Moving to DC from Brooklyn-- where should we live? Buy/rent?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

shirirb wrote:REALLY REALLY? I have to give up and move to the suburbs? There's no reasonable alternative in DC metro?

There are lots of great areas in DC, but DC isn't 35 minutes from Columbia.

Columbia is an exurb. It's not 35 minutes from DC.

We're in Chevy Chase, MD not even a mile from DC. My husband doesn't commute to Baltimore every day but drives there frequently during the morning rush for meetings. He has gotten to the Inner Harbor in 35 minutes, so getting to Columbia would be even faster.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Besides a longer commute, and nightmare traffic, what does Columbia Heights offer that Silver Spring doesn't? Columbia Heights has just as many chain stores and restaurants as downtown Silver Spring.

I completely agree. Also SS is not all chains. Many chains, yes, but independent shops etc. as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

shirirb wrote:REALLY REALLY? I have to give up and move to the suburbs? There's no reasonable alternative in DC metro?

There are lots of great areas in DC, but DC isn't 35 minutes from Columbia.

Columbia is an exurb. It's not 35 minutes from DC.

We're in Chevy Chase, MD not even a mile from DC. My husband doesn't commute to Baltimore every day but drives there frequently during the morning rush for meetings. He has gotten to the Inner Harbor in 35 minutes, so getting to Columbia would be even faster.

BULLSHIT. He's either speeding dangerously or taking a helicopter. Fastest that commute would be in rush is about an hour.

Hell, google maps is giving that commute 42 minutes for current dead-of-the-night-on-a-Sunday traffic. So there's no way. Sorry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

shirirb wrote:REALLY REALLY? I have to give up and move to the suburbs? There's no reasonable alternative in DC metro?

There are lots of great areas in DC, but DC isn't 35 minutes from Columbia.

Columbia is an exurb. It's not 35 minutes from DC.

Yes it is. You can do upper NW DC to Columbia in 35 minutes--not always, since traffic varies day to day, but absolutely within the range of normal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

shirirb wrote:REALLY REALLY? I have to give up and move to the suburbs? There's no reasonable alternative in DC metro?

There are lots of great areas in DC, but DC isn't 35 minutes from Columbia.

Columbia is an exurb. It's not 35 minutes from DC.

Yes it is. You can do upper NW DC to Columbia in 35 minutes--not always, since traffic varies day to day, but absolutely within the range of normal.

Googlemaps tells me that from the MD line where it intersects Western, it's 33 minutes to Columbia in the middle of the night. Some of that is on 495. I can't imagine that traffic won't add more than 2 minutes to the commute every single rush hour.

Furthermore, anyone who rejects downtown Silver Spring as "too suburban" isn't going to love Chevy Chase DC. The fact that it's got a "DC" address doesn't make it urban.

[Anonymous]

Not Downtown SS. Bethesda or Chevy Chase.

[Anonymous]

Your best bet is downtown Silver Spring (it borders NW DC - you can walk over the line).

Your only other option to avoid a monstrous commute would be Baltimore, but if you are from NYC, you would hate it. It's way ghetto, small, and cultureless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:yeah, that's not silver spring. And Takoma Park would feel preettyy small town. The problem with the DC area is TRAFFIC. It makes LA natives blanch. Try the commute for a bit... then see what you think. My husband and I have lots of friends and fun in DC but we would rather live in Baltimore. It's cooler, really. And the houses are awesome! Great housing stock.

PP again - this would work too (Takoma Park).

[Anonymous]

I live in columbia heights and commute to Baltimore everyday. It takes me between 55-70 minutes. Commute is not bad b/c you are going the reverse direction. Use to live in Logan and would go on New York Ave/BW Parkway but just seemed like traffic got worse in the afternoon, especially around Fort Meade. Now that I livein CH I take 95 and it is much better! Rarely hit traffic except in bad weather, accident.

[Anonymous]

Mt. Pleasant is really ideal in a urbanist fantasy, but I think you really should consider Silver Spring or Takoma Park because of your husband's commute. Silver Spring, though only if you stay in 20910, in neighborhoods close to downtown. SS has non-chain coffee shops, restaurants, and bars--you just have to know where to look. Driving commutes around here can be soul sucking so I would try to minimize that as much as possible.

You also need to figure out if you want a condo or a SFH. If the former, SS and TK are likely no-gos for you.

We recently moved from DC to SS and are very happy here (and we used to live in NY pre kids).

[Anonymous]

OP -- are you on youbemom?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

shirirb wrote:REALLY REALLY? I have to give up and move to the suburbs? There's no reasonable alternative in DC metro?

There are lots of great areas in DC, but DC isn't 35 minutes from Columbia.

Columbia is an exurb. It's not 35 minutes from DC.

Yes it is. You can do upper NW DC to Columbia in 35 minutes--not always, since traffic varies day to day, but absolutely within the range of normal.

Googlemaps tells me that from the MD line where it intersects Western, it's 33 minutes to Columbia in the middle of the night. Some of that is on 495. I can't imagine that traffic won't add more than 2 minutes to the commute every single rush hour.

Furthermore, anyone who rejects downtown Silver Spring as "too suburban" isn't going to love Chevy Chase DC. The fact that it's got a "DC" address doesn't make it urban.

I agree. Silver Spring is more urban than many parts of DC, in fact.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Besides a longer commute, and nightmare traffic, what does Columbia Heights offer that Silver Spring doesn't? Columbia Heights has just as many chain stores and restaurants as downtown Silver Spring.

I completely agree. Also SS is not all chains. Many chains, yes, but independent shops etc. as well.

The 14th st strip of Columbia Hts is very commercial but the 11th st side is hipster heaven and might be what someone coming from Ft Greene is looking for. I don't think OP would like Silver Spring having lived in Ft Greene myself. Also she would want to off herself in Glover Park or upper NW.

[Anonymous]

shirirb wrote:We live in Fort Greene, and I realize I can't replicate it (plus, I've seen what happens to posters who try), but I'd like to be able to walk to a couple of decent restaurants, one place that gets my latte right (ech, I hate myself for saying that), and maybe a couple of stores that don't exist anywhere else?

Hello OP! I moved to DC from Fort Greene 2 years ago.... but I grew up in Chevy Chase DC so I knew a bit more of what I was getting in to. I think you are going to be hard pressed to replicate that sort of lifestyle combined with the proximity to the city that Ft Greene offers... I currently live in AU park a love it. I can walk to tenleytown where there is a handfull of stores including a whole foods which as far as I know still hasn't managed to make it's way to Brooklyn. We have good public schools, and the neighborhood is beautiful. It is however, much more suburban than ft. Greene, and your husband's commute would certainly be longer than you'd like. Good luck with the change! I'd say, embrace the things that make DC awesome... and give up on trying to find BK in DC.

PS: I really miss Fort Greene Park. Is the giant dirt patch still in effect?

[Anonymous]

^^ Common sense there... Brooklyn is one of those special places, and by definition, can't be duplicated. That's why it's special. (Duh) So find other cool things. Yes, Baltimore is more violent than is NY. But DC is also more violent than NY. I work in DC in the middle of the night, and when I am in Manhattan, I'm surprised by how safe it is. Anyway. I think you'd like Baltimore. There's also a very small town near Columbia called Ellicott City that is very cool, with it's own brewery, good restaurants, good stores. No, it's not Brooklyn. But it is it's own kind of cool. And you can get an 1800's stone house with a beautiful yard near the river for some ridiculously affordable price. If you are looking only in DC, be ready sticker shock on both buying and renting. You get very little for your money here. When my husband and I browse real estate in Manhattan, just for fun, we're like... crap, we could buy that. Like, it seems kinda affordable compared to around here. Cray!! good luck and don't let the grouchies on DCurbanmom get you down!!