Move to SFH or stay in Dupont Circle?

[Anonymous]

I would say stay and join a country club so that you have space to roam and socialize when needed.
You are smack in the middle of all your destinations, so stay put and keep enjoying life!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would say stay and join a country club so that you have space to roam and socialize when needed.
You are smack in the middle of all your destinations, so stay put and keep enjoying life!

If they join a country club, they’ll want to be closer to the club.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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!

+1. You have plenty of space now and don't know how many kids you will have or where they will go to school. Keep living the dream!

[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.

Maybe but IMO it came across as a relatively harmless flex.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ugh, don't move to NoVa if you plan to send your kids to a private in NW DC.

Stay where you are. See where they get into schools. Move if you don't like living in Dupont and driving to the private.

Tho if money were no object, I would move to Cleveland Park or Woodley.

I think the Arlington reference was due to one parent working in NoVA. Because of that, I would suggest staying where you are (as another PP did) until you sort out PK for your oldest (1-2 years, you can move the spring/summer after they get in). The gov lawyer will also have a better sense of what is happening with their job and/or may have changed jobs at that point. You’ll also have a better sense of how many kids you’ll have and your space needs. Two working parents and three kids is the upper limit of what most people can handle. With four young kids and two working parents you may end up needing a live in nanny, especially if you’re living in NW and one parent is going to NoVA every day and the other parent is working in BigLaw. If you want the flexibility to have a live in nanny you’ll probably be looking for a house with somewhat separate quarters for them (third floor bedroom or basement bedroom or apartment over the garage set up) and you will want to know something like that going into your search.

I think that's where the Arlington reference came from too. My vote is to stay put for now. However, Arlington (Lyon Village/Lyon Park, as mentioned upthread) is a fine choice if the kids end up in school in Georgetown.

[Anonymous]

If you love your home and neighborhood I would stay in Dupont until it is no longer meeting your needs. Living in a walkers paradise with no meaningful financial constraints on housing...you're living the dream. When your kids are very young you're arranging play dates and most likely walking/driving to meet ups. It's when they are 10+ years old that living in a more suburban setting would give them a lot more freedom, to be able to walk or bike to friends' houses, pool club, etc. When exactly you choose to move may depend on whether you have more kids or where they go to school. FWIW we moved to the suburbs when our kids were in 1st & 2nd grades and it was seamless...they immediately liked their new school, made new friends, etc. Being the brand new kid in middle school might not be as easy. But with your oldest being 3 yrs old your moving timeline could easily be 5+ yrs away. If I were in your shoes I'd stay where you are for a few more years.

[Anonymous]

I see no reason to move if you are set on private schools. You are well situated if you have kids going to Gonzaga or attending Sidwell, GDS, Maret, WIS, etc.

It's possible you decide you would also consider Walls which again is an easy commute from their.

I guess don't do anything too crazy like decide to send your kids to Potomac or Flint Hill or anything that causes a huge commute for a kid.

Your middle school and high school kids will probably much enjoy living in the heart of the city.

[Anonymous]

We were where you were 10+ years ago.

We moved slightly further out of DuPont to kalorama. We had no meaningful budget constraints.

It was a very compromise neighborhood. It’s objectively great but it’s not the excitement of DuPont circle and it doesn’t have a great kid vibe. But therein lies the rub.

Good kid neighborhoods are either new build suburban or in less expensive area of the city (palisades, barnaby woods). They both have their advantages, but you would likely hate both.

We have twice considered moving. We wanted very walkable and a kid friendly neighborhood. The first time around we set a budget at $5M, the second time $10M. It literally doesn’t exist at any dollar amount.

Don’t comes down to personal preference. What is more important to you personally?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We were where you were 10+ years ago.

We moved slightly further out of DuPont to kalorama. We had no meaningful budget constraints.

It was a very compromise neighborhood. It’s objectively great but it’s not the excitement of DuPont circle and it doesn’t have a great kid vibe. But therein lies the rub.

Good kid neighborhoods are either new build suburban or in less expensive area of the city (palisades, barnaby woods). They both have their advantages, but you would likely hate both.

We have twice considered moving. We wanted very walkable and a kid friendly neighborhood. The first time around we set a budget at $5M, the second time $10M. It literally doesn’t exist at any dollar amount.

Don’t comes down to personal preference. What is more important to you personally?

Capitol Hill is also very kid friendly and walkable...but it does add a bunch of commute time to any private schools to Upper NW (but it does make Gonzaga an easy walk).

[Anonymous]

I would personally move to Cleveland Park/ Woodley/ Tenleytown near the Metro, but wait until you feel more of a pull from friends leaving the area. We live in one of these neighborhoods and I don't drive. There are a lot of buses and the Metro is easy. The restaurants aren't awesome, but there are some along with a library, outdoor and indoor public pools, many grocery stores, several farmers' markets etc.

We used to live in a small townhouse in Dupont and I miss the restaurants and density, but now I actually am friends with my neighbors and there's more of a community vibe. We also really wanted more outdoor space. With young kids, we and friends entertain more at home than we used to anyway.

[Anonymous]

As your kids become older, the great restaurants etc become less important. Move somewhere more kid-friendly and it will make your life easier as well. Eventually, all the older kid sports/activities/camps are in MoC or upper NW. If you want to stay in DC, AU Park area, CC DC near LaFayette and Broadbranch Market are all neighborhoods with lots of kids who roam the neighborhood. Crestwood is also very nice and close in but not walkable to stuff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would personally move to Cleveland Park/ Woodley/ Tenleytown near the Metro, but wait until you feel more of a pull from friends leaving the area. We live in one of these neighborhoods and I don't drive. There are a lot of buses and the Metro is easy. The restaurants aren't awesome, but there are some along with a library, outdoor and indoor public pools, many grocery stores, several farmers' markets etc.

We used to live in a small townhouse in Dupont and I miss the restaurants and density, but now I actually am friends with my neighbors and there's more of a community vibe. We also really wanted more outdoor space. With young kids, we and friends entertain more at home than we used to anyway.

+1. This is good advice. Check out Forest Hills too for amazing park and trails at your doorstep. Move quick though, houses are moving quickly in those neighborhoods.

[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.

I think calling this a flex is a stretch because a flex is implying that what the OP does is enviable in any way. Flying to Japan while ignoring a city ten minutes away isn't a flex at all

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We were where you were 10+ years ago.

We moved slightly further out of DuPont to kalorama. We had no meaningful budget constraints.

It was a very compromise neighborhood. It’s objectively great but it’s not the excitement of DuPont circle and it doesn’t have a great kid vibe. But therein lies the rub.

Good kid neighborhoods are either new build suburban or in less expensive area of the city (palisades, barnaby woods). They both have their advantages, but you would likely hate both.

We have twice considered moving. We wanted very walkable and a kid friendly neighborhood. The first time around we set a budget at $5M, the second time $10M. It literally doesn’t exist at any dollar amount.

Don’t comes down to personal preference. What is more important to you personally?

Probably true because most people with kids do not have family money or $10M budgets. Throwing money at a a housing budget does not mean that the people living next to you have children- more likely if you buy somewhere near Kalorama or Forest Hills you might be in a kid friendly block but also might be near neighbors who have several home they spend time at.

[Anonymous]

I would move. As your kids get older, it's really helpful to be in a neighborhood with other kids. You'll also be schlepping them to activities around the city and in the suburbs so being in Dupont is less helpful. Our kids go to private schools in NW DC, and many of their friends live in Palisades, Wesley Heights, Spring Valley, AU Park, and Chevy Chase. Also, a lot of kids go to the public elementary schools in these areas. It is a great way to meet your neighbors and create neighborhood friends that last, even if you end up switching to a private school down the road.