I live near the new RI Courthouse. I would recommend this location for a family. You can walk three - four blocks to all the shopping and restaurants in Clarendon - which is a new urban village atmosphere. Rosslyn is dead at night and so is Pentagon City. Pentagon City sits near I-95 and the only thing close is Pentagon City shopping mall - and its food court. Rosslyn is just a bunch of high rise office building - so the area is quiet at night.

Courthouse/Clarendon is where it is happening. Dupont is OK, but I do not recommend it for a family with two small kids. Unless you are young, hip, gay, or otherwise nightlife party type - then I would not recommend Dupont for you.

You can catch the metro at Courthouse to go downtown and then there are many restaurants in Clarendon for the evening.