Updated February 3, 2022. Sure, the White House is a pretty posh address, but McLean isn’t too shabby, either. The average cost of a home is upward of $1.2 million (with many estates far exceeding that figure), a rise of 6.4 percent, according to Zillow. Residents of the ritzy enclave over the years have included everyone from folks like AOL co-founder James Kimsey to Jackie Kennedy, who grew up in the Merrywood mansion—and the Bidens, but of course. According to reports, the Bidens began renting an estate on Chain Bridge Road (pictured above) in 2017 after moving out of Number One Observatory Circle at the end of his term as vice president.
Their landlord and next-door neighbor was Mark Ein, the venture capitalist who owns, among other things, Kastle Systems, the Washington Kastles tennis team, and the Citi Open tennis tournament. (Joe Biden once attended a Wizards game with pal Ein; earlier that same day, he reportedly visited George Mason University in Fairfax as part of the school’s sexual assault awareness month.) The price tag to rent such a pad: more than $20,000 a month, according to Zillow’s estimate (the house is off market). The Bidens got what they paid for; the 12,000-square-foot Georgian-style mansion was also the residence of Alexander Haig (secretary of state under President Ronald Reagan) and houses five bedrooms, nine baths, a sauna, gym, and a driveway for 20 cars—suited for Joe, who has admitted to being an auto enthusiast. His fave: a 1967 Corvette featured in a campaign ad. The Bidens no longer rent or live in the McLean home as–you may have heard–they have a new address.
A Dream Day for the Bidens in NoVA
The Bidens are busy, but we recommend these NoVA spots if they ever have an afternoon off!
Joe and Jill could take their hot rod over to Skyline Drive in the fall—perhaps with the presidential motorcade in tow. Or maybe they could head over to Old Town Alexandria, so Jill can shop for responsibly made apparel at Threadleaf. It’s run by attorney-turned-retailer Nicole McGrew, who formerly served as assistant general counsel for the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, where she worked on victims’ rights issues. While there, she interacted with members of Biden’s team. “He was always a huge advocate for victims and getting them help,” she says. “Both he and Dr. Biden were widely respected, and everyone was happy to work on any of their initiatives.”
Among our other recs: a stop at Jeni’s in Old Town for a scoop of salted peanut butter ice cream with chocolate flecks. (Joe, an ice cream fan, tweeted prior to his Ohio debate that he was prepping with that very sweet; the company’s headquarters are in the Buckeye State.) There’s also veteran- and woman-owned Amore Congelato for a twist. Afterward, they could burn off the calories with a bike ride—or a run, Jill’s preferred sport—on the Mount Vernon trail from NoVA, right back into DC.
This story originally appeared in the January issue as part of a special Inauguration feature. For more stories like this, subscribe to our monthly magazine.
