Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We moved but missed old town so much we moved back and just bite the billet and pay for private. It makes me sad that Alexandria throws all of this money away on a disastrous public school system that seems to be getting worse and worse and sad for the kids who have no choice and are stuck in systemic failures.

This is one of my fears. It's hard to beat the lifestyle in Old Town, particularly walkability with young kids. Unfortunately private isn't an option for us due to one of our kids being in special Ed. So it looks like moving is the only path. It's such a ridiculous situation. Agree that it seems to be worsening every year.

Moved over 20 years for the exact same reason. Not sure if the situation is worsening, looks the same to me.

Covid probably exacerbated what was already wrong with the school system. That’s why it seems more hopeless now. Someone on here said that George Mason ES is emptying out, since there are no longer enough families to sustain it

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Am I the only one who doesn’t think Old Town is so great? Being genuine. Tourist trap. Bad restaurants. Avoid.

No. Old Town has some of the best food in Northern Va. It has the famous Chart House right by the water. The original Hard Times Cafe. The Fish Market. Union Street Public House. Gadsby’s Tavern, Il Porto.

With King Street now closed to cars, it has become wonderful public space with outdoor seating reminiscent of many European cities or Montreal.

Good lord those are tourist traps.

Momos
Nasime
Hanks
Italian Place
Caphe Banh Mi
Le Refuge
Vasos
A la Lucia
Virginia’s Darling
Chop Shop Taco

Anonymous wrote:And who could forget the popular Taverna Cretekou for the region’s most delicious traditional Greek food. It’s been in Old Town Alexandria for over 50 years and counting. Old Town’s food options are always worth the drive from outside Alexandria for the foodie and family alike.

Vasos kitchen is much better. Only tourists go to taverna.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We moved but missed old town so much we moved back and just bite the billet and pay for private. It makes me sad that Alexandria throws all of this money away on a disastrous public school system that seems to be getting worse and worse and sad for the kids who have no choice and are stuck in systemic failures.

This is one of my fears. It's hard to beat the lifestyle in Old Town, particularly walkability with young kids. Unfortunately private isn't an option for us due to one of our kids being in special Ed. So it looks like moving is the only path. It's such a ridiculous situation. Agree that it seems to be worsening every year.

Moved over 20 years for the exact same reason. Not sure if the situation is worsening, looks the same to me.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Am I the only one who doesn’t think Old Town is so great? Being genuine. Tourist trap. Bad restaurants. Avoid.

No. Old Town has some of the best food in Northern Va. It has the famous Chart House right by the water. The original Hard Times Cafe. The Fish Market. Union Street Public House. Gadsby’s Tavern, Il Porto.

With King Street now closed to cars, it has become wonderful public space with outdoor seating reminiscent of many European cities or Montreal.

The Chart House is a chain restaurant.

Is it true the new zoning laws that mayor and council are pushing through will have buildings towering over old town? They've been trying for years to extend height limits in the city and it sounds like they are going to get it done soon.

The mayor and councilors can build all their high rises in the Carlyle neighborhoods. Why would they endanger the historic status of Old Town?

And who could forget the popular Taverna Cretekou for the region’s most delicious traditional Greek food. It’s been in Old Town Alexandria for over 50 years and counting. Old Town’s food options are always worth the drive from outside Alexandria for the foodie and family alike.

I know other people love that place, and the setting is lovely, but I have always found the food just ok.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Am I the only one who doesn’t think Old Town is so great? Being genuine. Tourist trap. Bad restaurants. Avoid.

No. Old Town has some of the best food in Northern Va. It has the famous Chart House right by the water. The original Hard Times Cafe. The Fish Market. Union Street Public House. Gadsby’s Tavern, Il Porto.

With King Street now closed to cars, it has become wonderful public space with outdoor seating reminiscent of many European cities or Montreal.

The Chart House is a chain restaurant.

Is it true the new zoning laws that mayor and council are pushing through will have buildings towering over old town? They've been trying for years to extend height limits in the city and it sounds like they are going to get it done soon.

And who could forget the popular Taverna Cretekou for the region’s most delicious traditional Greek food. It’s been in Old Town Alexandria for over 50 years and counting. Old Town’s food options are always worth the drive from outside Alexandria for the foodie and family alike.

Anonymous wrote:Am I the only one who doesn’t think Old Town is so great? Being genuine. Tourist trap. Bad restaurants. Avoid.

No. Old Town has some of the best food in Northern Va. It has the famous Chart House right by the water. The original Hard Times Cafe. The Fish Market. Union Street Public House. Gadsby’s Tavern, Il Porto.

With King Street now closed to cars, it has become wonderful public space with outdoor seating reminiscent of many European cities or Montreal.

Anonymous wrote:Am I the only one who doesn’t think Old Town is so great? Being genuine. Tourist trap. Bad restaurants. Avoid.

The waterfront is a tourist trap. The older restaurants aren’t bad. The new ones are same … different day.

When you live in Old Town you walk, aren’t funneled by the parking structures, and explore the pseudo-museum you’ve chosen to live in. Hence the lifestyle aspect.

If not the more established places, most locals are between Fayette and St Aspah, and have found their little spot.

Anonymous wrote:Am I the only one who doesn’t think Old Town is so great? Being genuine. Tourist trap. Bad restaurants. Avoid.

I understand this but I still like living in Old Town. There are still neighborhood places especially for coffee / or breakfast that are not touristy and it is nice to be able to walk to the parks along the river or events on King / Market Square (and the Saturday morning farmers market)

Am I the only one who doesn’t think Old Town is so great? Being genuine. Tourist trap. Bad restaurants. Avoid.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, I keep noticing posters writing about the Old Town lifestyle. As someone who does not live there, what is so special about it? That makes it somehow more special than the a walkable downtown with many small businesses and restaurants? Yes, the buildings are very pretty, but other than the aesthetics, what else makes up this "old town lifetstyle" and I am not a troll asking to be a jerk.

Walkability and transportation in a historic neighborhood older than the District. It’s regularly on the same lists as Charleston, Savannah, (and Annapolis and Boston - because they’re all the same).

Some homes are from the 1700s. Most are from the late 1800s and early 1990s. This is same time period as most of Europe. So while Alexandria is not European (and not all Europeans live like this either), aspects are.

Relevant to Old Town, Alexandria, and schools (which do suck), there’s a reason and it is code when someone says they grew up in Alexandria (better schools) but actually lived in Fairfax County (not actually Alexandria).

You could argue Georgetown is more iconic, almost as old, and definitely more expensive, but DCPS is even worse and it is less quaint.

Arlington has the same economy, access, and better (not failing) schools, but without most of the history.

So if you live in Old Town, you prioritize what it has to offer, and it’s not schools. Or rather you accept that you need to send your children to private, which most Old Town families do at some point (or move).

The ACPS apologists and hypocrites live elsewhere. Starting with Del Ray.

That’s because Arlington was the rural county portion of Alexandria. Arlington was in fact called Alexandria County. Just like how there is a historic Fairfax City and Fairfax County.

The oldest parts of Arlington (as Alexandria County) were developed in the early 1900s along the electric trolley routes. There are some individual homes that date to the 1700s and 1800s but they were farmhouses.

Lots of Arlington families enjoy proximity to Old Town. It is a beautiful part of Alexandria we can all be proud of.

Yes proximity to, but not actually in.

Which is fine. The trade off unfortunately is ACPS (APS is only above average and only looks great compared to DCPS, ACPS and PGCPS).

The people who have literally bought into the Old Town lifestyle know this going in and either move no later than Elementary or go private from the beginning.

The curmudgeons who virtue signal about ACPS, and then complain about life not being fair and/or can’t own their choices/ideology/identity (that they aren’t really for diversity or public schools or whatever else) are the hostile ones.

Again those types don’t live in Old Town proper. Not that we have seen.

NP - what are AWFLs? I get the gist by the description but what's the acronym... affluent white something?

This whole post is so sad. And yet so true. We left Old Town and miss it because the walkability and beauty of it made it a beautiful place to live. Plus the events, etc. But we did not find it at all neighborly. Because so many families go private, "neighborhood" kids are in different schools and don't have natural opportunities to socialize, carpool, etc. We got lucky on a block with 1-2 other families but it only lasted 3-4 years, when we naturally diverged due to different schools.

When we moved to an area with better special ed, we were ostracized, can you believe it? We were "contributing to the problem" of special ed services missing the mark in ACPS. Who would skewer their kid (especially a kid with extra support needs) just to impress the neighbors? It was preposterous and still makes me sad to this day. We have nice memories there but are ultimately happier in our much friendlier neighborhood, where most kids to the local public unless their family is religious. I don't think you'll miss it that much OP.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, I keep noticing posters writing about the Old Town lifestyle. As someone who does not live there, what is so special about it? That makes it somehow more special than the a walkable downtown with many small businesses and restaurants? Yes, the buildings are very pretty, but other than the aesthetics, what else makes up this "old town lifetstyle" and I am not a troll asking to be a jerk.

It's perfect setting for when you're coupled up and ready to end the night before midnight. Also, it's walkable like downtown but significantly less crime or homeless people bothering you. Not sure what you mean about small businesses in DC as I remember downtown being nothing but chain restaurants and stores.

As a family that has lived around the world and the country - Alexandria is a special place outside of old town. In our north ridge neighborhood, kids run barefoot from house to house excitedly showing new dance moves or toys. Neighbors watch your dog and hide your keys. Teens meet up with friends from school while walking the dog or hanging out at the neighborhood school playground with kids from all backgrounds

So the fact that our schools are failing us and our kids hits a particular nerve because the potential is astronomical. Alexandria is a mere couple miles from downtown dc and incredibly diverse and offers our kids the potential to be an everlasting place to call home. Parents stay because they see the potential....

This is silly to me. I grew up here and many people I know went to Parker Gray! These schools have been the same for DECADES. Yes, it's a nice place to live, but it's the result of segregation. It'll never go away because it's a place where there are very well-off people and also lower income families. The only thing that would change it would be adding a new high school and restructuring the middle schools. It won't happen though.