Chapter 3 Housing Information

This chapter has traditionally been about housing in the DC area; however, Center and
other locations are also included. Some of our class also worked outside of NASA
Headquarters for their assignments, so we’ve included housing information for those
locations, too. Also, look in Chapter 7 of this guide for additional information on
housing. Use this input as a first step to get some ideas. The internet has the latest
information and will give you a better idea of current costs and availability. After you
have a few ideas but need more specifics, contact prior participants for their experience.
Your Center should support a planning trip during which you should visit potential
housing areas.

The housing locations for the participants at HQ ranged all over the DC metropolitan
area, including many locations in Virginia and Maryland, as well as several
neighborhoods in the District. Each location has its own character, advantages and
disadvantages. Unless you are familiar with the DC area, the choices can be mind-
boggling. Things to keep in mind are proximity to a Metro station (subway), shuttle, bus
stop, shopping, restaurants, schools (if you have school age children) and length of
commute. Always ask the name of the Metro Stop and how far it is from the front door
of the complex. Just pull out the old DC area map, familiarize yourself with the layout of
DC, talk to current program participants and others who have lived in the DC area, and
decide how best to approach your housing selection.

There are numerous websites that are helpful for finding apartments. The majority of
them are linked to realtors. One that is not linked to realtors and has a large number
of reasonably priced options is http://www.craigslist.org/. Another site which is widely
used by Washington's transient military community is http://MilitaryByOwner.com. It
has good property screening tools and lots of property photos.

Sharing Housing in Washington

Washington is one of the most transitory cities in the US. The large number of people
on the move has created a shared housing culture that is better developed than in
almost any US city. There are many well-run houses in and around the district that can
add dimension to the experience.

Advantages

• Convenience. Plug and play. Most of the homes come with everything but the
bedroom furniture and your phone. Makes it easier to get started and easier to
leave at the end.
• Cost. Shared housing costs are very reasonable.
• Interesting housemates. There are many professionals in Washington that share
housing. This is a great way to meet folks with different jobs and circles of friends. I
lived with a nuclear physicist for the FDA, and the press secretary for a
congressman from New Hampshire.

Disadvantages

• Interesting housemates. There is such a thing as having roommates that are too
interesting, inconsiderate, or too noisy. One needs to be choosy. Interview wisely
and the risks are minimal.

How To Find A Great Housemate

A housemate finding service can take the hassle out of finding a new home. Fees run
around $50. After a screening interview, the service I used identified several good
possibilities. I visited three places before settling on a beautiful row house in Woodley
Park, less than three blocks from the Metro.

Roommate Referral Services

Roommates Preferred (highly recommended)
Betsy Neal
202-965-4004

A-1 Roommate Finders
301-805-0100

A-1 Roommate VA only
703-931-1151 or 800-931-1151

Roommate Association
703-519-9350 or 301-470-2027

Places We Have Lived and Things We’ve Learned

For additional similar information for past participants, also see Chapter 7.

From the 2006-07 LDP class.

	The Lansburgh http://www.thelansburgh.com
approx. monthly cost	$3750/month furnished, includes utilities, cable TV, local phone, and high-speed internet
commuting time to HQ	a leisurely 25-minute walk door-to-desk; about 10 minutes quicker via Metro through the Archives/Navy Memorial/Penn Quarter metro stop on the green/yellow lines
conveniences	CVS (pharmacy w/some groceries) next door; tons of restaurants, theaters, museums and shops within short walking distance; 2 blocks to Verizon Center and 3 blocks to Chinatown; all five Metrorail lines withing a few block's walk; Farmer's Market sets up in front of building on Thursday afternoons from 3-7 PM
inconveniences	no nearby grocery stores; rode Metro to either Pentagon City or to Van Ness stop up the red line; no nearby playgrounds for children
Would you live there again?	Yes
did you bring a pet?	No
did you bring a kid?	No; my family stayed behind
did you bring a car?	No; the Metro works for almost everything.
did you get a local telephone?	It was provided, but I never used it; cell service via T-mobile was fine, except in the Metro stations.

From the 2005-06 LDP class.

	The Metropolitan at Pentagon City
approx. monthly cost	Sublet a bedroom and private bath in a 2BR apartment. $1200/month furnished, includes utilities and reserved parking
commuting time to HQ	15-20 minutes via metro from Pentagon City
conveniences	Everything within walking distance – Grocery, cleaners, drug store and 93 steps from apartment to Pentagon City Mall. Soccer field and part across the street.
inconveniences	None
Would you live there again?	Yes
did you bring a pet?	No
did you bring a kid?	No, I commuted home many weekends to NASA Langley
did you bring a car?	Yes, but the Metro works for almost everything.
did you get a local telephone?	Part of the sublet
	Pentagon Row Apartments – Arlington, Va 703-486-3700
approx. monthly cost	1 Bedroom – rent was $1650 , parking was $50, and utilities was ~ $75.
commuting time to HQ	30 minutes via metro from Pentagon City
conveniences	Grocery, drug store, mall within 2 blocks
inconveniences	none
Would you live there again?	Yes and will highly recommend it– very good experience ; no noise and very helpful staff
did you bring a pet?	No
did you bring a kid?	-—
did you bring a car?	Yes
did you get a local telephone?	No – managed fine with the cell phone
	The Residences at Market Square, 701 PA Ave., NW., #PH13 (condo unit owned by a NASA employee)
approx. monthly cost	$3,000/month for a furnished one bedroom/one bath (~600 sq. ft.), included parking and all utilities. Lease was only 3 months, so this unit might be cheaper if leased for a full year.
commuting time to HQ	15 minutes from being inside my apartment to sitting in my desk chair at HQ. Apartment building is right beside the Archives Metro station on the Yellow and Green lines.
conveniences	Convenience store across the street, CVS (pharmacy w/some groceries) 11⁄2 blocks away, tons of restaurants, theaters, museums and shops within short walking distance, 3 blocks to Verizon Center and 4 blocks to Chinatown
inconveniences	No grocery stores nearby, although a gourmet grocer in under construction on 7th St. and the 8th Street outdoor farmers’ market is open every Thursday afternoon from the late spring through early fall
Would you live there again?	Yes; however, I would probably try Cleveland Park if I came to HQ again
did you bring a pet?	Did not bring pet.
did you bring a kid?	Did not bring family.
did you bring a car?	I brought a car for going home on weekends to LaRC, but I hardly used it for anything else.
did you get a local telephone?	Yes, it was included with the apartment, but I barely used it.
	1401 S. Joyce Street, # 802, Arlington, VA 22202
approx. monthly cost	for a one bedroom my rent was $1925, without parking. Bills were about $75 - $100 per month
commuting time to HQ	20 minutes via metro from Pentagon City
conveniences	Grocery, drug store, mall within 2 blocks
inconveniences	none
Would you live there again?	Nope. The building construction is very bad quality and the walls are thinner than the average hotel room. As a result, the neighbors determine when and how long you will sleep and rest…
did you bring a pet?	no
did you bring a kid?	no
did you bring a car?	No - Metro works for almost everything. Can always rent if necessary or use Zip Car
did you get a local telephone?	no, I used my cell phone
	Riverside Park Apartments
approx. monthly cost	Rent - $1100 (includes $100/mo short term lease fee); Utilities - $50/mo; Furniture Rental - $210/mo (CORT); Digital Cable and High Speed Internet - $95/mo
commuting time to HQ	45 minutes (free Shuttle to Huntington Metro Station and then Metro to L’ Enfant Plaza)
conveniences	Minutes from old town Alexandria, Grocery < 2 miles, Mt. Vernon Bike Path < 2 miles, 5 miles to Reagan National
inconveniences	none
Would you live there again?	Probably not. The complex is undergoing major building renovations and will have limited availability in the next couple of years. The rent is expected to rise significantly after the renovations are completed.
did you bring a pet?	No
did you bring a kid?	No
did you bring a car?	Yes. Since my wife and children visited fairly frequently having the car allowed us to take advantage of the cheaper airfares in and out of the Baltimore airport. It was also important to have the car for running errands at my convenience
did you get a local telephone?	No, lived with my cell and internet. It seemed to work pretty well for me to keep in touch with the family back home
	rented a room in a house in Tenleytown found via http://www.craigslist.com
approx. monthly cost	$800 including utilities
commuting time to HQ	30 minutes.
conveniences	All amenities within a few minutes.
inconveniences Having a roommate.	Being far from other LDPers in Pentagon City.
Would you live there again?	Yes.
did you bring a pet?	No
did you bring a kid?	No
did you bring a car?	No - Metro works for almost everything. Can always rent if necessary or use Zip Car
did you get a local telephone?	No.
	Post Pentagon Row Apartments http://www.postproperties.com/PostHome.nsf/pages/homefinder-apt_pph.html
approx. monthly cost	$1788 for a 1 bedroom apartment; rental furniture $150/month; utilities and cable approx $150/month
commuting time to HQ	5 minute walk to Pentagon City metro, two stops to L’efant Plaza Metro, 5 minute walk to NASA HQ
conveniences	Grocery, drug store, dry cleaning, dozens of restaurants, and mall within 2 blocks
inconveniences	none
Would you live there again?	yes
did you bring a pet?	No, Post Pentagon Row only allows cats
did you bring a kid?	No
did you bring a car?	No - Metro works for almost everything. Can always rent if necessary or use Zip Car
did you get a local telephone?	No
	McLean Virginia, Fountains at McLean
approx. monthly cost	For a one bedroom my rent was $1350, with parking. Bills were about $80 per month for utility & Cox internet connection only
commuting time to HQ	50 minutes via bus to West Falls Church Metro Station and then to McPherson Square Metro Station
conveniences	Walking distance to Tyson II
inconveniences	Need a car to get around doing errands.
Would you live there again?	NO. Too far from work
did you bring a pet?	NO
did you bring a kid?	NO
did you bring a car?	Yes, it was very convenient to have one. Thought, I’d to use my own expense to ship it to/from home.
did you get a local telephone?	No. I used my cell phone.
	Waterside Towers, 907 6th St. SW http://www.udrt.com/community317.htm
approx. monthly cost	Base price for 1 BR unfurnished apt. is $1,150/month which includes utilities (but not communications). I paid $200 premium for 6th floor waterfront view. Parking is $90/month.
commuting time to HQ	15 minute walk
conveniences	Waterfront metro stop (green line), grocery and drug store within 2 blocks at Waterfront Mall (5-10 minute walk). L’enfant metro stop (orange, blue, yellow & green lines) is 2 blocks away, but about twice the distance.
inconveniences	none
Would you live there again?	Yes, because of the convenience to work, the place you most consistently go.
did you bring a pet?	No
did you bring a kid?	No
did you bring a car?	Yes, but often went 2-3 weeks without using it, and was in one accident, so it may not have been worth it. Definitely bring a bicycle. It’s great for getting around the downtown area. And there are lots of established trails (mostly paved, some packed gravel) reaching beyond DC.
did you get a local telephone?	Yes. I started off with a DSL/phone bundle that eliminated some of the start up fees, then cut back on the phone service to a plan that allowed me to place up to 75 local calls per month. I never even came close to using half the allowable calls. Now my total DSL/phone bill is less than $60/month. I would do the same again. I kept my Cingular cell phone service from home, but the reception in the apartment, NASA HQ and the metro is not very good.
	Town house: 112 Whittier Circle, Falls Church, Virginia 22046
approx. monthly cost	3 bedroom, 2.5 bath, 3 story townhouse, $2,500 per month
commuting time to HQ	25 minutes via metro from East Falls Church metro station
conveniences	City of Falls Church bus service to Metro (“George”), jogging/biking trail (W&OD).
inconveniences	none
Would you live there again?	Yes
did you bring a pet?	Not at first but then I got permission from the landlord
did you bring a kid?	Our 9th grade daughter came with us and attended George Mason High School. George Mason High School is a small grade 8-12 school with about 800 students and 5 guidance counselors. It is rated in the top 25 of all high schools in the country in the US News survey of most challenging schools. They offer an International Baccalaureate (IB) program and honors classes in science, English and math as early as 9th grade. My daughter found the academics appropriately challenging. They work on a modified schedule with half the classes meeting every other day (“A” days and “B” days) to make class periods up to 90 minutes long. They are relatively good at sports given their size and compete as an A school. Unfortunately, they are in the Bull Run league with the closest opponent about a 45 minute drive and the farthest opponent a good 90 minute drive. This made it challenging for us to see the away games plus my daughter had many late nights with very little time to do homework.
did you bring a car?	Yes, brought 2 cars. Our townhouse advertised a “2 car garage” but they would have to be 2 European Smart Cars to fit. We fit one car and 3 bikes. Fortunately, our town house complex had several street parking sites available for the second car.
did you get a local telephone?	No, just used our cell phones.
	The Bennington 1201 South Eads Street Arlington, VA 22202; Crystal City neighborhood of Arlington County, Virginia http://www.archstoneapartments.com/
approx. monthly cost	Rent for a one bedroom w/ den, 1100 square-foot apartment was $1675; parking for one car was $35 ($90 per car for any additional cars); Arlington County charges a $24/year “parking” tax that you are supposed to pay if you park a car in Arlington. The county gives you a sticker to put on your car so you don’t get ticketed or towed. At the Bennington, police are allowed to patrol the building’s parking structure; utilities ranged from around $150 at a high to $105 at a low. This included electricity, gas, water and trash. The building determines how much your share of the utility bill is based on the size of your apartment (square footage) and the number of people living in the apartment. It was just my wife and I in my apartment; cable and internet came out to around $50 for the first six months and $75 after that.
commuting time to HQ	My door-to-desk commute was 25 minutes every morning. During morning and evening rush hours, the building provides a shuttle bus to the Pentagon City Metro station, but it takes just as long to get there walking. The walk to the Pentagon City Metro station is partially through the parking lot of a DHL sorting facility and a construction site, not the best looking aspect of the neighborhood, but I have been pleasantly surprised at how safe the area has been. I’ve walked this stretch late in the evenings and there is always business people and college students walking the same route.
conveniences	The units with two bedrooms, or with dens (like mine) have washer and dryer in the apartment. There is a community coin operated laundry also available; dry clean on site; small convenience store on site; small work out facility on site; ATM on site; quick taxi service; usually you’ll find covered parking on the third and fourth floor of the parking structure. You can always find parking on the roof. For an additional fee you can get a guaranteed parking space in the first or second floors; the Pentagon City Metro station is a short walk away, two blocks west. The Crystal City Metro station can be accessed through the Crystal City Underground shopping area and is about twice as far to the south; you get a discount at the local gyms, there are two in the Crystal City Underground shopping areas; shuttle bus to the Pentagon City Metro station, particularly useful when going to the airport with luggage or when there’s inclement weather; out door pool open from Memorial Day to Labor Day.; polite staff; Pentagon City Fashion Mall near by, on the other side of the Metro station; lots of restaurants on Crystal Drive and 23rd St. near by; easy Metro access to DC; easy Metro access to Reagan National Airport; not a lot of traffic on weekends or evenings; you can’t hear your neighbors.
inconveniences	The parking structure is attached to the building, but it is still a long walk, especially if you are used to driving into your own garage. This is particularly inconvenient when you go shopping; grocery stores in the area are extremely crowded, have very poor selection of foods, and customer service is wanting; weekend and evening Bennington staff is not as helpful with dealing with maintenance problems; there is a lot of city noise, which you get used to, but may surprise you when you first move in; you can’t hear your neighbors, but you can always hear interesting sounds the building makes; you can hear the Pentagon Police doing their emergency drills/announcements at the end of the month at strange hours of the night (2-3 am!); there are a few of marathons or rides that go by the neighborhood on weekends through the year. September 11th commemorations at the Pentagon by Harley owners was particularly loud, from early in the morning — they were staying at the Double Tree across the street.
Would you live there again?	Yes, or at least in the neighborhood. I’m not sure that this is the best building for young kids. We saw a few, but the building’s demographics are young college age students or young professionals. It was not at all rowdy as a college dorm, but few families live in the building. There are a handful of retirees who live there too.
did you bring a pet?	No.
did you bring a kid?	No.
did you bring a car?	Yes.
did you get a local telephone?	No, but cell phone did not always get good reception — which was sometimes a welcomed “problem.”
	Metropolitan at Pentagon Row, 1401 S. Joyce St, Apt 1402, Arlington, VA 22202 http://www.rentmet.com/default.aspx
approx. monthly cost	FY06 $2000/month + $90 parking, FY07 $2125 + $90 parking
commuting time to HQ	25 minutes via metro from Pentagon City
conveniences	Grocery, restaurants, drug store, mall within 2 blocks, vet within 2 miles, Target, Sports Authority, Old Navy, Shoppers Grocery and movie theater within 2 miles. Convenient to GW Parkway, 66, 395, and 1. Great access to walking paths and park for a dog if you have one. Every lease agent either has a pet or loves them, very friendly staff. 24 hour front desk. One of a very few complexes that allow unlimited weight dogs, some breed restrictions do apply, however. Rooftop club floor, swimming pool, hot tub, pool table, large screen TVs, full kitchen, awesome view especially at night.
inconveniences	General driving in DC area is time consuming, best done after midnight ☺ Hot tub and pool close at 8pm due to Arlington law that lifeguard must be present. Pool/hot tub only open Memorial Day to Labor Day (pretty common though).
Would you live there again?	Yes
did you bring a pet?	Yes
did you bring a kid?	n/a I’m kid less.
did you bring a car?	Yes, since I brought a pet a car is fairly necessary for vet visits, water park visits, etc. You could always walk to the vet since only about 2 miles away, but not recommended with a sick 100lb dog.
did you get a local telephone?	No. Have Verizon wireless service which works really well in surrounding areas, including Metro if you MUST talk on the phone.