Move to SFH or stay in Dupont Circle?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are legitimate reasons why OP might want to move to Cleveland Park or a similar neighborhood, like having space for kids to play. But let's not pretend there aren't significant tradeoffs in terms of urban quality of life.

Sure, there are clusters of shops on the charmless and pedestrian unfriendly Connecticut and Wisconsin Avenue stretches that bookend Cleveland Park. These do not hold a candle to living in DuPont or near 14th Street and being able to walk to multiple Michelin star and James Beard restaurants, top-rated cocktail bars, the city's best farmers market, and luxury gyms like Equinox and VIDA. Nor does WOTP have the hot and young urban crowd of these areas.

OP - if you view townhome living as "wonderful" now with two kids, I would stay put and see where they get into school. If you created this thread because you are feeling the itch to move, you could consider Georgetown East Village as a compromise option. Still quite walkable to DuPont, and the area is in the midst of a resurgence in high-end dining and great coffee shops.

True … and I’ll make my pitch again for Capitol Hill as well along those same lines. Less luxe but more proximity to interesting and fun stuff.

Are there many single family homes in Cap Hill?

There are giant rowhouses and a few detached homes but not many. Same as Georgetown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We moved from Capitol Hill to NWDC and it was life changing in a good way. We met so many more families with kids our kids’s ages, there were better, safer parks, we stopped having to deal with finding a parking space, making loading/unloading the kids and groceries easier, it was altogether quieter and more peaceful. After about a week, DH, who was opposed to the move, asked why we didn’t make it sooner.

I won’t argue with you about the other things but I can’t see how you didn’t meet families with kids on the Hill? where did you live?

[Anonymous]

There is basically nothing to do in upper NW if you don't have a kid and / or don't want to rely on your car for everything. Like, the hottest place in town is the wegman complex and 2amys.

[Anonymous]

I don’t think I could give up walking to work until I’m forced to do so. I’d wait until you outgrow your home and figure out what schools your kids will go to, then move to upper NW.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think I could give up walking to work until I’m forced to do so. I’d wait until you outgrow your home and figure out what schools your kids will go to, then move to upper NW.

Well they are going to have 4 kids … so who is going to drive them everywhere for their activities?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think I could give up walking to work until I’m forced to do so. I’d wait until you outgrow your home and figure out what schools your kids will go to, then move to upper NW.

Well they are going to have 4 kids … so who is going to drive them everywhere for their activities?

their nanny

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is basically nothing to do in upper NW if you don't have a kid and / or don't want to rely on your car for everything. Like, the hottest place in town is the wegman complex and 2amys.

3-4 kids (two under two), biglaw job, are they really looking for the hottest place in town?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are legitimate reasons why OP might want to move to Cleveland Park or a similar neighborhood, like having space for kids to play. But let's not pretend there aren't significant tradeoffs in terms of urban quality of life.

Sure, there are clusters of shops on the charmless and pedestrian unfriendly Connecticut and Wisconsin Avenue stretches that bookend Cleveland Park. These do not hold a candle to living in DuPont or near 14th Street and being able to walk to multiple Michelin star and James Beard restaurants, top-rated cocktail bars, the city's best farmers market, and luxury gyms like Equinox and VIDA. Nor does WOTP have the hot and young urban crowd of these areas.

OP - if you view townhome living as "wonderful" now with two kids, I would stay put and see where they get into school. If you created this thread because you are feeling the itch to move, you could consider Georgetown East Village as a compromise option. Still quite walkable to DuPont, and the area is in the midst of a resurgence in high-end dining and great coffee shops.

+1. You'll be really bored in Cleveland Park, and it does not compare at all to Dupont. You are going to live a more suburban, car-centric lifestyle.

+2 Though I'm biased as I also live in Dupont. I would consider moving based on schools I guess but I would cross that bridge when we come to it which would likely be middle school in our case. I really prefer to not depend on using the car all the time.

This. Stay until you feel more compelled to move. We know lots of families in Dupont. It's possible to stay and there are a lot of benefits!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are legitimate reasons why OP might want to move to Cleveland Park or a similar neighborhood, like having space for kids to play. But let's not pretend there aren't significant tradeoffs in terms of urban quality of life.

Sure, there are clusters of shops on the charmless and pedestrian unfriendly Connecticut and Wisconsin Avenue stretches that bookend Cleveland Park. These do not hold a candle to living in DuPont or near 14th Street and being able to walk to multiple Michelin star and James Beard restaurants, top-rated cocktail bars, the city's best farmers market, and luxury gyms like Equinox and VIDA. Nor does WOTP have the hot and young urban crowd of these areas.

OP - if you view townhome living as "wonderful" now with two kids, I would stay put and see where they get into school. If you created this thread because you are feeling the itch to move, you could consider Georgetown East Village as a compromise option. Still quite walkable to DuPont, and the area is in the midst of a resurgence in high-end dining and great coffee shops.

+1. You'll be really bored in Cleveland Park, and it does not compare at all to Dupont. You are going to live a more suburban, car-centric lifestyle.

+2 Though I'm biased as I also live in Dupont. I would consider moving based on schools I guess but I would cross that bridge when we come to it which would likely be middle school in our case. I really prefer to not depend on using the car all the time.

This. Stay until you feel more compelled to move. We know lots of families in Dupont. It's possible to stay and there are a lot of benefits!

Agree! We've got kids in the same age range, and remodeled our home to allow us to stay in Dupont longer. We did the suburban thing and it wasn't all it was cracked up to be (for us, anyhow). We'll re-evaluate come High School.

[Anonymous]

We’ve lived in upper NW for 20+ years and like it a lot, but I can’t imagine leaving your current situation until you absolutely have to. You have the best of all worlds right now. The only thing you don’t have is a yard, and honestly that’s overrated; our kids much preferred going to a playground to playing in the yard.

Stay in Dupont as long as you can, then move to Cleveland Park or the part of Forest Hills close to Connecticut. Walkable, close to metro, lots of kids, etc. But don’t do it until you really can’t make your current situation work any more. You’re living the dream!

[Anonymous]

You should move to Georgetown. There are several excellent preschool options, lots of young families, its closer to all the NW "stuff" you will need eventually with older kids like schools and sports fields, but still walkable.

I think the biggest issue with Dupony as your kids get older is that playdates become an issue. It might just be a personal mental block, but if my child had a friend who lived in Dupont I would always have them come to me.

[Anonymous]

I would stay personally with a townhome that large. I love our neighborhood now but we had fantastic neighbors in Dupont, too, and access to so much.

The idea that kids can only be outside in a yard is nonsense. Kids grow up thriving in NYC and Paris and London and Tokyo, etc... if you're happy and want access walking to amenities sorry the people who live WOTP and love Cleveland Park that's great but no you won't have the same stuff. Maybe the block parties.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I mean, I'm a Virginia person, I never looked back after leaving DC and never even go there anymore except for ballgames. I actually go to Japan more in a year than DC and I live 10 minutes away.

That said, if you are doing the school thing, stay in DC or close-in Maryland.

On a website of bizarre flexs this is one of the more bizarre.

[Anonymous]

Agree with others. We love our life in Westover in Arlington, walkable with a yard, lots of kids to play with and a neighborhood school. But you want your kids in a NW private it doesn’t make sense to move from NW to close in nova. Move in early elementary closer to the private you choose. Everyone I know loves Capitol Hill so also reasonable to consider

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I mean, I'm a Virginia person, I never looked back after leaving DC and never even go there anymore except for ballgames. I actually go to Japan more in a year than DC and I live 10 minutes away.

That said, if you are doing the school thing, stay in DC or close-in Maryland.

On a website of bizarre flexs this is one of the more bizarre.

+1 people here are weird. Then they wonder why they cannot
Make friends.