I am relocating from London this Spring to the Washington DC area and know very little about the neighborhoods in this part of the world.
My job is located in Arlington and I'd like to live somewhere within easy commute (no more than 30 mins). I'd love some advice about living Arlington, Alexandria, DC or other areas where I should look. (I prefer to be in a neighborhood with lots of shops, restaurants, etc. within walking distance; not too suburban, but quiet; close to public transportation and safe for walking).
Thanks!

You might try the Courthouse area of Arlington. Lots of restaurants, shops, a movie theatre complex, and right on the Metor (subway) line. Many young professionals enjoy this area, and its and easy commute to DC as well.

The Ballston, Virginia Square, Clarendon, Courthouse, and Rosslyn areas of Arlington would all meet your criteria. In DC, Dupont Circle is a fun location.

There are several stops along the Orange line of Metro that might suit you (www.wmata.com).
Are you hoping to do without a car? If so, you may want to skip Courthouse, which doesn't have its own grocery store.
Ballston--soulless highrises, walk to Safeway, some restaurants and shops.
Courthouse--more interesting, no full-fledged grocery stores, but convenience marts and the farmer's market in season.
Clarendon--funkier but getting overrun with chains (not a surprise, perhaps, but depressing). Good selection of restaurants, Whole Foods for groceries.
Virginia Square--Not as many shops, but a few, and some restaurants, plus Giant for groceries and a good fish shop.
Ballston--Big mall, chain stores, Harris Teeter for groceries. Theoretically has the correct mix of retail, commercial, and residential, but kinda bleak, IMO.
Old Town Alexandria has charming houses and shops but a serious ka-CHING! factor in terms of prices (maybe not an issue if you're moving from London), and it's not on Metro. Rosemont, a neighborhood that abuts it, is.
If I were a single person moving to the area, I'd want to live in Dupont Circle (in DC) and reverse-commute, but it may not be quiet enough for you).

In DC also look into the Connecticut Ave. corridor, e.g., Woodley Park, Cleveland Park.

It's not true that Courthouse doesn't have a grocery store. I live there, and the Whole Foods is nearly equidistant between Clarendon and Courthouse. Not a bad walk at all.

Gabrielle,

D.C. and Northern Virginia have a lot a good urban neighborhoods and tons of people that relocate. Most are near the Metro, which is a must, if you won't have a car. Just spend a day or two looking at Arlington along the Orange Line and D.C. along the red line for a good tour. You tend to pay more in rent in D.C. and you definitely pay more taxes.

You may also want to invest in the Newcomer's Guide to Moving to D.C. -- here' the link on amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...glance&s=books

I think it also depends WHERE in Arlington you are going to live. While everyone is talking about the Orange Line neighborhoods, if you are working in Pentagon City or Crystal City or the Pentagon, then those neighborhoods aren't terribly convenient.

You might want to check to see if anyone on the Europe forum could direct you to Beth Anderson. She was an attorney living in D.C. and desperately wanted to relocate to London. She made a number of trips over there and would probably be best suited to give you perspective on various neighborhoods relate to what you're used to in London. Unfortunately after being bashed on the forum, she quietly faded away. Our loss definitely!

Many thanks for all the great feedback so far! In answer to the question about where I will be working, my office is located on Clarendon Blvd....hope that helps.

So you're either in Clarendon or Courthouse, then.
Sorry for causing you such trauma, jason. Yes, if you are right over the Courthouse stop, you're near Whole Foods. I'm just thinking Gabrielle could have realtors telling her places are in Courthouse-the-neighborhood, and if it's further east (down among the single-syllable cross streets), that's quite a haul with a week's worth of groceries. I know I sound grocery-obsessed, so I'll go for broke and point out that there's always peapod.com for delivery.
Beth Anderson's e-mail used to be
[email protected]; I'm not sure if she still has that account.

I'll get over it Martha. Your point is fair enough, however. There are certainly places that would be considered to be in the Courthouse area that would be a long haul to the grocery store (or the Metro for that matter). Basically, if you're near the Metro station, you're not too far from the store. I live just off of Clarendon Blvd. in one of several apt. buildings that is very nice (although somewhat expensive).

Another advantage of living in Arlington! You can be all emotionally healthy like Jason!
There are some *very* nice buildings right at the Courthouse Metro. To get an idea of prices, try www.2201wilson.com
(Wilson runs parallel to Clarendon)

Check out www.apartments.com