Can somebody please exain why South Arlington is considered inferior to North Arlington?

[Anonymous]

I live in 22207, and there are some...interesting stores along Lee near Glebe. We have our own tattoo parlor and everything.

I do wonder how much longer that stretch of Lee will stay as it is before getting redeveloped. Keep the Heidelberg and I'll be glad when the rest goes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am white and live in S. Arlington. My husband is latino though so I guess that brings my white status down.

Anyway, i have lived here for 4 years. Never had an issue with crime. I could not love this area more. I love the fact that I can walk to a ton of restaurants, a splash park, regular parks, a movie theater, and a grocery store.

I like that there are always a ton of people out and walking around. I love that I have mad from great mom friends from just meeting random people at parks, the grocery store, or restaurants.

As far as transportation goes, DH can take a bus from our front door to the front door of his work in DC in under 45 minutes. I drive to work in 10 (work in VA).

The schools in S. Arlington have the same high quality teachers and curriculum as the schools in N. Arlington. When DS is old enough to go to ES I would be happy to send him to a S. Arlington school. But then again, he is half latino so I guess he belongs there anyway according to most of you.

As far as the Columbia Pike redevelopment, I think its going great. And to the PP that mentioned it won't work if you keep the ethnic stores, well I don't think you have to worry since they will eventually be out of there. I am not sure what new or remodeled ethnic stores you are talking about. The new places (in the last 2 years) we have are

1. Restaurants and frozen yogurt places - All decent sit down restaurants, most of which have other locations.

2. A grocery store (Giant not an ethnic one)

3. A dry cleaner

The "ethnic" places are the crazy shop with all the statues, a bread shop that mainly serves restaursnts, and a thai grocery store, which is always very busy. None of those are new and none of those have been remodeled so I really have no clue waht you are talking about. For the majority of those places they are merely waiting for their lease to run out so they can kick them out (and likely tear the building down to put in a new one).

BIG FAIL

The Columbia Pike Plan in Arlington calls for preserving all 7,400 affordable housing units and encouraging developers to make 20 percent or 35 percent of new units affordable, in exchange for incentives such as increased density.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Lyon Village Shopping Center (Italian Store, etc.) is also really, really nice now since the renovation.

I guess it must have been even worse before the renovation, but the Lyon Village Shopping Center is a plain-old strip-mall, with a big parking lot in front and no walkable connection to the real Lyon Village neighborhood because of the high-traffic Lee Highway and said big parking lot. It is isolated between Spout Run, Lee Highway and 66 and looks like a 1950's suburban nightmare.

Hopefully this can be tore down soon and replaced with high density apartments with retail, like in the Clarendon and Courthouse areas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Uh, PP, have you seen the strip malls along Lee Higway?

The most decent center in No. Arlington is the Lee-Harrison Center. Great if you like mid-Century modern with no parking.

Have you seen Lee-Harrison? There's nothing mid-century modern about it, but it was beautifully renovated.

The Lyon Village Shopping Center (Italian Store, etc.) is also really, really nice now since the renovation. Also, the Lee Heights Shops (Cassat's, Pastries by Randolph) has long been an upscale strip mall. So, with the Lee-Harrison Center, Lee Highway has three very attractive, wildly popular strip malls that are all walkable and have plenty of parking. You can't beat that. And the new Cherrydale developments are also really attractive.

What about the strip with the Caribbean Grill and all the Indian and Pakistani shops? The strips at Lee and Glebe? Williamsburg shopping area? The strip opposite the Lyon Village Center up to Ivey Welding? Then you have Dunkin' Donuts - klassy? Shabby Westover? Both sides of Wilson Blvd from George Mason to Federal Lock and the Soviet Safeway? Dominion Hills Centre with -- wowzer -- the Harvest Baking Co? Arlington Forest Shopping Center anchored by Outback Steak House? Don't forget the strange commercial stuff around Washington Blvd and Pershing. And then the Buckingham Center at Pershing and Glebe. Don't know it? Enjoy Pietanza at the mid-Century Lee-Harrison Center -- yes, it is mid-Century.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Uh, PP, have you seen the strip malls along Lee Higway?

The most decent center in No. Arlington is the Lee-Harrison Center. Great if you like mid-Century modern with no parking.

Have you seen Lee-Harrison? There's nothing mid-century modern about it, but it was beautifully renovated.

The Lyon Village Shopping Center (Italian Store, etc.) is also really, really nice now since the renovation. Also, the Lee Heights Shops (Cassat's, Pastries by Randolph) has long been an upscale strip mall. So, with the Lee-Harrison Center, Lee Highway has three very attractive, wildly popular strip malls that are all walkable and have plenty of parking. You can't beat that. And the new Cherrydale developments are also really attractive.

What about the strip with the Caribbean Grill and all the Indian and Pakistani shops? The strips at Lee and Glebe? Williamsburg shopping area? The strip opposite the Lyon Village Center up to Ivey Welding? Then you have Dunkin' Donuts - klassy? Shabby Westover? Both sides of Wilson Blvd from George Mason to Federal Lock and the Soviet Safeway? Dominion Hills Centre with -- wowzer -- the Harvest Baking Co? Arlington Forest Shopping Center anchored by Outback Steak House? Don't forget the strange commercial stuff around Washington Blvd and Pershing. And then the Buckingham Center at Pershing and Glebe. Don't know it? Enjoy Pietanza at the mid-Century Lee-Harrison Center -- yes, it is mid-Century.

The post was referring to the upscale strip malls on Lee Hwy. The Lee Harrison Center hasn't looked mid century since before a renovation in the 80s. The bank building is the exception.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can also walk to the strip malls on Lee Highway from 22207.

Well that sounds like a selling point...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The people living in 22207 aren't living the same lifestyle as you, although you'd really, really like to think so. "Greatschools.com" doesn't quite begin to cover it.

That's probably true. No metro there. No sidewalks either.

Are you for real? There are sidewalks all over 22207. Sidewalks are what distinguish Arlington from the neighborhoods over the Fairfax County line. And a large area of 22207 is walkable to the Ballston Metro or ART bus routes to the Metro. You can also walk to the strip malls on Lee Highway from 22207.

I grew up in 22207 and sidewalks in my neighborhood off Military were spotty at best. Similarly, several of the neighborhoods where my friends lived either did not have sidewalks or had spotty on again off again sidewalks. I'm not saying the rest of Arlington is any better (although I do currently live in a neighborhood in another Arlington zip that does have sidewalks AND wide streets).

[Anonymous]

I'd say this thread, read in its entirety, makes a pretty good case to avoid Arlington entirely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd say this thread, read in its entirety, makes a pretty good case to avoid Arlington entirely.

You be sure to enjoy life in Mannassass then, Mkay?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd say this thread, read in its entirety, makes a pretty good case to avoid Arlington entirely.

Yeah, it's pretty disgusting all around.

-Arlington resident (does exact zipcode really even matter?)

[Anonymous]

I live in Arlington and I'm so sick of it too.

You 'divide' people are pretty fucking ridiculous. Arlington is the smallest county self-governing county in the US. I live in Clarendon and I am in and out of both South and North Arlington almost daily. I have friends in both places. In fact--half the time I can't tell exactly whether I am on N or S.

There are probably only 1 or 2 total schools I'd avoid. There are great neighborhoods on both sides.

Give it a rest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am white and live in S. Arlington. My husband is latino though so I guess that brings my white status down.

Anyway, i have lived here for 4 years. Never had an issue with crime. I could not love this area more. I love the fact that I can walk to a ton of restaurants, a splash park, regular parks, a movie theater, and a grocery store.

I like that there are always a ton of people out and walking around. I love that I have mad from great mom friends from just meeting random people at parks, the grocery store, or restaurants.

As far as transportation goes, DH can take a bus from our front door to the front door of his work in DC in under 45 minutes. I drive to work in 10 (work in VA).

The schools in S. Arlington have the same high quality teachers and curriculum as the schools in N. Arlington. When DS is old enough to go to ES I would be happy to send him to a S. Arlington school. But then again, he is half latino so I guess he belongs there anyway according to most of you.

As far as the Columbia Pike redevelopment, I think its going great. And to the PP that mentioned it won't work if you keep the ethnic stores, well I don't think you have to worry since they will eventually be out of there. I am not sure what new or remodeled ethnic stores you are talking about. The new places (in the last 2 years) we have are

1. Restaurants and frozen yogurt places - All decent sit down restaurants, most of which have other locations.

2. A grocery store (Giant not an ethnic one)

3. A dry cleaner

The "ethnic" places are the crazy shop with all the statues, a bread shop that mainly serves restaursnts, and a thai grocery store, which is always very busy. None of those are new and none of those have been remodeled so I really have no clue waht you are talking about. For the majority of those places they are merely waiting for their lease to run out so they can kick them out (and likely tear the building down to put in a new one).

You mean the spray ground next to the flop houses. Yeah, that's a place I would walk too with my kids. The area around that spray ground surpasses sketchy.

Maybe it is because your DH is Latino that you feel the need to "embrace" the faux diversity. You aren't doing yourself or your kid any favors. You didn't mention schools - is your kid not there yet? The appeal of diversity goes away when you realize your child is being marginalized. Either they get a mediocre experience because they speak English and do ok or worse they get a less than mediocre experience because their techer expects less of them because of their race.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd say this thread, read in its entirety, makes a pretty good case to avoid Arlington entirely.

+1. This thread is really ugly and presents a horrible view of Arlingtonians.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd say this thread, read in its entirety, makes a pretty good case to avoid Arlington entirely.

You be sure to enjoy life in Mannassass then, Mkay?

Yeah, like any place that isn't Arlington is Manassas? Not that Manassas doesn't sound far friendlier than Arlington!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
The kids who are not fluent in English learn the language fast and become bilingual. One study in Britain found bilingual kids to be smarter than their monolingual peers.
And poor households are not single parent households, that seems to be an urban legend.
I would say densely populated area = more kids in school, lower property value = less money for schools

Student body is not the determining factor, it matters, but not enough to explain the difference. Just say the inequality of American school system. To label kids as dumb and parents as wayward single moms is offensive

Student body is one of the biggest determining factors. Plenty of studies on this. Once you get a large low income population in a school, there chances that scores will be high or even good, go down significantly.

Anyone that has visited or worked in London know that actual Brits are the minority. Huge magnet city for educated workers from continental Europe, Asia, Africa and even n/s America. Their children, who go private and are monolingual are a far cry from a low income, uneducated, unskilled immigrant family who have many babies and purposely let their tourist visa expire. That population (illegal or asylum) in England resides on the outskirts and is quite different from our Hispanic population.