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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Does McLean have a downtown area with shopping and restaurants like Bethesda has?[/quote]

Not sure.  But McLean does not have the beggars that Bethesda has.

If McLean can finally get the Metro, they can finally build up the downtown.

Seems the older generation does not want McLean to become a "destination" (especially considering the traffic Maryland brings to Tysons), and they work hard to distinguish McLean from Tysons. [/quote]

There are panhandlers in McLean now, especially near Tysons.  Maybe there are more in Bethesda; I haven’t been there for years (do go to Rockville for Chinese food but it’s further north).

There are several Metro stations near McLean, including the McLean station (which is on the edge of Tysons) and West Falls Church, but neither is really walkable to the downtown area.  The county has approved plans to allow greater density in the downtown McLean area but the handful of landowners who own most of the properties are in no particular rush to redevelop.  In comparison, there is a lot of development now in central Tysons and more planned near the West Falls Church Metro.

As between the Bethesda and McLean downtown areas, Bethesda is the obvious winner for the “wow” factor, but it kind of screams conspicuous consumption, whereas the downtown McLean area is less congested but also dumpy.  I think over time most people who live in McLean make their peace with the downtown area because it has all the basic amenities and is convenient, and the store and restaurant owners may very well know your name because the stores really are geared to serving local residents.  And, if you really want high-end retail, the two Tysons malls are just 2-3 miles away and additional retail is getting added to some of the newer Tysons developments like The Boro.  But if you’re looking for some pizzazz in your immediate neighborhood Bethesda is probably a better bet.

As for schools, the public secondary schools in McLean and Bethesda are comparable; the bigger differences are at the university level, where Virginia just has more to offer than Maryland.  Even if you don’t have kids or your kids don’t plan to go in-state, it affects home values that Maryland has one well-known flagship (UMCP), whereas Virginia has three very well known schools (UVA, W&M, and Virginia Tech), plus at least four other quite attractive options. [/quote]

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