Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with virginia

Trapped Sister!

yellowbkpk — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 18:58:48 -0800

My sister is trapped in Lynchburg, VA due to the weather. She only has $30 cash to last her until her backup flight leaves on Sunday. What's the best way to get her money so she can eat? Also, she doesn't have any real boots to deal with the 10 inches of snow they're supposed to get tonight and no transportation to get the 1 mile down the street to a Kohl's.

Any ideas for money/clothing/transportation?

Thanks in advance!

How do I adjust from sunny LA to freezing cold Virginia?

invisible ink — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 20:30:15 -0800

Have you ever moved from a warm, mild climate like Los Angeles, to one that experiences four seasons - and did you do so in the dead of winter? What was it like? What do you wish you had known beforehand? In other words, what am I, a native Angeleno currently taking for granted? A compelling job offer has me seriously considering moving from Los Angeles to Arlington, VA. I will most likely be relocating mid-January 2010. Unfortunately, I have never lived in a four-season climate, much less moved myself and all of my belongings to one.

I found this thread, but am hoping more LA transplants can respond.

Long, diverse, rambling responses are most welcome - I really want to know the kind of impact a rapid shift in climate can make in peoples' lives. Thanks in advance:-)

Do I need a business license?

jefeweiss — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:31:10 -0800

Last year I got most of my income for working from home in the state of Virginia. I did work for a company that is not owned by me and was located in another town in Virginia. I got a 1099 as an individual from the company for the work that I did. This work was all conducted by phone and email, no one came to my home. I recently got a letter in the mail from the City of Winchester, VA saying that I did not register as a business in the city and that I needed to pay back licensing fees. I know you're not my lawyer, but do I have to do this?

Treasure Hunting around Richmond

MayNicholas — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:18:00 -0800

Richmond VA Filter: Can you recommend any good fun antique shops in the Richmond area? Ones with good estate jewelry, coins, & historical artifacts (civil war buttons and the like)? Preferably one that has reasonable prices and the opportunity for haggling. We went to the Virginia Bazaar last weekend but were disappointed by the lack of good stuff and the inundation of sports paraphernalia & generic yard sale type items. We don't mind a little Sunday drive, say 45min to an hour from Richmond City. Thanks!

How ofter is my car going to get towed?

T.D. Strange — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 11:12:22 -0800

I just moved to Northern Virginia for a new job- how likely is it that my car with out of state plates will be ticketed or towed? The Virginia inspection law seems very onerous, and I've read horror stories of shady towing companies towing cars without inspection stickers from apartment parking lots even with valid parking passes. My car is registered out of state under my Dad's name and currently has a broken right front turn signal, so it certainly won't pass any kind of inspection at present.

I'm currently renting a room in a residential area about 90mins outside of DC and commuting in towards the city on a daily basis. I haven't had any problems yet and don't expect to get towed from the garage under my office building, but I plan on finding an apartment in one of the NoVa suburbs after the new year and I'm more concerned.

Assuming that I fix the turn signal, how likely is it that I will have problems driving my car around on a regular basis with out of state plates? I REALLY don't want to move into the city and walk out for work one morning to find my car towed by some shady towing company, so I'd like to give them a few reasons as possible.

Halloween help in Annandale, Virginia

orsonet — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:35:52 -0800

Something to do on Halloween in Northern Virginia for a two-year-old? My husband and I are (unexpectedly) going to be in Annadale this weekend with my in-laws. Trick-or-treating is pretty dead in their neighborhood so I'm looking for something to do with our two-year-old. Good neighborhoods to trick-or-treat in? Some other event? Thanks!

Thomas Jefferson's Castrating Sodomy Law

hermitosis — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 12:41:29 -0800

How many Virginians ended up being punished with castration or disfigurement as a result of Thomas Jefferson's sodomy law?

Beautiful towns within driving distance of Washington, DC (and that are not overrun with tourists)

actionPetential — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 09:55:27 -0800

EastCoastFilter: Is your lovely town a best-kept secret? Looking for a magical sort of place to visit in or near DC, Virginia, or Maryland, something with the sort of historic downtown/art scene/subtle eccentricity vibe of Savannah, Ga. or Charlottesville, Va. I live near DC and have a car this weekend and my spur-of-the-moment notion was to find a special sort of place to which to have a leaves-changing-colors drive that is near the Mid-Atlantic. The last time I felt I was walking around in a "magical" town or city was New Orleans (of course), but I would gladly and gratefully "settle" for a place like Charlottesville, Va. or Savannah, Ga., where there's a lot of things to see and do without having to drive around. I think these sorts of places align very closely with college towns rather than places where people retire which is the impression I got from places like, say, Middleburg, Va. Thanks so much!

Looking for a Northern Virginia Locksmith

i love cheese — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 06:37:36 -0800

Can you recommend a good locksmith in Northern VA? I'd like to have the locks on my house replaced. I'm a bit leery of locksmith listings (for obvious reasons), and was hoping someone had a good experience with a locksmith in the Vienna/McLean/Falls Church area.

I've checked http://www.findalocksmith.com, and of the two results to my search, one, "Colonial Lock Supply" has a new name (Baldino's), and mixed reviews on Yelp. The other doesn't list a name, only an address.

So, do you know of a reliable, reasonably priced locksmith?

"Remember kids - when you're eating eggs, you're eating babies!"

FatherDagon — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 10:13:51 -0800

I want to try balut in Northern VA! I've been looking to try this for ages, but I've never seen any place that sells it near to where I live (Sterling, VA - about 25 minutes from DC as the toll road flies). Anyone have any recommendations of a place to get good balut? Sterling/Reston/Leesburg area would be best, but I'm not averse to going to Fairfax, Alexandria, or DC and the surrounding areas.

Fun In Richmond, VA?

BadgerKyle — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 20:56:27 -0800

What is the most popular (not necessarily trendy) area of Richmond, VA in which to stay and party for a couple of nights? I will be coming into town with a few other people (all twenty-somethings) for a conference and we wanted to know the best place to stay (neighborhoods or specific hotels!) so we can walk to some bars and good restaurants and let loose after the conference each day. The conference is at UofR, but from my basic Googlefu, it appears as if the best areas are not going to be too close to the school. That's fine with us, as we will have a car and can drive to the school each day for the conference . . .

But help us HiveMind . . we are definitely going to need to let loose each night!

Radio Interference Along the Beltway

jocelmeow — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 09:55:28 -0800

What causes massively scrambled FM radio reception along the Capital Beltway near Falls Church, Virginia? There is a stretch of the Beltway in Northern Virginia where the FM radio reception is abysmal. If I remember correctly, it is near the Falls Church and Fairview Park exits, but it's definitely south of Tyson's Corner. It was so when I was growing up there 20+ years ago (80s-90s) and friends who live there now say it remains so.

The problem always occurs in the same area and both day and night - you drive into it and no matter where you are tuned on the FM band, the station becomes unintelligible, the reception totally scrambled and overwhelmed by loud static.

The AM band is unaffected - and tuning to AM talk radio was always my father's answer to the problem. After a mile or two, maybe three, everything goes back to normal on the FM dial.

I have looked up the radio towers located in Falls Church, Merrifield, Vienna, and Fairfax.

Those pages list the commercial, private, and broadcast towers in those locations and their assigned frequencies, but I have no expertise that would allow me to judge whether those listed towers are the problem. I have some guesses based on location, but none of the towers I looked at seemed to be broadcasting in the FM band - but then again, I don't know if they'd have to be in order to interfere.

So do you know what is the cause of this Bermuda Triangle of radio, or can you help in interpreting the tower listings to potentially identify the problem? Thanks.

What are the pro's and con's of moving from Boston Metro area to Northern Virginia (outside DC).

UMDirector — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 15:52:53 -0800

What are the pro's and con's of moving from Boston Metro area to Northern Virginia (outside DC). My wife is originally from the Reston area of Virginia (right outside DC). I am originally from Connecticut, but lived in Florida for 15 years. We are thinking of moving to VA after I finish my MBA in Dec. I am wondering what you guys think of the area?

1) She is currently employed as a meeting manager, I was laid off from the start-up I work for and have been looking for 4 months. My background is in both marketing, but also event production and film production. What might we find the employment situation to be in general (we will not be moving without one of us finding a job...just wondering regarding my desire to go back into events or film production what my options might be).

2) What is the cultural situation? I was frustrated living in FL because it felt like there was a lack of culture. Here near Boston we have all of Boston plus quick trips to NYC or Providence. How much stuff is there to do in VA? I worry its North/South fly-over country. Is that not the case with the area around DC due to the whole "capital of the country" thing?

3) What is it like from an economic standpoint? We live a little south of Boston and it seems a bit run-down, a little too much the Wal-Mart crowd. We are arrogant Whole Foods type people...will we fit in? I love some of the educated artsy stuff in Cambridge, but my wife doesn't want to live in so urban a setting.

4) How is it visually? I picture it as having lots of the new construction, planning that I saw when I lived in Orlando, not as much of the industrial look that you see even in some of the nicer parts of the Northeast.

5) What is the crime rate like? I feel very safe in MA and worry about the crime rate...I know some parts of Fairfax Country have a high rate, should I worry about this? Especially if parts of it like Reston don't?

6) What else don't I know?

That Boy Needs Therapy

Anonymous — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 04:06:51 -0800

I'm a male in my early twenties who has washed out of college and is looking for a mental health professional of some sort in Northern Virginia. Issues I feel are likely to come up are my (long-ago diagnosed) attention deficit disorder, depression, and some form of OCD - I have a deep and (likely irrational) fear of psychosis and other impairments of cognition. I am deeply wary of psychiatric drugs, and want to work with someone who shares my attitude toward them, but would recommend them as a last resort. So what I'm after is some sort of talk therapy, preferably with a medical doctor (as oppose to "just" a PhD). I think would prefer CBT over other modalities. Freud, Jung, Lacan and their ilk aren't for me, but anything else is fine.

For private messages: M8R-sshtxg@mailinator.com

Help me jump start my career across the country

Skwirl — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 11:26:33 -0800

I have a $9000 open-ended scholarship (AmeriCorps education award, actually) and will have several grand in savings at the end of September. How can I use this to fund relocation and a mid-Atlantic coast job search? The education award can be used to pay for living expenses if and only if the college approves. Many people have used it to fund vocational school, European trips, Outward Bound, or a new computer by taking the right courses.

I'd like some idea of adult ed, certificate and distance learning courses that I could use to unlock some of that money for living expenses above and beyond tuition for several months after September, and to also have the freedom to jump a Chinatown bus or Amtrak at a moment's notice to interview for jobs. Having a next step in my career is the highest priority, but failing that, it'd be nice to have something like a certificate, extra training or renewed academic creditentials for grad school to show for the time. My academic interests are super broad but focus across non-profit administration, leadership, life coaching and technology. My undergrad degree was a double major in Journalism and Computer Science. I'd be peachy taking one of those As-Seen-On-TV video game production (ITT Tech?) courses, interesting community college stuff, getting a certificate in non-profit admin, starting a slow burn distance learning library sci or MPA distance degree, etc... The sky's the limit. Just to know that it's second to getting a regular job and travelling to do it.

Encouraging comments and any out of the box advice and school ideas are welcome. I could easily talk myself out of a cross-country move and don't need your help pointing out flaws or the economy. =) I am used to living and travelling on a budget and the money I have saved alone will last for at least a few months. Portland is way too small, too distant to other big cities and all of my first-runner-up job leads that would obviously further my career were outside of Portland and mostly east coast phone interviews. There are jobs in my field of expertise and I can make a strong case for myself.

I think I can up the ante if I dedicate myself to being within day's trip distance to high density population centers and face-to-face interviewing. Washington, DC, Richmond, VA, Charlottesville, VA, and Philadelphia, PA are places that I've recently visited and enjoyed. I have family, friends, couches and support systems to fall back on in South Carolina, Richmond, NYC and some points inbetween.

Wheelchair-friendly dentists in DC area

LobsterMitten — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 18:05:21 -0800

Wheelchair-friendly dentist in the Washington DC area (Montgomery County MD if possible)? A dear friend of mine is in his 70s and uses a power wheelchair. He has some arm strength, but he has no leg muscles and has a big belly, so he's easily thrown off balance when transferring from the wheelchair to the dentist chair. Recently he had a really bad fall when the dental assistant tried misguidedly to "help" him transfer -- she basically shoved him off balance and he fell full force. No apology from her or the dentist, who he's been seeing for 35 years.

He's looking for a different dentist's office where they may be more aware of wheelchair issues. I don't know if there are special arrangements where he could stay in his chair? Or just any office where they are more with-it about this.

Recent graduate dating in DC

Anonymous — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 05:50:10 -0800

I get the impression that DC is not a great dating town for young 20-something college graduates. Am I totally off base? I'm a 23 year old guy, gainfully employed, more attractive than average, sociable, approachable, no physical deformities, I've had a successful dating life in multiple other cities, etc.

Basically: I don't think my problems meeting people have anything to do with me. I think they have to do with DC.

However: I don't know many people in town. My coworkers -- though great -- are all significantly older than me (29 is the youngest I can think of). I don't have a substantiative friend base to work. I don't want to be the creepy guy who goes to bars or concerts alone to pick up girls.

I'm probably way off base, but my impression after living here for 6 months is that it's too expensive of a town for many recent graduates, especially considering that many of the graduate-attracting jobs are low-paying government ones. And the ones who make it here work crazy hours and multiple jobs, not leaving them much time to get out there.

Or maybe I'm just looking in all the wrong places.

So what I'm looking for by asking this question is this:
1) Affirmation that this is actually an issue with the town (i.e. I'm not being a wimp)
2) Specific suggestions about where I might go to meet girls ("Bars" would be an okay response; "The U Street Busboys and Poets on poetry reading nights" would be a great one). Feel free to email me if you know the town well and would like to get a better idea of what I'm like.
3) Other strategies for meeting people (I've dabbled with things like OKCupid and Meetup with little success, but those would be good examples)

Thanks, all!

E-mail followups: datelessindc@gmail.com

(Asked anonymously because my account is tied to my name and job)

Are leases transferrable from one landlord to another?

charmston — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 04:15:58 -0800

The owners of my apartment building have turned control of the building over from the extremely reputable apartment management company that I signed a lease with to a much less reputable company. Am I legally bound to continue honoring the lease? Since my earlier question, I've done research into the law and my specific lease. My recourse isn't obvious to me. What to do? (Arlington County, VA) The first section of my lease:

------

THIS LEASE AGREEMENT is made this 28th day of October, by and between [OLD LEASING COMPANY], LANDLORD, AND [My Full Name], TENANT.

THIS LEASE AGREEMENT IS GOVERNED BY THE VIRGINIA RESIDENTIAL LANDLORD AND TENANT ACT (VRLTA)(55-248.2 et. Virginia Code) WHICH IS INCORPORATED HEREIN BY REFERENCE. FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH ANY REQUIREMENT OF THIS LEASE OR OF THE VIRGINIA RESIDENTIAL LANDLORD & TENANT ACT OR ANY OTHER APPLICABLE LAW IS A BREACH OF THIS LEASE.

The Landlord is a nonresidential owner as defined in VA code Section 5-218.1. The agent appointed by the Landlord is [OLD MANAGEMENT COMPANY]. The agen'ts business address in Virginia is [Old Management Company's Address]. The agent's name and address is also filed in the office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court for the county or city in which the residential unit lies.

For and in consideration of the rent herein agreed to be paid, and the rights, and obligations of the respective parties agreed to herein, the Landlord hereby leases to the Tenant above named, and the Tenant leases from the Landlord the following rental unit on the terms and conditions as stated in this Lease.

------

There are a few things that interest me:

In the first paragraph, my old leasing company is explicitly defined as landlord. There are no mentions of the building's owner throughout the lease.
VA 55-248.15 states that "notice of any change by a landlord or tenant in any terms or provisions of a tenancy at will shall constitute a notice to vacate the premises". Am I right in that this seems to imply that I can make a clean break?
Possibly also relevant, VA 55-248.21 seems to give me the power to get out with 30 days' notice.

Thanks for any help!

Can my VA employer pay for individual health insurance?

88nemeth — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 15:26:06 -0800

Can my Virginia employer, a small business/sole proprietorship, pay for my individually-issued health insurance premium? I just started a new job and the owner, a sole proprietor, has offered to pay for up to $250 a month in individual premiums for me and my coworker: she doesn't want to get group coverage because, with only two employees, if one of us leaves then the other will lose insurance also.

I went through the application process for Anthem BlueCross of Virginia only to find at the end that I had to agree to the following statement: "the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield policy, if issued, shall not be used as an employer-provided health care benefit plan. I certify that no employer of any person covered under the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield policy may pay any premium for the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield coverage, directly or indirectly, including through wage adjustment."

Some googling found examples of employers in other states paying for individual premiums, but I couldn't find any Virginia examples. My boss is offering to just give us a raise instead, but if possible I'd like to have the tax-free advantages from an employer-paid plan.

Does anyone know if any Virginia insurers are amenable to such arrangements?

Anything is better than driving?

tmcw — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 09:00:09 -0800

I've heard that there are twice-daily commuter flights to/from Charlottesville, VA and DC. I can't find any online... everything seems to be typical big-airliner, normal-expensive flights. Am I looking in the wrong place, and what's the best option for traveling between those two places minus a car? More specifically... I'm not actually commuting but rather visiting Charlottesville when I'm not working in DC. And it would be nice if it were fast, cheap, and convenient, but I'd understand if it's just two out of the three.

A Virginia ham? Why, thanks!

cabingirl — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 21:04:30 -0800

What gift can I give my European colleagues that is quintessential Virginia/Washington DC, without straying into "miniature Washington Monument" territory? In a few days, I am heading to Fairfax, VA for a multiple-week business trip. While there, I will be hosting two colleagues who are visiting from Europe and will be helping me out for two weeks. Our home office is in the Twin Cities, and I know that on past trips, other hosts have given them Minnesota-themed gifts. I'd like to get them each a gift in the $20 range that is unique to Virginia or DC without being cheesy. Food gifts can work if they aren't super perishable.

Where to get Yuengling in cans at room temp?

little e — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 18:26:40 -0800

Where can I procure Yuengling in cans at room temperature in Arlington, VA? (Failing that, in DC, along I-81 between Arlington and Abingdon, or along the DC to WV route of I-270 to I-70 to I-68 in Maryland?) I'm journeying back to my home where Yuengling is widely held to be an exotic delicacy. I have accepted the responsibility of stocking our creek with beverages for the weekend's festivities.

It's got to be in cans, because we'll be carrying it around a farm in backpacks and nestling it among rocks to keep it chilled in the water of the same creek where there will be small children and our bare feet and other things incompatible with rocks and glass. I'd like it to be at room temperature because I won't be in possession of icy coolers until Friday.

The trip is about the same whether I take the northerly or southerly route, hence the flexibility in geography. I started to diligently visit every grocery store nearby but then I thought about the number of hours of my life already spent on oddly specific alcohol-related quests and couldn't decide whether to be ashamed or proud and then realized I really don't want to go to every grocery store in Arlington. Thanks in advance for helping me bring great joy to my friends!

Sensational scenic Shenandoah short-sabbatical suggestions

DetonatedManiac — Sat, 16 May 2009 09:54:00 -0800

Travel Filter: Planning trip from NC to Appomattox and Shenandoah Valley VA for Memorial Day weekend. Looking for off the beaten path, cultural or natural destinations and any other "must see" recommendations on food, lodging or attractions Family is doing a road trip to Shenandoah VA from NC. The only set destinations are Appomattox Court House National Historic Park and Shenandoah National Park for the nature trails (and maybe some battlefields around there).

We will probably set off from Roanoke VA Saturday morning after a late Friday night drive from NC, Appomattox most of Saturday, Shenandoah Sunday and Monday morning, arrive home Monday evening.

The plan is pretty loose, there are lots of little gaps there for a great local restaurant or interesting town or whatever attraction or little gem you can think of.

3 main things I am looking for are:

1) amazing things not many people know about (trails, museums, battlefields, mines, restaurants, beautiful drives, you name it)
2) good indoor destinations in the Shenandoah area in case the weather does not cooperate.
3) good trail recommendations in Shenandoah.

Our goal is to keep to rural/scenic driving and natural and historic oriented destinations (but any ideas welcome). We will probably stay well west of Richmond, but as long as we can hit Appomattox for most of a day and Shenandoah on another full day anything is possible.

We have done the "big" attractions in Virginia - Monticello, Williamsburg, Natural Bridge, and want to avoid them only because we don't really want to fight a big crowd. Otherwise those type of things are perfect.

Thanks in advance for the help!

Know a good CBT therapist in Virginia?

Anonymous — Wed, 06 May 2009 08:39:59 -0800

Please recommend a therapist who specializes in CBT in Virginia. I am trying to find a therapist who specializes in cognitive behavioral therapy in either Alexandria, VA or Richmond, VA. I moved this year, commute often between the two locations, and I am having a difficult time finding a new doctor to help me cope with depression and anxiety. I have made good progress with CBT in the past and would like to find a doctor who can help me continue that. You can send private messages to cbtreferral@gmail.com.

Writing retreat for East-coast cheapskates?

metajc — Mon, 04 May 2009 20:14:15 -0800

We've a gallon of Rebel Yell, a tupperware of pesto pasta, and 200 pages to go. But where to? Where in the DC area can we get away from people on Memorial Day weekend for cheap? My buddy and I have been talking for years about holing up somewhere to polish off some writing. We finally have time this Memorial Day Weekend but, then again, it's Memorial Day Weekend and, worse, we live in the DC-Baltimore area (plagues of humans).

We have a plan -- we'd like to try for a camping spot or a cheap cabin and, if that fails, wait till the last second for a super deal on Hotwire.

Help us narrow down West Virginia or Virginia or Maryland or where. We'd like to go somewhere cheap but somewhere cool, comfortable. Activities not required. A view would be nice as would electricity.

I once stayed in a bayou cabin in Louisiana overlooking gator-infested swamp for $30/night. The place was quiet with fishermen, had a mini-fridge and outlets. Something like that would be perfect.

Other options (including city options) are welcome. Sketchy hotels? Hotwire hotels with views of Baltimore? Maybe we could watch your penthouse while you're out? We'll be awake for 72 hours straight but we promise not to play with fire this time.