Recent College Grad Moving to DC (apartment, to rent, insurance)
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I'm a recent graduate moving into town from the Midwest (Michigan, to be exact), and am wondering where a good neighborhood may be to move into. I'm concerned about safety and amenities such as restaurants and entertainment, but largely want housing that is sustainable on a gross income ~88K. Looking to rent an apartment preferably, and definitely within the District. Overall, I want to stay closer to my job (around Eastern Market) but am not against taking the Metro to and from work if needed. Transportation is important. I'm excited to see what the city has to offer, thanks in advance!!
Move to capital hill or eastern market. Walk to work. An apartment is perfectly doable on the income you are stating in that area.
That's what I was originally thinking given that it is close to work. Do you know anything of entertainment, fun things to do, or restaurants in the area? I've heard that maybe Capitol Hill isn't the most vibrant neighborhood for younger people. What are your thoughts on this?
That's what I was originally thinking given that it is close to work. Do you know anything of entertainment, fun things to do, or restaurants in the area? I've heard that maybe Capitol Hill isn't the most vibrant neighborhood for younger people. What are your thoughts on this?
I have to agree on that. The problem is it's in a bit of a weird spot. The more interesting nightlife areas are in U St/Shaw, Adams Morgan, Penn Quarter, and H St. Capital Hill and Eastern Market/Barracks Row have great restaurants though so I would not worry about that. The area can skew a bit older, but it does have plenty of young people. Navy Yard is also not that far from the area, and there are interesting things developing there.
With all that being said, your salary opens you up to much of DC. But the area where you are working is nice, and the closer you live to work here the better.
I've lived in Capitol Hill for years including in my 20s. I think it's a great place for younger people. Obviously tons of people fresh out of college live on the Hill because so many are Congressional staffers. But you also have a good mix of people of all ages, including lots of families. I guess someone might see it as not "the most vibrant" because it isn't nearly as busy as places like Adams Morgan or U Street. But this can be a good thing. Unlike those areas, the bars on the Hill aren't packed with out-of-towners and suburbanites. It's more of a quiet neighborhood feel. But when you do want a crazy wild night out, you've got H St very close to the Hill. The Hill is a big neighborhood but pretty much anywhere on the Hill is just a few minutes Uber ride to H St. You could easily live halfway between H St and Eastern Market and be in walking distance of either to have the best of both worlds.
The nightlife on the Hill tends to be more around restaurants on Barracks Row and Pennsylvania Ave. These are more crowded at dinner hours and tend to be quieter late at night when bars in Adams Morgan, U St or H St are packed. You've got some of the hottest restaurants in the city on Barracks Row, such as Rose's Luxury which many consider to be THE best restaurant in DC and it is quite difficult to get a table there because it has gotten so much national attention.
Thanks guys, that information really helps me out. How does the affordability of the Eastern Market area compare to places like Adams Morgan and U Street? Additionally, I do have a car. Would you guys recommend bringing this along into the city, or would public transportation be most reliable? I have been to DC nearly a handful of times, and am fairly familiar with the Metro, thankfully. I'm just wondering what the costs of bringing a car would be versus the costs/reliability of a monthly transit pass. Thanks!
There really is no "Eastern Market area." Eastern Market is the name for a market and a Metro stop in Capitol Hill. It's just another part of the Hill. The Hill is generally speaking cheaper than Adams Morgan and U St.
I've had a car the whole time I've lived here, and it's not at all necessary, but at least for me, it's nice to have. I mainly use it for grocery shopping and for going to other parts of the DC metro area. I don't drive more than a couple times a week. When going to neighborhoods near the downtown core like the Hill, Adams Morgan, Dupont, U St, etc, driving is usually not very efficient because parking involves either an expensive garage or spending an indefinite amount of time searching for a street parking spot and the only available spots might be a far walk from your destination. Most of the time buses, Metro, taxis or Uber are the best option unless you are going to the less dense parts of DC away from downtown, or out of the city entirely. If you don't travel that much around the area then having a car would probably be a waste of money considering insurance is usually high here.
I can't always find a spot on my block on the Hill. It's pretty common to have to park a block or two away. Some people find this to be a horrible inconvenience. It doesn't bother me but then, I have a pretty small car and am a really good parallel parker. If my car was bigger or I wasn't able to fit my car into a spot just a few inches longer than it, there would be times where it would take me quite a long time to find a parking spot. You might want to bring your car and see if it's worth the inconveniences for you and see how much you use it. If it doesn't seem worth it, you can sell it then.
There is no monthly transit pass. You just pay as you go.
Thanks guys, that information really helps me out. How does the affordability of the Eastern Market area compare to places like Adams Morgan and U Street? Additionally, I do have a car. Would you guys recommend bringing this along into the city, or would public transportation be most reliable? I have been to DC nearly a handful of times, and am fairly familiar with the Metro, thankfully. I'm just wondering what the costs of bringing a car would be versus the costs/reliability of a monthly transit pass. Thanks!
The trains are completely useless on the weekend. If you're lucky a train might come in 15-20 minutes. If you're not lucky, a train will come in 20 minutes and then you will wait 10-15 minutes to clear an area where there's single tracking.
Of course there's other ways of getting around like buses and Capital Bikeshare, but those can only get you so far.
I would personally probably just bring my car for groceries, errands, and day trips. The nice thing about Eastern Market is that it's much easier to find parking than in the hot spots like Dupont Circle, U Street, Adams Morgan, etc.
The trains are completely useless on the weekend. If you're lucky a train might come in 15-20 minutes. If you're not lucky, a train will come in 20 minutes and then you will wait 10-15 minutes to clear an area where there's single tracking.
Of course there's other ways of getting around like buses and Capital Bikeshare, but those can only get you so far.
I would personally probably just bring my car for groceries, errands, and day trips. The nice thing about Eastern Market is that it's much easier to find parking than in the hot spots like Dupont Circle, U Street, Adams Morgan, etc.
This is pretty much true. I don't need a car where I am in DC, but the trains are really poor on the weekends because of weekend track work. It's the one downside of Capital Hill, it's harder to go car free. Where in some areas of DC it's actually very easy to do so (and in some you would not suspect).
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