Kyra

Perfect....I always said I would love my town and house if I could just pick themup and put them closer to Philadelphia...

It is so funny that you made that statement.....

Anyway...I believe that I should visit a
few more times to get a better feel for the areas.

Are there any other areas that you think are similiar...???

Have you ever been to Philadelphia?
Does Washington,Dc have any areas similiar to Society Hill or Rittenhouse section of Philly? Or up and coming trendy areas?



Thanks!!!

JJason

I live in Bethesda and can vouch for the great city. Obviously I am biased but Bethesda has many restaurants and bars that are within a few blocks of walking distance if you like near downtown. It's alos easy access to Chevy Chase which has some high end shopping and restaurants. Wisconsin Ave, the major street through Bethesda leads directly into Georgetown in DC. There's also a metro station located centrally next to the Hyatt. Be aware that whereever you decide, the cost of living is VERY high with 1 bedroom condos in downtown Bethesda costing over $400K and condo fees of up to $500 per month. There is a new townhome community about 5 min drive from downtown Bethesda that is selling for $1.4M if that's within your price range. You will find that Bethesda has a good mix of well educated, professional individuals. Many of my friends and neighbors in the city are mid to late twenties and you will see a lot of us frequenting the numerous streetside restaurants on Cordell Ave or any of the cross streets nearby.

suzanne

Kyra,
I keep hearing about the "U Street Corridor" (in NW DC) as the up-and-coming neighborhood, with lots of funky luxury condos being built and new restaurants opening. Anyone else know much about this area?

MikeT

U Street (and Columbia Heights and New York Avenue) are the new hot, relatively affordable neighborhood. I would pick U Street over the others, but all are interesting.

The U Street area has a viable commercial district and has a storied past for its significance to the history of African Americans in DC. It is gritty in places, but there are at least two Starbucks and some hot restaurants. Because it borders DuPont Circle, Logan Circle and Shaw, it is surrounded on two sides by high real estate prices and also viable commercial areas (and Howard University) in Shaw.

Kyra

I am finding all these postings very helpful....
I looked at some condos right off of Rockville Pike( is that the right road?) in Bethesda...they were 4 story brick and lovely....I just did not like being right on the highway. They were around 1.2 for 3 beds two baths two car garage.

The locations right in the city sound interesting.

I am used to high costs of living...
I do not like them but I am used to them....maybe I will win the lottery....

I just want to be somewhere interesting and have access to the city where someone in thirties and single would feel comfortable...

Thanks!!!

bardo1

Kyra,

Since you are only in Philly, may I suggest you come visit (via Amtrak) for a few days.

DC is most different from Philadelphia in that everyone rides the Metro and being close to a Metro station often means you're in a happening, up and coming, trendy, or desireable area.

For you visit, I would suggest lodging in Dupont Circle or Penn Quarter (Gallery Place or Archives Metro). Then, instead of sightseeing, take the Metro around and try to walk the neighborhood around for an hour or less at some of the Metro stations.

Here's a broad spectum of areas to scope out to get a personal impression. All are along the lines of what you're asking for. Areas are listed by the name of the Metro stop:

Gallery Place

Dupont Circle

Woodley Park/Zoo

Court House

Clarendon

Capitol South (the area east of the station)

Eastern Market (especially the area north of Penn Ave.)

King Street

Archives (all the residentail bldgs are to the north)

U Street-Cardozo

And a system map with neighborhood maps of each station (click on the stop):

http://www.stationmasters.com/System...ystem_map.html

JBC411

Yes, I've been to Philadelphia, Kyra. I think Georgetown and Society Hill are comparable in many ways--expensive, historic little homes on quaint, narrow streets, with business streets filled with restaurants and bars and crammed with teenagers to twentysomethings nights and weekends (Front St. and South St. in Philly, M St. and Wisconsin Ave. in DC.)

Dupont Circle is probably the closest DC counterpart to Rittenhouse Square. Yhey both are very lively, vibrant public squares with elegant older urban homes in a couple of directions (in Dupont Circle's case, that includes the beginning of Embassy Row); major luxury hotels and expensive restaurants in another direction; and funky, eclectic or ethnic restaurants, bars and shops in the remaining direction.

I can't really think of a DC neighborhood that I'd call similar to Manayunk. Maybe the counterpart neighborhoods might be Adams Morgan or U Street, but they are different from Manayunk as the history and ethnic makeup of Washington is different from Philadelphia's. There are many European immigrants in Washington and dark-skinned African and Latin heritage people in Philadelphia, but historically I think each of those groups has played a much larger role in the other of the two cities.

Old Town Alexandria has much the same feel as the area around Independence Mall in Phila--not surprisingly, since they were built about the same time.

There are many singles and lots of interesting restaurants and bars along the Metro line in Arlington, in the communities of Rosslyn, Clarendon, Courthouse, Virginia Square and Ballston. This, as I said in my other post, along with the neighborhoods I and others have mentioned in DC are considered the "hot" singles areas.

But I think it's maybe a little provincial to say that "everyone" rides the Metro. The majority of the population in the metropolitan area is still outside the Beltway and seldom served by Metro. Yes, a higher proportion of of people are married the further out you get, but it's also true that the further you are over 30, the less true that is. A lot of us single and over 30 find the singles scene in DC and Arlington perhaps a little too dominated by people much younger than we are. There are a lot of us outside the beltway, around Tysons Corner or Reston Town Center among other places, who have a marriage or two under our belts and may live and work and play near--or exactly where--we did when we were married. I don't know that there is necessarily a migration of the newly single inside the beltway or into DC to join the never married who cluster there.

Kyra

Well put.....your posts are so helpful
and detailed.

I do not necessarily want to be hanging out with 20 somethings again...
however, I can mingle with just about anyone.

I am sureI could be quite happy in any area because I am adaptable and have many interests....

I need to visit all these areas....no question.

Thank you for all your help...

Any intersting hotels or restaurants inn the city to stay during my excursion?