Questions Downtown Silver Spring - good place for the legally blind? (Columbia: renting, crime)

[AndrewMarks]

I'll also post this in the DC board. Not sure where I'll get more response.

My wife and I are moving to the DC area. She is legally blind and cannot drive, but sees well enough to read slowly and get around on foot, bike, and public transit. I'm not concerned about my own commute since I can drive, but she will need to be able to live a productive and empowered life without a car. Being on the DC metro is a must, and she has been offered a job at Catholic University on the Red Line. DC seems horribly overpriced, so we've been looking at the suburbs. Downtown Silver Springs near the metro seems like a decent option for us.

- Without a car can you do grocery shopping, get coffee, go out for dinner, buy a book, shop for clothes, and see a movie?

- Is it a safe area? Safe to walk around after dark?

- Anything else you can tell me, buildings you can recommend, or other areas to consider? We're not moving until August and will be renting (our current home will be rented out since its value is in the crapper right now).

Thanks!

[kjg1963]

"Without a car can you do grocery shopping, get coffee, go out for dinner, buy a book, shop for clothes, and see a movie?"

You can do all of the above

[Marilyn Emery]

Downtown Silver Spring has alot to offer and is very easy to get around. You didn't say whether you are buying or renting but there are both available close to metro or bus lines.

[AndrewMarks]

We will be renting. We're not going to try to sell our house in the current market, so we're renting it out for a small profit.

Is the area pretty safe?

[Marilyn Emery]

You can check crime statistics on line but I think it's safe. I do there at night with my family, especially in the summer for concerts etc and have never felt unsafe. I'm sure like in any area where there are people there is crime but it never seems to be threatening or uncomfortable.

As an aside, there is a chapter/office of the Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind on Georgia Ave in Silver Spring. They offer a host of services for visually impaired.

[AndrewMarks]

Originally Posted by Marilyn Emery

You can check crime statistics on line but I think it's safe. I do there at night with my family, especially in the summer for concerts etc and have never felt unsafe. I'm sure like in any area where there are people there is crime but it never seems to be threatening or uncomfortable.

As an aside, there is a chapter/office of the Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind on Georgia Ave in Silver Spring. They offer a host of services for visually impaired.

Thanks for the tip on Columbia Lighthouse! That would be, if nothing else, an excellent resource for her to find a good eye doctor. They may even have some ideas to help her in other ways. Coming from Louisiana, she doesn't exactly have the best and the brightest to help her.

[Kensington]

I think downtown silver spring would be an excellent location. Clothes shopping is a bit sparse, but groceries, books, restaurants, and coffee shops are all within easy walking distance. There is a mall at the Wheaton metro stop and there are clothing stores at the Union Station stop. I think that the legally blind also qualify for significantly discounted metrobus and metrorail fares.