Relocating to DC...what's life like?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here - Currently, we are not looking at private schools. Have registered for the online EdFest next weekend. Do families with kids live in row houses or are they typically in single family detached homes? Really miss the walkability of Hong Kong and being close to good food, shopping, coffee, etc. Thanks so much for everyone's feedback!!

There are families in condo buildings, apartments, and everything else.

If you can get your employers to pay for private, do it. All the public schools massively underserved kids during the pandemic and there are a lot of social-emotional issues as well as learning loss making this a challenging year in the publics. Loads of behavior issues.

Oh, please. You are the poster child for pressure cooker. OP, I beseech you: find another website for school advice. Avoid this one like the plague.

Thanks to all posters! I did read that DC Public enrollment is down. Yes, we did the school lottery thing last year. Lots of learning for us! Anyway, it's all interesting things to consider. Definitely people who are enjoying it and others who'd love to leave!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, you won't get the pace of HK or London in DC, even in the most urban parts. I grew up here and think it gets bashed unnecessarily, but it's not a very big city. That said, the wealthier neighborhoods are much more of a pressure cooker than the Midwest (I went to college in Chicago and spent about 7 years there total). So, if you want to avoid that you can, but then you have to be prepared for people to tell you your kids' schools suck, blah blah. NWDC is lovely and friendly to people who can afford to live there. But maybe that's a good middle ground between where you are now and the excitement you've had in the past?

This is so right. Parents here are relentlessly competitive and many measure their self-worth by the average test scores of their kids' public schools.

Interesting. I would hear similar "parent stories" in HK and doing everything possible to compete for the best schools, but different story overall there. Likely every big city will have their school/kid competitiveness, however, it seems it's not 100% DC?? I'd like to think that I'm not that invested in the avg. test scores, but then maybe I'll be shamed for not being haha??!!

They won't say it to your face. Only behind your back.

Lovely

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, avoid the suburbs at all costs - most of the whiners and complainers about unfriendliness and traffic are people stuck in traffic hell.

Live in DC, have a short commute, and you will find it is a much easier place to live than most major cities - more affordable, more space, and people in fact are friendly and welcoming to transplants.

Thanks so much! Our target is living in DC. Fingers crossed we can eventually find a place to buy!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NW is mostly detached.

No. West of the park there are fewer duplexes and row houses than East. But, East of the park in NW DC there are many row houses and duplexes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NW is mostly detached.

No. West of the park there are fewer duplexes and row houses than East. But, East of the park in NW DC there are many row houses and duplexes.

Okay. As I said, I don’t live in a detached house due to personal preference, and as I said, I assumed OP was thinking of particular neighborhoods based on the criteria she mentioned.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NW is mostly detached.

No. West of the park there are fewer duplexes and row houses than East. But, East of the park in NW DC there are many row houses and duplexes.

Okay. As I said, I don’t live in a detached house due to personal preference, and as I said, I assumed OP was thinking of particular neighborhoods based on the criteria she mentioned.

Since her budget is up to $1.8 and she wanted something highly walkable, I made some assumptions

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, avoid the suburbs at all costs - most of the whiners and complainers about unfriendliness and traffic are people stuck in traffic hell.

Live in DC, have a short commute, and you will find it is a much easier place to live than most major cities - more affordable, more space, and people in fact are friendly and welcoming to transplants.

Thanks so much! Our target is living in DC. Fingers crossed we can eventually find a place to buy!

I will put in a plug for Bethesda. It gets a bad rap on this board but it’s more dense and walkable than most of NW. It is further out but how much that impacts your commute depends on where you work, how you get there (metro vs car), etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, you won't get the pace of HK or London in DC, even in the most urban parts. I grew up here and think it gets bashed unnecessarily, but it's not a very big city. That said, the wealthier neighborhoods are much more of a pressure cooker than the Midwest (I went to college in Chicago and spent about 7 years there total). So, if you want to avoid that you can, but then you have to be prepared for people to tell you your kids' schools suck, blah blah. NWDC is lovely and friendly to people who can afford to live there. But maybe that's a good middle ground between where you are now and the excitement you've had in the past?

Thanks so much and love the comparison to the larger cities. Probably a good thing to have less of a buzz with small kids. I just fondly remember living in the international cities, but that was all pre-kids. We've tried to make the Midwest work. We've lived in five houses in seven years LOL, but we are just bored. We joke that our weekends involve driving to shopping centers or anywhere else. Just living in the car, which I hate. So boring and winter lasts more than half of the year!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, avoid the suburbs at all costs - most of the whiners and complainers about unfriendliness and traffic are people stuck in traffic hell.

Live in DC, have a short commute, and you will find it is a much easier place to live than most major cities - more affordable, more space, and people in fact are friendly and welcoming to transplants.

Thanks so much! Our target is living in DC. Fingers crossed we can eventually find a place to buy!

I will put in a plug for Bethesda. It gets a bad rap on this board but it’s more dense and walkable than most of NW. It is further out but how much that impacts your commute depends on where you work, how you get there (metro vs car), etc.

Sure. OP loved London and Hong Kong. So Bethesda is the obvious choice.

[Anonymous]

OP - just be aware that you'll find a lot of negativity not just in this forum, but in most of the forums here. Lots of troll-calling, name calling, sarcasm, "I'm smarter than you", "you're stupid" etc.,.

Don't let DCUM scare you, most of these people are harmless and just letting off steam due to the high stress of their lives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, you won't get the pace of HK or London in DC, even in the most urban parts. I grew up here and think it gets bashed unnecessarily, but it's not a very big city. That said, the wealthier neighborhoods are much more of a pressure cooker than the Midwest (I went to college in Chicago and spent about 7 years there total). So, if you want to avoid that you can, but then you have to be prepared for people to tell you your kids' schools suck, blah blah. NWDC is lovely and friendly to people who can afford to live there. But maybe that's a good middle ground between where you are now and the excitement you've had in the past?

Thanks so much and love the comparison to the larger cities. Probably a good thing to have less of a buzz with small kids. I just fondly remember living in the international cities, but that was all pre-kids. We've tried to make the Midwest work. We've lived in five houses in seven years LOL, but we are just bored. We joke that our weekends involve driving to shopping centers or anywhere else. Just living in the car, which I hate. So boring and winter lasts more than half of the year!

OP, if you choose any of the DC neighborhoods that have been recommended thus far, don't sell your car. They're all basically suburbs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, avoid the suburbs at all costs - most of the whiners and complainers about unfriendliness and traffic are people stuck in traffic hell.

Live in DC, have a short commute, and you will find it is a much easier place to live than most major cities - more affordable, more space, and people in fact are friendly and welcoming to transplants.

Thanks so much! Our target is living in DC. Fingers crossed we can eventually find a place to buy!

I will put in a plug for Bethesda. It gets a bad rap on this board but it’s more dense and walkable than most of NW. It is further out but how much that impacts your commute depends on where you work, how you get there (metro vs car), etc.

Sure. OP loved London and Hong Kong. So Bethesda is the obvious choice.

You’re just proving my point that it gets a bad rap from people who donmt know what they are talking about.

If OP wants a SFH with density and walkability they could do lot worse than the neighborhoods near dt Bethesda. Georgetown, Cleveland Park, Tenleytown are not better.

What’s the point of saying “it’s not HK or London”. It’s also not New Berlin WI

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, you won't get the pace of HK or London in DC, even in the most urban parts. I grew up here and think it gets bashed unnecessarily, but it's not a very big city. That said, the wealthier neighborhoods are much more of a pressure cooker than the Midwest (I went to college in Chicago and spent about 7 years there total). So, if you want to avoid that you can, but then you have to be prepared for people to tell you your kids' schools suck, blah blah. NWDC is lovely and friendly to people who can afford to live there. But maybe that's a good middle ground between where you are now and the excitement you've had in the past?

Thanks so much and love the comparison to the larger cities. Probably a good thing to have less of a buzz with small kids. I just fondly remember living in the international cities, but that was all pre-kids. We've tried to make the Midwest work. We've lived in five houses in seven years LOL, but we are just bored. We joke that our weekends involve driving to shopping centers or anywhere else. Just living in the car, which I hate. So boring and winter lasts more than half of the year!

OP, if you choose any of the DC neighborhoods that have been recommended thus far, don't sell your car. They're all basically suburbs.

We live in one of the DC neighborhoods listed and rarely drive, but YMMV (literally)

[Anonymous]

Live the dream.

Move to Capitol Hill.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Live the dream.

Move to Capitol Hill.

....and get shot, or mugged, or both.