Reply to Would you move for Deal and J-R?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]If you are moving anyway, I would seriously consider Arlington and close-in Moco. We moved from DC to Arlington and love it. Our kids' school is super diverse, with lots of great programs (robotics studio funded by Amazon, great arts program) and our neighborhood is super walkable and our commutes are shorter than they were in DC (but YMMV). Once you are moving to upper Ward 3 (or even Mt Pleasant) I feel like you end up with a lot of the downsides of city living without all the upsides.  Plus you get in-state tuition to the VA schools, which is worth a lot more than DC TAG (if that survives Trump).[/quote]

And what’s the downside of Mt Pleasant compared to the more diverse neighborhoods of Arlington?   I know both well.  The schools in the more diverse neighborhoods of Arlington certainly aren’t any better and the neighborhoods aren’t nearly as pretty or walkable.  [/quote]

I moved from Mt P to Arlington. I think W&L is better than J-R and is pretty diverse (40% white, 35% hispanic and 8% black). I don't worry at all about my kids walking home from the metro alone in Arlington, which I could not say when I lived in Mt P. Arlington also has school buses, which I think is an advantage over DC and vastly improved our quality of life. I did not leave DC because of the crime (I left to get a shorter commute) but have really appreciated the lack of petty crime - my kids don't think twice about leaving their bikes unlocked a couple hours in front of our house, while in DC we had to lock them even when they were in our garage. The retail strips in Arlington tend to be pretty ugly, but some of the residential areas are nice and pretty and everyone is friendly and pretty down to earth - similar to Mt P. And there are a million parks and rec centers, which are generally much nicer than those in DC. Not to mention that Trump is interfering less in Arlington than in DC.[/quote]

I know your neighborhood well, and the only thing I’d agree with is that W-L is probably a better school.  You moved to the suburbs.  That’s what you did.  There’s just no comparison.  [/quote]

How do you know what neighborhood I live in? Approx 1/3 of Arlington is zoned for w&L. And I never said I didn’t live in the suburbs. Of course I do. But I can also walk to a farmers market. Two supermarkets plus Trader Joe’s, the metro, and more coffee shops than I can count. Plus my DH and I spend less time commuting and less time driving the kids around because the kid stuff is closer. [/quote]

I know because I lived in North Arlington for decades and know it like the back of my hand.  I know every neighborhood in the W-L zone and every stop along the Metro.  There is no neighborhood in the W-L zone that comes close to living in the city.  It has a distinctly suburban feeling to it.

Yes, Arlington has pleasant coffee shops and supermarkets.  Maybe a couple of decent restaurants.  But that's about it.

As happy as you are to be there, I'm just as happy to have left.  It's boring.  Nice and safe and with good schools?  Absolutely.  The price you pay for that is boredom.[/quote]

DP. Yes, good schools and a safe neighborhood are worth it for this season of our lives. Once that’s no longer our priority, we’ll move again.
[/quote]

I can understand that.  We don’t regret having lived in Arlington.  It was good for the kids.  It’s just boring, as I said.  Interestingly, none of our kids has any interest in returning there to raise their own kids.  [/quote]

Boring people are bored. I am the PP you were responding to and I don't find that I am bored in Arlington at all. Do I wish it were more charming? Of course. I used to live in Brooklyn Heights - Wilson Blvd is no Montague St that is for sure!!! But I don't find that I am bored - I regularly go to the theater in both DC and Arlington (I have seen shows at Signature that rival anything in NYC), go to concerts (the Anthem is just as easy to get to from Arlington as DC and Wolf Trap is closer). I don't follow up and coming bands as much as I used to, so no matter where I lived I likely would not be seeing bands at DC9. We also eat at a lot of NoVA locations of DC restaurants - for example my kids love to walk to Ballston and get Timber pizza. I am totally fine with them walking home alone at 10pm, which would not be the case with the Petworth location. But will my kids decide to live in Arlington as adults? I doubt it - the world is big, I don't live near where I grew up either but that does not mean it wasn't a good place to grow up. My original point was that if the OP is moving for the schools anyway, she should check out both DC neighborhoods and neighborhoods in the inner suburbs. And then make the best choice for her family. [/quote]

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