Fair Lakes? Good or not

[jpktch]

Originally Posted by saganista

Ooooh! Nice catch on the telework! Sounds about as expected otherwise. I probably have a little bit shorter run overall from Vienna/Oakton, and on a good day, I can do door-to-door in just under an hour, but most days just over. Even with the occasional delays and breakdowns, Metro is the only way to go though, especially if SmartBenefits is picking up a bunch of the tab. And getting on in Vienna, you always get a seat. Yay! There seem to be even more new places that have been/still are going up off of West Ox and over by Lee Highway. Don't think you'll be the new kid on the block for very long :-) ...

We live in Herndon and my husband does the shuttle to Vienna metro. His commut is about an hour each way but he says he'd much rather do that than drive in that awful traffic. Funny his commute was about the same when he was in McLean because the shuttle went all over the place before it got to his stop. Nice too, when the gov't picks up the tab. I cannot imagine what it would cost us in fuel if he had to drive...

[yolli71]

Originally Posted by saganista

And then start looking for one. This would sound like some faux velvet-rope place in NE DC or maybe an overstuffed tapas bar. Doesn't much ring a bell when I hear words like "Whitlow's", "Carpool", or "Mr. Days" though.

Not true. There are a plethora of bars in Arlington...nothing else in NOVA even comes close.

Originally Posted by saganista

Can you name a couple of these?

Live Music: Whitlows, Clarendon Grill, Clarendon Ballroom, RiRa, Ireland's 4 Courts, Rock Bottom, Front Page, IOTA, Rhodeside Grill, Galaxy Hut

Sports bar/billiards: Bailey's, Mr. Days, Summers, Continental Modern Pool Lounge, Carpool, Spider Kelly's, Hard Times, Velocity Five, First Down

Lounges: 11th St. Lounge, Guarapo, Tallula, Mad Rose Tavern

Rooftop Bars: Clarendon Ballroom, Eventide, Clarendon Rooftop Bar and Grill, Whitlows

Dance music/floor: Union Jack's, Caribbean Breeze, Clarendon Ballroom, Clarendon Grill, Cafe Asia, Mr. Days

I am probably missing a lot of places as I haven't been going to bars for awhile now (in addition to Arlington retail growing at a ridiculous rate), but I have personally been to every one of these places above except Eventide. I also didn't include a few popular watering holes such as Liberty Tavern, Harry's Tap Room, and O'Sullivan's.

I have also frequented bars in DC over the years, and as I said earlier, most of these bars stack up to the DC bars. The only thing DC has that Arlington doesn't have are the large dance clubs.

[rtgibbs]

I accepted a job in DC, and am strongly considering the Fair Lakes area. Can anyone tell me what the commute would be to go from an apartment (centrally located between the Wal-Mart Target area and the Fair Oaks Mall) to the Vienna Metro around 6:00 a.m? Also what is the commute like from Vienna to Faragut West (yes I will be going to DC everyday). I currently live in Houston TX and it takes me an Hour door to door. As a second question, for those in the area, would you recommend living closer to the shopping areas or closer to the metro and driving down in the evenings?

[yamota]

Usually I would recommend taking the HOV, there's a direct on-ramp from either stringfellow or monument drive, but lately though, the HOV sucks just as bad as the regular lanes

[curiouser]

Originally Posted by rtgibbs

Can anyone tell me what the commute would be to go from an apartment (centrally located between the Wal-Mart Target area and the Fair Oaks Mall) to the Vienna Metro around 6:00 a.m? Also what is the commute like from Vienna to Faragut West (yes I will be going to DC everyday).

When I used to commute to the Vienna metro station from Fair Lakes, it would take me approx 45 minutes either via 66 east or route 50 east. However, that was leaving around 7:30am. At 6am I would expect it to be better. I haven't commuted from there in a few years, so it might be better or worse (does traffic ever actually get better there?).

Once you get on the metro, it should be around 27 minutes from Vienna station to the Farragut West station. They're both on the Orange Line. In the morning, you're at an advantage being at the end of the line, as you'll get a seat. Of course, it's a different story on the way back. FYI, you can see how long it takes to get between metro stations using the trip planner here: www.wmata.com

Hope that helps.

[hilsmom]

Has anyone used the fairfax connector busses from the park and rides in this area? Just curious.

[yolli71]

You won't have any problems at 6am. I live near Vienna metro but work in MD...I jump on 66E (from Nutley St) around 6:15 every morning. I'm guessing 15 - 20 minutes to get to Vienna metro from the Fair Lakes area at that time.

As for your other question, it just depends on what kind of apt you find for the money. Both Fair Lakes and the Vienna metro areas are pretty nice. And if you do choose to live in the Vienna/Dunn Loring metro areas, you'll be pretty close to two big shopping areas (Fair Oaks/Lakes and Tysons Corner).