What happened to Clarendon?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ballston is wayyyy better now, both for young people and for families. It's far more upscale than Clarendon.

Yeah, man. Enjoy the food court.

Its the fancy new object, but yeah at some point people are going to wonder why they're hanging at a food court. Neither Ballston nor Clarendon is cool.

My friends who live nearby have tried to convince me that a food hall is a totally different and distinct thing from a food court. Why? Oh, it has cool independent places instead of chains. OK, but it's still in the basement of a mall.

Just like calling something a town center or adding quarter to the title makes the place chic. I admit that Ballston Quarter is better than the Ballston Mall, but Ballston Quarter is still a mall.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lots of Arlington haters who didn't buy when the market was low and are now bitter about it.

It's a great value real estate-wise! Just isn't "trendy".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a DC resident, I cannot distinguish between Clarendon and Ballston. They both seem like ugly stretches of heavy traffic with giant ugly buildings. The only thing I noticed when I had to travel to Ballston over the summer several times for business there is how WHITE it is compared to the Orange/Silver line in the other direction that I usually take.

Not many giant in Clarendon. Not sure what you're talking about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a DC resident, I cannot distinguish between Clarendon and Ballston. They both seem like ugly stretches of heavy traffic with giant ugly buildings. The only thing I noticed when I had to travel to Ballston over the summer several times for business there is how WHITE it is compared to the Orange/Silver line in the other direction that I usually take.

Not many giant buildings in Clarendon. Not sure what you're talking about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lol at DCUM posters pretending they’re too cool for literally anything. Cottage cheese moms and dads whining how their wives don’t initiate.

Sure. You all party with the band.

Clarendon was good for a while. Still OK. Ballston is better. H street, sure. DC overall is never going to be a cool city in the way you mean. There are really cool people here but they are weirdos and drunks with good stories and they don’t show up in some specific neighborhood.

Just acknowledge you are not and never will be a model and your life will improve.

Seriously. DC cool??? Is that a thing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a DC resident, I cannot distinguish between Clarendon and Ballston. They both seem like ugly stretches of heavy traffic with giant ugly buildings. The only thing I noticed when I had to travel to Ballston over the summer several times for business there is how WHITE it is compared to the Orange/Silver line in the other direction that I usually take.

Not many giant in Clarendon. Not sure what you're talking about.

Ok maybe not giant, but all indistinguishable and characterless on the street level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a DC resident, I cannot distinguish between Clarendon and Ballston. They both seem like ugly stretches of heavy traffic with giant ugly buildings. The only thing I noticed when I had to travel to Ballston over the summer several times for business there is how WHITE it is compared to the Orange/Silver line in the other direction that I usually take.

Not many giant in Clarendon. Not sure what you're talking about.

Ok maybe not giant, but all indistinguishable and characterless on the street level.

Yeah, the Rosslyn - Ballston corridor is not the most charming place in the world. Most people choose it for walkability, access public transportation, short commutes, and good schools. Hard to find all this in DC proper.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ballston is wayyyy better now, both for young people and for families. It's far more upscale than Clarendon.

Yeah, man. Enjoy the food court.

Its the fancy new object, but yeah at some point people are going to wonder why they're hanging at a food court. Neither Ballston nor Clarendon is cool.

My friends who live nearby have tried to convince me that a food hall is a totally different and distinct thing from a food court. Why? Oh, it has cool independent places instead of chains. OK, but it's still in the basement of a mall.

Just like calling something a town center or adding quarter to the title makes the place chic. I admit that Ballston Quarter is better than the Ballston Mall, but Ballston Quarter is still a mall.

RIP Ballston Mall!!!

I loved all of those random (and always empty) stores that sold teddy bears, "as seen on tv" products, and a lot of polyester clothes. I'll never forget you!

[Anonymous]

I live in Arlington and mostly just go to local family friendly local areas away from Clarendon/Ballston. If we want to go out without kids, DH and I go into DC. H Street, the Wharf, etc. are more exciting these days and I don’t say this as someone who hates Arlington.

I think a lot of the places that made Clarendon/Courthouse neat a decade ago are gone, and the rents are pricing out a lot of smaller businesses, which is a shame. I am cautiously optimistic there will be more cool stuff coming in as Ballston Quarter gets redeveloped.

[Anonymous]

There’s some kind of redevelopment going on, but I’m guessing it will include another ... gym. Just a strange assemblage of stores and short lived restaurants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wait Clarendon was cool? I remember it as where the white kids who were scared to go out in the city combined with defense contractor happy hours where married 40 year olds tried to bang ugly GMU & JMU grads. While more was happing it wasn’t cool

And Clarendon Skank of ArlNow fame ruled supreme!

[Anonymous]

I live by Ballston Quarter (Mall) with kids and do like it. Lots opening. Good space for kids to play on the main entrance, ice rink on the roof, more and more new restaurants opening, new Target coming, etc, etc.

[Anonymous]

Clarendon/Ballston are places people visit and live when they don't want to be harrassed by friendly gangs of khaki-clad and polo-shirted "akademy" charter school youth, get mugged by thugs, attacked by people high on PCP, be stalked for blocks on end by strange men, or hear gun shots "ring out" when walking Fido.

Visual aesthetics of Clarendon/Ballston are obviously not the draw to those areas. Lol

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lol at DCUM posters pretending they’re too cool for literally anything. Cottage cheese moms and dads whining how their wives don’t initiate.

Sure. You all party with the band.

Clarendon was good for a while. Still OK. Ballston is better. H street, sure. DC overall is never going to be a cool city in the way you mean. There are really cool people here but they are weirdos and drunks with good stories and they don’t show up in some specific neighborhood.

Just acknowledge you are not and never will be a model and your life will improve.

A new motto! Arlington: phone it in.

[Anonymous]

"Nobody ever goes there anymore — it’s too crowded"
Someone had to say it.