North Arlington residents - feedback wanted

[Anonymous]

I am seriously contemplating buying a house in a North Arlington neighborhood off of Lee Highway - close to Glebe Road. The house I am looking at is very nice/well maintained, is in a good school district, and is on a nice street with signs of other children. So what's the problem? My hangup is trying to decide whether I would actually be happy in North Arlington/the location. After college I lived in Clarendon (before it was "hot"), then in a condo off of Columbia Pike/Washington Blvd. for many years, before ending up in Alexandria very close to Shirlington. I like the more urban feel of these areas and everything that we do (Target, Whole Foods, Shirlington restaurants, Crystal City, etc.) is on this side of the city.

So - for all of you North Arlington residents - please tell me what you like/don't like about living there. How crowded is it? If you live off of Lee Highway, where do you shop? How's the commute into the city?

Thank you in advance!

[Anonymous]

Hi. We owned a townhouse in Clarendon, right behind Starbucks, but after we had our first child, I pushed to move to a single family home. Sure, we were spoiled by the Starbucks and Whole Foods and everything else, but I said we'd get used to it. I wanted the space and the yard. So now we're in a single family house near East Falls Church. I am quite happy here - don't really miss the Clarendon vibe much -- I drink less coffee and spend less frivolously with no Whole Foods. And life is good. You'll get used to having the space. With kids, that's worth a lot more than the perks of the places you've lived.

[Anonymous]

The Lee Highway/Glebe intersection is still within walking distance to some restaurants so you are not in total isolation as you would be at Glebe/Old Dominion, for example. Along Lee Highway you've got Cowboy, Alpine, Carribean Grill (yumm), Yorktown Bistro, etc. along with 7-11 and CVS. In the other direction, closer to the city, you've got that strip of shops with Tree Top Kids/restaurants/etc. The Harrison shopping center is always hopping with restaurants/kids activities/grocery stores. I think you can't beat the location for convenience, you just have to get used to everything not being in a "town center" but spread along a mile stretch. Certainly makes parking alot easier!

[Anonymous]

Are you kidding? North Arlington is hardly Leesburg. You're close to everything and some things are certainly still walkable. Everything is metro accessible.

We moved AWAY from Arlington for the bigger yards, etc. and I miss it!!!

[Anonymous]

Oh, and I should say that I'm not slamming Leesburg. It's just not "urban" like the OP wants/desires.

[Anonymous]

We love Saturday evenings at Cassatt's Cafe.
They have nice live music 7-9pm, Saturdays.

[Anonymous]

OP, I live very close to where you are looking (I am in Waverly Hills behind the Lee Heights shops) and it is a great location. I agree with everything 22:22 said. YOu actually have a lot within walking distance as far as restaurants, shops, etc. and there are also tons of playgrounds for the kiddos nearby. From where we are, we could walk to Ballston easily and even Clarendon if it was a nice day and we were up for a longish walk. We usually do our shopping at either the Safeway in Cherrydale, the Harris Teeter on Harrison, or the Giant near Ballston (all 3 are within 5 minutes). And Clarendon is close with its shops, Whole Foods, etc. I work in Falls Church and my Dh works in DC, and the commutes are great for both of us. Sure, the area is not as "hip" as Clarendon, but it is great for raising a family and pretty much everything we need is very close by.

[zumbamama]

It's quieter than Clarendon and Crystal City, but there is life. There's a bunch of restaurants, ethnic shops, shopping centers and diners on Lee Hwy, a community art center all the good grocery stores, metro isn't far and lots of dance studios around, which of course is a plus in my book. But it is more spread out though and has a more suburban feel than Clarendon. You could commute via 66, wilson-key bridge, chain bridge or metro.