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I've also posted this in the Maryland board, but I thought I might get more response from here.
My wife and I are moving to the DC area. She is legally blind and cannot drive, but sees well enough to read slowly and get around on foot, bike, and public transit. I'm not concerned about my own commute since I can drive, but she will need to be able to live a productive and empowered life without a car. Being on the DC metro is a must, and she has been offered a job at Catholic University on the Red Line. DC seems horribly overpriced, so we've been looking at the suburbs. Downtown Silver Springs near the metro seems like a decent option for us.
- Without a car can you do grocery shopping, get coffee, go out for dinner, buy a book, shop for clothes, and see a movie?
- Is it a safe area? Safe to walk around after dark?
- Anything else you can tell me, buildings you can recommend, or other areas to consider? We're not moving until August and will be renting (our current home will be rented out since its value is in the crapper right now).
I think it will depend on where you end up living to ease of grocery shopping, safety.. etc. Still, I thoroughly enjoy living in Silver Spring. Having the metro right there is nice, and access to the beltway is good. The downtown has all of the amenities of a city, so coffee, bookstore, dinner and theatre(s) are all there.
If you move downtown she shouldn't have too many problems. The downtown area is really walkable with easy access to dining and entertainment, and there are buses to take you places Metro doesn't. Another perk is that some downtown crosswalks have beeping alert signs to guide visually impaired pedestrians.
I agree that it's pretty safe. I've never felt unsafe, even at night. However, as with any urban area, you need to keep your wits about you.
Of course. She lived in Paris by herself for a year during college, so I'm not too concerned as long as there's no issue with muggings and such.
Sounds like Silver Springs is a good place for us to look into. It's certainly more affordable than DC, and would be more convenient than NOVA for where we will work.
Can anybody recommend any specific buildings? We'd like to stay around 1800 is possible. We don't really need 2 full bedrooms, a 1BR w/ Den would be fine. We could probably manage good sized 1 BR if we needed to. Walking/biking distance to the metro is a huge perk.
I'd definitely recommend living west (DC side) of Georgia Avenue near the Metro station. Georgia Avenue (MD 97/US 29) is a wide roadway with a lot of traffic, and could be problematic for a legally blind person to cross. Generally speaking, I think the areas west of Georgia Avenue also tend to be a quieter too. Though most of the restaurants and other attractions are east of or on the east side of Georgia Avenue, there is a Giant grocery store, a couple of drugstores (CVS, Rite Aid), and a few restaurants on the west side of Georgia Avenue.
The strip on East West Highway looks pretty promising. From Google Street View, it looks like several nice buildings there are just blocks from the Metro and there's a decent sized shopping center just north with the Giant and such you mentioned.
Any opinions on the Bennington? They've got a decent move-in special on a 2 bedroom right now.
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