I like DC, but live in Arlington (which I refer to as W. DC and DC as E. Arlington). Like other towns mentioned on this thread (namely, Bethesda and Alexandria), it is not really a suburb. With roads and trails leading directly into DC, you can be in various hot spots w/o much fuss or higher tax rate. For example, I live in Arlington's Ballston-Rosslyn corridor and I can cycle on the good urban streets or paved trails to Georgetown (3 mi?) or the Kennedy Center/Mall (4 mi approx) or Dupont (5-6mi) -- even from the furtherst end of that corridor. If you live in Rosslyn, you're even closer -- the Key and Roosevelt Bridges are blocks away. Both bridges (+ the Memorial and 14th St. Bridges ) connect with the Mount Vernon or Custis traisl (both paved multi-use trails) and have sidewalks wide enough for bikes and joggers. You'll can make it to the popular Hains Point in 6.5 or less miles from the Ballston-Rosslyn corridor.

Additionally, if you cross the key bridge and turn left away from G-town, you can ride through the Palisades section of DC and into Potomac, Great Falls, and rural parts of Montgomery County, Md. If you live in the hipper part of Bethesda, however, you have a longer ride into downtown DC, Dupont and Cap Hill (maybe equidistant to Adams Morgan).

The Ballston-Rosslyn Corridor is metro accessible, pricing is better w/ the housing bust, and you can access all of the major roads to get to other parts of the area or to your family in PA. When driving, I can reach Bethesda in 25 min (even w/ traffic lights), Dupont in 15, etc., but rush hour can change everything no matter where you live. If you live beyond the beltway (VA or MD) the drive/commute time can increase exponentially. By way of reference, I can drive to Atlantic City in 3.5 hrs and return to Arlington about as quickly as someone can to parts of Bethesda. Plus, Arlington is fun, clean, has lots of resources and options. Not to the say the others do not, but this is based on my personal experience. Good luck.