Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hey guys I''ll be working in Tyson corner area soon and will be relocating. I've been considering dc and nova and would like some more input based on my ideal apt.
Rent: $2000-2400 max (including utilities, parking, gym, etc.)
Don't want a drive more than 30-40 min in morning/evening commute
Newer apt with hardwood floors, stainless steel appliances, 1 bed 1 bath (no roommates)
Want to be near nightlife and a metro station
While I know living in Arlington area will probably be cheaper/faster commute, dc is where all the young people go out and I'd like to be a quick metro ride to u street area (don't want to do 30 min metro to nova at 2am on weekends)
Please let me know if you have suggestions, thanks in advance!!!
You can look in DC in areas near the Metro Center and Gallery Place Metro stations. You will have to pay a price for all the things that you want, as you're looking at some of the top rungs on the ladder, but you may be able to find something that will fit your budget. Metro to U Street from there is maybe 10 minutes. Metro to McLean (exits at the front of the CapitalOne campus) is 35 minutes or so on the Silver Line. .
You might as well just live in U Street or maybe Columbia Heights. Navy Yard might be another area worth looking into. I have a feeling you might regret having an easy 1 hour commute one way, but that's just me.
I'm not sure how familiar you are with Arlington, but there are tons of young people who hang out in Arlington, especially around Clarendon. Although it's a little bit of a different scene.
As a cheaper option, I live in the Crystal City/Pentagon City area and hang out on U street often. The area is very safe and quieter outside of business hours. It's a walkable area with a few nice spots in the immediate vicinity including fast food (Chic-Fil-A, Chipotle etc), a great restaurant selection, a shopping mall, and only a few hangout spots (think a bunch of sports bars, 2 hookah bars, a random gay bar and a small strip club. However, what it lacks in hopping nightlife, it makes up for in commuting location. It is a 15 minute or less metro ride to U Street, Dupont, and Chinatown. Its 30 minutes or less from tysons on metro or when driving outside of rush-hour (~40 minutes during rush). You can get some great apartments for around 2K. For $2400, you will get a massive brand new 1 BR with a view of DC that is within 2 blocks of the metro.
Update: If you are will to sacrifice and have a longer walk to the metro or an older building that's still in good shape, there is also solid selection in the 1700-1900 range.
Last edited by Deeman804; 09-28-2015 at 08:54 AM..
The one major thing you are not considering, having a car in these nightlife areas adds a good $100-$200+ a month to house the car. I have to agree living in Arlington may be your best bet. But at least consider downtown Silver Spring, which has buses running into the core of DC 24-7 in addition to the metro, and this is straight to the nightlife areas of U St and Adams Morgan, never mind it's evolving into one itself.
The new buildings things is what makes this more difficult. U St does have new buildings, as does H St. But that does not mean it will get you everything you want. There is also Columbia Heights and Petworth. Again coming from downtown DC can add to your commute time considerably as well.
Getting to Tysons from the west side is kind of tough in the morning, but from DC and the east side, it isn't really all that bad. Canal Road and the GW Parkway outbound are typically okay, as is 123-South from either one. But it will still be slower, more expensive, and more stress-inducing than simply riding Metro.
Awesome thanks for the replies! I was looking at the nicer apartments in Clarendon area such as 2201 Wilson, Courthouse Plaza, Meridian at Courthouse, etc.
In D.C. I was looking at studios as 1 bed rooms are likely out of my range. Anyone know about the following places:
Bristol House
Mass Court
Capitol View on 14
The Harper
I wouldn't mind living in a nice part of Arlington and making the commute to D.C. on weekends, I used to make the trip from UMD to DC on weekends a few years ago for nightlife.
Awesome thanks for the replies! I was looking at the nicer apartments in Clarendon area such as 2201 Wilson, Courthouse Plaza, Meridian at Courthouse, etc.
In D.C. I was looking at studios as 1 bed rooms are likely out of my range. Anyone know about the following places:
Bristol House
Mass Court
Capitol View on 14
The Harper
I wouldn't mind living in a nice part of Arlington and making the commute to D.C. on weekends, I used to make the trip from UMD to DC on weekends a few years ago for nightlife.
I think Claredon may be the better bet for you, if only because the places you have listed exist in parking nightmares, especially any places such as Dupont Circle and 14th st. DC is not a good city to own a car in. Unless you plan on taking the Silver Line to work and forgoing the car entirely. Again I think "owning a vehicle" is the one problem here, at least with regards to the areas you are listing. Completely possible in upper NW, a nightmare downtown. Upper NW though is older buildings, thought they often do have nice amenities.
Whats a metro commute look like from dupont, u street, gallery place to mclean metro in the morning/evening?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
