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I'll be moving to DC within the next couple of months, and am looking for advice on where to rent. I really need to live in a neighborhood where you can walk around, as I don't own a car, will be metro-ing downtown to work, and my dog is very much used to years of going on 30+ minute walks meandering around Brooklyn. He's also in love with outdoor dog parks, but it doesn't look like those really exist in DC in great numbers (I did see one on S Street).
I'd be perfectly fine with a 30-45 minute commute on the metro, but from my basic research, it looks like the city neighborhoods are pretty close to downtown? So I'm looking for a 1-bedroom apt (without a roommate) that's in a dog-friendly neighborhood, and I can spend around $2000/month if need be. I'm not really wed to many other amenities - a W/D in the apt would be ideal, along with upgraded appliances, but if the right neighborhood came along, I'd be fine leaving them out.
Among all those questions, I also searched the forum but wasn't able to come up with this - what neighborhood(s) in DC most closely resemble NYC / Brooklyn that go along the lines of above? (Yes, I realize it won't be perfect, but that's what I'm hoping you good folks can help with Walking around with the crush of people is something I've gotten used to over the years - the sheer number of people is fun to be with.
Thanks!
Last edited by kevinharkins877; 03-16-2015 at 09:18 PM..
Reason: adding to post
With your budget, you can live just about anywhere around here.
The Clarendon neighborhood of Arlington, VA has one of the nicest dog parks in the country: James Hunter Park - Parks & Recreation. It was recently profiled in the Washington Post but of course I can't find the article now. Clarendon has just about every amenity you could want: Trader Joes, Whole Foods, Metro station (10-15 minutes to downtown on Orange/Silver Lines), bike lanes, and countless bars and restaurants.
It depends what kind of neighborhood you're looking for? Clarendon is more of a young, preppy neighborhood. U/14 street NW and H st NE neighborhoods in DC are considered the hipster neighborhoods in DC. Capitol Hill/Georgetown/Dupont Circle are older, more preppy neighborhoods. Adams Morgan is somewhere in between.
If your #1 priority is a dog park, then you won't find one better than Clarendon's though. It's a little ridiculous how much the county spent on it.
Adams Morgan, Dupont and Logan Circle are the busiest, densest neighborhoods most similar to Manhattan and most of Brooklyn. They're still a lot less busy and dense compared to NYC. Still will probably seem quiet and small-town to you compared to NYC, but those are the closest we've got. H Street NE is also worth considering.
With your budget you can find something anywhere, so take your pick.
I wouldn't recommend Arlington if you're looking for an NYC vibe. Most of it is very suburban, and the "urban" parts like Clarendon are basically one street of yuppie shops and restaurants and the occasional big apartment building surrounded by suburbia.
I wouldn't recommend Arlington if you're looking for an NYC vibe. Most of it is very suburban, and the "urban" parts like Clarendon are basically one street of yuppie shops and restaurants and the occasional big apartment building surrounded by suburbia.
Have you been to Clarendon? It's not NYC as nothing in the DC area is but your description is horribly wrong. Your description can just as easily fit DC. Half of NW is way more suburban than Clarendon.
Have you been to Clarendon? It's not NYC as nothing in the DC area is but your description is horribly wrong. Your description can just as easily fit DC. Half of NW is way more suburban than Clarendon.
Arlington is still pretty suburban against DC. He wants a city vibe and is from NYC, I would not suggest Arlington either unless he has kids and school is a problem but that's not the case.
He also said he's looking for something that resembles Brooklyn so again no.
Have you been to Clarendon? It's not NYC as nothing in the DC area is but your description is horribly wrong. Your description can just as easily fit DC. Half of NW is way more suburban than Clarendon.
Of course I've been there. I used to live less than a mile from the Clarendon metro, and three blocks from the Courthouse metro. I think my description is completely accurate. Walk a block from Wilson/Clarendon boulevard and you can be surrounded by detached, single family homes. It's suburban aside from the area immediately around the main drag.
Dupont, Adams Morgan, Logan Circle, many other parts of DC, aren't like that. You'd have to walk very far, out of those areas entirely, to find detached housing. They are significantly more urban than Clarendon, and a heck of a lot closer to the NYC vibe the OP is looking for.
I want a very urban vibe too and I hated living in Arlington. Clarendon feels to me like the small downtown of a suburb. I live in the city now and am so much happier.
Yes there are suburban parts of DC, but so what? Nobody is recommending that the OP live in Foxhall or Chevy Chase or any of the other parts of the city that feel more suburban.
Last edited by stateofnature; 03-17-2015 at 12:09 PM..
Try Capitol Hill in addition to the neighborhoods already mentioned. DC is very dog friendly. Most dog owners avoid the formal dog parks as there are too many poorly socialized dogs running around.
You really have a large number of options, this is probably coming from the benefit of coming from one of the only cities more expensive than DC. You can either go with a really nice apartment in Takoma, or something a little smaller in a place like Mt. Pleasant. Just pick a neighborhood you like, unlike some people you are not budget constrained.
I would not recommend many suburbs for you if you are without a car. Silver Spring or Arlington, absolutely. Fairfax not so much.
Columbia Heights is perfect for you. The most Brooklyn type of neighborhood in the city.
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Walking around with the crush of people is something I've gotten used to over the years - the sheer number of people is fun to be with.
