Courthouse, VA or McPherson Sq? Where would you Live? (for sale, 2013)

[movinghere]

I'd pick McPherson Square if its within walking distance of your office. Walking to work really can't be beat. Although the immediate 3 blocks around the McPherson Square apartment are business-oriented, if you're willing to walk 4-5 blocks, you can be at Whole Foods, Logan Circle, etc. However, I have friends who live in Courthouse and love it out there. It's really a matter of taste. One thing to consider is your metro expenses would probably be higher coming from Clarendon (if you work in the district) unless your employer provides reimbursement of commuting expenses, so that might cancel out the $100 in savings. There are more homeless people in the McPherson Square area, so while I generally feel safe in the area at night, that is something to consider.

[funkyimmigrant]

Hmmmn indeed its toss up between relying on the metro or being able to walk or get a cheap cab to my destination, but I do want to be safe. I think I might try Courthouse for a year until I get to know DC well enough to make the right decision. I've relied on the London tube for most of my working life though there you get a train every 3 mins or so and when there are delays maybe 5-7 minutes but here the metro, on e could wait 20 minutes for a train I hear...I suppose I'll just have to get a smartphone and have train timing on my fingertips...

[stateofnature]

As someone who has ridden the Metro almost daily for five years: trust me, it's NOT a toss up between walking or taking the Metro. Walking is much much more convenient.
Look at this website to see how much people in the DC area love the Metro: Unsuck DC Metro

[JEB77]

Originally Posted by stateofnature

I wouldn't want to live in Arlington without a car. And I lived near Courthouse for two and a half years. Yes there is stuff to walk to, but not nearly as much as in the city. With the lengthening metro wait times, having to rely solely on the Orange line would make traveling outside rush hour time-consuming. And during rush hour, you have to contend with the "Orange Crush" - the notorious overcrowding of that Northern VA Orange Line corridor.

Now compare that to living downtown - within walking distance of orange, blue and red lines (and not far from the green). The above posters are greatly exaggerating the "desolace" of Massachusetts Ave--yes it is not super busy outside working hours, but you walk two blocks north and you're in one of the livelier neighborhoods in the city. There is a massive Whole Foods at 14th and P.
If the rent differential is really that low, I think it would be crazy to turn down a chance to live in the middle of it all as opposed to a burb, albeit a burb with a more urban feel.

It's not that this stretch of Massachusetts is deserted, but only that it's ugly and doesn't have much character, since it's a transitional area located between more residential areas and downtown. It's certainly better than it used to be, when 12th and K was chock full of riff-raff at night, but it's still meh and not super-safe.

Obviously, if living near (rather than in) Logan Circle is important, it's a better location, but if I were a newcomer I'd go with Court House at first and get a better sense of different DC neighborhoods. Alternatively, if I didn't want to rely on the Metro, I'd just keep looking for some place else in DC that's in a nicer area. It's not as if there aren't other newer apartment complexes in the city.

[Alegria2]

Where in Europe are you relocating from?

I'm also relocating to DC and though I'm currently in Canada I was living in London for 10 years prior so my point of reference is "Europe to DC". My office is near McPherson Square and I would agree it's strictly a business area and extremely quiet at night.

I was out by myself late at night on a number of occasions and never once felt concerned for my safety. I noticed a number of homeless people but nothing like the numbers we see in European cities and in my experience, they're pretty harmless folk.

Something else worth noting is that DC taxis are fairly inexpensive compared to European cities. Though I can't comment extensively on Metro wait times, I did use both the orange and blue lines outside rush hour and found them very efficient and quick and highly affordable.

[funkyimmigrant]

I'm moving from London and my new office will be a block south of Farragut West metro which is orange line and direct from courthouse....I'm leaning towards courthouse. I had reserved both apts and I am tired of seeing apts after seeing 18 or so, they all look the same now...Coming from London, my preference was to be bang near a metro but feedback gives me the impression that proximity to metro is not a big deal in DC. Nevertheless, the courthouse apartment is 50 yards away from the metro...

Alegria, what neighborhoods in London would you liken these areas to ?

[movinghere]

I mapped out what (I think) would be your commute from the McPherson Sq apartment to your office. Googlemaps says it is an 18-minute 0.9 mile walk. I would definitely take the McPherson Sq apartment and walk to the office. Try maps.google.com and look yourself.

I think, however, that you really will be fine living in either place.

[DC's Finest]

1210 Mass is nowhere near McPherson Square. It's a good 15 minute walk. I would do the Mass apartment because you are 10-12 minute WALK to Dupont Circle to the west; the 14 Street corridor to the northwest; U street corridor to the immediate north; Chinatown and Penn Quarter to the southeast. All of these areas kill Courthouse in terms of restaurants and nightlife.

[Alegria2]

Originally Posted by funkyimmigrant

I'm moving from London and my new office will be a block south of Farragut West metro which is orange line and direct from courthouse....I'm leaning towards courthouse. I had reserved both apts and I am tired of seeing apts after seeing 18 or so, they all look the same now...Coming from London, my preference was to be bang near a metro but feedback gives me the impression that proximity to metro is not a big deal in DC. Nevertheless, the courthouse apartment is 50 yards away from the metro...

Alegria, what neighborhoods in London would you liken these areas to ?

I envisage Courthouse almost like a newer, shinier less dense Clapham without the Common.

In my experience with my own colleagues, the pub culture isn't as alive and well in DC as it is in London, but looking at your office location, I could easily see you profiting from access to DC's more livelier spots during the week and enjoying the slightly more relaxed pace of Courthouse at the weekend.

I think your idea of trying out Courthouse for a year is a good one. It's a shame leases aren't 6-months like in London, but a year will give you ample opportunity to really explore DC and then move somewhere else if you feel the need plus by then you'll have had at least one pay rise!

[Stephen 81]

Originally Posted by Alegria2

I envisage Courthouse almost like a newer, shinier less dense Clapham without the Common.

That sounds about right. Courthouse, and most of the Orange Line in Arlington, has the new feel of a lot of the Docklands area, but demographically seems more like Clapham. I live near Courthouse and when I visited friends near Clapham last year, it felt very familiar despite having been a student in North London.