mstraveler

Our just graduated daughter is going to be doing a fellowship at NRDC next year and plans to live in a house with some friends and they have found one at 1328 Montello Ave 20002 in this area. I know nothing about DC; can anyone let me know if this seems like a decent area for several 23 year old boys and girls (She has never lived outside of California for any extended period although is quite sensible...)

Many thanks!!

vjpblovesitaly

You need to include the quadrand into.

GeorgeW

Although very near Gallaudet, Montello Ave is at the edge of the Trinidad neighborhood, one of the worst in the city. I have not experienced life in the Gallaudet/Trinidad area on a day to day basis, but I would be very leery to live there. The heart of Trinidad is so bad that the DC police set up a road block for a few weeks last year.

mstraveler

The Craig's list posting only says Capitol Hill/Gallaudet area. Is that helpful enough??

mstraveler

Got a little more info: Gallaudet University is at 800 Florida Avenue, NE which is in the northeast quadrant at the intersection of 8th Street and Florida Avenue. Gallaudet is just north of K Street so that means we are roughly 11 blocks north of East Capitol Street.

That is for the university. This street address is nearby Florida and H streets in the NE quadrant.

MikeT

I'd consider that Trinidad, too, and agree with GeorgeW that it wouldn't be my first choice even if I was an urban pioneer. There are other neighborhoods in that area that are gritty but safe. I wouldn't put Trinidad in that category.

vjpblovesitaly

Quadrant info is always needed, so you might as well find out what it is now and get used to doing it.

Anonymous

IMHO you should try to get feedback directly from the school or experienced students. Parts of the NE quadrant of the city are OK, but it can change drastically from one block to the next. I would not commit to anything in NE without looking at it in person, including checking out the neighborhood at night.

Your students would be safer if they found a place in the NW section of they city; Gallaudet has its own stop on the Metro line so commuting wouldn't be bad if they were on the same line (no transfers).

LN

Hi

Since it's your "daughter" involved here I would prefer you to look at the Metro map www.wmata.com/ and select any area on the Red line but really none within the Gallaudet neighborhood. For my daughter I would look at Silver Spring, Wheaton, and, perhaps a bit further, the Rockville area.

Gallaudet is not in a great area but is still fairly contained as a university. The surrounding area does not offer even that small amount of safety.

For my daughter anything around Trinidad and zip code 20002 would be off-limits.

artsbabe

I think Rockville would be too far in the wrong direction. Closer in, look at Brookland or Takoma Park, or actually on Capitol Hill. Silver Spring would be fine, too.

obxgirl

Calling that address Capitol Hill is a real stretch of imagination

I am confused. Is your daughter associated with or working at Gallaudet or did Gallaudet only come up b/c it's the address of the house on craig's list?

You said NRDC...as in the environmental action group? They have a proper downtown DC address. There are lots better living options than the one you mentioned.

Agree with anonymous that you want to get an actual look at most of the offerings in the NE quad. Especially if the neighborhood names are getting fudged as in this case.

mstraveler

Thanks all. Just to be clear, she is not attending college at Gallaudet or anywhere else. She just finished a graduate degree and will be working at the NRDC Washington DC office (New York and 14th Sts. NW) for the year. So she would be out of house and the area during the day and likely to be coming back in the evenings, sometimes late I am sure. That is why the neighborhood has be at least decent for a 23 year old to be coming and going in. She does not need to be close to Gallaudet; this house just seemed like a nice one and at a reasonable rent which is why the kids are interested in seeing if the neighborhood is OK:
http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/d...189917578.html

MikeT

"I would prefer you to look at the Metro map www.wmata.com/ and select any area on the Red line"

Well, that's rather ridiculous advice. There are plenty of areas that a young environmentalist could live that aren't on the Red Line. Capitol Hill, anywhere in Virginia, Foggy Bottom, Logan Circle, U Street, even Columbia Heights or Petworth.

mstraveler

That last reply was sent before some of these replies came through. Yes, she will be at NRDC the environmental agency. This really does not sound like a great spot for these kids and explains the rental price! (By SF standards that is downright cheap!) Thank for the swift replies.

Anonymous

D'oh! I figured that "doing a fellowship at NRDC" had something to do with Gallaudet.

Since she'll be working downtown, I would strongly recommend that they forget about the iffy NE section and look at places in NW or in suburbs like Silver Spring, which has tons of appropriate rental units. Easy access to public transit in a decent neighborhood should be their primary criteria, IMHO.

mstraveler

Can I ask for another opinion? This one looks much better: Brookland area, a few blocks from the red line on Kearny St NE about 6 blocks from Rhode Island NE and fewer blocks from Michigan NE. Looks like a nice house for a group of kids....http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/d...200042388.html. Raise any cautions or red flags in anyone??

km00

In DC, it not only depends on who you ask, but also what exact section of an area. DC has lots of "pockets" of unsafe areas within safe areas and vice versa...especially in the Capitol Hill area. Brookland area is near Catholic University which, in my opinion, is not the safest area. As a single, younger female, I would not live in that area knowing I would be returning home at night. During the day would be a different story. I would recommend looking into the Eastern Market area. It's close and safer.

Anonymous

My daughter (age 23) attended Catholic U; I've driven through that neighborhood many times and I know where that house is. The CVS where DD filled her prescriptions was 3 blocks from there. Her fiance lived for one recent summer with friends in a house in Brookland. Please see my comments above regarding neighborhoods.

mstraveler

Thank you anonymous, though I am not sure if you mean the comment about places in the NW -- like this one -- being good. Your daughter and mine are the same age...obviously it must have seemed safe enough to you for her to live there, and perhaps km00's concern may be more general about the area but not that particular section. Clearly it is very hard to assess this from 2500 miles (we are in SF) and although I know a lot of cities pretty well, DC is not one of them!

Anonymous

My daughter lived on campus. I have recommended that you do NOT look at ANY properties in the NE section of the city. Don't even bother to open the listings! If you can't figure out NW from NE, then just stop helping with your daughter's search.