Living in DC area -- Advice?

dmccormack

dmccormack

Touchdown! Greaser!
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May 11, 2007
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Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
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Display name:
Dan Mc
Short version -- interviewing next week for a position that better fits my skills, expereince, and growth expectations. We've lived in Western PA for 9 years now after 17 years in Eastern PA (Lancaster Co).

The Tech market in Pittsburgh is saturated with lower-priced talent (CMU, Pitt, etc) so salaries are rather depressed. Eastern PA (Philly area) is better but so far there isn't a match. There's also not much defense work.

I've had a Clearance since 1980 so rather not drop it. Plus I've built up lots of expertise in the DoD miasma over the years.

Anyway, we're considering (just considering!) a move to DC (Arlington is where the position is located).

Foisting the yard work and maintenance and repair of a 200 year old house and 4 acres is attractive to us as we are now empty nesters.

Bicycling and walking are both favorite past times and DC has become rather pedestrian friendly (at least the parts I've frequented the last 10 years).

So -- fellow pilots in the area -- what are your likes, dislikes of living in NoVA? What should be avoided? Sought out?

I appreciate your responses!!
 
I'm new to POA but I'm sure others can chime in.

Can't speak for NoVA, as I've lived in DC for the last 10 years, but there's a lot of great cycling. If you like international cuisine, check out:

http://tylercowensethnicdiningguide.com/ .

I've only got 10 hours logged so far, but the SFRA procedures aren't too bad; there's a course on faasafety.gov.

Flying, cyling, eating... what else is there? :)
 
If you want to live in DC, I hope you have lots and lots of money. And be prepared to drive awhile before you can get to an airport outside of the "DC 3." Norther Virginia puts you closer to Leesburg.

dmccormack said:
Short version -- interviewing next week for a position that better fits my skills, expereince, and growth expectations. We've lived in Western PA for 9 years now after 17 years in Eastern PA (Lancaster Co).

The Tech market in Pittsburgh is saturated with lower-priced talent (CMU, Pitt, etc) so salaries are rather depressed. Eastern PA (Philly area) is better but so far there isn't a match. There's also not much defense work.

I've had a Clearance since 1980 so rather not drop it. Plus I've built up lots of expertise in the DoD miasma over the years.

Anyway, we're considering (just considering!) a move to DC (Arlington is where the position is located).

Foisting the yard work and maintenance and repair of a 200 year old house and 4 acres is attractive to us as we are now empty nesters.

Bicycling and walking are both favorite past times and DC has become rather pedestrian friendly (at least the parts I've frequented the last 10 years).

So -- fellow pilots in the area -- what are your likes, dislikes of living in NoVA? What should be avoided? Sought out?

I appreciate your responses!!
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Live as close to your place of employment as you can afford. If you are working in Arlington I would not live any more west than Reston. Falls Church would be better. Reston in 2013-14 will have a metro at least. FC does already.

Avoid Springfield. Basically I'd concentrate the search along the 66 corridor.
 
spiderweb said:
If you want to live in DC, I hope you have lots and lots of money. And be prepared to drive awhile before you can get to an airport outside of the "DC 3." Norther Virginia puts you closer to Leesburg.
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Shannon is a nice small field I'm familiar with and is outside the silliness.

Isn't lots and lots of money needed anywhere, these days?
 
ps. If you live in FC or Arlington, DC is close enough to enjoy without dealing with the bull**** of living there.
 
woodstock said:
Live as close to your place of employment as you can afford. If you are working in Arlington I would not live any more west than Reston. Falls Church would be better. Reston in 2013-14 will have a metro at least. FC does already.

Avoid Springfield. Basically I'd concentrate the search along the 66 corridor.
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Thanks! Makes sense.

I want to avoid a commute (well, car commute) as much as possible (I've been driving 1 hour plus every day for nearly 3 years...)
 
I live in Fairfax County, and work in downtown DC.

What do I love? I live in a 30 year old house in a nice neighborhood with wide streets and mature trees (hard to find) and one of the top elementary schools in Fairfax County (which means one of the best in the USA). I like having all the nice things like the museums, the three major airports and a good number of small airports within easy driving range. The Appalachians and the Ocean are both within 90 minutes of driving.

What I don't like - the complete lack of perspective that comes with being in the Capitol - Everything is VERY VERY VERY important. I hate the traffic. I don't like the high prices of some stuff but the salary is high too. The SFRA is a pain, and the FRZ sucks rocks - I hate that I can't take people on the aerial tour of DC I used to.

If you want to come down and check things out, let me know - We'll clean up the guest room.
 
ps if you are empty nesters, don't be afraid of a condo in Arlington. Try to get a place with a garage.
 
dmccormack said:
Shannon is a nice small field I'm familiar with and is outside the silliness.

Isn't lots and lots of money needed anywhere, these days?
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Shannon is great and Fredericksburg is a wonderful town although it is getting "Mallified" I have a very good friend there. Also its an hour south of DC. My personal opinion is avoid DC but thats just me. I hate the traffic.
 
My advice would be: Don't! :D

Okay, so it sounds like you might have a better job situation in DC, which makes it more of a "go". But, I hope you like traffic - Otherwise, I would suggest somewhere close by the fabulous DC subway system if that's a viable transportation option for you. It's probably the nicest public transit I've ever seen in the US.

It's also quite expensive there - So be sure the percentage increase in salary is >> the percentage increase in cost of living.

Disclaimer: Never lived there, just my impressions after frequent travel. YMMV, yadda yadda. I wouldn't live there unless there was a MAJOR incentive ($1mil/yr job, I'm a Senator, etc.) simply because of the ridiculous traffic and the pain in the behind of flying GA in that area.
 
flyingcheesehead said:
My advice would be: Don't! :D

Okay, so it sounds like you might have a better job situation in DC, which makes it more of a "go". But, I hope you like traffic - Otherwise, I would suggest somewhere close by the fabulous DC subway system if that's a viable transportation option for you. It's probably the nicest public transit I've ever seen in the US.

It's also quite expensive there - So be sure the percentage increase in salary is >> the percentage increase in cost of living.

Disclaimer: Never lived there, just my impressions after frequent travel. YMMV, yadda yadda. I wouldn't live there unless there was a MAJOR incentive ($1mil/yr job, I'm a Senator, etc.) simply because of the ridiculous traffic and the pain in the behind of flying GA in that area.
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I wouldn't move to a place that wasn't within bike commuting at this point.
 
AdamZ said:
Shannon is great and Fredericksburg is a wonderful town although it is getting "Mallified" I have a very good friend there. Also its an hour south of DC. My personal opinion is avoid DC but thats just me. I hate the traffic.
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Yes, outside is (Central Park!) and the old part is pretty well gentrified and insanely expensive.

I hate traffic too -- Which is why I'd rather pay the premium to be close enough to ride a bicycle. Low temps are not a problem and we all know DC shuts down when it snows.

:thumbsup:
 
dmccormack said:
Yes, outside is (Central Park!) and the old part is pretty well gentrified and insanely expensive.

I hate traffic too -- Which is why I'd rather pay the premium to be close enough to ride a bicycle. Low temps are not a problem and we all know DC shuts down when it snows.

:thumbsup:
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Ballston has a ton of apartments, and it is pretty close to Arlington...

Cheers,

-Andrew
 
If you work in Arlington, try to live in Arlington or possibly Alexandria.

The days I need to commute into DC, I come up from southern MD, cross the Wilson bridge through Alex, Crystal City and Rosslyn. There is rarely much traffic getting from Alex to Arlington or DCA, the problem is making it to the beltway and 'the last mile' of getting into the District.

As 'empty nesters' I would consider just getting a condo for the work week and combine it with some sort of weekend property, either in the hills or on the water, whatever suits your interests.
 
D.C. is incredibly underrated as a city. It's a great place to live.

As to where to live - can't help there. When I was there for half a year, I was somewhere around Connecticut and Rhode Island. It's nice being downtown.

One recommendation - have dinner at Ceiba :)
 
The DC area is a great place to live. DC isn't known for its services (911, snow removal etc). Parking is also pretty bad unless you have your own garage/spot. I'd consider NW but in general I think I'd still prefer NOVA, close in.
 
The "District of Craziness"? Oh man, I feel for ya. All I've ever heard is that living there takes more money than buying a Corvalis TT. ;)

If they've offered you a salary big enough to cover the cost of living increase AND a raise, congrats. I know one FCC guy and two former GTE Federal Systems guys and let's just say, I know why 30%+ of my paycheck disappears every month before I even see it...
 
ps. If you choose Arlington, along the 66 corridor, from Ballston and closing in on DC, you will have a fairly urban feel to it but better services. Clarendon, Rosslyn, etc.
 
I grew up here. Lived in another town and was able to get to work in 12 mins door to door (pre-9/11). You can't beat that convenience. When I moved back to the area, my rule is to work within 1 hour of my home. There are some things you just have to accept. Saying everything sucks is unacceptable.
 
Living within biking distance of Arlington still leaves you with some pretty good choices depending on what kind of living you find attractive. Personally, if I had no kids I really look hard and Old Town Alexandria. It's got some of the charm of Annapolis and options for entertaining yourself within walking distance of home.

Are you bringing your bird down to base it here? If so, I know people based both at Potomac and College Park (2 of the DC 3) and can connect you if you're interested. One of the best aerobatic/spin/upset instructors is based at Potomac - Adam Cope. He uses a Decathlon for training and is a great guy that I've been competing against for the last 6 years and nothing but respect for him. Getting vetting to fly out there there is just some hoops but should be no problem for you given what you've said.

Other than that, I'll put in a plug for Annapolis. There's no place to get an airplane inside here but it's a great grass roots feeling airport with a heavy aerobatic/tailwheel concentration based here. We love the area so much we've decided to be here for the long haul. It would probably be about an hour commute to Alexandria though.
 
PittsDriver said:
Living within biking distance of Arlington still leaves you with some pretty good choices depending on what kind of living you find attractive. Personally, if I had no kids I really look hard and Old Town Alexandria. It's got some of the charm of Annapolis and options for entertaining yourself within walking distance of home.

Are you bringing your bird down to base it here? If so, I know people based both at Potomac and College Park (2 of the DC 3) and can connect you if you're interested. One of the best aerobatic/spin/upset instructors is based at Potomac - Adam Cope. He uses a Decathlon for training and is a great guy that I've been competing against for the last 6 years and nothing but respect for him. Getting vetting to fly out there there is just some hoops but should be no problem for you given what you've said.

Other than that, I'll put in a plug for Annapolis. There's no place to get an airplane inside here but it's a great grass roots feeling airport with a heavy aerobatic/tailwheel concentration based here. We love the area so much we've decided to be here for the long haul. It would probably be about an hour commute to Alexandria though.
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I echo this - both the recommendation for Old Town (Crystal City is another option) and for the DC3 airports - Both Potomac and Hyde are a short drive away and would be friendly to your airplane. I did my CFI spin training with Adam Cope (as do many of the locals) and can't say enough good things about him.
 
TMetzinger said:
I live in a 30 year old house in a nice neighborhood with wide streets and mature trees (hard to find)
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When we moved to the area, one of my wife's criteria: "I'm not moving someplace where I'm older than the trees!"

weilke said:
If you work in Arlington, try to live in Arlington or possibly Alexandria.
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My nephew-in-law lives in the Del Mar section of Alexandria & is quite happy there. It's an area with real house & yards, though neither are very big. Alexandria also has its historic district if you don't want yards but still feel attracted to older houses.

PittsDriver said:
Other than that, I'll put in a plug for Annapolis. There's no place to get an airplane inside here but it's a great grass roots feeling airport with a heavy aerobatic/tailwheel concentration based here. We love the area so much we've decided to be here for the long haul. It would probably be about an hour commute to Alexandria though.
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+1. If OP has tired of his 200-yr old house, we have 300-yr old houses here. :D It's nice living in a place many people regard as a destination vacation. Can't say anything polite about the commute, so I won't say it.
 
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Joe B said:
My nephew-in-law lives in the Del Mar section of Alexandria & is quite happy there. It's an area with real house & yards, though neither are very big. Alexandria also has its historic district if you don't want yards but still feel attracted to older houses.
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Del Ray ?

That whole area between Alex and Arlington (the former city of Potomac,VA) is really nice. As you say, smallish houses on smallish lots but you can't beat the strategic location. I looked at some homes there, I just needed so much more room than I could afford :crazy: . Now, if I added up what I spend on cars and gas, it would have probably been a great deal.....
 
One word.

Don't.

I hated DC. Way too much traffic, way to expensive. Oh yeah, all the museums and culture. Phooey! I was so busy working I went to one. Couldn't afford much of anything. And good luck flying an antique airplane sans transponder within 30 nautical.

I'd sooner take a hole-punch to my eyelid than move back to DC.
 
I lived in Crystal City for one year, 7 years ago. Pleasant (if boring) with great access to DC and of course across the street from National. It was, at the time, cheaper than other parts of Arlington.

I live 8 miles from work (but 30+ miles from downtown) and agree that the motivation to get downtown to absorb culture is dimmed by the traffic - at least on weeknights. Great commute to work, not so great into town. Metro DC is more than just downtown though.

If you can live somewhere which will avoid traffic, it's great. If you cannot avoid traffic, your life will suck.
 
It's good to get feedback from lots of smart people with experience!!

The airplane is a consideration, but if the Chief comes with me I'm resigned to a commute to the airplane. Which is fine -- I drive 30 minutes to WAY already.

I think un-negotiable factors will be human-powered proximity and 1 million dollars.

dr-evil.jpg
 
Dont they make low-draw battery powered transponders with mode-C for gliders (Becker ?). You only need it to go in and ouf of the SFRA, once you hit 'free country' you can switch it off.
 
weilke said:
Dont they make low-draw battery powered transponders with mode-C for gliders (Becker ?). You only need it to go in and ouf of the SFRA, once you hit 'free country' you can switch it off.
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But you know how it is.. the one day you forget to switch it on or the battery dies 5 minutes after entering....

:eek:
 
weilke said:
Good point. I dont think they have any aircraft slow enough to intercept the Chief, so you are kind of safe ;) . Or maybe they mistake you for a flock of birds.


Some stuff about battery operated transponders:

http://www.soaringsafety.org/prevention/transponders.pdf
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I think they'd dispatch a bicyle cop:

day39.jpg


"Yeah, I see him -- it looks like a direct line towards the Potomac -- should be there in about -- oh -- three hours?"
 
I grew up in DC - moved away for a while (NYC suburbs, Poughkeepsie, DC suburbs again, Cincinnati, San Antonio) then moved back a few years ago.

Lots of stuff to like: international flavor, one of the best job markets in the country, real estate has dropped a bit in value but not as good as elsewhere, always something going on, etc. etc. If you've got a clearance, there are LOTS of opportunities.

Where in Arlington will you be? That makes a difference. I second Beth's suggestion that you live somewhere convenient to work. If your office is near a Metro station (or even better, near both Metro and the VRE), your options increase substantially.

I work in Crystal City - my commute by car is between 30 and 40 minutes. By subway (drive to subway, take train), it's 45 minutes.

Depending on where you'll be in Arlington, you can live within a fairly easy commute to Alexandria, Falls Church, McLean, Tyson's, Fairfax, and possibly Springfield. From Alexandria, the drive over to W32 or VKX is not too bad. My plane is based at HEF, which is a 35-45 minute ride from home (longer during rush hour). I would recommend against the airports south of DC (Shannon, Stafford) because the drive down I-95 is bad pretty much any time. Really bad. (on the other hand, if your office is close to a VRE station, you can live in Manassas or Fredericksburg & take the train - you would live close to any of those airports).

Traffic is really the big negative in the DC area.

Feel free to ask any other questions or PM me.
 
wsuffa said:
I grew up in DC - moved away for a while (NYC suburbs, Poughkeepsie, DC suburbs again, Cincinnati, San Antonio) then moved back a few years ago.

Lots of stuff to like: international flavor, one of the best job markets in the country, real estate has dropped a bit in value but not as good as elsewhere, always something going on, etc. etc. If you've got a clearance, there are LOTS of opportunities.

Where in Arlington will you be? That makes a difference. I second Beth's suggestion that you live somewhere convenient to work. If your office is near a Metro station (or even better, near both Metro and the VRE), your options increase substantially.

I work in Crystal City - my commute by car is between 30 and 40 minutes. By subway (drive to subway, take train), it's 45 minutes.

Depending on where you'll be in Arlington, you can live within a fairly easy commute to Alexandria, Falls Church, McLean, Tyson's, Fairfax, and possibly Springfield. From Alexandria, the drive over to W32 or VKX is not too bad. My plane is based at HEF, which is a 35-45 minute ride from home (longer during rush hour). I would recommend against the airports south of DC (Shannon, Stafford) because the drive down I-95 is bad pretty much any time. Really bad. (on the other hand, if your office is close to a VRE station, you can live in Manassas or Fredericksburg & take the train - you would live close to any of those airports).

Traffic is really the big negative in the DC area.

Feel free to ask any other questions or PM me.
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All good info, Bill!

I've spent lots of time in Crystal City over the last 10 years. Lately I've been in CM4 about every other month.

The office is across the street from the court house (near Metro Station, etc.)

I'm an avid cyclist so a 10 mile commute would not be unreasonable for me (20 would push it as I no longer want to ride 40 miles per day).
 
Traffic. Oh my god the traffic. I don't miss the DC area AT ALL.

I wouldn't go outside the beltway on 66. Nightmare scenario.

Fredericksburg? Anything south of the mixing bowl??? I'd rather put a slug in my head. Plenty of nice (small) places around Alexandria which will give you a nice, hilly commute.

Stay near the Metro for winter options. Bethesda is also a possibility. Lots of great restaurants, and you can bike the Georgetown Canal trail right into Georgetown then cross the bridge.

But the traffic. Oh my god, the traffic.
 
flyersfan31 said:
Traffic. Oh my god the traffic. I don't miss the DC area AT ALL.

I wouldn't go outside the beltway on 66. Nightmare scenario.

Fredericksburg? Anything south of the mixing bowl??? I'd rather put a slug in my head. Plenty of nice (small) places around Alexandria which will give you a nice, hilly commute.

Stay near the Metro for winter options. Bethesda is also a possibility. Lots of great restaurants, and you can bike the Georgetown Canal trail right into Georgetown then cross the bridge.

But the traffic. Oh my god, the traffic.
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plus 1000.

Hence my mention that if you can avoid it, it's all good. If you cannot, your life will suck. S.U.C.K.
 
My company wanted to move me to Fairfax, VA. Drove down their on a Sunday to see what it was like. TOTAL GRIDLOCK on a Sunday!

Chose the Denver, CO assignment instead. Good decision.
 
dmccormack said:
All good info, Bill!

I've spent lots of time in Crystal City over the last 10 years. Lately I've been in CM4 about every other month.

The office is across the street from the court house (near Metro Station, etc.)

I'm an avid cyclist so a 10 mile commute would not be unreasonable for me (20 would push it as I no longer want to ride 40 miles per day).
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Duh. I work in Rosslyn, not Crystal City. What was I thinking? (will teach me to do this while I'm on a conference call. Multitasking is harder as you get older).

Courthouse: that's the next Metro stop from Rosslyn, and one stop from Clarendon. Lots of options condo-wise nearby. Lots. And plenty of houses nearby, too - the area off of Route 50 between Ft. Myer and 7 Corners has some decent housing - smaller, but decent (I was house shopping about 4 years ago). There's also the W&OD bike trail that goes from the Rosslyn area out to Dunn Loring and west.

Guy in my office recently took an apartment in River Place. Older buildings, but superb location overlooking DC. There is a townhouse enclave between US 50 and Ft. Myer - probably pricey, and don't know how much rental is in there. Friend of mine has an apartment in a newer building near Ballston.

Let me think about it a bit & narrow down some thoughts.

Bill
 
woodstock said:
plus 1000.

Hence my mention that if you can avoid it, it's all good. If you cannot, your life will suck. S.U.C.K.
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Shall we talk about the toll road, where you get to pay for the privilege of sitting in gridlock? :devil:
 
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