moving from midwest - seeking upscale apt options in active area of the city (Washington: apartments)

[wisewoman7]

Taking a big leap up the ladder to an executive position and moving to DC from the Midwest. Am 50+ female, love culture and fine food, spouse staying at home. Looking for upscale, secure apt. with balcony or patio - close to metro, dining, take out (for those late nights I expect to be putting in), groceries and other day-to-day necessities. Plan to enjoy city living and take advantage of all the amenities I can and would like the option to walk to places. Work near Union Station. Pretty sure I want to stay close in but also wondered about Alexandria. Recommendations for a neighborhood?? Specific apartment buildings? Get along great with 20 -30 year olds but might be nice to have a little age variety...
THANKS!

[saganista]

Alexandria would be something to look into. Others might be Penn Quarter in downtown DC (near Union Station), Woodley Park in NW (near the National Zoo), or Capitol Hill/Eastern Market in SE (8th Street SE is the main drag). All of these offer upscale residential options, have good Metro accessibility, and offer one variant of "city-living" or another...

[DCart]

Welcome to Washington. I don't know how upscale you want to be but the Ritz-Carlton apartments would be good on 23rd St, NW. My personal choice would be somewhere in East Georgetown for shops and an ambience that would suit mature people. Its a little inconvenient for Metro but there are buses. Old Town Alexandria is also nice but the commute could be tough. Some people like Capitol Hill which is close to Union Station but there aren't a lot of shops or people. There are very nice places at Mariner's Plaza, right on Pennsylvania Ave at 7th St, NW. I haven't been there lately but I think there are more shops now. Great restaurants. Super-convenient, penultimate Washington, DC location. Not sure about numbers of people or grocery stores.

[Pfish]

Congratulations & Welcome.

To the above suggestions, I'd add don't forget to look at DuPont Circle. You don't mention your budget, so it's hard to be specific. There are a number of upscale neighborhoods in DC that are metro-accessible and convenient to many amenities, and they each have their own flavor. I'd avoid Alexandria altogether unless it's Old Town, if you really want access to the city you're best served by living in the middle of it.

[wisewoman7]

Thanks all. Much appreciated! I've been looking at The Regent and The Gables at Dupont Circle. Both seem to have plenty of amenities and decent reviews. Also Park CT near Van Ness and Lexington at Market Square in Chinatown. Hoping there will be vacancies left since won't move til early spring - will all those new administration folks coming in snap everything up?

[jm67]

Some might disagree but I'd stay away from Chinatown. It's become a bit like Times Square - flashing lights, booming car radios, and hordes of teens and tourists into the wee hours. Kind of fun once in a while, but I wouldn't really want to live there.

[saganista]

Market Square is not really in Chinatown. 8th and D NW...a block east of the FBI building, a block north of Pennsylvania Avenue. More Downtown-ish than Chinatown-ish. Definitely urban and a nice area if it fits the budget...there is a lot nearby...

[Sharon R.]

My favorite neighborhood is definitely Foggy Bottom. Walking distance to both downtown and Georgetown, also close to the river and bike trails through Rock Creek Park. I used to even walk down 23rd Street to the Lincoln Memorial and the Mall. Metro is on 23rd Street for an easy commute. Lots of beautiful tree-lined streets, old homes and old and new apartment buildings. Very walkable and also a very safe area.

[smithy77]

For all of the criteria you mentioned, Dupont Circle is perfect---Red Line metro stop, only a few stops to Union Station, also on the Red Line, but avoid apartments facing 'P' St. west of the Circle, and facing 17th between 'P' and 'R', to avoid late night noise, especially on the weekends. I find the Pennsylvania Avenue corridor too modern and a bit sterile. Chinatown is more of a chinese theme park---most of the immigrants moved out decades ago, and it's not the best place to be walking around at 2 A.M.. Georgetown is beautiful, but no Metro stop. Welcome to D.C.. Good luck!

[wisewoman7]

Update: I ended up moving to 701 Market Square- it's perfect. Metro at my door, great restaurants, entertainment options (theater and movies close), 2 blocks to the Mall and a nice 25" walk to work. I love my space- full length glass windows with a 30' covered balcony overlooking the Navy Memorial and the Archives. Thanks to all of you for your great suggestions.