How I Feel About Northern Virginia

when some are just transplanted boggers!
ha ha, you got me there mank! brennser unmasked :D
Thanks Kosmo. Udupi was the first place I went to when i moved here 6+ years ago. Wasn't crazy about it then, but maybe it deserves another shot. Mandalay sounds like something we should check out while we're up that way, too.

Originally posted by kosmo vinyl:
Originally posted by Rutherford J. Balls:
Hey Kosmo, know any good restuarants in the College Park area?

Of course I do… Mandalay is the best resturant, it has Burmese veggie fare. The other one that might interest you is Udupi Palace which is a Southern Indian Veggie only place. It's actually in Langley Park closer to Takoma Park. Franklin's in Hyattsville is better than most chain resturants.
I've spent considerable time living in both the city and the burbs, although Arlington is the furthest I've ever been from downtown. Our kid (soon to be kids in about…oh any minute now…the wife is due tomorrow)is the deciding factor for us….for so many reasons.

Living in town does make it easier to get by without a car, but with kids it just gets trickier.

My wife and I talk about moving back to town when we retire for the convenience /walkability etc etc etc.
Originally posted by Rutherford J. Balls:
What I find laughable is how some people prioritize their lives based on how many bars and music venues are within walking distance of where they live. As if there aren't a million other things to do in the world. But I guess that's normal for 20-somethings.
Umm… gosh I don't get some folks. You know, there's a reason why it costs more to live in the city. You know what that reason is? It's because people WANT TO LIVE IN THE CITY… you know, supply and demand?
It's about culture, convenience, diversity. It's about sidewalks and bumping into people and shopping at nice stores and not driving everywhere and having corner stores. It's about not spending over a third of your income on transportation. It's about living near where you work.

DC's no Manhattan, but it's still a city. And the fact that my studio costs what your house cost doesn't matter to me– it's proof in itself that we people who prefer the city are in the majority. We know a good thing when we see it.
What I find laughable is how some people prioritize their lives based on how many bars and music venues are within walking distance of where they live. As if there aren't a million other things to do in the world. But I guess that's normal for 20-somethings.
yet again you outdo yourself O great myopic one

laugh away, but none of the reasons you cite are why I chose to live in the city
Originally posted by chaz:

Living in town does make it easier to get by without a car, but with kids it just gets trickier.

My wife and I talk about moving back to town when we retire for the convenience /walkability etc etc etc.
Kids are a large part of the reason we're buggering off to Ireland…better education, safer environment etc etc…even if you don't live smack-dab in the middle of a city you can still walk to places, because just about every village has a high street with everything on it.

If I didn't have kids I would definately have lived in NY for a few years before heading home. DC is okay, but not a city I'm really interested in living in….and I can still be at the 930 in 20+- mins even living out in the burbs.
Originally posted by chimblysweep:
– it's proof in itself that we people who prefer the city are in the majority.
How many people live with in the city limits of DC as opposed to those living in the burbs?
Kids are a large part of the reason we're buggering off to Ireland…better education, safer environment etc etc…even if you don't live smack-dab in the middle of a city you can still walk to places, because just about every village has a high street with everything on it.
mankie

you'll have to keep posting after you go back to ireland and let us know how you are getting on - I'm curious to see how what you experience will match your expectations
Originally posted by brennser:
Kids are a large part of the reason we're buggering off to Ireland…better education, safer environment etc etc…even if you don't live smack-dab in the middle of a city you can still walk to places, because just about every village has a high street with everything on it.
mankie

you'll have to keep posting after you go back to ireland and let us know how you are getting on - I'm curious to see how what you experience will match your expectations
I'll be fine, just fine…check your pm.
Originally posted by Rutherford J. Balls:
Those of us with modest incomes who want a modest sized, detached, single family home with a yard have no choice but to buy a house in the burbs as opposed to buying the same house in DC.

If you can afford a single family, detached home with a yard in the district, you've either got a damn good paying job, or a damn handy trust fund.
Well, yes, but I guess that's the point, isn't it. You have to make choices, which it sounds like you have. If you really want a house with a yard, then you can't afford DC. If you wanted a condo, then you could. What's the big deal there? Sounds like you made a decision that you are comfortable with.

And, why the odd obsession with personal finances?
…because we're currently in the market to buy a home. Even with two incomes, it's tough.


[/qb]

And, why the odd obsession with personal finances? [/QB]
Originally posted by Rutherford J. Balls:
…because we're currently in the market to buy a home. Even with two incomes, it's tough.


And, why the odd obsession with personal finances? [/QB] [/QB]

perhaps ggw could help you with a home loan, i'm sure his terms would be generous.
And, why the odd obsession with personal finances?
yes I wondered that too, class warfare perhaps?
Originally posted by keithstg:
And, why the odd obsession with personal finances?
Good question. Rhett was all over my jock yesterday about how I could afford my place in Arlington, accusing everyone of being 'rich' etc.
Originally posted by chaz:
Originally posted by keithstg:
And, why the odd obsession with personal finances?
Good question. Rhett was all over my jock yesterday about how I could afford my place in Arlington, accusing everyone of being 'rich' etc.
Yeah, it's a bit odd. I worry about my own personal finances, but since I own a condo in DC, at least I know I'll always have my damn well paying job and handy trust fund to fall back on. Sweet!
So that's how you afford that condo! I knew you were one of those spoiled trust fund brats! I knew I knew it I knew it!

Originally posted by keithstg:
Originally posted by chaz:
Originally posted by keithstg:
And, why the odd obsession with personal finances?
Good question. Rhett was all over my jock yesterday about how I could afford my place in Arlington, accusing everyone of being 'rich' etc.
Yeah, it's a bit odd. I worry about my own personal finances, but since I own a condo in DC, at least I know I'll always have my damn well paying job and handy trust fund to fall back on. Sweet!
at least I know I'll always have my damn well paying job and handy trust fund to fall back on.
you have one too!! awesome - trust funds are SOOO cool aren't they?

maybe we can get together sometime and discuss preferred brokers and tax avoidance strategies? :p
Here's one instance were city life beats the burbs hands down.

SIDEWALKS!

Why the hell can't they put sidewalks down in the burbs? I just walked to Wegmans for my Friday treat (too expensive for everyday) and had to walk in the road amongst VA drivers, which is not exaclty the safest thing to do….what's wrong with putting sidewalks down…and it's not just this area, it's the burbs in general.

1 up to the city!
If you want diverstiy for the kids, move to Annandale. Annandales HS student population: 41% white, 25% Asian, 18% Hispanic, 16% African-American.

The reality of the DC area is, excluding a few upper crusty suburbs and far flung suburbs, the suburbs are where the ethnic diversity is at. DC is preodominately split between uppwardly mobile twentysomethings and much poorer minorites.


Originally posted by chimblysweep:
Originally posted by Rutherford J. Balls:
How much diversity is there if 85% of the kids are African-American, 14% Hispanic, and 1% Caucasian (made up numbers, but I can't believe it would be far from the truth)?…and 99% of the schools suck?

Um, I think you have a closed-minded view of DCPS. Remember, there are as many National Merit Scholars coming out of Wilson as there are coming out of Sidwell.

The one thing I haven't mentioned yet about this debate is air quality…
I'm an asthmatic and air pollution has a big effect on how long I live. There are hundreds of thousands of people like me in this region. The number one source of air pollution in our region is "non-point source pollution," i.e. cars and trucks. I personally view people who "choose" to live in the burbs and drive to work, when there are so many non-driving alternatives, as the reason I can't go jogging in August. And that sucks.
Originally posted by mankie:
Here's one instance were city life beats the burbs hands down.

SIDEWALKS!

Why the hell can't they put sidewalks down in the burbs? ….what's wrong with putting sidewalks down…and it's not just this area, it's the burbs in general.

1 up to the city!
I've often wondered this myself. Everywhere else I have worked or lived have sidewalks on both sides of the neighborhood / road.
And what's up with people in VA not stopping at stop signs? I've seen people cruise right through a stop sign not evening looking to see if any traffic is coming their way.