Good morning, NOVA.
Rosslyn is the closest you can live to DC without paying DC’s taxes. Step off the Metro and you are 8 minutes from Foggy Bottom, or you can walk the Key Bridge into Georgetown for dinner and back. The skyline is all glass and consulting firms, but the Mt Vernon Trail starts right below it at Roosevelt Island. Today I have the Rosslyn breakdown, a 10-minute move task almost everyone forgets after a big move (telling Social Security your new address), and what is getting built next. Back to normal weekday Metro today after the holiday. Let’s go.
In today’s issue:
- The Rosslyn math: $2,800 rent, 8 minutes to DC, a footbridge to Georgetown
- The 10-minute move task people forget: updating your address with Social Security
- What’s next for Rosslyn: 831 new homes, a grocery store, and a Michelin-chef cafe
By Yvenson Juste
Neighborhood spotlight
Rosslyn
| Best for | consultants and lawyers who want to walk over the Key Bridge to Georgetown after work |
| Avg rent (1BR) | $2,800/mo |
| Metro to DC | 8 min to Foggy Bottom (Orange/Silver, Rosslyn) |
| By car to DC | 10 min via Key Bridge |
Rosslyn is the closest you can get to DC without paying DC property taxes. The skyline is corporate, the food scene is improving slowly, and the walking access to Georgetown over the Key Bridge is genuinely useful. Buildings are mostly high-rise, mostly newer, and mostly priced for the Big Four consulting crowd. If you want a short commute over character, this is the trade.
Worth knowing
For lunch, skip the glass-tower food courts and go to Pho 75 at 1721 Wilson Boulevard. It is a cash-only Vietnamese institution that has done one thing, a deep and clean bowl of pho, exceptionally well for decades. There is almost always a line at noon and it moves fast. Bring cash and order the brisket.
Today in NOVA
The Digest
Today
75° 🌡️ 67° | 🌦️ | ☂️ 40% | 🌬️ ESE 8 mph
Tomorrow
79° 🌡️ 64° | 🌤️ | ☂️ 20% | 🌬️ W 7 mph
🚗 Roads: First commute back after the long weekend, so I-66 East and the GW Parkway will be busy again. Build in the usual cushion.
🚇 Metro: Back to normal weekday service today. All NOVA lines on regular rush-hour frequencies.
🏠 Two empty Rosslyn office towers are set to become 831 homes and a grocery store
Developer Monday Properties revived a long-stalled plan for 1401 Wilson Blvd and 1400 Key Blvd, now proposing two 27-story residential buildings with 831 units, a 17,000-square-foot grocery store, and ground-floor retail. For anyone weighing Rosslyn, a full-size grocery store plus that much new supply is exactly what the neighborhood has needed.
Read more
☕ A Michelin-starred chef is opening an all-day cafe in Rosslyn
An all-day cafe from a Michelin-starred chef is coming to Rosslyn, adding to a food scene that has historically been the neighborhood’s weak spot. Pair it with the local-only Upside on Moore food hall above the Metro and Rosslyn finally has reasons to stick around after 6 PM.
Read more
🥙 Capital Doner, a Turkish kebab spot, is opening on Wilson Boulevard
Capital Doner is moving into 1731 Wilson Blvd, the former Simple Greek space, with doners, kebabs, and gyros. It is a small, fast, walkable lunch option, which is the category Rosslyn needs most. Another sign the strip is slowly filling in with independents.
Read more
Daily move task
Update your address with Social Security
Why it matters: It is the change-of-address everyone forgets after the DMV and the bank. If you get Social Security, Medicare, or any benefit, an outdated address can delay payments and important notices. It takes about 10 minutes online.
1
Log in to your account at ssa.gov/myaccount. If you don’t have one, create it; it takes about 10 minutes and uses ID.me verification.
2
Click “Update Contact Information” and enter your new NOVA address.
3
Changes take effect within 24 hours. No paperwork, no phone call needed.
Time needed: about 10 minutes ·
Deadline: Soon after your move, before your next benefit notice
Social Security my account
Add to Google Calendar
Local events
What’s happening
SATURDAY
Courthouse, Arlington · Arlington Farmers Market · 8 AM to 12 PM
The county’s original market at N Courthouse Road, a short walk or one Metro stop from Rosslyn. Go early for the pastries.
SATURDAY
Old Town Alexandria · Old Town Farmers Market · 7 AM to 12 PM
At Market Square, running since 1753. You can bike there from Rosslyn along the Mt Vernon Trail.
ANY DAY
Rosslyn · Roosevelt Island and the Mt Vernon Trail · Dawn to dusk
Free wooded trails on the island just below Rosslyn, and the paved Mt Vernon Trail that runs all the way to Old Town and Mt Vernon. The best free amenity in NOVA.
If you’ve already done today’s move task, skip it and feel smug. If not, set a 10-minute timer and knock it out tonight.
Yvenson
The NOVA Relocation Guide
Know someone moving to NOVA? Send them to novarelocationguide.com.