking all over, the variety of places, charm of the area, multiple options to sit outside, walking distance to parks, etc. and a real sense of community. We moved from the UWS to upper nw. While it was walkable to playgrounds and the library, it still felt isolated. We ended up moving again to old town, Alexandria and it feels a lot like the UWS. While we have cars and it’s easy to drive to the airport or beach or whatever, we pretty much walk everywhere. We go to the playgrounds and run into friends, there are lots of community events, the kids walk to sports, etc. The elementary school is excellent but we chose private for after that, although friends who stayed in public swear that it’s good as long as you’re in the gifted and talented classes

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Well, to be fair, once the Chesterbrook shopping center is fixed up, matters will improve.

It is kinda hideous and surprisingly so, considering the $$$ of the area. Friends from Winnetka, IL and Birmingham, MI have been shocked by McLean’s lack of high end shopping centers compared to what they have at home. Some things in “flyover country” can be very nice compared to what we’ve got.

I’ve been to Bloomfield, MI and sure it’s nice but come on, you actually want to live there as opposed to close to all the stuff that DC offers?

I don’t know what Winnetka IL is but same comment as above.

What does DC offer that is so special other than some museums people visit once a year?

I love DC, but I’m laughing at the ignorance of people who don’t know the US beyond a handful of places. DC has nice museums, but to act as if they are on par with some of those in other global capital cities shows how little knowledge some of these posters have. I have many well-traveled colleagues in Europe and Asia. If you ask them where they want to visit in the US, DC seldom makes the list. If you ask them about their favorite museums in the world, maybe 1 in 20 will mention something like Air and Space. If you ask about their favorite museums in the US, you are more likely to hear them mention museums in NY, Chicago. It’s perfectly valid to love DC, but understand many people here and around the world do not have the same love we have for the city.

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True, because the posters who claim "world class (whatever)" about DC have actually rarely resided in other places, sadly.

Wait, why are we talking about other global capital cities now? I’ve been all over Europe and a few places in Asia and never said DC was better.

I’m just saying so you actually want to live in Bloomfield, MI? DC is a large city and has a lot going on. Give me any city (NY, SF, Chicago etc) and I’d rather live in those areas than in a small town. That’s just me.

People on DCUM regularly, outwardly look down on Chicago, so it’s funny you mention that. Which is hilarious from an international perspective because DC is several notches below Chicago in terms of awareness, interest, and cultural importance.

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Just one example.

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International guy here...and DC ranks much much higher than Chicago in everything. A lot of DC references are known worldwide, and I'm struggling to think of one re. Chicago. The Bulls I guess!

Half my family is in Germany, my in laws are Italian. None of them want to visit DC (but they do, since we live here). They want to go to the National Parks, San Francisco, Chicago, NY, Boston. We occasionally host friends of theirs passing through DC -and they treat DC as a quick stop, not a destination.

Duh, they already have visited DC several times so they are looking for new places. From that list all make sense...except Chicago.

Every European family I know would think Orlando, Miami or LA (or DC) before even realizing Chicago exists.

I have nothing against chicago but why is it culturally significant? What do people go to see?

Nothingness.

Some random PP earlier tried to say everyone would rather visit Chicago over DC, which I found quite strange.