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I'm currently 28 and I'm looking for a change of pace from my current suburban lifestyle.
I want to experience stereotypical "big city" living as shown on TV. Dense urban Apartment living, interesting architecture, corner markets, delis, cafes, public squares, retail and street life, pub transit, and so forth.
I have narrowed my choices down to DC or Boston. Basically, for lack of a better description, I'm looking for a NYC lite experience. I think NYC would be a bit too much for me.
Which of those two cities best matches what I'm looking for?
Boston has a more classic urban look, that's for sure. But digging a little deeper I think DC takes a lot of these categories - public transit, retail and street life, public squares. DC also feels more vibrant later - Boston rolls up its sidewalks pretty early.
That said, these two are very comparable for urban big city living - it's hard for me to pick one. Along with SF, Philly and Chicago they are head and shoulders above any city not named NYC (which is on a completely different plane) for urban living. I know LA has dense pockets and Seattle has a pretty robust urban core, but to me they aren't on the same level for urban big city living.
Boston has a more classic urban look, that's for sure. But digging a little deeper I think DC takes a lot of these categories - public transit, retail and street life, public squares. DC also feels more vibrant later - Boston rolls up its sidewalks pretty early.
That said, these two are very comparable for urban big city living - it's hard for me to pick one. Along with SF, Philly and Chicago they are head and shoulders above any city not named NYC (which is on a completely different plane) for urban living. I know LA has dense pockets and Seattle has a pretty robust urban core, but to me they aren't on the same level for urban big city living.
With Boston or DC, you can't go wrong.
I think Boston takes the "public squares" category....
I also think street life could be debated...
Honestly though, to the OP, the two both offer good urban experiences. To differentiate between the two, you have to get more nitty-gritty.
Boston is smaller, taller, and colder. It has tighter streets and less urban sprawl. Suburbs seem to spring up quickly.
DC is shorter, wider, and warmer. There's more new development. The subway extends further into the suburbs, which tend to look newer than Boston's suburbs.
I'm currently 28 and I'm looking for a change of pace from my current suburban lifestyle.
I want to experience stereotypical "big city" living as shown on TV. Dense urban Apartment living, interesting architecture, corner markets, delis, cafes, public squares, retail and street life, pub transit, and so forth.
I have narrowed my choices down to DC or Boston. Basically, for lack of a better description, I'm looking for a NYC lite experience. I think NYC would be a bit too much for me.
Which of those two cities best matches what I'm looking for?
If you're looking for "NYC lite". You may also want to check out Philly. The thing about DC is that there is so much residential you'd think "rents" would be a little cheaper.
I've spent alot of time in both, I lived in Boston up until very recently and still have a home there and spent at least a few days each month in DC for the past few years. They are both great choices (Boston is my 3rd favorite city in the country, DC 4th).
They both check all of your boxes to be honest and are about as equal as you are going to get. Both have strong public transit systems where people can easily live car free. I find housing in Boston to be a little older in general vs a considerable amount of new construction in DC, even though there has been quite the housing boom in Boston lately. They both are amongst the most expensive cities to live in the country, but also have some of the highest wages and earning potential.
As far as street life is concerned, this is completely anecdotal but I find that during the day both cities bustle with life from the working crowd. In the early evenings I find Boston to be the more vibrant city, but DC comes back to life later in the night and stays open at least an hour later than Boston due to a later last call.
Since you mentioned cafe culture, you may have interest in the restaurant scene. I enjoy eating out in Boston alot more than DC. I find the local restaurant scene to be stronger, even though DC is no slouch in this area either.
As people said you really cant go wrong and will experience a vibrant city lifestyle in both to the fullest. I think this one may come down to which city jumps out at you personally as having a vibe that matches your personality. Also a huge factor is what do you do for work? Career opportunities depending on the industry you work in will dictate how much you can earn, which plays a huge role in how much disposable income you will have left over to actually take advantage of these two great cities.
Boston feels more urban than DC.
Downtown DC is a bit quiet and sterile for me. There was this saturday I was walking in DC and wondering "where the hell are the people"? I didn't see many patio restaurant or cafes, or grocery stores that open to the street that you would expect from an ultra-vibrant city. Maybe I was not in the right neighhourhood (it was about 15 minutes walk to the White House) but it was definitely city center. The buildings and street all look nice and clean, but there are simply not a lot of pedestrians.
Then I headed to Georgetown, and that seemed a lot busier.
Boston feels more urban than DC.
Downtown DC is a bit quiet and sterile for me. There was this saturday I was walking in DC and wondering "where the hell are the people"? I didn't see many patio restaurant or cafes, or grocery stores that open to the street that you would expect from an ultra-vibrant city. Maybe I was not in the right neighhourhood (it was about 15 minutes walk to the White House) but it was definitely city center. The buildings and street all look nice and clean, but there are simply not a lot of pedestrians.
Then I headed to Georgetown, and that seemed a lot busier.
Arlington and Old Towne Alexandria has a lot of those "Patio" restaurants you were looking for. They are not "technically" DC though. They feel very urban as well.
Arlington and Old Towne Alexandria has a lot of those "Patio" restaurants you were looking for. They are not "technically" DC though. They feel very urban as well.
thanks.
I feel if one has to walk into a large closed "Mall" to have dinner, then it is definitely not that urban.
An urban vibe requires a lot of busy pedestrians (dont' mind Jay-walkers), stores and restaurants that actually open to the streets, wide side walk, public squares where people spend time, etc.
DC simply didn't ooze that vibe while Boston does a much better job.
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