We lived in Georgetown when DH had a project in McLean.

It was a reverse commute and not bad. He would not do Key Bridge...he woudl come in and out via Rooesevelt bridge to Rt 66.

I wah and dh changes projects every couple years so we are in n.arlington now. This way it is quick whether the project is in DC or up the rte 7 corridor.

There are a lot of young people in Clarendon now so you might want to choose that over DC. We have young cousins leaving Cap.Hill right now for Clarendon---they are having a really hard time finding a place to rent. It is very popular currently.

McLean or Vienna

agree with PPs that said that chain bridge is not a "hop on" situation in rush hour. Anything from DC to Mclean and back is going to be at least 30 min, and more like 45-1 hour door to door.

no one has mentioned this, but payroll taxes are considerably lower in VA than DC. I effectively got a nice raise when I moved from DC to VA.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Easy. Palisades. Hop on Chain Bridge and you're there.

Why would someone in their twenties live in Palisades when they are clearly looking for the hip urban environment and want to be close to the places to go out? If commute was their only concern and they just wanted to be as close to work as possible, they'd be just fine renting around Mclean/Tysons. I don't know where they work exactly, but I bet there are apartment buildings nearby within walking distance.

Ok. Glover Park

No kids? Arlington.

Anonymous wrote:Easy. Palisades. Hop on Chain Bridge and you're there.

Why would someone in their twenties live in Palisades when they are clearly looking for the hip urban environment and want to be close to the places to go out? If commute was their only concern and they just wanted to be as close to work as possible, they'd be just fine renting around Mclean/Tysons. I don't know where they work exactly, but I bet there are apartment buildings nearby within walking distance.

Easy. Palisades. Hop on Chain Bridge and you're there.

I would suggest Foggy Bottom/West End. You are close to the bridges for easier driving commute and next to the Metro stop, which a year from now may be able to take you to work on Silver Line (if your job is in Mclean near future Tysons metro stops). It's nice to have the option to commute by metro and since you'll be here for 2 years, you might get to enjoy it. The location is also convenient for going out, you are short walking distance to Dupont and Georgetown and also Downtown. Plus, you can always take metro or get a cab. I used to live in this area in my late 20s and really enjoyed it. I drove occasionally on 66 to get to Tysons during rush hour and it took about 30 min with traffic.

We commute to McLean/Tysons too! Young couple. North Arlington is perfect. Great schools, great commute to both downtown and McLean.

Clarendon is great. If you are looking to buy though, I think more good things are on the way for Ballston versus Clarendon, and the prices haven't peaked in the Ballston area to reflect it, to the same extent as Clarendon. There is an insane number of construction permits going on right now and in the pipeline. We def take advantage of walking to the Whole Foods and Trader Joes in Clarendon, which is not far from us, but are closer to Ballston. Best of luck.

A larger apartment and a modern building isn't necessarily "more" for someone who wants to live downtown. Maybe they want to have an apartment in a charming townhouse.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As someone who has lived in both places, I don't think Clarendon is any cheaper than any of D.C. hip neighborhoods. I just think some people really don't want to live in the city. I think its lame for the 20-something set, but hey, it's their choice.

But it is cheaper. Prices are fairly high, but you get more (larger apartments, modern buildings) for those prices.

The hip neighborhoods in DC these days are the H Street corredor, Bloomingdale and Petworth. Is Clarendon really cheaper?