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Ok so I just landed a pretty decent job with a pretty awesome non-profit with offices 4 blks north of the White House. I'm so excited about getting to live in DC I can't wait to get there! Only thing is I don't know where to live. Reading these forums I've heard that considering one's commute time should be pretty high up on the priority list. I don't want to have a car in the city. The closest metro to my job is Faragut North so I think I want something near the first five stops north of that one on the red line. That would make for an easy commute right?
I also have a dog who likes to run and I'd like to be either near a leash-free dog park or have a fenced in backyard. And finally I really want to be able to have a vegetable garden either in my yard or in a community garden so I can eat well while in the big city.
All this I want for.... under $1500/mo. and probably I should be closer to the $1000 end of the scale. Is it possible to get all this in DC for that price?
p.s. I don't want to live in a basement. I saw rats the night of the interview.
Last edited by lividsnails; 10-03-2007 at 06:17 PM..
Farragut North is on the Metro Red Line (Connecticut Ave at K and L Sts), but if that's convenient, Farragut West on the Blue and Orange Lines (I (Eye) St at 17th and 18th Sts) likely will be also. There is no J Street, so the two stations have only the one block of the park itself between them. Being within five stops will guaranty an easy commute. You could add a couple and still be fine. If you haven't seen it yet, Metro has a good map of its routes and stations overlaid on a street map. You can check it out here...
Metro - Maps (http://www.wmata.com/maps/maps.cfm?fromMenu=MapsAndStations.0 - broken link)
The dog factor will need some work. Virtually every close-in jurisdiction has leash-laws and you will most definitely be expected to pick up after the pooch. Dog parks are a more recent phenomenon. Arlington is probably still the leader, but you should check the DC and other government websites to get the latest info on park hours and locations. There are bazillions of dogs in the area and lots of money, so facilities and support for dogs are certainly out there.
Pricewise, you are a little bit looking for the $6.95 Filet Mignon. That's not on the menu most nights. Prices will vary some in the areas that you'll be interested in, but unless you go the roommate route or make some other major modification, you won't get near the $1000 a month level. $1500 would give you a shot at least.
If there are other people where you live now, there are also rats. The variable with rats is how often you see them, not whether they exist. Like other metro areas, DC occasionally has mysterious increases in rat populations which require attention, but we aren't in one of those currently and haven't been for a while.
Thanks saganista! that's very helpful! I have been looking at the metro map but I realize now it's a bit misleading. Faragut West seems farther away than it really is. I will look into option then in Virginia as well... that definitely widens the field for me.
One question about the metro maps though that I can't find the answer to on their site: what do the stations marked with the double circle mean? it can't be just that they indicate places where you can transfer to another line because there are regular non-double circle stations where apparently you can do that as well... So does the double circle just mean that it's a bigger station? Or that there are express trains that only stop there and not at the other ones? That would be brilliant if there are express trains!
Right, the typical Metro map that just shows the colored lines is not to scale at all. Meanwhile, the double-circles are just transfer-stations, except that they also include stations where two lines that run for a while over the same tracks either join or divide. Thus Rosslyn (as an example) is doubled because if you're on an Orange Line train and need to go to National Airport, Rosslyn is the LAST CHANCE to hop off and hop on a Blue Line train instead. There are actually no express trains. They pretty much all stop at all the stations.
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