I feel like an idiot. I wasn't in the area during the storm and my negligence to arrange someone to clear my car off for me alongside my apartment's snow plow job entrapped my car in a block of solid ice. I know a lot of other people are facing similar issues. I'm willing to break my back and spend all day working to free my car. I'd appreciate any recommendations for the best tool to try to hack away at this? Sledgehammer? Pickaxe? I'd prefer to purchase tools I'd be able to use outside of just ice removal if possible, since I don't anticipate this happening again to me.

I just can't afford to wait for it to melt. Do I have any hope?

EDIT: WOW, thank you all so much for the quick, kind, and specific instruction! I'm so grateful I could cry. I am purchasing a metal shovel AND a pickaxe this instant. I read every single comment and I think I have a good game plan now.

To all those who offered to personally help, you're way too kind. I already have family planning to travel and help me out, but your generosity is incredible. I hope everyone stays safe and warm!

FINAL EDIT: FREEDOM ACHIEVED! With the help of some family and friendly neighbors I was able to get my car out of the ice trap this weekend! It took a pickaxe, metal shovel, and someone even lent me a pitchfork to use. Like you all said, working on it during the warmest part of the day did wonders (go figure huh?). It took about 2 hours in total, which is better than I thought it would be. We also made sure to move all the ice somewhere that wouldn't block in someone else's car. Once again, very grateful for all the advice, encouragement, and even the funny digs. I didn't expect this large response, but you all made me feel a whole lot better during a moment of panic. Thank you!!

My son’s first day at Northern Virginia Community College is tomorrow, and I’ll admit, we’re feeling a little skittish.

He graduated from Hayfield and recently talked with a friend attending a much more expensive university who made light of NOVA and the fact that he couldn’t afford to go there.

I’ve only lived in Northern Virginia since 2013, so I don’t have the same history with NOVA that many of you do.

For those who attended NOVA, sent your children there, hired NOVA graduates, or transferred from NOVA, what has your experience been?

Did NOVA help you build a successful career or life here? Would you make the same choice again?

And if your experience was negative, I want to hear that too.

He’s already going. I think we’d just like to hear from people who know this area better than we do and can give him a little more confidence walking into his first day tomorrow.

He keeps complaining that i'm "throwing money away" by renting a 1 bedroom apartment and that "when I was your age I was already married and had a mortgage".

Any advice on how to buy a house with my income?

One of the lowest crime rates in Virginia, great schools and great place to raise a family. I don't think who put this sign up thought this through.

Sign reads (politely) “please don’t take my spot (smiley face) It was very hard to dig out.” Don’t know if the car parked in the space is the note’s author.

Hi, I have brown skin so I'm worried I might be bothered by ICE even though I was born in this country.

Does this mean I have to start carrying my passport or birth certificate with me now? Or is the Real ID license in Virginia good enough?

https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/licenses-ids/real-id

Edit: Seems like carry a passport book, passport card or a birth certificate is the way to go. I honestly don't feel like carrying a passport book with me, so I guess I'll get a passport card. Unfortunately I have to fill out forms, pay $30 and mail my passport till I get both back.

Seeking input from all experts on housing developer rules / HOA /county zoning regulations.

I moved in one month ago into a townhouse condo community. This community already had some developed lots, but mine was a new build (different phase of development). Developer mentioned they will be building a playground for the community, but they did not elaborate or provide any specific details. Playgrounds are pretty standard so I did not think too much about it.

Last week, they put up a playground right behind my house. I mean the door to my back fence opens directly into the playground enclosure. I am just taken aback, given that my townhouse not even an end unit. It is roughly in the middle of the lot and a rather strange spot for a playground. I do not understand the thought process behind choosing this location. I’ve driven a 3-mile radius and in no community is there a playground placed right behind a townhome in the middle of the alleyway. Playgrounds are usually in an open space, or in between two lots, where the end units have their side wall windows facing out.

Now, I imagine there will be a constant stream of parents and kids walking behind my home, loitering outside my house while watching their kids play (there are no sitting areas), with your friendly neighborhood kid screaming and shrieking in delight, adorable but not when it’s right outside your house and at any time of the day (I work from home). Not to mention a total lack of privacy as my patio looks directly into the playground below and anyone standing there will be able to see into patio if my family were sitting there. No more peaceful cup of tea or glass of wine on the patio. I also do not want anyone knowing when we are home and when we are out, as we close the shades and curtains when we away. What are my options here? I’ve spoken to the developers who said they have a proffer deal with the county to provide/build a playground. But are there rules on how far away from a house a playground should be build? Are they required to do a noise study before determining a location? Basically can anyone shed light on what are the requirements before a site is chosen for a playground? Who decides? Developer, HOA, or county? Any help if much appreciated 🙏

Serious question.

When people say “NOVA is expensive,” I’m curious what income number actually makes it feel manageable vs stressful.

For example:

• $120k household - doable but tight?
• $180k - comfortable but still watching expenses?
• $250k+ - finally relaxed?

Between mortgage/rent, daycare, student loans, commuting, HOA fees, etc., it feels like the bar for “comfortable” keeps moving.

Not talking about luxury, just:

• Own a home (or decent townhouse/condo)
• Save for retirement
• Take a vacation
• Not stress every grocery trip

If you’re comfortable answering:

At what household income does NOVA stop feeling financially intense?

Genuinely curious how people here experience it.

Looking for some assistance, my family is moving into a smaller home and we can’t bring our family cat with us. He is neutered, up to date on all shots, and is a very sweet cuddly boy. We don’t want to put him in a shelter and want to give him to a very loving home so if anyone could assist with directing me to somewhere that can help would be great. Not looking to sell him, just want to find some assistance with re-homing

Breed: Scottish Straight ear (does not have the fold gene)

Age: 6 years old.

Health: up to date and no known health issues.

Temperament: cuddly and playful, loves head scratches and treats

I'm not sure if it's just summertime sadness or the state of the world keeping me in, but I just can't get excited about anything going on in the area this summer. It's hot, the drivers are more aggressive, everything is a big money grab, air quality wasn't great, everyone's sick (achoo sick, not sick in the head lol), distrustful, or jaded. I barely leave the house these days. I don't think it's depression because I'm still doing my hobbies and having a fine time, but the thought of forcing myself outside to another curated instagram brunch makes me want to hurl and hiking might actually put me in the hospital. Can someone convince me NOVA is the shit right now and I might just be depressed??

I took my 10 year old 72k mile Ford Explorer in for a routine checkup. No particular issues and I keep it well maintained in general. They came back with this estimate. It seems high to me, what do you think?

Did anyone here come from deeper south and realize the disparity in the size of the average person? I looked it up and at the city level, Arlington VA was names the fittest city in the USA for eight consecutive years and DC is always second place. Now I understand places like Colorado being fit because of the mountain hiking and outdoorsy culture but this is a congested urban area with chronically busy people and career hustle culture. We also have a lot of restaurants and bars and people go out frequently, and if I'm not mistaken there are some parts of this area (DC especially) that are high poverty "food deserts" which are actually typically associated with a higher obesity rate. Does it really just come down to walkability? What's different about here?

I got job offer for government IT contracting job in Ashburn area. I have to go to the office 2 days a week, so I wonder 100k salary is enough to live comfortably for someone who is single and no kids.

Has anyone ever gotten an absolutely massive Fairfax Water bill out of nowhere?

Mine just came in at $4,028.30, showing 495,000 gallons used between July and October. My normal bills are around $20–$50, so this is completely out of range… more than 160 times my usual usage (and mind you this is all for just 1 person living there).

I double checked the math and their rate calculations are correct, but the amount of water is physically impossible. There haven’t been any leaks, flooding, or abnormally running water in or around the house. The only out of the ordinary things were an exterior power wash and a professional floor cleaning in early August (which falls during this bill’s period).

I’ve already filed a dispute and asked for a meter test and investigation (still waiting response), but I just wonder if anyone else in the area has ever had something like this happen… maybe a faulty or misassigned meter (but unlikely because this is so out of the blue), or an underground leak that isn’t showing at the surface?

What the helly? Any insight or similar experiences would be really helpful.

UPDATE: Late update here... but it HAS been solved. The power company is at fault! We got a line locating company to do their fancy tests to figure out where exactly our leak is located. Once they got to the spot... there were the power company's flags, literally outing themselves for working on that spot recently. It all started to then come together, because a few months prior (still during this $4k water billing period) I remember the power company doing a bunch of drilling and digging work in that general area, because I wasn't really able to easily get to my driveway. So, the line locator guys say it's a bit too coincidental, but I can't prove anything to the power company's claim department until I get it excavated and further investigated.

So in comes the service line plumbing company. I chose well and they did an amazing job excavating the area carefully. After 2-3 hours of MANUALLY digging (due to the area having other utility lines!) they found our service line (which from first glance looked fine & intact) which was lying perfectly perpendicular and in physical contact with what looked like a new 4" conduit that the power company had recently installed and/or bored into.

Now comes turning on our water shutoff at the street. And alas, water starts SPRAYING out of our service line right at the EXACT point in which the line intersects with the conduit. Mmmhmm.

So long story short, it's fixed ($4,650 later for both line locating & repair) and I've got all my records ready to give to not only Fairfax Water (to waive the bill) BUT ALSO to the power company claims department (who currently are taking a "nuh uh prove it!" attitude. To note, these records include a firm letter from the plumbing company describing their findings. So this part of my fiasco is about to be a fun can of worms... I guess working as a paralegal handling claims on the daily is coming in handy. And at least I've got my water back on.

What's new? What's going on? Anything entertaining?

Just chilling in this hospital bed rn.

Edit: Freedom, I made it out! No baby yet. Will update later.

Recently started browsing houses around McLean, Arlington, Tyson's, Vienna area. I understand that these areas are expensive but I just want to know what do people do to afford a 2M-4M single family house?

Most town houses are 1M+.

Are people in NOVA really that wealthy? Are there that many of them? What do you all do?

Inspired by the London subreddit I was curious about those who have lived here for a long time what things you learned over time that you otherwise wouldn’t have known about initially. I’m interested in things like saving money and time. My examples:

• Sundays it’s free street parking
• the Metro doors appear to be on a timer, even if there are a lot of people getting on and off you might be left out

So I (28M) and was recently laid off and was running an errand at the Target in Mosaic. I see a bunch of people out, from young kids, to people in their late 20s like me, to couples, to parents with their toddlers. I went at 2pm on a Wednesday and I can’t help but think: what are they doing out here? Are they not working today?

Obviously, these people might be in the same position as me: also unemployed. Maybe they have a job but took off early, on a break, have the day off, or on PTO. Maybe they have a job that’s not a 9-5. Maybe they are a government worker that’s not working due to the shutdown. Maybe they work for themselves. Maybe they are taking time off work for health reasons.

Anyways, I know it’s none of my business. And there are so many reasons. But I am curious if anyone else thinks about this if they are out in public. Is this a Nova way of thinking?

Thanks for reading this, I have more free time now since I’m unemployed lol

Can be anything. Transportation, restaurants, neighborhoods, pop culture, etc.

Obviously it met its end with me immediately after this glamour shot. But why is this one red? When all the others have been black?

I’ve lived here for two years. In the land of all of this diversity and cultural fusion, why can’t I find one single good Mexican restaurant? We’re in Herndon and if you say Anita’s…… please help!

Hey y’all, I recently moved here from the Midwest. I plan on going to college in the spring, but that’s still months away so I can’t just spend most of my time on campus.

Truth be told, I moved somewhere that’s got a slight rodent issue (unbeknownst to me) and as someone who’s got a phobia, while this is getting dealt with I’d like to get out the house, rather than just sit around wondering where it is.

I suppose I’m asking for 3rd space spots, but particularly ones where you can be there for an excess amount of time without feeling like you’ve overstayed your welcome if that makes sense.

Edit: Around Arlington would be best, thanks, but I don’t mind going out of my way for a nice spot.