The Skinny on Crystal City Oakwood

I decided to post the 411 on living as a family of five at the Oakwood in Crystal City. Prior to your move, the State Department gives you a list of Oakwood properties at several different locations and it is hard to know what ones are better and why. I would have loved to find out any information I could so I thought I would throw my two bits out there and see if it helps anyone in cyber world.

When we got the list of Oakwood properties, we knew without having to think very hard, we wanted Crystal City. Reason? LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION! It's right in the middle of Crystal City, which is located in Arlington. We are two blocks away from the only Costco in Arlington (any family of five must have the capability to purchase ginormous grocery's and 25 rolls of toilet paper at once), three blocks away from the library, park and mall (Nordstrom for the ladies, Apple store for the men, food court for the kids). Best Buy and Nordstrom Rack are adjacent to Costco across the street. There is a Harris Teeter within walking distance as well but I hear that it's a more expensive grocery store so I usually hit the Shoppers grocery store once a week that is two miles away and near a Target.

The biggest benefit is the Metro right underneath our building - you don't even have to go outside to get your ride on! The Smithsonian is about 10 minutes away on the metro and so slick to ride - even with three kids and a super-sized stroller (however I do recommend not going during rush hour - you will enjoy your ride A LOT more). There is a Rite-Aid in the basement/Crystal City Shops and let me tell you, I had no idea I would ever buy as much as I do at a Rite-Aid. They have basic groceries (no produce) and milk. It's amazing what you can find there. Coming from the land of Wal-Mart, Super Target, Sam's Club and Costco- It has literally been years since I have been in a legitimate drug store but, they are a-okay with me. I even have a frequent shopper card!

The park is great for basketball, tennis and basic running around. The Mount Vernon trail is two blocks away (I know I keep saying that but we really are located right in the middle) and you can run/bike into D.C. or out to Mount Vernon if your little heart so desires. The Pentagon Row outdoor ice skating rink just opened up for the season so have no fear you ice divas out there, there is something for you too! There are a ton of dogs all around Crystal City so if you have a four legged friend you desire to bring with you - they will be loved and admired by all (unfortunately I can't say that about kids - people are not fans of kids around here). There are a total of 17 floors in the building accessed by three elevators complete with an Oakwood employee that sits at the front desk to answer any questions and to receive packages (yes, just like the movies).

There are many, many restaurants within walking distance and an especially delicious Kabob place that is open 24 hours (even tho I may not go there at 3am, I just love knowing that I can)!! A fantastic pizza delivery restaurant that you allows you to place your order online and they deliver right to your door - you don't have to talk to anyone and if you include a 20% tip with your order, the delivery person drops it off and and runs - he doesn't linger, hinting for more money. Very great pizza, very great service. We also order from Potbellies, located in the basement, and then pick it up when our order is ready. Great for a week night when you don't want to cook and you don't want to drag the fam to a hectic dinner out. I could go on and on about the restaurants but this gives you the idea that you will not starve while you are here.

Talking about food leads me to my next subject - working out. There is a gym in the Oakwood with a few treadmills and weights. It is what you might expect to see at a hotel - decent but not lavish. I quickly located a gym to join that is again, about 2 miles away and very easy to get to. It's LA fitness and it is brand new and very beautiful. They have a small daycare that is great for toddlers but not a viable option for anyone over 4 simply because they may get bored. Now that we know where we are going, I plan on joining the gym and trimmin' some of the A-100 5lbs! Vacation mode is over, time to settle in for the long haul seeing as how we won't be out of here until September.

This brings me to the whole elementary school situation. My kids attend Oakridge elementary which is a boundary elementary school and happens to be ranked higher than the other elementary schools nearby. School begins at 9:00am and goes until 3:36pm (early out day on Wednesday). My children ride the bus so they get picked up at 8:40 and dropped off a little after 4:00pm (bus stop is nearby but kids must cross a very busy road, I always walk with them). This is a long day for the kids but it is what it is. Apparently they have before and after school programs for elementary kids whose parents work but you pay for these and I don't know much about what happens there. If this is something you might be doing, rest assured that many kids participate in this and your kid will not be the only one in their class going early or staying late. The principal does not answer emails very well, if at all, but look on the school website, or call ahead to talk to the school Registrar and figure out all the paperwork you need to bring in order to register your children. Let's just say it is very handy the State Department makes everyone get physical exams with TB tests as well - very handy indeed as this is a requirement for anyone entering Arlington Public School System. The school is very used to kids moving in and moving out that the teachers are extremely accommodating. Very pleasant and happy to work with your child in whatever way necessary. Our son was in a gifted program in Utah and I am sad to say the gifted program is not as great here but we are making the best of it and his teacher is trying to challenge him where she can so I am not worried about it at all. Very Very Happy!

Much to our sadness, the pool here is an outdoor pool so we can't wait for the summer time to bust out the swim toys. We have gone over to the adjacent Marriott and gone swimming in their pool but it's not that big and you have to walk through their conference room area so it's kinda awkward trapezing through a sea of business men and women with three kids in swimsuits and flip flops on. There is also a life guard on duty that has to watch the pool at all times and when you are the only family they have seen in two days, you feel quite literally like a fish in a fishbowl.

There are really no negatives to living here but I am generally not a negative person and who can be negative when your housing is paid for? I mean honestly - I am not going to complain (very much). We are in a two bedroom that is small but has ample closet space. We even have a small walk-in closet in the master bedroom that a crib fits perfectly into so we are not able to fit any clothes in there but hey, Jane has her own room which is huge to us! (two bedroom turned three). Jackson and Audrey have a room they share together with two twin beds and I wish they had bunk beds because it would really free up the floor space but I don't even know if that would be an option here. The Oakwood always addresses any maintenance issues right away and the maid that comes in once a week makes everything look beautiful (until real life destroys it).

The building is pretty old and not like in a cool George Washington era kinda way, more like a Regan era kinda way. It has dated cupboards and furniture but it is clean and they just replaced my dishwasher yesterday so that's something anyways. Oh, and it comes with a fica tree that we may use as our pseudo Christmas tree this year (I can't bear to bring in something that will take up more space, like a bushy, needle-dropping tree).

Hopefully this will help some of you future State Department FSO and EFMs out there. You are welcome to email me with any specific questions. If you are a family with kids, please, please come to Crystal City! My kids want lots of friends so the more, the merrier!