Is McLean Really That Desirable?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is the thread about scummy realtors, OP claimed it was the most sought after neighborhood in the region. Would residents of Spring Valley, Kalorama, Georgetown and Somerset disagree? What other neighborhoods would you put above McLean, or are the old split levels and white modern farm houses that have replaced them the best thing going in the region?

It is a commuting thing. Easy to commute to most of the DMV. So, dual working couples can work is fairly desperate areas and each have a commute that is 20-50 minutes.

I think you mean “disparate” but as long as Trump’s in office they may be desperate as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Different places are desirable to people with different preferences.

If you asked me, the answer is no, it’s not desirable to me— it’s too far outside the city and car-dependent. The thought of spending that much daily time driving is simply a nonstarter for me. But obviously it’s desirable to many who live and are hoping to live there, given the real estate values.

This is absurd and must have been written by someone not from here.. Parts of Mclean (huge parts actually) are waaaaay closer to DC than there are parts of DC. For instance, if you are a physician at Georgetown, Mclean is so much closer to work than Navy Yard is. And on and on and on.

+1

My commute to Georgetown was quicker than many of my DC colleagues' commutes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s for the pretentious, mostly. Most of the people I know living in McLean DO NOT benefit from the location nor schools. Their work location is elsewhere and kids either in private or in college. It’s mostly for status.

McLean schools are overcrowded, so clearly someone is attending them. Lol

News flash: most all schools in nova are overcrowded - not limited to your McLean. Check your numbers

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Different places are desirable to people with different preferences.

If you asked me, the answer is no, it’s not desirable to me— it’s too far outside the city and car-dependent. The thought of spending that much daily time driving is simply a nonstarter for me. But obviously it’s desirable to many who live and are hoping to live there, given the real estate values.

I went to high school in McLean and agree with this totally. I hate being car dependent.

Mclean downtown area is arguably walkable and has every amenity necessary for daily living, also has multifamily housing and more of it going up. While areas like Woodley park or Cleveland park are more charming they have a lot fewer amenities accessible on foot than Mclean DT. There is every essential need store, 3 grocery stores, 2 drug stores, lots of restaurants and ethnic food places, fancy bakeries and cafes, clothing, shoes, pet, etc. Not to mention every type of doctor's office and spa and tutoring center :lol: All accessible on foot.

I have lived in DC for 20 years and can’t figure out what anyone would define as “downtown McLean”? What are the cross streets?

They have to mean like Chain Bridge and Old Dominion? I think? I lived near there and shopped at that Giant and hung out at the Greenberry coffee place and whatnot. But yeah, "downtown Mclean" is a stretch, and I wouldn't call it walkable beyond the fact that you could walk around the area if you wanted to. No one does. It's easier to drive and not charmingly walkable at all. There is some good upscale retail/restaurants/etc around there -- for example The Organic Butcher is a fantastic amenity and I've always enjoyed brunch at J Gilbert's.

That's my question. What you describe is all that I have ever seen as the commercial part of Mclean, but I thought perhaps there was another, quainter area that wasn't off the main road. The area you mention isn't quaint or walkable...I guess it's functional.

Admittedly, it's hard to really have a walkable downtown with largish homes and yards, unless you basically have one main street going for many blocks and then the town essentially grows up to the sides of the main street. I guess North Arlington is like that...Old Town Alexandria definitely (though it does have a more extensive commercial area besides just King Street).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is the thread about scummy realtors, OP claimed it was the most sought after neighborhood in the region. Would residents of Spring Valley, Kalorama, Georgetown and Somerset disagree? What other neighborhoods would you put above McLean, or are the old split levels and white modern farm houses that have replaced them the best thing going in the region?

It is a commuting thing. Easy to commute to most of the DMV. So, dual working couples can work is fairly desperate areas and each have a commute that is 20-50 minutes.

I think you mean “disparate” but as long as Trump’s in office they may be desperate as well.

yes, I’ve never been known for my spelling ability.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Different places are desirable to people with different preferences.

If you asked me, the answer is no, it’s not desirable to me— it’s too far outside the city and car-dependent. The thought of spending that much daily time driving is simply a nonstarter for me. But obviously it’s desirable to many who live and are hoping to live there, given the real estate values.

0
Exactly. Not desirable to me because I prefer a more urban, not car centric day to day but it certainly has its appeal. We can all choose what we like, so I will live in Dupont Circle and others can choose McLean. I couldn't even begin to compare them they are so different.

+1. My preferred form of transit for everything (school, work, errands) is a bike (if not walking) so somewhere like McLean was a hard no. I also prefer dense urban spaces and don’t care for bigger SFHs. I like to be within 10-15 min tops of everything. So when buying I looked to very specific neighborhoods within DC. But obviously others have different priorities. There are beautiful homes in McLean, with big yards, and what many people find is an acceptable commute to them.

But anyway I don’t get the point of this thread. Some people like this neighborhood and some people like that neighborhood. They’re all expensive and competitive. Someone looking at a home in NW DC is not competing against someone looking in McLean. They have different priorities. Water is wet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Different places are desirable to people with different preferences.

If you asked me, the answer is no, it’s not desirable to me— it’s too far outside the city and car-dependent. The thought of spending that much daily time driving is simply a nonstarter for me. But obviously it’s desirable to many who live and are hoping to live there, given the real estate values.

This is absurd and must have been written by someone not from here.. Parts of Mclean (huge parts actually) are waaaaay closer to DC than there are parts of DC. For instance, if you are a physician at Georgetown, Mclean is so much closer to work than Navy Yard is. And on and on and on.

+1

My commute to Georgetown was quicker than many of my DC colleagues' commutes.

In a car?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s for the pretentious, mostly. Most of the people I know living in McLean DO NOT benefit from the location nor schools. Their work location is elsewhere and kids either in private or in college. It’s mostly for status.

This is rubbish. Everyone we know has kids in the public schools. The location is unmatched in terms of getting anywhere nearby for a concert, game, a school, or a job. Just look at a map! McLean is central to getting to DC, Old Town, G-Town, Reston TC, Tysons, Fairfax, Chantilly, Bethesda, etc. It’s a beautiful, quaint village filled with trees, parks, and walkable neighborhoods. And, it’s a short drive to any restaurant or store. It’s easy living next to your nation’s capital. The commute is a breeze yet you feel far away in suburbia. Simply the best!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in McLean. It was a soulless, bland, and a bunch of people basically just trying to portray a facade.

+1. The almost complete lack of trash, homeless and graffiti make it feel like a movie set. It almost doesn’t feel like a real place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s for the pretentious, mostly. Most of the people I know living in McLean DO NOT benefit from the location nor schools. Their work location is elsewhere and kids either in private or in college. It’s mostly for status.

McLean schools are overcrowded, so clearly someone is attending them. Lol

News flash: most all schools in nova are overcrowded - not limited to your McLean. Check your numbers

Yes, but the PP claimed “most people” they knew attended private. Maybe that is the circle they run in, but to suggest the public school is not worth the zip code is ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s for the pretentious, mostly. Most of the people I know living in McLean DO NOT benefit from the location nor schools. Their work location is elsewhere and kids either in private or in college. It’s mostly for status.

This is rubbish. Everyone we know has kids in the public schools. The location is unmatched in terms of getting anywhere nearby for a concert, game, a school, or a job. Just look at a map! McLean is central to getting to DC, Old Town, G-Town, Reston TC, Tysons, Fairfax, Chantilly, Bethesda, etc. It’s a beautiful, quaint village filled with trees, parks, and walkable neighborhoods. And, it’s a short drive to any restaurant or store. It’s easy living next to your nation’s capital. The commute is a breeze yet you feel far away in suburbia. Simply the best!

I live in DC and walk to all of these, which is the reason I live in DC. But again, different people prefer different things, so this thread is meaningless.

[Anonymous]

For DH and I, McLean offers the perfect commute options, I can work in D.C, Arlington, Bethesda, Alexandria, Tysons, Dulles Tech Corridor, all of these are within 20-45 mins of my home. I currently work in Alexandria, right off of GW pkwy and my commute in the mornings is 25 mins, 35 mins in the evening. We moved here for the commute and a strong peer group in schools, we are satisfied with both.

McLean isn't Pacific Palisades where you have the views of the ocean or beautiful homes like the ones in New England, it's a regular suburb with outstanding location. On another note, the housing stock in most of DMV is quite terrible.

[Anonymous]

From McLean our commute to DC is 16 minutes with only one red light. When we drive home it’s like returning to a private resort.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dont move there if you like to eat out. Worst restaurants- it makes no sense!

Dumb comment. L'auberge chez francois. In McLean, 2941, Nostos, Modan, Capital Grille and the other great Tysons steakhouses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:From McLean our commute to DC is 16 minutes with only one red light. When we drive home it’s like returning to a private resort.

I've lived there 35 years. It may have once upon a time been 16 minutes but post-covid it is not. The commute from McLean is STILL a far better commute than anyone has in Bethesda, Potomac, etc., because at least there are three or four avenues of ingress from McLean to DC, whereas most of those living north of D.C. are stuck with the Clara Barton highway or horrible stop-and-go commute on Wisconsin or Connecticut