Leaving my beloved Southwest for NOMA (temporarily) (apartments, renting)

[The Heartbreak Kid]

So, I am thinking of renting a rowhouse on the corner of L and Abbey Pl NE. Nice deal that I found out there. Looking at crime reports, the area seems a tad bit more dangerous than SW (which can be quiet as a mouse) but still a good place overall. I am a guy though so not super worried. So what are some good things about the new neighborhood from those who live there?

[geoking66]

My only minor quibble is that Abbey Place is in Near Northeast, not NoMa. Otherwise, the area is on a definite upswing, although I personally wouldn't live there. You're within walking distance of both H Street and the Red Line (and not having to deal with Union Station makes that even nicer), a pretty good deal if you ask me.

[The Heartbreak Kid]

Why wouldn't you personally live there?

[geoking66]

Not central enough for the most part and I'm not much of a fan of H Street. Some people love it; I'm much more of a 14th and U kind of guy.

[DC Bossman]

I've lived about 2 blocks from there for the past 2 years. That corner of Abbey is directly within Noma so I don't know what the other guy is talking about. I love the neighborhood. The biggest draw for me is the convenience of being right next to the NY Ave Metro station, walking distance to H street, walking distance to Union station, farmer's market on florida ave., etc. You can walk to 5th & florida and hop on the 90/92 bus for a 10-15 minute ride to U street, you're a 20 minute walk to eastern market on a nice Saturday/Sunday afternoon. If you have a car, you are 5 minutes from 395 via H street, you're also right next to NY avenue head out to route 50. It's a very central location for a lot of things.

Great new burrito place(think of it like a chipotle with fresher ingredients) just opened up on 6th & florida. The owner Mike is a real cool dude who's always there choppin it up with all neighborhood folks who come in, tall lanky asian guy who treats his customers like family.

Harris Teeter/CVS right next to the metro for all your grocer/pharmacy needs. You have 2 corner stores available for those times when you need to just grab 1 small item real quick. I can vouch for the owner of the corner store on 4th & L. Real chill Ethiopian guy. Tons of restaurants popping up on H now.

In terms of crime, there's very little violent crime that I've seen. If you're a guy with street smarts & common sense, you should have no problem I think. Now property crime is a big issue (but where in the city is it not?). One time I came outside to go to my car and go to work and realized I accidentally left my work laptop in the backseat. Police report filled out then 3 weeks later the software tracking on it says it's turned up in El Salvador! lol It also took my dumbass 3 times before I learned not to leave any shiny electronics in plain sight in my car. This philosophy would apply for pretty much any part of the city though. Other than that, there's so much foot traffic from NY avenue commuters walking down M that you really don't see that much crime especially with a police station being on 3rd & M.

My neighbor is this real cool old lady whos been in the neighborhood for 10+ years so she's seen a lot of the change. It's always cool to chop it up with her talking about the history. One of her funniest stories is how she bought her house long ago not realizing the house directly across from hers was where Rayful edmond lived. When she saw the FBI & Swat team pull up one day, thats when she realized lol.

I don't know any of the folks on Abbey so I can't comment there. I"m assuming you've probably walked down the street a few times, so you'd know what to expect. Some of my neighbors are cool and we regularly chat, others are the gentrifying type that may keep to themselves. Friday/Saturday summer nights round 2 or 3AM are the best because you can just sit outside on the stoop and watch all types of craziness unfold as drunk patrons are heading home after leaving Fur/Ibiza

You'll be stone throw away too from the NoMA Summer on the screen event they have every Wednesday night during the Summer. It's this outdoor movie on a big ass empty grass lot behind the new Loree grand apartments on the corner of 3rd & L. They have food trucks/food vendors, some music, for the first 2 hours then around 9pm they put on the movie. So you bring a blanket to sit on, BYO[anything] and just chill. It's a good time, and very very effective date night. Whether it's a 1st date or 5th date, I've slayed a few with ease after one of those.

Overall it is perfect for me. It has an overall neighborhood feel while still being close to all the typical hotspots. I can metro or bus over to K street/U street lounges, do my thing, and then go back home to some peace and quiet. Any other questions let me know!

[geoking66]

Abbey Place is east of the Red Line, and therefore not in NoMa.

[The Heartbreak Kid]

How is the metro bike path or whatever it is called. I remember some stories about robberies last year.

[DC Bossman]

I rode it a bunch of times last Summer only up to about Takoma Park area. It's supposed to go all the way up to Silver Spring but the construction there is on hold I believe. Half of it is dedicated bike trail, other half you're going on the street with signs marked to let you know which way to go.

I've only been on it during the day when there's lots of foot traffic so I've never had issues.

[paytonc]

There have been reports of muggings and violence on the Metropolitan Branch Trail; there are some curves and blind spots where someone could hide, particularly from Eckington north. However, it's a really quick trip through NoMa itself to Union Station.

Whenever I'm in the area, I like to drop by places like A. Litteri over at the Capital City Market. With all the new restaurants opening there soon, the neighborhood might change really fast.