#OLD TOWN ROAD 20 MINUTE TIMER DRIVERS#
#OLD TOWN ROAD 20 MINUTE TIMER FULL#

The George Washington Parkway bisects Old Town, which means drivers can be crossing the 14th Street Bridge into DC from the heart of the neighborhood in about 10 minutes (no traffic). Most condo and townhouse developments come with parking lots or garages. While parking can be a little tough in some of Old Town’s busier areas, such as the waterfront or King Street, there’s generally ample on-street parking in the neighborhood. Many of Alexandria's DASH bus lines - the AT2, 3, 4, 5, 7, and 8 - run through Old Town and connect the neighborhood to the Pentagon’s vast set of bus lines covering Northern Virginia. Still, having two Metro stations in one neighborhood outside the city proper is a big asset. Because they both sit so far west, they can be a 20-minute hike or longer from homes near the water. Old Town is serviced by two Metro stations, King Street to the south and Braddock Road a little further north, both of which are on the Blue and Yellow lines and located near the neighborhood’s western border. The Public Transportation and Parking Options Several assaults have been reported in the last few months, and there have been thefts in areas that see a lot of traffic at night, like King Street and nearby side streets. “Everything’s pretty quiet that’s why I still stay here.” But that doesn’t mean there’s no crime. “If there is crime, it’s very little and I haven’t heard of it,” said James Best, 75, who’s lived in the area for 30 years. Given its location, Old Town is a generally safe area. The Old Town Waterfront Crime: Not Much to Speak Of (See public school options in the section at the end of the article.) The neighborhood is dotted with public and private schools the latter include Old Town Montessori and St.

“The streets are filled with baby carriages, and there are lots of parks and playgrounds,” Campbell said. Annual events, like street fairs and the Christmas parade, are planned with children in mind, and kid-oriented shops and services are everywhere. While few of the homes (except those with astronomical price tags) have yards, green space is easy to find, especially down by the river. Old Town is a great place for small families.

Scattered throughout the area are supermarkets, including both a Trader Joe’s and a Whole Foods at the neighborhood's southwestern edge. “It can get very crowded when a bus comes and drops people down at the corner and they all head down to the waterfront at once,” sighed Delaine Campbell. The area also has its fair share of funky hangout spots focusing on high quality beverages, such as the wine bar/wine store/coffee shop Grape + Bean, and Misha's, which claims to offer 'the best coffee you'll ever have.' The vibe down by the water is a little more historic, but be prepared for tourists. King Street is particularly dense, home to high-end restaurants like Jackson 20 and The Majestic as well as lower-priced options like Layla’s Lebanese. Old Town’s main avenues are lined with restaurants, bars, and independently-owned boutiques. That’s where the neighborhood’s characteristic colonial homes, those square 18th century row houses, lie, as well as the boutiques, restaurants and shops to which most visitors flock. Visitors to the neighborhood might think the name Old Town refers simply to the area’s historic district, which clusters around King Street near the Potomac River and extends north, south, and west for several blocks. Everything But Those Glass And Steel Towers Though it shares some key characteristics with its DC neighbor across the Potomac, there is one main difference: living in this Northern Virginia neighborhood is not out of reach for the large majority of home buyers. “I can still walk down the street I’ve been down twenty times and see something I hadn’t noticed before,” he said.

#OLD TOWN ROAD 20 MINUTE TIMER FULL#

“We move at a slower pace.” Tom Walker, a former newscaster who’s been in the area for thirty years, did concede that there are some similarities, but noted that Old Town is “a much more friendly, accessible, livable Georgetown” with quiet streets full of character that make for good wandering.

“Oh, we’re much more southern than Georgetown,” protested Delaine Campbell, a real estate agent who’s lived in Old Town for several decades. But if you do compare Old Town with the oldest neighborhood inside the District borders, be prepared for some backlash. They both have 18th century homes, narrow streets, and crowds lining main avenues on the weekend. Old Town, Alexandria and Georgetown are frequently compared.

Old town road 20 minute timer