D.C shopping
 

Hey,

Wondering if anyone can help me with men/women's vintage clothing shopping in the D.C area. Also wondering about good used book stores.
Finally, is there a university district or a similar neighbourhood with eclectic, reasonably priced shopping???

Thanks folks

I guess this is considered a "good" used book store
http://www.secondstorybooks.com/

"is there a university district"

No

"or a similar neighbourhood with eclectic, reasonably priced shopping?"

I've never been to a "university district with eclectic, reasonably priced shopping" but I've heard the "U Street Corridor" has botiques and stuff. I've not been there but maybe someone else (and/or Google) can give you more info.

There are universities scattered about the District. There is certainly shopping in Georgetown (with a university nearby) although whether or not it is "reasonably priced" is open to question. It is an area you might enjoy exploring, however.

You have to remember that Washington has a lot of upscale places because there are a lot of "upscale" salaries.

You might also consider exploring the Capitol Hill area.

You might enjoy visiting the Eastern Market on a weekend. Eclectic shopping at the booths, and a good flea market with vintage. Great food also.

Georgetown shopping is NOT what you are looking for, unless chains and upscale boutiques with (new) designer duds are your thing. It's a lovely neighborhood once you get away from the shopping area...

I agree that the U Street corridor (around 14th and U) is worth exploring, for a variety of reasons, but there isn't a ton of eclectic shopping to be had there, either. Rents are high, the city glitters, and the kind of neighborhood you describe--university, vintage shops, used bookstores--has become a rarity. I like Busboys and Poets in that neighborhood for food.

Second Story Books, that vjpb linked to above, is the venerable used bookstore in the city and well worth a visit. http://www.secondstorybooks.com/ Nearby (in Dupont Circle) is Kramerbooks and Afterwords, not used books, but an excellent store and also a DC institution.

Also, check out Meeps in Adams Morgan--you can Google for the details. It's been there forever, too, and that's another cool neighborhood that's a bit less shiny.

Lastly, H Street (around 6th and H, or thereabouts) is rapidly gentrifying but still has a funky vibe, and there's a beer place there, Biergarten Haus, that's fun on a nice day.

Sorry, meant also to agree that Eastern Market (on Capitol Hill) is a lot of fun! Market Lunch, despite its name, is awesome for breakfast :-)

i also think Eastern Market would be close to what you want

Note that the hot new H St area NewbE mentions is In Northeast, not Northwest where most of the museums and monuments are. H and 6th NW is Chinatown.

Thanks everyone.

Are there areas in the city to avoid from a safety standpoint?

Also, we plan to stay in the metro area however I don't know what would be a good choice. We plan on driving in and out of the city daily. Is there anywhere we could stay where driving in to Washington would be less congested relatively speaking?
I've heard that Arlington is a decent option but that's the extent of my research. Thanks again.

Most of Arlington is as urban as DC, and is well served by Metro. Must you drive? It would probably be less stressful not to drive in and out.

<i>"is there a university district"

No</i>

WHAT?

Georgetown. GWU. American. All create and are part of "university districts."

Go here: http://inthecapital.streetwise.co/20...washington-dc/

I certainly would not recommend driving in and out of D.C. each day. Traffic will be heavy; the roads can be somewhat of a nightmare for those not used to them; street parking is restricted to a few hours (strictly enforced with ticketing and towing) and hard to find; and garage parking can be expensive.

Look for a hotel in the following areas of Arlington: Crystal City, Rosslyn, Courthouse, Clarendon or Ballston. All of those areas are served by Metro and it will be a quick and easy Metro ride into D.C.

<<Are there areas in the city to avoid from a safety standpoint>>

Seriously? Tons. DC is #14 in violent crime rate for US cities over 250K residents - the rate is almost 2.5 times that of LA, and nearly double Fort Worth (which has about 140K more people). It's not in the Detroit-Oakland-St. Louis-Memphis tier, but it's not great.

Basically, I don't go far east of the Supreme Court or too far south of the Mall (not in either area of tourist interest).

<<Also, we plan to stay in the metro area however I don't know what would be a good choice. We plan on driving in and out of the city daily. Is there anywhere we could stay where driving in to Washington would be less congested relatively speaking?>>

Why would you drive in and out of DC other than visiting Georgetown or someplace not served by the train? Parking in DC is difficult. If you're going to be outside the city, stay in Arlington or Alexandria near a metro stop, hop on the train to where you want to go. Use public transport as much as you can.

Thank you for the clarification, kayd, you're quite right and I should have noted that! It's a very important distinction.

Also, unless you are the type of person to wander aimlessly, in which case you might stumble upon a sketchy neighborhood, the ares a tourist is likely to go are safe, as are the shopping areas mentioned above.

Big Russ, I guess it's semantics, but to me, a U District as such has bookstores, including secondhand; funky inexpensive shops, including head shops, lol; scruffy cafes and the like. The U District in Seattle comes to mind as a kind of perfect example of what I'm talking about.

I went to Georgetown and even then, it wasn't that, nor are the neighborhoods around the other universities in DC. Great schools; big schools; but they tend to blend into the cityscape rather than transform it. IMO.

I wonder why DC developed this way?

I agree with NewbE. I don't areas you mention revolve around the fact that they have a university in it. If Georgetown was a "university district" it would be deserted in the summer which it is not.

<<to me, a U District as such has bookstores, including secondhand; funky inexpensive shops, including head shops, lol; scruffy cafes and the like. >>

That's not necessarily a university district, it's Haight-Ashbury or the East Village.

Nor is any university district deserted in the summer, that's just foolishness. Even in my former college town which, to a far larger degree than Georgetown or Foggy Bottom, actually did revolve around the university itself, we had plenty of students around in the summer and a lively commercial flow.

DC is dominated by the government - universities - in separate places - don't have enough pull to create their own complete neighborhoods. Georgetown is NOT what you want - great shopping but chain or upscale.

It's like NYC - a large number of schools - but they just blend into the city and while a couple sort of have campuses most just are interspersed with the city. (Granted the Village and east village in NY have the sort of aura you want - but it's not due to universities.)