Moving to Houston December 1st (Sugar Land, River Oaks: lofts, condos, townhome)

[arr7]

I'm a recent single college graduate moving to Houston for my first job in December after spending my life in New York City and Washington DC. I have never been to Houston before and probably won't be able to make it down before I move, so I had some questions about which areas in Houston would be the best for my situation.

1) I'm a city person and am set on living inside the loop. Ive read on the forums about the "in" places for young professionals to live in (Midtown, Montrose, Heights, Galleria) but how are places like the Med Center, Rice U area, River Oaks, ware house district and downtown for young professionals? Although I'm bringing a car, I'm used to New York and would like to live in a fun place where I can walk or use the light rail to go to restaurants, bars, and shops.

2) Im looking to live in a fairly new high or mid rise condo rather than a house or townhome. Are any areas known for having these type of condos and are there any good websites to search because I've been coming up empty?

3) My job is with an energy company in Sugar Land and will be moving to the energy corridor in the next year. I've been told that my commute will be against traffic and won't be so bad even if I live in the central part of the city. Could anybody tell me what to expect?

4) On Craigslist, I've seen some people offering decent priced rooms in what appear to be really nice condos in the Med Center. When I map the location, it is right around Reliant Stadium. Is this still considered the Med Center, because I've heard on this forum that the area around Reliant Stadium is not a great area to live in?

Thanks for your help.

[Poltracker]

For the condo you describe, stick to Midtown, Montrose, and River Oaks area. For listings check HAR.com.

[Premont]

There's only one rail in town from the med center to downtown, although they will be building new rail lines in the years to come. I live in the Energy Corridor and I used to drive my Mom over to the med center and it's a really long drive. You're going to find a lot of traffic in Houston and not just going one way. Since you're going to be working on the west side of town, I would recommend you look for a place along the west loop/galleria area. The road by the Galleria called Post Oak has a lot of places to shop and eat. Here's one example although it looks pricey - Lofts on Post Oak