Reply to Mclean vs. Vienna

Forum Index » Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS)

Reply to "Mclean vs. Vienna"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The challenge in Vienna is that the main commuting artery through the town is also the primary commercial artery, so Maple/123 is very congested.  You cannot live in Vienna and not be seriously affected by it the traffic at times, the occasional stroll to Nielsen's, Caffe Amouri and Bazan's notwithstanding.

In McLean, the main commercial area is set off from 123, so Dolley Madison/123 is far less congested.  But, because the retail areas near Chain Bridge and Old Dominion are less visible, they get less traffic and depend more on locals for business, and there's not as much to choose from as in Vienna.[/quote]

I completely agree with this.  I was one of the early posters who said they didn't like the congestion down Maple/123.  I do envision all of Vienna being one long corridor down 123, and it's not attractive or easy to get around.  Yes, I know all about Church Street - I used to take my kids there for the annuals Veterans Day Carnival.  It's quite lovely.  But if you don't live right there (near Whole Foods), I find the whole strip of stores along 123 and the congestion to be off-putting.

On the other hand, I live in McLean, and our downtown is no Bethesda, either.  We also seem to be missing a "heart" of a town.  Much of it is still 1950s architecture.  There seems to be no planning commission.  Any attempts to create a lovely center of town with many restaurants within walking distance never happen - certainly not since the recession started.  Our selection of stores, as PP states, is much less than Vienna.  Our restaurant selection is almost nil.  But I do all of my shopping in McLean because it's close, I can park, run in, get what I need and get out.  I avoid Tysons at all costs.  I only go down Maple into Vienna if I have to for a doctor's appt because of the congestion (and then stop at Taco Bell since we don't have that in McLean either! yum yum)[/quote]

McLean is no Bethesda which includes no ridiculous parking restrictions and loud bars/restaurants.

Downtown McLean has had many opportunities to increase commercial density, but the residents just aren't interested in turning downtown McLean into a Vienna or Bethesda.[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics