Thoughts on McLean Gardens?

[Anonymous]

Looked at a place over the weekend. Nice enough and tempting interior, but the exterior and surrounding area ... eh. Anyone lived here or know much about it? How is it for kids? Are people friendly? Does it feel weirdly like a suburban development though technically still right in DC?

[Anonymous]

McLean Gardens regularly pops up in positive comments, including from those with kids, for example in this thread: https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/15/1032952.page

What don't you like about the area? I mean, MG itself is a typical WWII-era colonial-esque garden apartment complex. But it seams pretty ideal for walking to stores and services. Dog park and playground in the campus. I go to the dog park all the time and the MG grounds seem nicely maintained. Restaurants, Giant, CVS, and Starbucks right there in Cathedral Commons, and a Wegman's coming immediately north of MG next year. Beautiful neighborhood immediately across Wisconsin to walk through. Tons of schools and houses of worship within walking distance. Right by Glover Archbold Park for access to more nature.

[Anonymous]

Everybody has different tastes and preferences, but what didn’t you like about the area? It’s leafy and green (maybe less so in winter). Has easy access to trails in Glover park, playgrounds for kids, dog parks, and grassy areas for both kids and dogs. And it’s super walkable to just about every amenity, including the soon to open wegmans. Is it all the nearby construction? That almost put us off but we decided it would pay off when it’s finished. There are tons of families and near good school. It does feel a bit removed from the city, but that’s part of what makes it feel homey.

[Anonymous]

What don't you like about it? The only downside is that is not walkable to Metro.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What don't you like about it? The only downside is that is not walkable to Metro.

It’s not a short walk, but it’s not too far to walk to Tenleytown. Only about 20 minutes.

[Anonymous]

Old and leaky. I know three people in older buildings who have had their ground floor flooded. We almost rented one of those but the place flooded the week before we signed the lease. Thank god it was before we signed the lease!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What don't you like about it? The only downside is that is not walkable to Metro.

Do you know what a bus is?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Looked at a place over the weekend. Nice enough and tempting interior, but the exterior and surrounding area ... eh. Anyone lived here or know much about it? How is it for kids? Are people friendly? Does it feel weirdly like a suburban development though technically still right in DC?

I'm new to MG and I would say yes, it feels very suburban in DC. It's very quiet. People are pretty friendly and there are a lot of community events. I think if you have kids it would be a very nice place to live. To me it feels very isolated from the more central neighborhoods I'm used to going out in. You do have easy access to Cathedral Commons, Tenleytown, and Cleveland Park, but to get downtown is usually a multi stage public transportation trip. The only units I would buy in MG would be the top floor lofts. The buildings are old and sound transfer from upstairs neighbors is a problem. That said, the condo association seems to be very well run and they take good care of the buildings and grounds. You have to be prepared that there are a lot of rules, so make sure to read the condo docs carefully.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looked at a place over the weekend. Nice enough and tempting interior, but the exterior and surrounding area ... eh. Anyone lived here or know much about it? How is it for kids? Are people friendly? Does it feel weirdly like a suburban development though technically still right in DC?

I'm new to MG and I would say yes, it feels very suburban in DC. It's very quiet. People are pretty friendly and there are a lot of community events. I think if you have kids it would be a very nice place to live. To me it feels very isolated from the more central neighborhoods I'm used to going out in. You do have easy access to Cathedral Commons, Tenleytown, and Cleveland Park, but to get downtown is usually a multi stage public transportation trip. The only units I would buy in MG would be the top floor lofts. The buildings are old and sound transfer from upstairs neighbors is a problem. That said, the condo association seems to be very well run and they take good care of the buildings and grounds. You have to be prepared that there are a lot of rules, so make sure to read the condo docs carefully.

If you have kids you may not want a top unit because the downstairs unit may complain about noise.

[Anonymous]

The units don’t have great appreciation but I would say are a bargain for the price and location.

[Anonymous]

We rented a top floor unit for a number of years and absolutely loved it. At first moving from Adams Morgan/Kalaroma I was worried it would be too subarban-lite but we really appriciated the neighberhood - good resturaunts, stores, etc all in easy walking. If you have kids- it's awesome, lots of local parks and kids all seem to play together. We just needed more room and couldn't stomach the high HOAs for the lower units with more bedrooms. I would move back in a heartbeat if I could.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Looked at a place over the weekend. Nice enough and tempting interior, but the exterior and surrounding area ... eh. Anyone lived here or know much about it? How is it for kids? Are people friendly? Does it feel weirdly like a suburban development though technically still right in DC?

LOL, it is literally one of the nicest areas in DC, excluding perhaps Kalorama or Wesley Heights, which you obviously can't afford if you are looking to purchase a condo unit there with a family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looked at a place over the weekend. Nice enough and tempting interior, but the exterior and surrounding area ... eh. Anyone lived here or know much about it? How is it for kids? Are people friendly? Does it feel weirdly like a suburban development though technically still right in DC?

LOL, it is literally one of the nicest areas in DC, excluding perhaps Kalorama or Wesley Heights, which you obviously can't afford if you are looking to purchase a condo unit there with a family.

Yes, but you can get a 1- bedroom for $100k less and 2-bedroom for $200k less in Cathedral Heights, Glover Park for example. You can also get to VA and MD really fast from GP or the few available units in Palisades. There's also an option of putting 2 units together. I had 3 neighbors on my floor who owned 2 units. 2 were combined.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looked at a place over the weekend. Nice enough and tempting interior, but the exterior and surrounding area ... eh. Anyone lived here or know much about it? How is it for kids? Are people friendly? Does it feel weirdly like a suburban development though technically still right in DC?

LOL, it is literally one of the nicest areas in DC, excluding perhaps Kalorama or Wesley Heights, which you obviously can't afford if you are looking to purchase a condo unit there with a family.

Yes, but you can get a 1- bedroom for $100k less and 2-bedroom for $200k less in Cathedral Heights, Glover Park for example. You can also get to VA and MD really fast from GP or the few available units in Palisades. There's also an option of putting 2 units together. I had 3 neighbors on my floor who owned 2 units. 2 were combined.

Cool. You have so many options then.