New Job in DC/ HELP! Where should i live? (apartments, to rent)

[universal1022]

First I would like to thank any/everyone who will take the time out to assist me

My situation:

-African American female
-Moving from sunshine state
-Employer is located on C street in DC
-100% city girl
-Never been to DC/VA/MD
-Has a car but has never driven in snow


My Needs:

-recommendations of areas to rent 1bed
-under $1700
-near rail that will take me to C st
-near eateries
-safe area
-area accepting of all races
-Less than 30min commute (claustrophobic, 45mi metro ride while living in NY was bad for my nerves when train stopped for delays, traffic, passenger illness)


Below is a link of complex I previously stayed to get an idea of what I am looking for
[mod]link removed, please wait with links until you have at least 10 posts[/mod]

Thanks guys

[stateofnature]

Your budget is pretty decent so I don't think you will have much of a problem. Also, it usually only snows a few times a year here and if it's any kind of serious snow most places shut down so don't worry too much about driving in snow.
But just saying "C street" is very vague. There are multiple C streets because DC is divided into Northwest, Northeast, Southeast and Southwest quadrants.
Also, streets tend to go on for miles so just saying the name of a street doesn't tell people a location because we don't know where on the street you're talking about.

You need to give us a better idea of where your job is to give a recommendation on a convenient location.

[universal1022]

Thank you for the prompt response, it is 500c street

[akorosdc]

I'm guessing you mean C Street SW or NW? Not trying to be picky, but there's technically 4 "500 C Street"s in DC (one in each quadrant.

If it's C Street SW, you're closest to the blue/orange line but could also commute from the yellow or green line, too. For C Street NW you'd want the yellow/green line. (Metro - Home page)

As far as neighborhoods, Capitol Hill would be a good place. It's safe, urban (though not crazily so), and you could possibly even walk to work (which would help with your nerves). Beyond Capitol Hill, some other goods neighborhoods to look at:
- SW Waterfront: quieter and more residential, but walking distance to work and easier to park your car
- U Street: yellow/green line, pretty quick ride, definitely more active with a lot of bars and restaurants
- Colombia Heights: yellow/green line, same ride as from U Street, more urban; I like it, but some people I know complain that it's too hipster
- Navy Yard: green line, also a quick ride, but also quieter (for now, tons of redevelopment going on)
- Logan Circle: blue/orange line, nice residential area near a lot of restaurants and bars, short ride (might be a little busy, but most people coming in from VA get off at earlier stops)

If you had issues with a cramped train ride, I'd avoid North Arlington. It's a nice area, but the train is ridiculous in the morning.

Penn Quarter and Mt. Vernon Triangle might also be worth taking a look at, though most apartments I've found there tend to be overpriced (in my opinion).

[stateofnature]

Like I said, there are multiple C Streets because DC is divided into 4 quadrants. So 500 C st still doesn't help. This is something you'll quickly learn when you move to DC: if you don't say whether you're going to NW, NE, SE or SW, you could end up at a completely different location.

[universal1022]

Sorry your right. Its between c and 4th st sw. I believe L' Enfant metro is near by.
Thank you for the recommendations. Staying in DC would be great but the rent I have viewed were min 2k which is hard to let go every month on a box....

I am in my mid 30s not so much interested in living near clubs or bars but pref to live somewhere I could walk to eateries or shops.

NEEDS
-safety
-clean
-affordable rent
-less than 1hr commute

WANTS
- walking distance to nice eateries, shops
- walking distance to metro
-renovated or newer complex
-luxury community
- garage

[universal1022]

Also I am not bothered by a cramp train ride it was more of the train constantly stopping under ground ,for long periods in between stops...that is where being claustrophobic REALLY got to me lol

[stateofnature]

Capitol Hill wouldn't fit all of your wants because there are basically no luxury high rises there, and very few garages unless you're willing to pay a lot extra. Actually, pretty much anywhere in DC covered garage parking will cost over $100 a month on top of rent so you may want to cross that off your list. Most people in the neighborhoods mentioned either park on the street or don't own a car. In the walkable neighborhoods with Metro access, a car is really just unnecessary unless you have some very specific reason why you need one, such as you need to travel to the suburbs often.

Do you really need your car for something, or are you just assuming you need one? I know in Florida basically everybody needs one to get around but DC is very different than Florida (I grew up in Florida so I know.)

Around the Waterfront and Navy Yard metro stops has a bunch of luxury high rise apartment buildings, but very few shops and only a few restaurants. More stuff is opening around there all the time, though. You could walk to work from there in just a few minutes.

Cleveland Park along Connecticut Ave has a lot of luxury high rise buildings and more restaurants and shops, but it would be about a 20 minute metro ride to work.

[universal1022]

Well I just recently purchased a new car hence the desire for a garage. yES, you are correct in FL a car is a must .

From my understanding street parking adds to issue of moving the car to opposite side of road on certain days, scrapping snow off the car and hoping to locate a spot, walking blocks with groceries. Which seems like an unnecessary headache

My thoughts were when the weather is bad I can walk to metro and eateries , when good I have my own transportation to take me where needed and desired. Also I did not have to worry about all the weirdos on the rail, transfers and when it stops operating

I can live with a metro ride under 30min

please note I am basing this off of my 1yr metro experience in NYC

[stateofnature]

Not everywhere has street cleaning that requires you to move your car. In fact, most streets don't. In my neighborhood, for example, I could leave my car for basically as long as I want as long as my residential parking permit is up to date, and you can renew that for two years at a time.
Like I said, it doesn't snow very much here so "scrapping snow off the car" isn't really a big concern. I end up having to do it usually under five times a year.
Walking blocks with groceries isn't that big of a deal if you live close to a grocery store, which is very possible. Also, that's not really enough of a justification for owning and maintaining a car. You could use Zipcar to load up groceries a few times a month and still pay MUCH less than all the costs of car ownership, parking, etc.

The busiest restaurant districts in the city are around Logan Circle and downtown, and it's not really practical to drive there because it will take you forever to find a parking spot and in bad weather you'll end up walking even more from where you parked the car than you would if you had taken the Metro. You could pay to park, but from the neighborhoods you are looking at, a cab would be cheaper.
This isn't like Florida where there are big free parking lots everywhere.

But there are a lot of good restaurants in the suburbs where driving is a lot easier. But, you can still get there with Zipcar.