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I will be moving to Washington DC for three months for an internship. I will be walking in a full suit and a briefcase to and from the metro stations from my place of work and apartment studio. Some of the crime statistics sound ludicrous without some context. 950% more likely to get murdered in Bloomingdale than the national average? WTF?
I originally intended a budget of $1600 a month for a small studio apartment or basement unit, but if the only way to be safe is to shell out $2000 a month or more I'll consider it...
Most of the short term leases I've found are in Bloomingdale or Southwest Waterfront. What are your thoughts on the safety of these locations? Would I stand out too much walking half a mile to the metro station to bring me to the Foggy Bottoms stop in my attire? Should I take a cab?
What is the "safest" district in Washington DC? What is the best supermarket for premium foods?
I live in SW Waterfront and one would be perfectly safe walking to/from the metro during normal commuting hours. There is occasional property crime (such as car break-ins when people leave electronics laying out in cars). Some blocks are very quiet at night so the only time that there would really be any safety concern is if you are walking home late at night (not because there is an especially high amount of crime but because there are few other people out and about late at night on certain stretches). You should be completely fine for walking during business hours. There will be plenty of people wearing business clothes who are also walking to/from the metro and people walking dogs, jogging, etc. I often walk home from the metro late at night and have never had a problem, although I know that some people will take a taxi if it is really late or if they are drunk. For some frame of reference, I'm a thin white female barely over 5 feet tall. Although I moved here from NY, I spent most of my life in your stereotypical safe, quiet suburb. I walk around all the time and I've been completely safe living here.
There is a Whole Foods and a Trader Joe's in Foggy Bottom. I would recommend stopping by either on your way home from work and carrying some groceries home with you. There is a Safeway right next to the Waterfront metro that has all of your basics, but if you are looking for premium I'd go with Whole Foods or Trader Joe's. (I guess Trader Joe's isn't really premium in the sense of being excessively expensive, but I find it to carry very good quality food.)
Go for Southwest Waterfront. I live there, and it's a good neighborhood - much safer overall than Bloomingdale, though it doesn't have the same charm. Bloomingdale has more classic architecture and traditional DC row homes, whereas Southwest has a lot of big 1960's mid-rise buildings and a more sterile feel. However, Southwest is very convenient and accessible to where you need to go, and aside of occasional property crime is very safe. You won't feel threatened walking around at night, and there's a pretty decent Safeway (albeit by DC's low standards).
Bloomingdale isn't all that close to a metro really. You're kinda halfway between either Shaw/Howard or New York Ave. If you're not moving here for a bit, you could give Trilogy NoMa or basically anything else in NoMa a try. Basically the whole place is on top of the NY Ave metro, with a brand new SafeWay near by.
*Edit - I think SW Waterfront is a cool place to hangout and feels pretty chill for the most part. The surroundings are kind of drab though, as others have pointed out.
Go for Southwest Waterfront. I live there, and it's a good neighborhood - much safer overall than Bloomingdale, though it doesn't have the same charm. Bloomingdale has more classic architecture and traditional DC row homes, whereas Southwest has a lot of big 1960's mid-rise buildings and a more sterile feel. However, Southwest is very convenient and accessible to where you need to go, and aside of occasional property crime is very safe. You won't feel threatened walking around at night, and there's a pretty decent Safeway (albeit by DC's low standards).
Eh. I would say that Bloomingdale is a lot farther along on the Gentrification curve than Southwest. There are still many, many projects over there. And as you said, SW lacks the charm and curb appeal of Bloomingdale.
Go with SW, you'll be fine. I've lived in SW for almost a year now and never felt unsafe. I've even walked home from the Metro at 2 AM. By myself.
You should be fine, save a little money to go out.
I agree SW lacks the curb appeal of say Bloomingdale, but if everything goes as planned, construction on the Wharf is scheduled to begin next year w/Phase 1 being completed by '16. Give it time, I say. It took Columbia Heights 10 years to get to where it's at now.
You can easily find a 1BR or studio to rent for 1600-1700 in the Navy Yard/Capitol Riverfront area. Way safer than both of those places, best park in DC, and more retail/amenities.
I have a few friends that live in SW. They love it. I think some people really dig it because of the (modestly) lower rent and the close proximity to downtown.
If you're going to shell out $1,600 to $2,000 a month, I would definitely go with Bloomingdale, so long as you can find a place. There aren't as many rentals in Bloomingdale, so it's not as easy peasy as walking up to a SW highrise, subjecting yourself to a credit check, and paying the security deposit. You'll likely have to work harder to find a place of equal or higher quality in Bloomingdale.
Here's my two cents on both areas:
Southwest Pros:
Metro access
Proximity to Downtown
Numerous, new rental units
Grocery store
Decent rents for the city
Southwest Cons:
Lots of surrounding projects
Less pedestrian activity
Less curb appeal
Kinda isolated from the city center because of 395
Newer rental units are $$$
Bloomindale Pros:
Aesthetically more appealing
Close to other vibrant areas (U Street, Logan, Shaw, etc.)
Good pedestrian activity/sidewalk cafes/farmer's market
More gentrified (could be a bad thing depening on POV)
Relatively close to Downtown
Bloomingdale Cons:
No Metro (you could walk to Shaw if you live in SW B'dale, but you'd likely end up taking the G8 or 80 bus)
Not many "amenities" compared to more established areas
Flooding
Harder to find rentals
Summary: If you're willing to put in a little leg work to find a nice place in Bloomingdale, then I recommend living there because of its proximity to more happening areas of the city. If you want newer construction and don't want to visit 14 different apartments, then I'd recommend SW.
My completely unscientific and totally anecdotal judgment is that you would be safer walking around at night in a suit or tie in Southwest than you would in Bloomingdale.
My entire basis for this is that I personally know someone who was punched in the face and mugged in Bloomingdale while waiting for a bus, while I have never heard any bad personal stories about Southwest.
You also would be spending more time on the street in Bloomingdale, either waiting for a bus or walking to the metro, simply because it is not as convenient to a metro station as Southwest.
Again, others are free to disagree, this is just my feeling. You should look up crime statistics at crimemap.dc.gov but keep in mind those statistics don't take into account population and number of pedestrians.
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