My girlfriend is going to be moving to Washington this month. In order to be with her, I am planning on seeking employment in DC when I graduate from college in April.

I am admittedly a bit apprehensive about moving there, mostly because I am not very knowledgable of the area. Can anyone advise me what it's like to live in DC? I will have a job that pays well (engineering), so finding a decent neighborhood is more important than the amount of rent. We are both early 20s, professional types who enjoy sports, nature, clubs, restaurants, and the arts.

What I'd like to know is how the quality of life is. Is DC walkable? Are there grocery stores in most neighborhoods? How accessible is other shopping? I hear the Metro is very good--does it serve more than just "touristy" areas? Access to public transit is very important to me.

I am more interested in living in the District than in VA or MD (I tend not to like suburbs.). If you can, please rate Washington in comparison to cities I am familiar with, like Chicago, Cleveland, New York, Toronto, and Boston. I've been living in the Detroit area for the past few years, so I'm not acclimated to what living in a "real" city is like.

Anything you can do to ease my fears would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Hi Dan. Fear not! Washington is fantastic -- take it from a fellow Wolverine. I've lived here for 6 years now and absolutely adore it. I don't miss Michigan at all, except for Zingerman's! I live in Dupont Circle, which is, to me, the best neighborhood in the city. It is eminently walkable (I sold my car when I moved here -- having a car is actually a pain in the city as parking is difficult and insurance is expensive) and has a convenient metro stop (the metro system here is great, safe, cheap, convenient, and yes, it goes to areas other than just the tourist attractions, although we have far fewer stops than, say, New York!). It's also a very artsy and diverse community, relatively young (lots of 20-30-somethings. The only major downside to Dupont Circle in my opinion is that it is VERY pricey, and the housing market -- both for rentals and buying -- is ridiculously high right now. Dupont has excellent restaurants, a farmer's market on Sundays, lots of galleries, a couple of movie theatres, walking distance or short cab ride to lots of clubs, etc. There are two grocery stores (Safeways) in Dupont Circle, but they are small and I will be the first to admit that grocery shopping in the city can be a pain.
Taxes are high in the city.
Compared to Detroit, DC is paradise to me (I used to work in downtown Detroit every summer, so I know what it's like and am familiar with the suburbs there). I actually like the weather here a lot although lots of people complain about the hot & humid summers. I love Chicago, Toronto & New York too but it's very hard to compare them to DC as DC seems so much smaller and more livable to me. If you are not into politics you may feel a bit out of the loop in DC; it's a bit of a one-industry town in the same way that LA is (a friend who used to live in LA said that at parties in LA, nobody wants to talk to you unless you're in the movie biz; and in DC nobody wants to talk to you unless you're in politics -- it's not exactly true but it does ring a little true unfortunately). The high-tech business is booming here in DC, primarily in the northern VA suburbs, although there is now a growing number of startup dot-coms here in the city as well.
Regarding sports -- yes, we've got those as you know in terms of pro teams. If you're a weekend warrior yourself, there are quite a few weekend & evening leagues who play various stuff in locations around the Mall area -- everything from soccer to baseball to ultimate frisbee.
Re: nature -- check out Great Falls which borders the MD/VA line, a short drive NW of the city. You're also a couple of hours' drive from Shenandoah which has great hiking. And obviously the Chesapeake offers lots of boating opportunities if you're into that.
You'll also find it's very easy to travel to other major cities from here -- New York is an easy 4-hour train ride out of Union Station (I do it often).
Your best bet for checking out DC is to come for a weekend. Spend a Friday evening in Georgetown, walk along the waterfront, check out M Street and Wisconsin and see what you think. Spend a Saturday walking around Dupont Circle. Walk up 18th St. from Dupont to Adams Morgan and have dinner at some funky ethnic place and then go hear some music at a club afterwards. See if it feels like home to you. I felt I was home as soon as I walked around Dupont Circle on a rainy Saturday afternoon. Good luck -- I hope you find what you're looking for.

Dan,

You might try dialing 1-800-THIS-IS-NOT-A-FREAKING-RELO-FORUM


What does your girlfriend and your emplyment situation have to do with a nice vacation to DC? It sure doesn't
help any of us here.

Oh, knock it off, you guys. This is a perfectly legitimate question that deserves a legitimate response.

Dan, I think you'll like DC just fine. I live in the MD suburbs, so I can't get too specific, other than to say the advice you have received seems on target to me. DC got a new mayor a few years back, and I really think things have gotten better. They could not possibly have gotten worse. If you go with DC instead of the burbs, you'll have to tolerate certain inefficiencies (poor trash collection). But a young single dude has no place in the suburbs (except maybe Old Town Alexandria), so D.C. might work fine.

Good luck!

For BJ and others who think similarly, I'm sorry that my message doesn't help you in any way. It's too bad that you're so selfish. My personal opinion is that great places to live are also great places to visit, and bad places to live are bad places to visit, and vice-versa. I thought some of the well-traveled people on this forum might have some insight into the matter. The title of my message was abundantly clear--you didn't have to read it, let alone reply!

Lisa--thanks for all the great info. I will be sure to check out those areas when I visit at the end of the month. I too work in downtown Detroit, and I hate it immensely. I'm so tired of visiting "real" cities (even my beloved Cleveland) and seeing what I'm missing out on. I'm starting to get really excited about my visit to DC. Thanks again!

Dan, Lisa is absolutely correct about Dupont Circle. It is probably the best neighborhood in the city. Georgetown - well that's way too pretentious and pricey. If you are young without a family, Dupont is the place for you. You would be bored silly in the burbs (I also live in MD). though, I have to agree with her assessment about grocery shopping being a pain. All my friends in DC have to hop in a car whenever they need to go shopping. In that way, I don't consider DC to be a "true city." This truly is a one-industry town. Most people are concerned about two things: their jobs and politics, both of which usually go hand-in-hand. It can get very tiresome, especially if you are with a group of Hill staffers who only know how to talk about their bosses and what bills are on the floor. If you surround yourself with people who actually have other interests, you will be ok (I'm a lobbyist who is in the minority and knows how to leave my job at the office). Good luck in your decision. DC really is a great city.

Check out Capitol Hill as well. I lived there for 13 years in the 70's and early 80's and loved it. A little less congested than Dupont Circle. A word of warning, however--the apartment market is very tight here right now so you might experience sticker shock when you see how much you'll have to pay. but the city is great fun to live in.

If you're looking for a safe neighborhood, I would recommend living anywhere in NW washington. A few people mentioned Dupont..and that's an excellent selection. tons of shops, stores, restaurants..and very subway accessable. The only problem in the city is grocery stores. You have little side shops and things, and they charge wayyy too much. You might want to think about goig near the suburbs for huge food shopping days. Id ont know if this matters to you at all, but Dupont has a very large gay community. More so, than most other parts of Washington. Washington is probably one of the cleanest cities you'll ever stay in. Its no way compared to New York, because wash. is the city that SLEEPS. Museums and businesses close about 5:00-6:00pm. YOu'll love it in Washington. I promise you. ANd if you hate it, just move to our wonderful suburbs of Maryland and Virginia!!!

for outdoor activities: DC has a very active bicycling club, the Potomac Pedalers. They have a web site, sponsor group rides, etc. Our richmond bike club has been up to DC on group rides from Mount Vernon to the lincoln memorial via a very safe cycling / jogging trail. DC has a lot to offer. Housing is expensive, and if you can use the Metro to commute your life will be MUCH easier! But if you love it you will never want to leave!

HI DAN!

I can't compare to Chicago and Cleveland but I can tell you some differences between Boston, TO, NY and DC.

The advice so far has been good particularly Lisa and others with regard to Dupont Circle, Adams Morgan and Capitol Hill. DC's similar in price to expensive US cities, just so you're prepared.

DC and NYC: NYC is quite a bit more diverse and frenetic. Subway is cleaner in DC but runs more often in NY. I find I'm less claustrophobic in DC, but that I don't find the people-energy as exciting as I do in NYC. DC has a more conservative, government worker feel.

Boston/Toronto and DC: The first major difference I see is that DC has a majority African-American community with many famous Afro-American institutions such as Howard University in the city center. Some people tell me tensions between blacks and whites in DC are more pronounced than they are further north in the northeast (Balto, Philly, NYC) but I don't have any statistics to back me up there. Boston and Toronto as you know have ca. 10% or less black population (which in Toronto is sizeably Caribbean), which makes the cultural environment in DC different than in the northern cities. DC to my eyes does seem more racially segregated (particularly black-white) than NYC, Boston or Toronto.

Public transit I find is more efficient in Toronto and Boston, yet without a doubt Washington is better than most of the country in this regard. Washington's is cleaner and newer than Boston's...comparable to Toronto in this regard. Walkability: more run-down, empty neighborhoods than in Toronto or Boston but there are areas that are pleasant to walk around in.

Restaurants: as good as anywhere I've been; with lots of international options. Arts: Fabulous. As good as any of the cities you mentioned. Clubs: not quite the options of NYC but still darn good. I would say comparable to Boston or Toronto

Have fun and good luck!

Dan:

I went to college in the VA suburbs 10 years ago. I agree with the other posters: if you're into the city life, I'd recommend Adams Morgan, Dupont (I used to work near there) or NW DC.

I have my own question for the DC experts:

I am contemplating taking a job in DC. But if I did, I would want to live out in the country. I am single, but cannot stand the city or suburbs (especially the outrageous housing prices). I went on the Maryland Commuter Rail site, and saw that there is service from as far away as Baltimore or Harpers Ferry, WV. I remember when I lived in Fairfax, VA that I worked with someone who commuted from Harpers Ferry. My question is: are there some nice small towns that aren't too far (1hr. or less by rail) from DC? Has anyone been to Harpers Ferry or Brunswick or Point of Rocks, MD? What are they like? Remember, my idea of bliss is living in an affordable home in a peaceful, quiet rural area where I can garden, etc.! Thanks!

Rich---

Indeed the MARC service runs as far as Perryville to the north (Susquehanna River and Chesapeake Bay, N of Baltimore), Cumberland/Harpers Ferry to the west. VRE runs as far south as Fredericksburg and as far west as Manassas.

I'm working and living in Baltimore but occasionally commute from No.Va. where I spend the night with my parents sometimes. Be warned...MARC does NOT run on weekends, so you'll have to drive in if you wish to commute those days. Commuting to the others will force you to tailor your schedule based on the fewer # of departure times.

Within 1h of DC, you're just out of the suburbs. It's a little under 1h to Baltimore; the only place on the Penn line that seems POSSIBLY less urban/suburbian is Odenton. It's doesn't seem like exactly countryside either. On the Camden line, you have Laurel and Savage, but I'd call that SUBURBIA. The Brunswick line is quite infrequent and I've never used it.

Havre de Grace across from Perryville on the Penn line is quite quaint but it's halfway between Baltimore and Wilmington (half-hour north of Baltimore on the Penn line; more infrequent service than DC-Baltimore).

Anyhow, I think the Brunswick line is your best bet and likely only if you're wiling to commute over an hour and only if you have a flexible Mo-Fr job schedule.

Good luck. Maybe others will have better suggestions.

Daniel:

Thanks very much for the insight. I looked at the MARC schedule, and it's just about an hour commute from Point of Rocks, MD to Union Station. I am sure that most employers are pretty flexible in terms of working hours, since most people commute from the suburbs. And I don't plan on working weekends(!), so the fact that the trains only run M-F is OK!

When I lived in Fairfax, it took me 1-1/2 hours to commute to my job near Dupont Circle (1/2 hr. by car to Vienna Metro; 1 hr. to Dupont). But I am encouraged that I might be able to get out of the city & suburbs in a little over an hour.

Anyone else have any relevant information on Point of Rocks or Brunswick, MD, or Harpers Ferry? Thanks!!!