[brownnugen]

@KLizotte 45679 wrote:

Is there any way you can leave your uniform at work and employ a local drycleaner?

I may be able to do that, but I am not even sure if there will be drycleaning services convenient to my work. Plus, I normally do my ironing at home to save a couple bucks.

[brownnugen]

@krazygl00 45672 wrote:

I’ve used The Eagle Creek Pack-It Folder with great results in the past. Fits into a messenger bag or pack, but I’m not sure about panniers. REI has them, so you can go check out your options. There may make a smaller version. They also have an ultra-light version.

I have since discovered that I can roll up my Kirkland no-iron shirts and they don’t wrinkle, so I haven’t used my pack-it in a while. By the way, the Kirkland shirts ROCK and I consider them essential commuter gear.

Being in the military, I can only wear very specific uniform shirt. But I do have and love those Kirkland no iron shirts. I may have to check out the Pack it folders to see how they do and whether I can get it to fit into my panniers. That would be great if it could and one less bulky thing I have to buy and carry.

[brownnugen]

@acl 44842 wrote:

Windsor Road!– my previous post, when I mentioned cutting through neighborhood roads?, included part of Windsor Rd. Unless you will be living at the very east end of it (near Belle Haven Rd), you will get to ride up the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Hill:p. (that’s what I used to call it, as I tried, and didn’t always succeed, to pedal up it– I’ve been meaning to ride past there again and see if it’s as bad as I remember.) Crossing the GWP at Belle Haven to get to the MVT might be a little sketchy during morning rush hour — there’s a gas station right at the corner plus lots of cars trying to turn left that contributes to a mess– that’s where I used to cross, but wasn’t riding through at rush– but if you don’t like it there, you can always ride a short bit south and cross at Belle View. Nice area, nice houses. Out of my price range, or I might have bought there. I’m a mile or so south of you. No kids, so I can tell you nothing about schools. Personally, I avoid Richmond Highway like the plague (by bike, foot, or car) but if you’ll be commuting on bike up the MVT, you should be able to mostly avoid it as well.

I will be more towards the Western side of Windsor Rd, so I guess I will be toughening out that hill every day. When I google map biking directions to Anacostia, by default, it takes me up Fort Hunt Rd into the MVT. Is that a good alternative to taking Belle Haven Rd to cross the GW Parkway?

[brownnugen]

@acl 44842 wrote:

Windsor Road!– my previous post, when I mentioned cutting through neighborhood roads?, included part of Windsor Rd. Unless you will be living at the very east end of it (near Belle Haven Rd), you will get to ride up the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Hill:p. (that’s what I used to call it, as I tried, and didn’t always succeed, to pedal up it– I’ve been meaning to ride past there again and see if it’s as bad as I remember.) Crossing the GWP at Belle Haven to get to the MVT might be a little sketchy during morning rush hour — there’s a gas station right at the corner plus lots of cars trying to turn left that contributes to a mess– that’s where I used to cross, but wasn’t riding through at rush– but if you don’t like it there, you can always ride a short bit south and cross at Belle View. Nice area, nice houses. Out of my price range, or I might have bought there. I’m a mile or so south of you. No kids, so I can tell you nothing about schools. Personally, I avoid Richmond Highway like the plague (by bike, foot, or car) but if you’ll be commuting on bike up the MVT, you should be able to mostly avoid it as well.

I would actually live towards the western end of Windsor Rd, so I guess there is no avoiding that hill you are referring to. When I google map directions from the potential house to Anacostia, it gave me the option to go on Belle Haven Rd for about .1 mile, then go north up Fort Hunt Road where it would run into the MVT. Is that preferable to having to cross the GW parkway?

[brownnugen]

@ShawnoftheDread 44837 wrote:

I don’t live there, but it’s a nice area with very easy trail access and close to the Wilson Bridge. Is the house on the flat ground near the river or a bit up the hill?

We have some acquaintances with a first grader in the local public school and they seem to like it.

It is closer towards Route 1, on Windsor Rd, not sure if that part is flat or hilly over there. Any tips on living in that area would be great. I am excited to hear there will be a Costco opening in that immediate area.

[brownnugen]

Well, I think we’ve found a place over in Belle Haven. Provided there are no show stoppers on the home inspection, it will be our home for at least the next 4 years. I think my bike commute will only be about 11 miles and it appears access to the MVT and WW bridge will be very easy, without having to cross any major roads.

Does anyone on here live in that area?

[brownnugen]

Ok, so now we’ve expanded our search to (I’m not sure what the neighborhood is called) the area off Telegraph Road and Wickford Drive (near the Coast Guard Base). I am factoring in schools systems now as well. In that neighborhood, they are zoned for Hayfield Elementary and Hayfield Secondary; any thoughts on that area/schools?

I still intend to bike to work and according to Google maps, it adds about a mile to the bike commute for a total of about 14 miles. What are the routes and how safe/dangerous do you think it is to get to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge?

Thanks, I feel like I am all over the place.
-Nick

[brownnugen]

@ShawnoftheDread 39033 wrote:

I used to live a mile or two from there. Nice area. Not the county’s best schools, but still good.

You can either head north on Telegraph, right on Huntington, and left on Rt 1 to the new bike path to the Wilson Bridge. Or you can go up Franconia to Clermont and over to the Eisenhower Ave path to Old Town. Or South Kings Hwy to Memorial to Beacon Hill Rd and down to the Mt Vernon Trail. Just depends on where exactly your house is and your preference.

Right now, the only thing I am hesitant on are the schools. When I checked out Rose Hill Elementary on the Greatschools website, I saw it was only rated 4 out of 10. I have school age kids and anticipate anyone that would want to rent or buy this house when I get transferred out of the area will also likely take into consideration the schools. There is also Clermont Elementary school very close by that gets a 9 out of 10, but the houses in that area are significantly more expensive. I am not sure how much of a premium it is worth paying to be in the Clermont versus Rose Hill school zone. I also noticed that once out of elementary school, all of those Clermont kids will go to the same middle and high school (Twain and Edison).

I would appreciate your thoughts on the schooling issue. This is an expensive investment and I just need to make the best educated decision. .
-Nick

[brownnugen]

Quick update; I think we found a nice place near Rose Hill Elementary School (nearest main cross streets are Rose Hill Drive and Franconia Road). Does anyone have any input/feedback on that area? If I lived out there, what is the best way/s to get to the Woodrow Wilson bridge or Mt Vernon Trail?
-Nick

[brownnugen]

@consularrider 38505 wrote:

Is that on one bike or 3/4 bikes?

Those are all for one bike. I also have an older MTB with semi-slick tires as well as regular MTB tires. For a commuting purposes, I hope I can stick with the CX bike since it’ll be significantly faster and I’ve already have a rack and panniers for it.

[brownnugen]

@Terpfan 38490 wrote:

Given what you said about driving in sometimes and biking along with the ability to bike through BAFB because of your badge then I will be among the minority who thinks that living south of 495 along MVT actually makes sense. Anacostia’s reputation is probably a decade behind where it is today. It’s not somewhere I would be exploring back sidestreets at 2am in the morning, but I’ve ridden along a few streets and the park along the river is beautiful (and underutilized given everyone’s impression of Anacostia). With that said, I can’t honestly say I’ve ever attempted Wilson Bridge north into DC. The bridge itself is a very nice ride though. 500k wise, you could go to some neighborhoods south of Alexandria (still called Alexandria) on Fairfax side and be on MVT as well as keep good schools. The city schools are eh.

I’m not considering living in DC. Some people recommended Montgomery or Anne Arundel County in Maryland. Montgomery County is a possibility (Silver Spring or Takoma), but I am thinking more of the Mount Vernon area because of the closer proximity to other military bases and I heard the taxes are much worse there. I think Anne Arundel would just be too far to bike in, so I would end up having to drive everyday. Plus, at the new work site, unless you are a Flag officer or SES or in a car/vanpool, there is no parking for you.

BTW, I currently commute year-round in the UP, so I already have all sorts of tires for my cyclocross bike. I have 700×23 road tires, 700×28 (I think) Gatorskins, 700×32 xcross tires, and 700×32 studded Schwalbes. Hopefully, those will get me through whatever the area has in store for me.

[brownnugen]

I am currently in Sault Sainte Marie, MI in the Upper Peninsula. I was in Kalamazoo this summer for a wedding, very nice area.

I will be working at the “new” Coast Guard headquarters as part of the overall DHS move to St E’s.

I am married with children and the Mount Vernon portion of Alexandria seemed to best meet the criteria I had for housing:
1) Safe.
2) Good public schools (10 and 7 year old kids)
3) Reasonable commute. I am thinking about 15 miles or so.
4) Affordable. Since I have family in the area and there are always jobs, I would likely retire in that area in about 10 years or so. Based on my housing allowance, I think I can spend about $500K. When I get transferred out of the area, I want to be in an area where I can easily rent out the house to a good professional family (military, doctor, etc).

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