Brooklanders…where do you send DCs to school and how is your commute?

[Anonymous]

Re biking, you can pick up the Met Branch trail in Edgewood for a speedy ride down to NoMa. Crime on the trail is occasional/rare but unnerving when it occurs.

For a commute to GW, I'd chose Metro. By car, you're crossing town likely by RI Ave and then there are no particularly clean routes by bike IMO. Really depends on how comfortable you are biking in traffic though.

Commute to the Hill is about 20 minutes by car but presumably that may grow longer as H Street continues to morph (i.e. Whole Foods coming to a 6th NE).

[Anonymous]

I live in Brookland and my daughter goes to the neighborhood DCPS. I commute to the Hill by car - it takes anywhere from 12-20 minutes, and my husband, who works near Navy Yard, has a 20-25 minute metro commute. We actually don't have a very big house, but have a nice yard and tons of parking.

[Anonymous]

Another Brooklander here. Sounds like some of the posters from the Tonier areas of the city may need to get out more. There are lots of upper-middle folks moving in up here, and no - not everyone buys at the top of their budget. We have a HHI of $250k and just like having financial flexibility - IMO it's not a great strategy to have most of your assets tied up in your house.

We love it here. Our house and lot are much larger than other up and coming 'hoods like Bloomingdale or H Street. Perhaps not especially huge or awesome compared to places in upper NW, but then again - we paid less than half of what a comparable property would go for over there.

Development is booming, and there's almost endless potential for more of the same. If you haven't been here in a year or two, you might not recognize it. There's a huge new development (Monroe Street Market) opening up now with artist space, a Busboys, several other bars and restaurants, and rumors of a grocery store to come. A second mixed-use development just started construction, and WMATA is taking bids for a huge parcel on the other side of the Metro (3-4 blocks's worth of development). About half a dozen new restaurants have opened in the past year, with about half a dozen more to open by fall.

To avoid sounding like a real estate agent, there is crime. And yes, the DCPS schools are bad. However, in my experience the crime is almost all property crime and even then is well below what you see in other developing neighborhoods east of 14th St NW. When it comes time for schools we hope to get a good/convenient charter (there are some good options with more being added). If that happens, we'll have more disposable income than we know what to do with. But if not? Great. We'll easily be able to afford any other school we choose since we pay less for our mortgage than most people in D.C. pay to rent a studio.

On OP's commute question, Metro will take you about 15 minutes to Farragut North in the unlikely event that both your home and office are within a block or two of the station. I have about an 8 minute walk on both sides and it takes me 30 minutes. Biking and driving usually take 15-20 minutes. I'm a woman and have had no issues biking on the MBT, but I exercise common sense and don't use it at times when it's likely to be deserted. Access to pretty much anyplace east of the park is very good.

[Anonymous]

PP, you seem pretty assured you will go to private school if the lottery for charters doesn't work. Which schools would you consider from your neighborhood?

[Anonymous]

Nobody has mentioned the new Barnes and Noble that will be moving into the Monroe st Market.

[Anonymous]

I see we're still playing the awesome charter / great big house / huge lot game.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I see we're still playing the awesome charter / great big house / huge lot game.

But for me, and most of our friends in Brookland/Woodridge, it's mostly true. For us, it's awesome charter, small house, HUGE lot. Come spend some time here, talk to people, and you'll realize that for a lot of people who have moderate (by DC standards) incomes,like a little green space, and don't want crazy commutes, this area is great. We've been here 10 years, so chose to live here before all the development because it was what we could afford. We've stayed because of the strong, vibrant community we've become a part of. All the restaurants and shops will be a bonus!

[Anonymous]

For those of you who are considering the move to Brookland to be near your charter, and are driving your kids anyway, you might also consider Petworth. Of course there are also charters here.
It's a quick drive east over Harewood to Brookland - very convenient. We like the proximity to Columbia Heights & our friends who still live mostly there or in Mt. P, Dupont and Adams Morgan, and the Hill. I work in NW so I can drive downtown by bus, a Car2Go, the Green line, BikeShare etc. in 15-25 minutes. There's the WalMart, Target, Yes!, Giant and the new Safeway is going in. We have Qualia Coffee, Petworth Citizen, Looking Glass Lounge run by the folks who own Wonderland. It's easy to arrange to meet folks for a the occasional parent night out on 11th Street, 14th, U Street. There is a new movie theater going in down the hill near the 9:30 Club. We have off street parking and a fenced yard. There are some streets with nice detached homes. The local playgrounds have been recently renovated.
Brookland has the dance and pilates resources and the new construction but didn't have a lot else when we were looking, and the reports of attacks near Metro and the bike trail are nerve wracking, although Petworth is still a bit shooty as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I live in Brookland and my daughter goes to the neighborhood DCPS. I commute to the Hill by car - it takes anywhere from 12-20 minutes, and my husband, who works near Navy Yard, has a 20-25 minute metro commute. We actually don't have a very big house, but have a nice yard and tons of parking.

Are you willing to share which dcps in brookland and any feedback?

Op if you can, visit Burroughs, Langdon, and Brookland at bunker hill. You might be surprised.

Fwiw I've lived in brookland for over a decade, medium house, medium lot, decent bike commute to Farragut (30 mins, same as metro including a change of clothes at the office after biking), fantastic neighbors and community with a growing number of amenities. I'll watch this thread because my kid is not yet school aged, but we know families of little ones that are thinking of trying the local schools.

[Anonymous]

We have seen some nice houses but I am really, really afraid of being shut out of charters and I don't see how the neighborhood schools are doable long-term. Nor can we afford private. Ugh. This city really sucks sometimes.

PP with a child in the local school, is it an upper-elementary grade?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have seen some nice houses but I am really, really afraid of being shut out of charters and I don't see how the neighborhood schools are doable long-term. Nor can we afford private. Ugh. This city really sucks sometimes.

PP with a child in the local school, is it an upper-elementary grade?

Get accepted to the school, then make your decision on where to live. Doesn't seem that hard? Can't you rent first until you get into your "awesome charter"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For those of you who are considering the move to Brookland to be near your charter, and are driving your kids anyway, you might also consider Petworth. Of course there are also charters here.
It's a quick drive east over Harewood to Brookland - very convenient. We like the proximity to Columbia Heights & our friends who still live mostly there or in Mt. P, Dupont and Adams Morgan, and the Hill. I work in NW so I can drive downtown by bus, a Car2Go, the Green line, BikeShare etc. in 15-25 minutes. There's the WalMart, Target, Yes!, Giant and the new Safeway is going in. We have Qualia Coffee, Petworth Citizen, Looking Glass Lounge run by the folks who own Wonderland. It's easy to arrange to meet folks for a the occasional parent night out on 11th Street, 14th, U Street. There is a new movie theater going in down the hill near the 9:30 Club. We have off street parking and a fenced yard. There are some streets with nice detached homes. The local playgrounds have been recently renovated.
Brookland has the dance and pilates resources and the new construction but didn't have a lot else when we were looking, and the reports of attacks near Metro and the bike trail are nerve wracking, although Petworth is still a bit shooty as well.

You are 28 and you do not have children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those of you who are considering the move to Brookland to be near your charter, and are driving your kids anyway, you might also consider Petworth. Of course there are also charters here.
It's a quick drive east over Harewood to Brookland - very convenient. We like the proximity to Columbia Heights & our friends who still live mostly there or in Mt. P, Dupont and Adams Morgan, and the Hill. I work in NW so I can drive downtown by bus, a Car2Go, the Green line, BikeShare etc. in 15-25 minutes. There's the WalMart, Target, Yes!, Giant and the new Safeway is going in. We have Qualia Coffee, Petworth Citizen, Looking Glass Lounge run by the folks who own Wonderland. It's easy to arrange to meet folks for a the occasional parent night out on 11th Street, 14th, U Street. There is a new movie theater going in down the hill near the 9:30 Club. We have off street parking and a fenced yard. There are some streets with nice detached homes. The local playgrounds have been recently renovated.
Brookland has the dance and pilates resources and the new construction but didn't have a lot else when we were looking, and the reports of attacks near Metro and the bike trail are nerve wracking, although Petworth is still a bit shooty as well.

You are 28 and you do not have children.

Not pp but there are MANY families in Petworth. Don't be a downer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: although Petworth is still a bit shooty as well.

Interesting choice of words. Maybe auto correct got this one right?

[Anonymous]

I think that was on purpose.