I recently visited Arlington from where I live in the Seattle area to interview for a position with a tech firm located in the Ballston area. First time I've been in the D.C. metro area in about 10 years.
Whatever the promoters of Arlington County may say about Arlington being 'world class' the reality is that the corridor between Ballston and Rosslyn is a dump.
I caught a Metro train from the airport to the Westin in Ballston, where I stayed 3 days. The Metro is incredibly dirty and run-down and the train I was on was filthy. I exited the Ballston Metro station, also appeared to not have been cleaned since being constructed, and immediately encountered broken brick paving, so I took a cab to the Westin only a couple blocks away. That was Saturday afternoon.
Saturday evening I went for a walk around the Ballston neighborhood, more broken sidewalks. I didn't want to eat in the hotel restaurant so I entered Ballston Mall looking for decent food..Finding only squalor, I left and found World of Beer, which was packed with screaming and yelling urban hipsters. Finally had supper at Ted's Montana Grill.
Sunday, I took a long walk from Ballston to the Courthouse area and found all the brick sidewalks in Arlington are crumbling. It also seems that used car lots are a major, but unreported, business activity in Arlington. Oh, I was forced to repeatedly dodge urban hipsters on rental bicycles who believe they own the sidewalk. Took another filthy Metro train from the filthy Courthouse Metro station back to the beautiful Ballston Metro station.
Monday I had my interview with the tech firm's vice-president, who was effusive in his praise for Arlington and especially the Ballston-to-Rosslyn corridor. Afterwards I decided I had enough of Metro and started taking taxicabs. Took a cab to Mt. Vernon Monday afternoon, a place I had never visited.
Decided to not walk the broken sidewalks and had supper and breakfast at the Westin. Took a cab to the airport. Never received an offer from the tech firm. Doubt I would have accepted an offer if I had.
Thanks for your blog.
Mark, Seattle area
