I will be moving from the Upper West Side of Manhattan to DC soon...there are so many things that I will miss about Manhattan, especially the convenience to just about everything. But, in DC, I look forward to potentially having a car.
So, I have a question for those who live in DC (and especially to those who once lived in Manhattan), where in DC should I look to live; an exciting place for a guy in his late 20's...to ease the transition from Manhattan. I appreciate the insight (recommendations for specific apartment complexes are even better). Thanks.
p.s.: Suburbs need not apply
Calling DC natives
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Areas: Adams Morgan, Dupont Circle, Kalorama, Cleveland Park, Georgetown, Foggy Bottom, Chevy Chase(DC), upper Connecticut Ave(NW) or Wisconsin Ave (NW). Actually, you might like Old Town Alexandria, VA.
hey...why are ya knockin' the burbs?
from what i hear, it may be cheaper to live in va. or md. due to high d.c. income/property taxes and if you live in the right place, ie near the metro, you're a few mins from g'town/d.c. clubs, restaurnats, sights...if you live in arlington, you can walk over the key bridge and you're right on M st, near wisc. in g'town...but, it would be cool to afford a nice town home right in the middle of a perfectly good swamp that was turned into cesspool around 200+ yrs ago!!!!
but manhattan compared to d.c.- ZZZZzzzzzZZZZzzz..i'll take new york !!
In DC: Dupont Circle, Cleveland Park, Adams Morgan, Woodley Park, Capitol Hill, Kalorama, U St.
Georgetown (DC) or Old Town Alexandria (VA) have old time charm.
Arlington VA: Clarendon-Ballston-Courthouse-Rosslyn corridor is getting more 'urban' and less 'suburban' every day.
DC cannot compete with Manhattan in terms of 'exciting', but free museums, parks, and beautiful spring weather make up for some of the things you'll be giving up.
Nice apartments are getting harder to find now that DC is back 'en vogue'. You may want to start looking now...
Having been a DC native all my life, I find the most happening areas to be Dupont Circle, Adams Morgan, Georgetown and Woodley Park area; of those I would choose Dupont Circle.
RJ: I live here in DC and LOVE living in Dupont Circle. That said, whether you have a car definitely should be taken into account in choosing where you live. I do NOT have a car (sold it when I moved here). DC proper -- and particularly Dupont Circle -- is not very car-friendly. Obviously it's more car friendly than Manhattan, but still...parking is scarce, car taxes and insurance are relatively high, theft from and of cars is not rare, and the DC government is not shy about ticketing. Housing with garage parking in Dupont Circle is rare. However, the great thing about Dupont is you don't need a car to live here. It's right on the metro, cabs are cheap, we have some beautiful old historic rowhouses, and you are walking distance to downtown/Georgetown/Adams Morgan/Woodley Park. We have lots of good restaurants, bookstores, etc. Obviously we pale by comparison to Manhattan, but on the other hand it's (to me) more livable.
My two second-favorite neighborhoods in DC are Georgetown and Adams Morgan, but neither of those are as metro-friendly. Georgetown housing is pricey. Adams Morgan is a little less so and has more ethnic diversity.
To me, if I'm comparing DC neighborhoods to Manhattan (which you really shouldn't do, since there's no comparison, I know, but...) Georgetown compares w/ the Upper East Side (old money), Dupont Circle is sort of the Upper West Side only it also has "Christopher St." running through it (17th & P), and Adams Morgan is -- well, I don't know, maybe the lower East side/NoLiTa? OK, that analogy probably didn't work too well except for the Georgetown/Upper East side comparison.
My runners-up in the district would be Woodley Park and Cleveland Park. The only place in the suburbs I would recommend is Old Town Alexandria.
The housing market in DC is really tight right now. There have been at least three articles in the Washington Post in recent months about both the rental and buyers' markets and how high prices have gone and how there's just nothing out there. It's pretty ridiculous and frankly, not a great time to be looking. Still, again, it's easier to find an affordable place here than it is in Manhattan.
I have lived in two apartments in Dupont Circle. I found both of them in the Washington Post real estate classifieds (Saturdays and Sundays have the most listings).