good place to stay and commute to Naval Research Lab (to rent, how much)

[Anna456]

An intern is looking for a good place to stay (safe area, restaurants around). He will be commuting to Naval Research Lab using public transportation

New to DC area.
Can you suggest a good place to rent? Also if you are familiar with public transportation, which bus/metro he can take?

[gomason]

Be aware that the Naval Research Lab is one of the worst parts of the city. If he/she has never lived in a big city, I wouldn't recommend it. There's a bus that connect the Naval Research Lab to the Anacostia Metro that might be safe only because it doesn't seem to stop in the residential areas: https://www.wmata.com/bus/timetables/dc/a4-w5.pdf. If he/she has a car, I highly recommend that they bring it and drive to/from work.

We need a budget to recommend places too. Somewhere along the Green Line would probably be your best bet like Shaw, Petworth, Columbia Heights, etc.

[Anna456]

Thank you so much for the reply.

Green line metro to A5 bus route seems ok. So when he will change from green metro station to the bus station, how much will he have to walk and is that area safe?
Do lot of people wait for the bus there?
How is the bus crowd?

budget-wise he is fine. Can afford $1800/month