Sell me on Silver Spring

[Anonymous]

I almost bought in SS in Woodside. The house was gorgeous and the neighborhood had a lot of great houses. But we did not escalate high enough and lost the offer. Over a million. Didn’t think SS was worth it since once you leave the pretty neighborhood, Georgia Avenue looks bad. I also like to run on trails but the houses by the entrance of the Sligo Creek park were run down and trash strewn. DTSS looks bleak and that whole Discovery Center revitalization looks like it never materialized. I bought in Chevy Chase instead for just a little more than the Woodside house. I can run to Rock Creek Park and don’t have to pass ugly houses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bethesda is the only good place in MoCo. Takoma Park is fine too. The rest is suffering from a total lack of jobs and just being in MoCo, one of the most poorly run counties in the US.

You are funny. MoCo is one of the richest counties in the US.

[Anonymous]

Downtown Silver Spring has the AFI, the Round House theater, the Regal, ice skating in the winter, Whole Foods, Lebanese Taverna (okay, it used to be better when it was in the larger space, now it's just one of the LEBTAV eateries, but the hummus is still the best), the Kefa Cafe, amazing Ethiopian food, a new library, Plaza Art Supplies, an awesome Thanksgiving parade, and a fantastic weekly market. In terms of the architecture / urban environment, I don't see it being any worse than downtown Bethesda which has an equal amount of corporate-soullessness. At least the AFI is a cool art deco building.

I love the socio-economic-racial mix of Silver Spring. The diversity is great. But if diversity isn't your thing then you probably won't like it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What’s your budget? Can you afford Kensington. We bought an older original home there and like it very much. I can walk to the wine bar and farmers market which is really all one needs right.

+1. I think Kensington is a good balance between Silver Spring and Bethesda.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
We lived in downtown SS for many years and hated it, for similar reasons: large blocks, ugly buildings, wind corridors in winter in between high rises, heat radiation in summer through the pavement and buildings, lack of green spaces. We saved enough to move close to downtown Bethesda, and much prefer it. It took SERIOUS belt-tightening saving, and we bought the cheapest house we could find. But it was so worth it

Now this is the funniest thing ever: "We hated downtown Silver Spring ...so we moved to BETHESDA!"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
We lived in downtown SS for many years and hated it, for similar reasons: large blocks, ugly buildings, wind corridors in winter in between high rises, heat radiation in summer through the pavement and buildings, lack of green spaces. We saved enough to move close to downtown Bethesda, and much prefer it. It took SERIOUS belt-tightening saving, and we bought the cheapest house we could find. But it was so worth it

Now this is the funniest thing ever: "We hated downtown Silver Spring ...so we moved to BETHESDA!"

I like downtown Bethesda (Woodmont and surrounding areas) because it is close to Capital Crescent Trail, walkable, and has a good variety of food. I wish they didn’t get rid of Barnes and Noble.

I dislike Friendship Heights, however. Not a fan of the mall-like atmosphere and the big ugly condos.

[Anonymous]

I technically live in "silver spring" but remember that it is an enormous area. There is not incorporated silver spring, but there is a downtown area and then a huge suburban area called "silver spring."

I'm pretty happy living in our affordable area off Layhill with half an acre lots, a ten minute or less drive to Glenmont metro. We rarely go to "downtown silver spring" and instead go to Rockville or Kensington or Bethesda if we go out to eat etc... I mean we go if we want to go to AFI...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
We lived in downtown SS for many years and hated it, for similar reasons: large blocks, ugly buildings, wind corridors in winter in between high rises, heat radiation in summer through the pavement and buildings, lack of green spaces. We saved enough to move close to downtown Bethesda, and much prefer it. It took SERIOUS belt-tightening saving, and we bought the cheapest house we could find. But it was so worth it

Aren’t you worried Bethesda will become more like SS with the high buildings and dense construction?

Yeah, I am pretty sure downtown Bethesda has high rises and long blocks too. And has PP never heard of Sligo Creek Park?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I technically live in "silver spring" but remember that it is an enormous area. There is not incorporated silver spring, but there is a downtown area and then a huge suburban area called "silver spring."

I'm pretty happy living in our affordable area off Layhill with half an acre lots, a ten minute or less drive to Glenmont metro. We rarely go to "downtown silver spring" and instead go to Rockville or Kensington or Bethesda if we go out to eat etc... I mean we go if we want to go to AFI...

Right, probably because you live closer to those other places than to downtown Silver Spring.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Sorry, didn’t mean to offend anyone. I like the diversity in SS and some of the neighbourhoods are nice. People seem friendly.
It’s just that I have been to downtown SS many times now and it is a bit depressing. I’m fine with urban grit but there is something about the SS downtown that I find jarring. It is not designed well and many of the buildings are ugly and rundown. I love ethnic food. It’s just that the area feels utterly charmless. The WF is nice but the parking lot there gets crazy on the weekends. I was surprised at the traffic and congestion in downtown on Friday evenings. I just feel it would add to my stress level if I had to go there a lot. The farmers market is very nice. Maybe it is fine to live there but avoid downtown and instead frequent Takoma Park, Bethesda and Rockville instead. Even the metro station looks imposing and uninviting. Good to hear there are nice parks around. We are also looking at Kensington. I’m not a huge Bethesda fan but I would say the Bethesda downtown beats SS by a mile. I guess that visual aesthetics are important to me. I could never live in an ugly house even if the inside was very nice.

[Anonymous]

It looks to me like SS is doing fine without you. Why would someone looking for a place there want to encourage more competition? You don’t like it, leave it for someone who can appreciate it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Sorry, didn’t mean to offend anyone. I like the diversity in SS and some of the neighbourhoods are nice. People seem friendly.
It’s just that I have been to downtown SS many times now and it is a bit depressing. I’m fine with urban grit but there is something about the SS downtown that I find jarring. It is not designed well and many of the buildings are ugly and rundown. I love ethnic food. It’s just that the area feels utterly charmless. The WF is nice but the parking lot there gets crazy on the weekends. I was surprised at the traffic and congestion in downtown on Friday evenings. I just feel it would add to my stress level if I had to go there a lot. The farmers market is very nice. Maybe it is fine to live there but avoid downtown and instead frequent Takoma Park, Bethesda and Rockville instead. Even the metro station looks imposing and uninviting. Good to hear there are nice parks around. We are also looking at Kensington. I’m not a huge Bethesda fan but I would say the Bethesda downtown beats SS by a mile. I guess that visual aesthetics are important to me. I could never live in an ugly house even if the inside was very nice.

Honestly what you need is more money. Like $5m. Then you will be happy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Sorry, didn’t mean to offend anyone. I like the diversity in SS and some of the neighbourhoods are nice. People seem friendly.
It’s just that I have been to downtown SS many times now and it is a bit depressing. I’m fine with urban grit but there is something about the SS downtown that I find jarring. It is not designed well and many of the buildings are ugly and rundown. I love ethnic food. It’s just that the area feels utterly charmless. The WF is nice but the parking lot there gets crazy on the weekends. I was surprised at the traffic and congestion in downtown on Friday evenings. I just feel it would add to my stress level if I had to go there a lot. The farmers market is very nice. Maybe it is fine to live there but avoid downtown and instead frequent Takoma Park, Bethesda and Rockville instead. Even the metro station looks imposing and uninviting. Good to hear there are nice parks around. We are also looking at Kensington. I’m not a huge Bethesda fan but I would say the Bethesda downtown beats SS by a mile. I guess that visual aesthetics are important to me. I could never live in an ugly house even if the inside was very nice.

OP, I lived near SS for 16 years and worked in downtown SS for 6 and I agree with you 100%. I think the people being mean to you are just being defensive. FWIW, I like a lot of the neighborhoods in SS and like the people there better than in Bethesda but anyone who argues that DTSS is as nice as or nicer than Bethesda is deluded or just trying to justify their choice to live there.

[Anonymous]

Silver Spring is pretty awful for a wide variety of reasons. Look in Bethesda if you can afford it or even Rockville.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
We lived in downtown SS for many years and hated it, for similar reasons: large blocks, ugly buildings, wind corridors in winter in between high rises, heat radiation in summer through the pavement and buildings, lack of green spaces. We saved enough to move close to downtown Bethesda, and much prefer it. It took SERIOUS belt-tightening saving, and we bought the cheapest house we could find. But it was so worth it

Aren’t you worried Bethesda will become more like SS with the high buildings and dense construction?

Funny all my Silver Spring neighbors don't want to become Bethesda! Ha Ha