Moving to DC with many questions

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kids are 5 and 8. So would like to be near activities / sports / classes, etc for them and someplace that has a sense of community, you actually know your neighbors, etc.

I definitely think either Wesley Heights or Cleveland/Woodley Park is what will fit your bill.

I just moved from Manhattan to DC. I would definitely not move to Cleveland park. I moved here too based on dcum recommendations. Don't.

People here are weird and cold. It took months to get people to even respond when I said hello. Also this place is not walkable whatsoever. There Is a strip of sad little restaurants, but the place is clogged with old racist people who think nothing of screaming at you because they think you're a nanny. I don't know of another sahm at all. So the assumption is that we are nannies, and they will feel free to treat you like trash. The zoo is really nice though. I have met some nice friends, but they are few and far between.

I am moving to Capitol hill where other former NYC friends have moved. Since you're looking for private schools, the school issue is not important for you. Honestly, don't let anyone tell you otherwise- NW dc is extremely suburban, and maryland and Nova are totally suburban. People who don't understand what life is like in manhattan will say crap like oh Bethesda has a great downtown (spoiler alert- it doesn't) and Arlington is walkable! (no it is chain store central with unfriendly types. Actually it's a lot like Hoboken).

I would definitely take a couple weekends to check out the city. When people say "great and walkable downtown" they literally mean one sad Starbucks and a bad deli. That is it. Dont rely too much on what people here say. They don't understand.

This gal is spot-on correct. Relocated from NYC too. People here ARE weird. Rent first. Then you can decide where you want to live; very difficult to guess what it is like. Live and rent; less stress, and then after a year or so you can make a much more informed decision.

+1 Rent first and I'm not even a New Yorker. The people here are weird. I'm from Southern Maryland by the way. Been here for 10 years and planning to move as soon as my finances shake out. The problem with the area is everyone from here "is not from here". Lots of weirdos from all over the country who bring their misery and bad attitudes to roost on the Nation's Capital. Very seldom do you encounter someone really born and bred here (which includes the surrounding counties collectively called the DMV). True natives are actually more southern like- helpful, kind, open-minded, respectful. Snotty vegans who don't bathe always take over the narrative because they're pushy with their views and rigid in their ideas, but they truly don't reflect the real people. I'm just as the point where I'm tired of all of the negativity, so I'm outta here! OP, your best bet is to rent and research for about a year. Spend weekends exploring until you find where you fit in. I'd make my suggestion for what I think fits your bill, but I'm too much of a southerner. I'd have you somewhere in the woods within a short drive to the nearest Starbucks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Georgetown is the best, hands down. Its kind of like Soho, bur nicer. Everything else sucks big time compared to most of Manhattan.

HahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahHhHah

Oh my god I just actually laughed out loud.

No Georgetown is very similar to South Street Seaport. Seriously!

Soho and Georgetown are as similar as Nancy Reagan and Beyonce.

SOHO sucks, it's a tourist trap for the most part, only more crowded than Gtown. Gtown is more comparable to West Village as far as residential streets are concerned.

Some parts of soho are touristy, for sure. Definitely agree with you! But Georgetown is not like the west village. Both have nice rowhouses, but I have lived in both and can confidently say that they are totally different. Again it's very similar to south street seaport. Google it.

There is more to Georgetown than M street. South Seaport is an outdoor shopping mall with river access, maybe comparable to some extent to commercial parts of Gtown, but there is more to Gtown beyond this. It's a sizable residential neighborhood and parts of it are pretty far from M street and very quiet. Plus, there is a college campus and presence of college students too.

South street seaport is too small to be comparable to anything. M street in g town is comparable to broadway in soho. NYU is right there as well.

I'm impressed that you could make so many snap judgments so quickly from your tour bus!

Also since you're so certain Georgetown is better than soho, could you do me a huge favor and point me to the fabulous restaurants and museums in Georgetown? Also where are all the fashionistas hiding in GTown? I seem to see the same pasty white chubby folks walking around in quilted jackets, mom jeans, and Michael Kors purses every single time. But I only lived in both, so what do I know?

SOHO is a tourist hell for the most part. It's full of chain stores and small street vendors with a few independent stores and small designers sprinkled here and there. It's an outdoor shopping mall with all the usual suspects you will find in Tysons or any other suburban mall. There are plenty of the chubby folks walking around in mom jeans and MK purses too, most definitely outnumbering your fashionistas. There are just more faux-hipsters there, if this rocks your world. Anyway, I would not compare it to Gtown, so agree with you, but as far as saying which one is superior, it's a personal taste. I like Gtown more, cleaner, more manageable and not as crowded overall. Plus, the residential streets are beautiful and I like the river front.

[Anonymous]

^^ Unfortunately, the faux-hipsters have decided to move here in droves. New York- please take them baaaccckkkk!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Georgetown is the best, hands down. Its kind of like Soho, bur nicer. Everything else sucks big time compared to most of Manhattan.

HahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahHhHah

Oh my god I just actually laughed out loud.

No Georgetown is very similar to South Street Seaport. Seriously!

Soho and Georgetown are as similar as Nancy Reagan and Beyonce.

SOHO sucks, it's a tourist trap for the most part, only more crowded than Gtown. Gtown is more comparable to West Village as far as residential streets are concerned.

Some parts of soho are touristy, for sure. Definitely agree with you! But Georgetown is not like the west village. Both have nice rowhouses, but I have lived in both and can confidently say that they are totally different. Again it's very similar to south street seaport. Google it.

There is more to Georgetown than M street. South Seaport is an outdoor shopping mall with river access, maybe comparable to some extent to commercial parts of Gtown, but there is more to Gtown beyond this. It's a sizable residential neighborhood and parts of it are pretty far from M street and very quiet. Plus, there is a college campus and presence of college students too.

South street seaport is too small to be comparable to anything. M street in g town is comparable to broadway in soho. NYU is right there as well.

I'm impressed that you could make so many snap judgments so quickly from your tour bus!

Also since you're so certain Georgetown is better than soho, could you do me a huge favor and point me to the fabulous restaurants and museums in Georgetown? Also where are all the fashionistas hiding in GTown? I seem to see the same pasty white chubby folks walking around in quilted jackets, mom jeans, and Michael Kors purses every single time. But I only lived in both, so what do I know?

SOHO is a tourist hell for the most part. It's full of chain stores and small street vendors with a few independent stores and small designers sprinkled here and there. It's an outdoor shopping mall with all the usual suspects you will find in Tysons or any other suburban mall. There are plenty of the chubby folks walking around in mom jeans and MK purses too, most definitely outnumbering your fashionistas. There are just more faux-hipsters there, if this rocks your world. Anyway, I would not compare it to Gtown, so agree with you, but as far as saying which one is superior, it's a personal taste. I like Gtown more, cleaner, more manageable and not as crowded overall. Plus, the residential streets are beautiful and I like the river front.

And again someone who thinks all of soho can be boiled down to Broadway only. Please keep your uninformed opinions to yourself and others waiting in line for the big apple bus tour.

[Anonymous]

Congratulations, living in Washington, DC, will be a better life for your family than living in NYC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Congratulations, living in Washington, DC, will be a better life for your family than living in NYC.

I hate to be a downer, but I don't think so. At best, it's about the same. DC schools are terrible, there is bad crime here (way worse than NYC - DC's murder rate is 4.56 higher than NYC), this a an extremely segregated city (blacks in Anacostia and PG county, Whites in NW DC, Nova), and the transient nature of the work here can easily prevent long term relationships.

It's very expensive to live here, the traffic is bad, and no one wants to stand out. OF course in NYC it's slightly more expensive, but salaries are a lot higher. Traffic sucks too, but the subway is a million times better than the metro. Of course the subway is filthy, breaks down, and lacks elevators. But the metro needs like 10 more lines to make this place truly friendly to carless people.

I really can't say that this place is bad for kids, but I am not going to say that DC is worse. I think that people who live in DC have a inferiority complex with NYC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Congratulations, living in Washington, DC, will be a better life for your family than living in NYC.

I hate to be a downer, but I don't think so. At best, it's about the same. DC schools are terrible, there is bad crime here (way worse than NYC - DC's murder rate is 4.56 higher than NYC), this a an extremely segregated city (blacks in Anacostia and PG county, Whites in NW DC, Nova), and the transient nature of the work here can easily prevent long term relationships.

It's very expensive to live here, the traffic is bad, and no one wants to stand out. OF course in NYC it's slightly more expensive, but salaries are a lot higher. Traffic sucks too, but the subway is a million times better than the metro. Of course the subway is filthy, breaks down, and lacks elevators. But the metro needs like 10 more lines to make this place truly friendly to carless people.

I really can't say that this place is bad for kids, but I am not going to say that DC is worse. I think that people who live in DC have a inferiority complex with NYC.

But in many ways, living with kids is easier in DC. It's quieter, less crowded, cleaner, greener/leafier. The smaller size makes it more manageable. There are many neighborhoods that have a village-like or suburban feel where it's easy to park, easy to drive around, but are still close in to urban amenities and public transport. When you're at that stage in which you're taking kids to soccer games or other activities with equipment, other kids, etc. it's much easier to be able to drive around. It's a good midpoint between the craziness of big city life and the relative isolation of a lot of suburbia.

[Anonymous]

What's wrong with Georgetown proper? Hyde is a good school, is it Hardy or Deal for MS, and Wilson is pretty good too.

If your budget is $400k, then we'll have to think long and hard about places like South Arlington, Hyattsville, etc.

[Anonymous]

OP, please don't be scared off by this board! DCUM brings out the worst in people. Washingtonians are not weird (at least not any weirder than any other city) and you will actually find plenty of nice, friendly people here. The schools you mentioned you're looking into all have nice parent communities. There have been lots of great suggestions about neighborhoods- I think you'll be happy with with anything in NW DC or CC MD/close-in Bethesda. Just spend some time exploring several neighborhoods to see which one feels right to you.

[Anonymous]

Haha, I second PP. There are a lot of nice people out there, maybe fewer on DCUM!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Georgetown is the best, hands down. Its kind of like Soho, bur nicer. Everything else sucks big time compared to most of Manhattan.

HahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahHhHah

Oh my god I just actually laughed out loud.

No Georgetown is very similar to South Street Seaport. Seriously!

Soho and Georgetown are as similar as Nancy Reagan and Beyonce.

SOHO sucks, it's a tourist trap for the most part, only more crowded than Gtown. Gtown is more comparable to West Village as far as residential streets are concerned.

Some parts of soho are touristy, for sure. Definitely agree with you! But Georgetown is not like the west village. Both have nice rowhouses, but I have lived in both and can confidently say that they are totally different. Again it's very similar to south street seaport. Google it.

There is more to Georgetown than M street. South Seaport is an outdoor shopping mall with river access, maybe comparable to some extent to commercial parts of Gtown, but there is more to Gtown beyond this. It's a sizable residential neighborhood and parts of it are pretty far from M street and very quiet. Plus, there is a college campus and presence of college students too.

South street seaport is too small to be comparable to anything. M street in g town is comparable to broadway in soho. NYU is right there as well.

I'm impressed that you could make so many snap judgments so quickly from your tour bus!

Also since you're so certain Georgetown is better than soho, could you do me a huge favor and point me to the fabulous restaurants and museums in Georgetown? Also where are all the fashionistas hiding in GTown? I seem to see the same pasty white chubby folks walking around in quilted jackets, mom jeans, and Michael Kors purses every single time. But I only lived in both, so what do I know?

SOHO is a tourist hell for the most part. It's full of chain stores and small street vendors with a few independent stores and small designers sprinkled here and there. It's an outdoor shopping mall with all the usual suspects you will find in Tysons or any other suburban mall. There are plenty of the chubby folks walking around in mom jeans and MK purses too, most definitely outnumbering your fashionistas. There are just more faux-hipsters there, if this rocks your world. Anyway, I would not compare it to Gtown, so agree with you, but as far as saying which one is superior, it's a personal taste. I like Gtown more, cleaner, more manageable and not as crowded overall. Plus, the residential streets are beautiful and I like the river front.

And again someone who thinks all of soho can be boiled down to Broadway only. Please keep your uninformed opinions to yourself and others waiting in line for the big apple bus tour.

And again, just because someone has a negative opinion about some area of Manhattan, you have wet dreams about, you assume that they are uninformed tourists from Hickville USA. If anything, you sound like a tourist with stars in your eyes. What's the other area of NYC to go to after we are done with Time Sq and Central Park and Statue of Liberty tour? Oh, SOHO, of course!

[Anonymous]

Logan Circle!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Georgetown is the best, hands down. Its kind of like Soho, bur nicer. Everything else sucks big time compared to most of Manhattan.

HahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahHhHah

Oh my god I just actually laughed out loud.

No Georgetown is very similar to South Street Seaport. Seriously!

Soho and Georgetown are as similar as Nancy Reagan and Beyonce.

SOHO sucks, it's a tourist trap for the most part, only more crowded than Gtown. Gtown is more comparable to West Village as far as residential streets are concerned.

Some parts of soho are touristy, for sure. Definitely agree with you! But Georgetown is not like the west village. Both have nice rowhouses, but I have lived in both and can confidently say that they are totally different. Again it's very similar to south street seaport. Google it.

There is more to Georgetown than M street. South Seaport is an outdoor shopping mall with river access, maybe comparable to some extent to commercial parts of Gtown, but there is more to Gtown beyond this. It's a sizable residential neighborhood and parts of it are pretty far from M street and very quiet. Plus, there is a college campus and presence of college students too.

South street seaport is too small to be comparable to anything. M street in g town is comparable to broadway in soho. NYU is right there as well.

I'm impressed that you could make so many snap judgments so quickly from your tour bus!

Also since you're so certain Georgetown is better than soho, could you do me a huge favor and point me to the fabulous restaurants and museums in Georgetown? Also where are all the fashionistas hiding in GTown? I seem to see the same pasty white chubby folks walking around in quilted jackets, mom jeans, and Michael Kors purses every single time. But I only lived in both, so what do I know?

SOHO is a tourist hell for the most part. It's full of chain stores and small street vendors with a few independent stores and small designers sprinkled here and there. It's an outdoor shopping mall with all the usual suspects you will find in Tysons or any other suburban mall. There are plenty of the chubby folks walking around in mom jeans and MK purses too, most definitely outnumbering your fashionistas. There are just more faux-hipsters there, if this rocks your world. Anyway, I would not compare it to Gtown, so agree with you, but as far as saying which one is superior, it's a personal taste. I like Gtown more, cleaner, more manageable and not as crowded overall. Plus, the residential streets are beautiful and I like the river front.

SOho has many more high end stores than Gtown. it does have many more people dressed to higher standards though they are still a minority. Also, there is a strong tourist element to Gtown as well. To try abstract M st/Broadway from these areas is pretty ridiculous and it reflects snobbery rather than seem deep understanding of those communities. Sure, they are not the only things there, but they are a big and important part.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Vienna Va. Perfect town for you.

This is exactly the sort of place that would give Woody Allen hives.

Hilarious, but doesn't the Upper East Side give Woody hives?

OP, if you were to move in the NYC area to a neighborhood/town that is still walkable, but a little more suburban in feel (i.e., a neighborhood with the characteristics you say you're looking for when you move here), where would that be? This info would help those of us familiar with NYC area to identify something comparable here. For example, if you say Montclair, NJ, that translates to Cleveland Park here -- not in terms of schools and transpo, I know, but in feel. Then we can fill in the info re schools, transpo, etc.

[Anonymous]

I've lived in Capitol Hill for 10 years. although I like it, I think Logan Circle, Dupont Circle, West End or Georgetown would be preferrable for you. Imagine living so close to work that your husband could come home to join you for lunch! Live as close to his work as you can afford, is my advice. Good luck!!