Live near McPherson Square or commute? (apartment complexes, to rent, how much)

[usul0184]

Hi everyone,

I will be moving to DC soon and working near McPherson Square. I'm looking to rent a one bedroom apartment for my wife and me (no children). Do people recommend living near where I work at McPherson Square or commuting in from somewhere else by Metro?

In terms of criteria, number one is safety. We have one car, which my wife may have to use to commute depending on where she finds a job. I plan to rely exclusively on public transportation given the centrality of my office.

Money is not a huge obstacle, although we obviously don't want to be ripped off.

Any advice or recommended apartment complexes would be greatly appreciated!

[PenguinSix]

There are very few places to live around McPherson Square. It's predominantly office buildings. There are one or two buildings but they are quite expensive near McPherson and Farragut West. You can also find a few places over by Gallery Place Chinatown or over by GWU, or up on Mass Avenue. Each has goods and bads.

Will you have parking at the office, or entirely metro commute? Are you trying to just walk to work?

How important is your neighborhood? Do you want a row house or apartment. Do you want to be in walking distance to restaurants and bars and shops, and/or grocery stores (i.e. more city living) or are you looking for something a tad more quiet?

[usul0184]

My office is very close to the McPherson Sq Metro station. I won't be driving to work; it will be an all-Metro commute. All else being equal, it would be great to walk to work, but it's definitely not essential. From what it sounds like, it might not be the best idea given the lack of housing. We prefer a one bedroom apartment, not a row house. Finally, it would be great to be within walking distance of restaurants and grocery stores (though clubs, not so much). Closeness to a Metro station is very important.

Thanks again!

[PenguinSix]

There are several new apartment buildings in the Gallery Place area, and just north of that near NY Avenue. There are also some new places near the Navy Yard/Nationals stadium, though the night life down there isn't as exciting.

Some older apartment buildings are near the areas of Woodley Park and Cleveland Park, up by the Zoo. Pretty nice areas, kind of melllow but with some restaurants. Only rub is that it is the Red line and you'd have to change trains to get to McPherson (or walk from Farragut North). In Virginia you can check out some neighborhoods like Rosslyn, Courthouse and Clarendon. Not that bad of a commute on the Orange line.

How much are you expecting to pay? Living close in, near a metro, you should probably be budgeting nearly $1,500-2,000 for a nice one bedroom I'd say.

[back2dc]

There are some apartments around Scott Circle and Logan Circle, not too far from McPherson Metro. Isn't the LaTrobe building just reopened?

[saganista]

Actually living in the McPherson area will be expensive, as it's in the heart of downtown, but there are a couple of places one could think about.

The Camden Grand Parc is on the square directly across the street from the McPherson Square Metro on the northwest corner of 15th and I Streets. The Department of Veterans Affairs and the Export-Import Bank are neighbors. A block over is Lafayette Square and the White House. There are about 100 units in what was for years the United Mineworkers Building, but they moved out to the suburbs and the place was completely redone for upscale urban living while still retaining some of the grandness of an earlier era. Parking is an extra $225 a month and kind of unique. The lot is vertical. You pull in, and then robotics take your car, run it up or down the elevator, and stack it where there is a space. I think it's still the only system like it in the country. As it's a business district, there will be lots of places to eat during the day (including Loeb's Deli...mmmm!). Evenings, Sweet Georgia Brown's (southern) is right next door, Il Mulino (Italian) and Bobby Van's Steakhouse are within a 5-8 minute walk. There is a CVS on the next corner, but groceries will be an issue. You'll pretty much have to drive or Metro for those.

A block east and then a block south of there (which is still 15th Street, actually) is the Woodward Building. This is a sort of beaux arts buidling that had been mostly offices for lawyers, architects, and so forth, but also home to the much lamented Bikini Store. All gone now, as the increasing demand for urban residential drove a complete redo of the interior into really nice upscale living units, also with much grandness retained. The American Bar Association building is across the street, and a block behind that is Lafayette Square. You'll have to settle for valet garage parking of the normal variety, but you'd be two blocks closer and an easy walk to the National and Warner Theaters, The Shops arcade along F Street and all the to-do of western Pennsylvania Avenue than you would be at the Grand Parc. There are two cozy bistros -- Ici and Le Bar -- just across the street and the Old Ebbitt Grille (a DC classic) is just a block down. A block south and a block east is the CVS at 14th and New York Avenue, but groceries are the same issue here as at the Grand Parc.

So, those would be two options that I'm aware of in the area. There are also some more traditional and less expensive digs to the north...basically north and east of Thomas Circle. Quite a number of K Street yuppies live in there and walk to work.

[juniperbleu]

Honestly, you've got a lot of options. If you work near the McPhereson metro, you can easily walk from Logan Circle, Thomas Circle, Metro Center/Downtown area, Chinatown, Penn Quarter (a little further, but more than doable), or Foggy Bottom. You can also even do Dupont Circle (~10 blocks, straight down Connecticut to K St), which is a nice area with a lot of restaurants, shops, etc. It is the red line, so you can take it one stop to Farragut North and walk from there, or walk to Farragut West from Farragut North and go one more stop to McPhereson. There might even be a bus along there as well. I walk further than that for work, and love it. There have really only been a handful of days when I have taken the metro.