Moving to DC, where to live for life/family/commute (Washington: neighborhoods, money)
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question I'd have is re the 'supermarket'. There are various Mom & Pop storefronts, but until the Harris-Teeter opens on the east side, I'm not sure where you've got one.
The Safeway on Kentucky, just a few blocks north of the coming H-T (due to open later this year... last week workers were putting exterior siding on the residential floors). Anyway, the Safeway is not what it was. Faced w/ the looming competition, the building was renovated inside and out this past year, w/ a bakery and deli added, and, yep, you guessed it... a Starbucks so you can sip your latte while you shop. Produce quality has definitely improved, although I've still seen better. In NYC terms, considerably better than many a basement D'ags; not as nice (nor as expensive) as a Whole Foods. Oh, and May to October, the farmers market on H NE offers all locally grown produce, both organic and otherwise.
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Originally Posted by saganista
Had an argument over that very thing two weeks ago. These realtor types are pretty much claiming now that anything north of 295 (not to mention south of Gallaudet) is Capitol Hill. I don't think so. All that pretty much from 295 up to the north side of PA Ave SE to me is still, well, Eastern Market. Still, that would be another option also.
You're right... and I was going w/ the vernacular and lumping Eastern Market in w/ blocks west.
And to njmom8: Chevy Chase, AU Park and Palisades are in many ways very comparable to towns like Westfield, Summit and Chatham. They're somewhat more suburban in flavor then areas like Logan, West End and Capitol Hill, which are more typically residential urban. I think you've made some good choices based on you're preferences and your current town.
The Safeway on Kentucky, just a few blocks north of the coming H-T (due to open later this year... last week workers were putting exterior siding on the residential floors). Anyway, the Safeway is not what it was. Faced w/ the looming competition, the building was renovated inside and out this past year, w/ a bakery and deli added, and, yep, you guessed it... a Starbucks so you can sip your latte while you shop. Produce quality has definitely improved, although I've still seen better. In NYC terms, considerably better than many a basement D'ags; not as nice (nor as expensive) as a Whole Foods. Oh, and May to October, the farmers market on H NE offers all locally grown produce, both organic and otherwise.
For sure, the farmers market. We have good friends with whom we spend a lot of time just north of the Natatorium, so well-coordinated strikes on the market are a pretty common thing in the summer. I hadn't so much forgot as put out of my mind the Safeway. I'm shocked to hear of its steps up the ladder. Last I knew, it was still known as either the Unsafeway or the Shoot-em-Up Safeway, and as of not very many years ago, it was smack dab in the middle of a busy crack market. I guess things are changing faster than I can keep up with down there. Might be down there Sunday. If so, I'll try to take a swing past the Safeway to check it out. I'm sure I've got my kevlar vest around here somewhere. :-)
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Originally Posted by EasternMkt
And to njmom8: Chevy Chase, AU Park and Palisades are in many ways very comparable to towns like Westfield, Summit and Chatham.
Oh, great. No plug at all for Madison. What's up with that? But I do like parts of AU Park and particularly Palisades also. Chevy Chase, I just think is awfully crowded. I guess to me, if you're going to deal with that, you might as well go all the way in, and there are some nice places to be had at decent prices in all of West End, Logan Circle, and Capitol Hill/Eastern Market. Sometimes I wish I could afford like six houses and I could just live in each of them for a week or so and then move on to the next one. So many nice areas, so little money...at least in comparison to what would be needed...
Just to clarify which part of new hampshire boulevard the office is- it is near the dupont circle train stop. Thank you all so much for all this advice.
to Easternmkt and Saganista: a little advice please, As I said we are relocating from Westfield, and looking for something similar. (I also need good public elementary schools). Is there anything you can think of in the area (my husband will be working between DC and Baltimore), that might be slightly less pricey than NW DC? We are looking for a nice 3BR with a yard that could fit a swing set for 800-850,000. Thank you so much for all of the advice...
Just to clarify which part of new hampshire boulevard the office is- it is near the dupont circle train stop. Thank you all so much for all this advice.
That's great. You've put a pin in the map. There are a number of nice at least quasi-urban areas running north from Dupont Circle...Kalorama, Woodley Park, Cleveland Park, Tenleytown...but there are some interesting areas as well that are just plain urban (parts of some of which would even be walkable)...West End, Logan Circle, Penn Quarter. And Capitol Hill and Eastern Market aren't out of range either, as long as you were close enough to Metro to manage. Proximity to Union Station would be really great (ten minutes direct from there to Dupont Circle) but it wouldn't be much more than 20 minutes even if you had to change trains at some point. Anyway, I have some actual work to do today, so will have to leave it at that for now...
to Easternmkt and Saganista: a little advice please, As I said we are relocating from Westfield, and looking for something similar. (I also need good public elementary schools). Is there anything you can think of in the area (my husband will be working between DC and Baltimore), that might be slightly less pricey than NW DC? We are looking for a nice 3BR with a yard that could fit a swing set for 800-850,000. Thank you so much for all of the advice...
Hmmm. If the job is out of the city, you might not need/want to live in the city. There are areas in the city that are at least somewhat Westfield-ish, but being in the city puts density pressure on them and also drives up prices. The 'between Baltimore and DC' job site suggests the I-95 corridor, and that would bring a lot of diverse territory into play. Probably the most Westfield-ish spot off the top of my head would be Ellicott City (which is almost in Baltimore), but depending on just where the job was, a commute from there could become complex. I think the thing that actually underlies the character differences between that whole swath of NJ and what's down here is that those Jersey areas had already reached an effective 90%-developed status by the time of World War II, while most of what's around here wasn't developed at all until the 1960's. So you have a much more mature aspect to things in NJ. Ellicott City proper has a lot more of that sort of background. It was a major site on the B&O Railroad by well before the Civil War. Today, the downtown area (despite a couple of really bad recent fires) is a nice mix of crafts and antique shops, cafes, restaurants, and such stuff. Here's a picture of Main Street...
It is on the side of a hill, which doesn't show so well here, so walking up and down is a bit of an endeavor in one of those directions. Still, it is a place that has at least some of that 'we've been here for a while' aspect to it, and there are other such spots as well. If you could refine the actual work location a bit, might be able to at least point you towards a couple...but right now, I really do have to get into the city...
On Edit: Oops, forgot: Ellicott City is in Howard County, MD. The county is upscale, plenty of money, very good schools. You can check them out at all the usual sites...
Last I knew, it was still known as either the Unsafeway or the Shoot-em-Up Safeway, and as of not very many years ago, it was smack dab in the middle of a busy crack market. I guess things are changing faster than I can keep up with down there. Might be down there Sunday. If so, I'll try to take a swing past the Safeway to check it out. I'm sure I've got my kevlar vest around here somewhere. :-)...
LOL! From what I understand, a few years ago, the district in cooperation w/ the new area residents cracked down (uh, no pun intended) on the illegal activities at the nearby housing, and the Safeway hired security for its lot, which improved matters significantly (although I doubt it entirely solved all issues.) It's still considered to be the new frontier compared w/ the more established areas further toward the Market and Capitol. That said, I no longer hesitate to take a late night run to the Safeway for an emergency pint of ice cream. We still call it the Unsafeway, because, let's face it, referring to the local supermarkets as the Soviet, Sketchy, Secret, Senior, Sixties, etc. Safeways (not to mention the Geriatric Giant) is more entertaining.
Quote:
Originally Posted by saganista
Oh, great. No plug at all for Madison.
Oh, OK, we can include Madison. ;-) I really do like Madison.
As I said we are relocating from Westfield, and looking for something similar. (I also need good public elementary schools). Is there anything you can think of in the area (my husband will be working between DC and Baltimore), that might be slightly less pricey than NW DC? We are looking for a nice 3BR with a yard that could fit a swing set for 800-850,000. Thank you so much for all of the advice...
When you say that your husband will be working between DC and Baltimore, do you mean that he'll be splitting his time between two destinations, or that he'll actually be working somewhere like Laurel? And if he's splitting his time, about what percentage of the time does he expect to spend in one location vs. the other?
It's still considered to be the new frontier compared w/ the more established areas further toward the Market and Capitol.
Yeah, I've been either going to or schlepping through the area on a pretty frequent basis since the mid 70's. It's been very interesting to watch the changes spring up and then spread eastward. Why, a couple of weeks ago, I parked within a hundred yards of Eastern High School for about six hours, and when I got back, my car was still there, and there weren't any parts missing or anything. Times have changed!
Quote:
Originally Posted by EasternMkt
That said, I no longer hesitate to take a late night run to the Safeway for an emergency pint of ice cream. We still call it the Unsafeway, because, let's face it, referring to the local supermarkets as the Soviet, Sketchy, Secret, Senior, Sixties, etc. Safeways (not to mention the Geriatric Giant) is more entertaining.
That's good...some things should never die, even if the reason for them does.
Quote:
Originally Posted by EasternMkt
Oh, OK, we can include Madison. ;-) I really do like Madison.
I am not sure how much help I can be, but will tell you what I know.
I am moving to DC from Westfield, NJ a NYC suburb ( a very walkable, family friendly town, with a bustling downtown). I am not to familiar with DC, but also want to make the best decision for myself and my children. (I have no interest in suburban sprawl).
After a lot of research on this site, and speaking with people from the area, I have settled on 4 areas: Chevy Chase, DC, Chevy Chase, MD, American University Park, DC and Palisades, DC. All of these are urban type residential areas with primarily single family homes. All of the public elementary schools are top notch, (even though your kids are young now- this does draw more families to the area). We visited for a long weekend, and I really liked the feel of these areas, and their close proximity to museums, etc in downtown.
This being said, the areas are not quite as walkable as I would have hoped, and being home with children you will probably need a car (hopefully your husband could use mass transit- the bus system seems somewhat extensive).
I loved Georgetown, and would probably live there, except the elementary school is extremely small, and not as highly rated. I am not sure if it is a family area, or more of a young professional area.
I hope this helps, please keep us updated on your search- we are house hunting now- I completely understand the stresses...
Quote:
Originally Posted by njmom8
I am not sure how much help I can be, but will tell you what I know.
I am moving to DC from Westfield, NJ a NYC suburb ( a very walkable, family friendly town, with a bustling downtown). I am not to familiar with DC, but also want to make the best decision for myself and my children. (I have no interest in suburban sprawl).
After a lot of research on this site, and speaking with people from the area, I have settled on 4 areas: Chevy Chase, DC, Chevy Chase, MD, American University Park, DC and Palisades, DC. All of these are urban type residential areas with primarily single family homes. All of the public elementary schools are top notch, (even though your kids are young now- this does draw more families to the area). We visited for a long weekend, and I really liked the feel of these areas, and their close proximity to museums, etc in downtown.
This being said, the areas are not quite as walkable as I would have hoped, and being home with children you will probably need a car (hopefully your husband could use mass transit- the bus system seems somewhat extensive).
I loved Georgetown, and would probably live there, except the elementary school is extremely small, and not as highly rated. I am not sure if it is a family area, or more of a young professional area.
I hope this helps, please keep us updated on your search- we are house hunting now- I completely understand the stresses...
I am also moving to Washington soon. Just to let you know I was told by multiple people who either live who do live there to stay out of Chevy Chase and that its a bad area...just figured id pass that on.
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near dupont circle metro stop
