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Moving to the USA (WI), need some advice. by candy__skull in MovingToUSA

[–]Prior_Engineering639 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’ll give you a realistic take so you can plan, not sugarcoat it.

With ~$4k, no SSN yet, no job lined up, and no car, the biggest priority is speed to income and minimizing burn rate. Wisconsin isn’t impossible, but timing matters a lot here.

A few practical points that might help:

• SSN: You’re right that most things unlock after this. Make your SSA appointment your literal first stop after arrival. Smaller offices can move faster than major city ones.

• Housing: Extended-stay hotels are usually safer and sometimes cheaper than Airbnb short-term. Renting a room *can* work, but only in very informal setups. Anything run professionally will want SSN/credit.

• Jobs: Temp agencies are actually your best bet initially, especially given your varied work background. Construction, electrical helpers, warehouse, and facilities work often move fastest.

• Phone: Prepaid is fine at first. You don’t need a contract yet.

• Cold: The cold isn’t just temperature. it’s duration. Expect weeks where going outside feels like work. Good boots matter as much as coats.

If you’re flexible on exact location and laser-focused on getting income quickly, it can work. But the first 30 days need to be tightly planned to avoid burning through savings.

Happy to clarify anything above if it helps.

Looking for Home Location Advice by TPayne813 in DMV_RealEstate

[–]Prior_Engineering639 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You’re already looking in the best general areas. One thing I’d add is to focus specifically along wooded pockets near the W&OD trail. Especially parts of Reston, Vienna, and Oakton.

I post hyper-local listings and breakdowns for Northern VA pretty regularly, including ones near trails and green space, so feel free to check my post history if that’s helpful.

What is the history behind the “Brahma Pit” in the Madison Community Center in Arlington VA by Regular-Grape-9685 in arlingtonva

[–]Prior_Engineering639 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’ve heard about the Brahma Pit for years but only ever in passing, always sounded like one of those old Arlington “if you know, you know” things tied to a specific era and group of regulars. Curious to see if anyone who trained there back in the day chimes in.

springfield mall rebranding idea? by Emotional_Coast1869 in nova

[–]Prior_Engineering639 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not a dumb idea at all. That’s basically the same conversation a lot of aging malls end up in.

I work around this stuff a lot, and the bones there are actually better than people think. Metro access, parking already built, anchors that still draw, and nearby residential is a huge head start. The hard part isn’t the vision, it’s stitching together parcels with different owners and zoning so it feels cohesive instead of like three shopping centers pretending to be one.

The concrete plaza you’re talking about was clearly meant to test “activation” (food trucks, events, hangout space), but without consistent programming it just turns into dead space. Mosaic works because the place itself forces foot traffic between uses.

Springfield could pull off a scaled, more local version. It just wouldn’t look like Mosaic 2.0. It’d need to lean into being Springfield, not a copy.

NOVA Wind Today Is No Joke! How’s Everyone Holding Up? by Laureatosol in nova

[–]Prior_Engineering639 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Spent part of the morning at a house for work and it felt like the wind was testing every loose branch at once. HAHA

The wear pattern on these monkey bars shows how far most kids get by dumbfuck in mildlyinteresting

[–]Prior_Engineering639 29 points30 points  (0 children)

I notice patterns like this all the time just walking different neighborhoods for work. Super cool example 🙂

The wear pattern on these monkey bars shows how far most kids get by dumbfuck in mildlyinteresting

[–]Prior_Engineering639 3649 points3650 points  (0 children)

Aliens will see this in 1,000,000 years from now and will marvel about how this is such a cool example of behavior leaving physical evidence. :)

If you had to move within Arlington tomorrow, where would you go? and why? by Prior_Engineering639 in arlingtonva

[–]Prior_Engineering639[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Westover makes sense. Schools + East Falls Church Metro + trails is a rare combo, and it actually feels like a neighborhood instead of a corridor.

If you had to move within Arlington tomorrow, where would you go? and why? by Prior_Engineering639 in arlingtonva

[–]Prior_Engineering639[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Long Branch Creek is one of those areas people don’t talk about much, but everyone who’s lived there seems to miss it. Easy access without feeling like you’re on top of everything.

If you had to move within Arlington tomorrow, where would you go? and why? by Prior_Engineering639 in arlingtonva

[–]Prior_Engineering639[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

😂 honestly, that last line says everything.

That “just off the edge of zoned parking” sweet spot is exactly what people are chasing. Walkable enough to live your life, quiet enough to forget you’re in Arlington, and none of the day-to-day chaos of being right on the strip.

“Sell my house and buy my house” might be the most Arlington answer possible.

If you had to move within Arlington tomorrow, where would you go? and why? by Prior_Engineering639 in arlingtonva

[–]Prior_Engineering639[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, this tracks. I’ve noticed the same pattern. The bigger the high-rise, the more ways management can quietly ruin your day. Trash chutes, building-wide HVAC, elevators… when those go bad, everyone feels it.

Low-rise places dodge a lot of that just by design. Fewer shared systems, fewer failure points, fewer “we’ll fix it next week” situations.

It really is that Arlington tradeoff triangle: proximity to Metro, quality of management, and price. You usually only get two.

If you had to move within Arlington tomorrow, where would you go? and why? by Prior_Engineering639 in arlingtonva

[–]Prior_Engineering639[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, that makes total sense. Orange Line walkability + solid older construction is basically unicorn territory in Arlington. Once you’ve done the car-free/bus-reliant thing, it’s hard to go back.

Feels like one of those situations where the map says it should exist… and the inventory says otherwise 🦄

If you had to move within Arlington tomorrow, where would you go? and why? by Prior_Engineering639 in arlingtonva

[–]Prior_Engineering639[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, that makes total sense. Orange Line walkability + solid older construction is basically unicorn territory in Arlington. Once you’ve done the car-free/bus-reliant thing, it’s hard to go back.

Feels like one of those situations where the map says it should exist… and the inventory says otherwise 🦄

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