downtown bethesda for SINGLES and CoL (apartment costs) (apartments, rentals)

[reneeob]

writing to get some feedback on opinions for downtown bethesda living
namely apartments--rentals, costs, aesthetics, types etc.
eateries?
shopping?
local transportation?
single versus families--are the downtown streets wrought with strollers?

a narrative description of this place would be helpful--downtown and VERY nearby areas

[swishplace]

i live in downtown bethesda and have for 5 years or so. it's a nice spot because everything you need is within walking distance. the problem is that it's expensive (studios can be 1400+, 1br's can be 1700+ unless it's a much older building), there's a lot of construction going on right now (if you move here, you want to avoid it because the noise can be irritating), and it's fairly upscale in spots. if you're a young, single professional making average money you might feel out of place at times. if i could do it over again, i'd probably look at arlington in virginia because it feels less fancy and more oriented towards young professionals. you're also closer to dc. you definitely will see some strollers in bethesda and it attracts families from the maryland 'burbs which is fine, but if you just want to be around other young professionals, it might not be so fine. not saying there's no young professionals here because their definitely is more than you will find probably in most parts of maryland, but not as much as the city or arlington in my opinion. what's nice is that you do have a good selection of bars and restaurants here, so there's nightlife to be had, but after a couple years it can get kind of played out. the bars get kind of flooded by locals whereas the bars in dc will obviously have more diversity and more young professionals that have relocated here from across the country.

overall, i like this area, but the vibe can be kind of...well...i guess snobby or yuppie, whatever you want to call it. not all parts of bethesda, but it's not laid back like the the baltimore inner harbor. the vibe would be my only gripe because it really is a nice little area.