I wonder how much progress we will make on expanding metro in the next 50 years.

I was talking about this this weekend, sometimes it's not worth intervening because the crazies legit might shoot you.

I spent $900 for two of us this month. We get 4 dinners from hello fresh a week which bumps up the price, then we get a mix from TJs/Safeway/Harris Teeter.

I feel like there are some substantial shifts going on in the country, i always wonder what the political ramifications will end up being at the national level.

Great point.

Even though the salaries are lower so is the cost of living, but the quality of life is higher (depends on where in Europe but almost always true).

My best friend lives in London and I literally earn 90% more than she does but our quality of life is the same. I know how much she spends for things and we think in terms of purchasing power we make about the same.

For example, when I lived in Madrid in 2015 my salary was 1,350 a month and locals thought it was really good even though it sounded like peanuts in American terms. My rent was 350, my groceries were like 100, cell phone was only 20. I had plenty of left over money a month and traveled internationally at least once a month. I never had healthcare costs because I had Spanish insurance. There is way more sane work/life balance, they have vacation/sick leave and just in general more workers rights. The food systems there are wayyy better and I always unintentionally lose weight while abroad. Our food is full of junk.

The place where it will ding you is if you plan to retire to the US then you won't be contributing as much to a 401k so you'd need to figure out what you need to save for retirement to stay on track.

I would have lived there forever if I could but it's super hard to get a permanent visa over there! Living abroad will really open your mind, let you meet types of people you've never met, and help you really grow as a person. It's truly an adventure and makes life so much richer to live abroad for a bit. I would do it in a heart beat if I were you! I plan to move abroad again the second I get another chance.

Arlington is one of the best places to live in the country IMO (plenty of other good ones, but Arlington is just top tier). The biggest concern is how urban it is and how expensive it is if that's not something you are prepared for. Expect to pay 2000-2400 for a one-bedroom apartment. I can just tell you aren't prepared for how dense and urban it may be.

Not for nothing, but I'd absolutely pick Europe over Arlington.

>Do you think public transit is good enough where I don't need a car?

Probably not unless you live directly on the ballston/clarendon corridor next to metro. Also, if you don't have a car access to nature is nonexistent.

yes we truly have fantastic farmers markets if that is important to you

My dad is almost 80 and he's totally passionate about what he does, he works in academia. Everyone who knows him says that cant imagine him retiring. He's really sharp and healthy so he doesn't seem that old, I think his passion keeps his brain young.

You can kill someone that way, that's no joke.

I bet a lot of people will. Crystal City has a lot of hotels for business travelers, and Amazon will be attracting even more travelers to the area.

I didn´t have a car when I lived there either and it was no problem