If you were moving to DC, which neighborhood would you move to?

[Slopho]

Originally Posted by auto90403

I take it you're single. So don't bother with Cleveland Park, Woodley Park or Bethesda. They're for married people with kids.

If you live on Capitol Hill, you can walk to work. It's the secret best undiscovered neighborhood in DC. Much of the Senate and House and their staffers live here. Just be careful not to stray too far into NE or down Penn Ave toward Anacostia -- things can get bad very quickly.

Penn Quarter is the hot new area. My sense is, its hotness is developer-driven. We'll see if it survives the collapse of the real estate market. Not a real neighborhood yet, in my opinion. You will need a car to drive to the supermarket and the like.

Adams Morgan has been the up and coming neighborhood for the last 20 years and 20 years from now it will still be on the cusp of getting hot. Ditto Columbia Heights. Don't bother.

U street is much like Penn Quarter but at a lower price point -- another developer-driven revival. Maybe you'll get lucky and stumble into a real estate steal.

The really interesting but still risky neighborhood is Logan Circle. Gays who put in a lot of sweat equity have done amazing job gentrifying a really REALLY ****** neighborhood. But there are still pockets of poverty making it dangerous to walk home late at night.

Dupont Circle is pricey and kinda boring. 20 years ago it was DC's gay neighborhood. Now they've been priced out (and into Logan Circle) so that Dupont feels like it's nothing but law firms and the classier public interest/lobbying shops and decent-but-not-great restaurants. But it's very nice. Especially the parts that back into Kalorama. Which is without a doubt the most elegant urban neighborhood in America.

Forget Maryland. And the parts of Northern Virginia where singles live feel too much like the Midwest or small-town South. Urban without really being urban. NoVa, by the way, has amazing restaurants. Unless you're prepared to spend serious money, you will eat far better in NoVa than in the District.

I don't know, you could try downtown Bethesda. Its like a mini DC that shuts down at about 11:30pm or so. You'll never hear any techno or house at a "club" you go to there, but if you like Bon Jovi and top 40, you're in luck.

 

[kaxixi]

^ Hard sell.

Yes, I'm single. These descriptions are helpful. FYI, a friend tells me there's a Safeway across from her apt in Penn Quarter.

 

[Connemara]

Originally Posted by auto90403

If you live on Capitol Hill, you can walk to work. It's the secret best undiscovered neighborhood in DC. Much of the Senate and House and their staffers live here. Just be careful not to stray too far into NE or down Penn Ave toward Anacostia -- things can get bad very quickly.
Isn't Anacostia across the river? Seems like it would be tough to accidentally "stray" there.

 

[kaxixi]

"toward"?

 

[scnupe7]

Originally Posted by auto90403

Penn Quarter is the hot new area. My sense is, its hotness is developer-driven. We'll see if it survives the collapse of the real estate market. Not a real neighborhood yet, in my opinion. You will need a car to drive to the supermarket and the like.
Not necessarily true. There is a Safeway at 5th and K now.

 

[summej2]

SW Waterfront is an underrated option fairly close to where you'll be working.

 

[cheessus]

Originally Posted by auto90403

U street is much like Penn Quarter but at a lower price point -- another developer-driven revival. Maybe you'll get lucky and stumble into a real estate steal.

NoVa, by the way, has amazing restaurants. Unless you're prepared to spend serious money, you will eat far better in NoVa than in the District.

+1. I would suggest for NoVA, Clarendon or maybe Fairlington.

 

[JetBlast]

Of course many people would go with Georgetown, but out of your choices I would go with Eastern Market/the Hill.

 

[MetroStyles]

Gtown Baby!

 

[scnupe7]

Originally Posted by cheessus

+1. I would suggest for NoVA, Clarendon or maybe Fairlington.

NoVA is so bland. Where is Fairlington?

 

[cheessus]

Originally Posted by scnupe7

NoVA is so bland. Where is Fairlington?

Whoops, meant Farlington. It borders Alexandria/Bradlee shopping center. Very close to Old Town, somewhat sandwiched between Falls Church and Arlington.

 

[scnupe7]

Originally Posted by cheessus

Whoops, meant Farlington. It borders Alexandria/Bradlee shopping center. Very close to Old Town, somewhat sandwiched between Falls Church and Arlington.

Interesting. I've never heard of it.

 

[skiwebster]

I'd say either Cap Hill/Eastern Market or Penn Quarter. The Hill will be cheaper and you can park on the street if you wanted (no street parking in PQ except for meters). The further out you go on penn ave in the hill the cheaper it will be. I think the area by potomac metro is starting to look nice and they just got a brand new harris teeter.

 

[auto90403]

Originally Posted by Connemara

Isn't Anacostia across the river? Seems like it would be tough to accidentally "stray" there.

"Toward Anacostia" = in the direction of Anacostia.

Trust me, I wasn't suggesting he consider moving there.

 

[Joffrey]

Unless you work in Georgetown or have car, I don't see the point in living there. I love the area but I like living within 10 minutes of a metro stop.

I've been looking to move from the Van Ness/Forrest hills area and am looking at Dupont, U street (particularly in between Dupont and U street metros where I'm convinced I can find a steal), and Foggy Bottom. I still like Cleveland Park and Woodley but more for the reason of stumbling across a nice house a block or two off of Connecticut Ave for cheapo rent.

The right parts of capitol hill are actually pretty nice but not my cup of tea (unless I worked closer to the area).