Mt. Pleasant craziness

[Anonymous]

I'm surprised to see all the Mt P hatred on here. I don't live in Mt P now, but am considering it for the future assuming the current set of boundary proposals or another change that keeps Mt P in bounds for Deal goes though (I realize that is a big if) and assuming I don't luck out for a DCI-feeder in the lottery (sadly, that is probably a safer assumption). I currently live in Logan Circle now and am looking for a similar neighborhood vibe with a commute that isn't too much worse and avoids the chronic issues plaguing the red line. Depending on where you buy in Mt P, you can be just about a 10 minute walk from the green line and a couple blocks from a Circulator stop. My school plan would be to do private school until kids are old enough for Deal. I lied in Mt P more than 10 years ago and liked the neighborhood except for the street harassment - but I figure I'm now too old to attract such attention and I only have boys so it is less of an issue than if I had girls. In terms of the retail strip, while it's not the greatest, Columbia Heights and 11th street are not far away. Plus I liked the bodegas and Dos Gringos. Is the retail strip in Cleveland Park or Woodley Park much better? Personally I don't think so. Most of the restaurants there are kinda lame and the crazy neighborhood association seems to not be helping matters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm surprised to see all the Mt P hatred on here. I don't live in Mt P now, but am considering it for the future assuming the current set of boundary proposals or another change that keeps Mt P in bounds for Deal goes though (I realize that is a big if) and assuming I don't luck out for a DCI-feeder in the lottery (sadly, that is probably a safer assumption). I currently live in Logan Circle now and am looking for a similar neighborhood vibe with a commute that isn't too much worse and avoids the chronic issues plaguing the red line. Depending on where you buy in Mt P, you can be just about a 10 minute walk from the green line and a couple blocks from a Circulator stop. My school plan would be to do private school until kids are old enough for Deal. I lied in Mt P more than 10 years ago and liked the neighborhood except for the street harassment - but I figure I'm now too old to attract such attention and I only have boys so it is less of an issue than if I had girls. In terms of the retail strip, while it's not the greatest, Columbia Heights and 11th street are not far away. Plus I liked the bodegas and Dos Gringos. Is the retail strip in Cleveland Park or Woodley Park much better? Personally I don't think so. Most of the restaurants there are kinda lame and the crazy neighborhood association seems to not be helping matters.

I have no idea what you're talking about here. The Woodley Park area has a lot of retail choices, and today's Washington Post magazine article makes Cleveland Park seem almost ideal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm surprised to see all the Mt P hatred on here. I don't live in Mt P now, but am considering it for the future assuming the current set of boundary proposals or another change that keeps Mt P in bounds for Deal goes though (I realize that is a big if) and assuming I don't luck out for a DCI-feeder in the lottery (sadly, that is probably a safer assumption). I currently live in Logan Circle now and am looking for a similar neighborhood vibe with a commute that isn't too much worse and avoids the chronic issues plaguing the red line. Depending on where you buy in Mt P, you can be just about a 10 minute walk from the green line and a couple blocks from a Circulator stop. My school plan would be to do private school until kids are old enough for Deal. I lied in Mt P more than 10 years ago and liked the neighborhood except for the street harassment - but I figure I'm now too old to attract such attention and I only have boys so it is less of an issue than if I had girls. In terms of the retail strip, while it's not the greatest, Columbia Heights and 11th street are not far away. Plus I liked the bodegas and Dos Gringos. Is the retail strip in Cleveland Park or Woodley Park much better? Personally I don't think so. Most of the restaurants there are kinda lame and the crazy neighborhood association seems to not be helping matters.

I have no idea what you're talking about here. The Woodley Park area has a lot of retail choices, and today's Washington Post magazine article makes Cleveland Park seem almost ideal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do rich people really forget that "illegals" are human beings, too? I am astounded by this forum. How do people live with themselves

It doesn't give anyone a open right to come any time and permanently stay in the US of A.

How about the laws that allowed your ancestors to come to the US? Would you support those laws if they were in effect today? Unless you're Native American, you are a foreigner to this land and your ancestors escaped their country to find a better life for YOU. Immigration then is the same as immigration today. The only thing that has changed is heightened institutionalization of racism, perpetrated by proponents like you.

200-250 years ago the US was a wilderness country. Since 1980 the population of the US has grown from like 220 million to almost 315 million today, and much of that growth is fueled by immigration, so stop the racism shit. We can't forever be the safety value for all of the poor of Latin America, particularly when clowns like the ones who run Venezuela and Nicaragua impoverish their people in the name of ideology.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The houses are great but the majority of the neighborhood is a serious hike to metro. If u have a car it's an easy drive to Cleveland park. Bancroft still sucks and the white folks bail ASAP after kindergarten. The hordes of drunk Latinos peeing on the sidewalk is a bit much. The commercial strip is ok. But that new apt building beig reconstructed is going to bring another couple hundred low income Latinos back. It's very frustrating that a neighborhood of almost 1 million dollar homes doesn't get u a good school order than a bunch of pupiserias. I'm in Petworth which has its own issue but easy walk to metro very little low income housing.

It's true. If they could harvest all the ammonia and phosphates on the sidewalks and alleys near Mt. Pleasant Street, DC would be a manufacturing juggernaut.

They could also send ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) around Mt. P, on regular patrols, and "put these guys on ICE."

Oh yes, everybody forgot to mention that Mt P isn't a place for those who don't like brown people.

The reality is that there's a huge population of illegal Hispanics in the area and many of the men loiter, drink, whistle at women, and urinate on the sidewalks and in the alleys, the last activity of which typically, but not always, involves acts of public exposure.

If you're indifferent to that, or the very poor elementary school, it might be a good fit for you. There are some nice houses there.

MPD needs to have a zero tolerance policy for public drinking and urination and other quality of life crimes. And if the perpetrators happen to have come to the US unlawfully, then they should be turned over to the Feds. Period.

[Anonymous]

Regarding the neighborhood association, this is what I was talking about http://voices.washingtonpost.com/rawfisher/2009/05/the_iron_fist_of_cleveland_par.html situation may have gotten better since then but given pushback around getting rid of service lane i am skeptical.

And other than Open City I can't name a single tempting restaurant in Woodley. Not to say that those neighborhoods don't have their appeal, but I wouldn't move there over Mt P due to the restaurants/retail. My kids go to preschool in Cleveland Park and I'm always struck by the lack of good breakfast and lunch options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do rich people really forget that "illegals" are human beings, too? I am astounded by this forum. How do people live with themselves

It doesn't give anyone a open right to come any time and permanently stay in the US of A.

How about the laws that allowed your ancestors to come to the US? Would you support those laws if they were in effect today? Unless you're Native American, you are a foreigner to this land and your ancestors escaped their country to find a better life for YOU. Immigration then is the same as immigration today. The only thing that has changed is heightened institutionalization of racism, perpetrated by proponents like you.

White girl here saying, THANK YOU! We're all from somewhere else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do rich people really forget that "illegals" are human beings, too? I am astounded by this forum. How do people live with themselves

It doesn't give anyone a open right to come any time and permanently stay in the US of A.

How about the laws that allowed your ancestors to come to the US? Would you support those laws if they were in effect today? Unless you're Native American, you are a foreigner to this land and your ancestors escaped their country to find a better life for YOU. Immigration then is the same as immigration today. The only thing that has changed is heightened institutionalization of racism, perpetrated by proponents like you.

White girl here saying, THANK YOU! We're all from somewhere else.

But we can't be an open door to all comers, including to hordes wading the Rio Grande.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do rich people really forget that "illegals" are human beings, too? I am astounded by this forum. How do people live with themselves

It doesn't give anyone a open right to come any time and permanently stay in the US of A.

How about the laws that allowed your ancestors to come to the US? Would you support those laws if they were in effect today? Unless you're Native American, you are a foreigner to this land and your ancestors escaped their country to find a better life for YOU. Immigration then is the same as immigration today. The only thing that has changed is heightened institutionalization of racism, perpetrated by proponents like you.

White girl here saying, THANK YOU! We're all from somewhere else.

Speak for yourself, silly white girl.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do rich people really forget that "illegals" are human beings, too? I am astounded by this forum. How do people live with themselves

It doesn't give anyone a open right to come any time and permanently stay in the US of A.

How about the laws that allowed your ancestors to come to the US? Would you support those laws if they were in effect today? Unless you're Native American, you are a foreigner to this land and your ancestors escaped their country to find a better life for YOU. Immigration then is the same as immigration today. The only thing that has changed is heightened institutionalization of racism, perpetrated by proponents like you.

White girl here saying, THANK YOU! We're all from somewhere else.

But we can't be an open door to all comers, including to hordes wading the Rio Grande.

wow, this places sounds like the comment section Annandale Blogspot. Whats the point of moving to DC to get the attitudes of elderly Fairfax county homeowner grouches? Who live in Petworth (!?!?!?!)

I guess if I had an overpriced house in Petworth to sell, that was in direct competition with overpriced ( ) in Mt P, I would try to make public urination into a bigger deal than murder also.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am the PP who posted asking why the prices were so high. Not everywhere in the neighborhood is that walkable to Metro. In some of the neighborhoods , you can be on top of a Metro station for these prices. And while you pooh pooh people who like having restaurants and bars nearby, people who have one or two kids absolutely do appreciate retail and restaurants that are walkable and don't involve loading everyone into a car. Are you trying to tell me that there aren't families who live on Capitol Hill that don't appreciate Barracks Row? That doesn't jibe with the people I see out on the street. Maybe when you had kids you decided your life had to end, but for many of us it does not.

It's a nice neighborhood, and I'm sure it does have a nice sense of community, but if I'm going to pay big city prices, I want big city amenities. That means walkable restaurants, grocery stores and Metro. A twenty minute walk one way to Metro is not that desirable. And loading kids to take the bus isn't either. The zoo is nice, but honestly, how often are you going there? And both 11th St and 14th st are superior to the commercial strip n Mt. P, hands down.

This is just my opinion after limited experience. I feel like the the idea of Mt. Pleasant is better than actual Mt. Pleasant. I'd love to be proved wrong though.

Happy to. I've lived in Mt. Pleasant for over 10 years (the first half without kids, the second half with) and we were on the far western fringe - it is NOT a 20 minute walk to the CH metro (well, I guess it could be if you walked slow enough). As to the zoo, it has not been unheard of for our kids to go to the zoo several times a week, especially before they were in school and our nanny took them. DH and I loved that on date night we could walk to bars/restaurants in CH, Adams Morgan or the 11th St stuff (maybe that's still CH?). We never had our car or home burglarized (well, someone did take our shovel during snowmageddon part 1) and we didn't have random people drinking or hanging out near our house. If you work downtown (like DH does) the 16th St buses were a great/quick way to commute, especially once they added the express buses. And if you worked somewhere that meant driving, being so close to Rock Creek Parkway made that a breeze too. And a great community feel (have you seen how they shut down the streets for Halloween or ever been to the Hobart St. Porchfest in summer??) I think it's the perfect blend of city living without some of the negative drawbacks of being right on top of stuff. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of Capitol Hill too, but that area is cut off a lot more from the rest of the city... and it makes it challenging (without a long commute) to consider jobs in VA - I know, I know, who wants to work in VA... but there are lots of job options there. The one thing I will wholeheartedly agree with on the posts here is that the "retail" strip of Mt P really does suck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How about the laws that allowed your ancestors to come to the US? Would you support those laws if they were in effect today? Unless you're Native American, you are a foreigner to this land and your ancestors escaped their country to find a better life for YOU. Immigration then is the same as immigration today. The only thing that has changed is heightened institutionalization of racism, perpetrated by proponents like you.

White girl here saying, THANK YOU! We're all from somewhere else.

But we can't be an open door to all comers, including to hordes wading the Rio Grande.

wow, this places sounds like the comment section Annandale Blogspot. Whats the point of moving to DC to get the attitudes of elderly Fairfax county homeowner grouches? Who live in Petworth (!?!?!?!)

I guess if I had an overpriced house in Petworth to sell, that was in direct competition with overpriced ( ) in Mt P, I would try to make public urination into a bigger deal than murder also.

Hahaha! +1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am the PP who posted asking why the prices were so high. Not everywhere in the neighborhood is that walkable to Metro. In some of the neighborhoods , you can be on top of a Metro station for these prices. And while you pooh pooh people who like having restaurants and bars nearby, people who have one or two kids absolutely do appreciate retail and restaurants that are walkable and don't involve loading everyone into a car. Are you trying to tell me that there aren't families who live on Capitol Hill that don't appreciate Barracks Row? That doesn't jibe with the people I see out on the street. Maybe when you had kids you decided your life had to end, but for many of us it does not.

It's a nice neighborhood, and I'm sure it does have a nice sense of community, but if I'm going to pay big city prices, I want big city amenities. That means walkable restaurants, grocery stores and Metro. A twenty minute walk one way to Metro is not that desirable. And loading kids to take the bus isn't either. The zoo is nice, but honestly, how often are you going there? And both 11th St and 14th st are superior to the commercial strip n Mt. P, hands down.

This is just my opinion after limited experience. I feel like the the idea of Mt. Pleasant is better than actual Mt. Pleasant. I'd love to be proved wrong though.

Capitol Hill is right next to SE-SW freeway. How is that cut off from VA?

Happy to. I've lived in Mt. Pleasant for over 10 years (the first half without kids, the second half with) and we were on the far western fringe - it is NOT a 20 minute walk to the CH metro (well, I guess it could be if you walked slow enough). As to the zoo, it has not been unheard of for our kids to go to the zoo several times a week, especially before they were in school and our nanny took them. DH and I loved that on date night we could walk to bars/restaurants in CH, Adams Morgan or the 11th St stuff (maybe that's still CH?). We never had our car or home burglarized (well, someone did take our shovel during snowmageddon part 1) and we didn't have random people drinking or hanging out near our house. If you work downtown (like DH does) the 16th St buses were a great/quick way to commute, especially once they added the express buses. And if you worked somewhere that meant driving, being so close to Rock Creek Parkway made that a breeze too. And a great community feel (have you seen how they shut down the streets for Halloween or ever been to the Hobart St. Porchfest in summer??) I think it's the perfect blend of city living without some of the negative drawbacks of being right on top of stuff. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of Capitol Hill too, but that area is cut off a lot more from the rest of the city... and it makes it challenging (without a long commute) to consider jobs in VA - I know, I know, who wants to work in VA... but there are lots of job options there. The one thing I will wholeheartedly agree with on the posts here is that the "retail" strip of Mt P really does suck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am the PP who posted asking why the prices were so high. Not everywhere in the neighborhood is that walkable to Metro. In some of the neighborhoods , you can be on top of a Metro station for these prices. And while you pooh pooh people who like having restaurants and bars nearby, people who have one or two kids absolutely do appreciate retail and restaurants that are walkable and don't involve loading everyone into a car. Are you trying to tell me that there aren't families who live on Capitol Hill that don't appreciate Barracks Row? That doesn't jibe with the people I see out on the street. Maybe when you had kids you decided your life had to end, but for many of us it does not.

It's a nice neighborhood, and I'm sure it does have a nice sense of community, but if I'm going to pay big city prices, I want big city amenities. That means walkable restaurants, grocery stores and Metro. A twenty minute walk one way to Metro is not that desirable. And loading kids to take the bus isn't either. The zoo is nice, but honestly, how often are you going there? And both 11th St and 14th st are superior to the commercial strip n Mt. P, hands down.

This is just my opinion after limited experience. I feel like the the idea of Mt. Pleasant is better than actual Mt. Pleasant. I'd love to be proved wrong though.

Happy to. I've lived in Mt. Pleasant for over 10 years (the first half without kids, the second half with) and we were on the far western fringe - it is NOT a 20 minute walk to the CH metro (well, I guess it could be if you walked slow enough). As to the zoo, it has not been unheard of for our kids to go to the zoo several times a week, especially before they were in school and our nanny took them. DH and I loved that on date night we could walk to bars/restaurants in CH, Adams Morgan or the 11th St stuff (maybe that's still CH?). We never had our car or home burglarized (well, someone did take our shovel during snowmageddon part 1) and we didn't have random people drinking or hanging out near our house. If you work downtown (like DH does) the 16th St buses were a great/quick way to commute, especially once they added the express buses. And if you worked somewhere that meant driving, being so close to Rock Creek Parkway made that a breeze too. And a great community feel (have you seen how they shut down the streets for Halloween or ever been to the Hobart St. Porchfest in summer??) I think it's the perfect blend of city living without some of the negative drawbacks of being right on top of stuff. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of Capitol Hill too, but that area is cut off a lot more from the rest of the city... and it makes it challenging (without a long commute) to consider jobs in VA - I know, I know, who wants to work in VA... but there are lots of job options there. The one thing I will wholeheartedly agree with on the posts here is that the "retail" strip of Mt P really does suck.

Capitol Hill is right by the SE/SW freeway. How is that cut off from VA?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am the PP who posted asking why the prices were so high. Not everywhere in the neighborhood is that walkable to Metro. In some of the neighborhoods , you can be on top of a Metro station for these prices. And while you pooh pooh people who like having restaurants and bars nearby, people who have one or two kids absolutely do appreciate retail and restaurants that are walkable and don't involve loading everyone into a car. Are you trying to tell me that there aren't families who live on Capitol Hill that don't appreciate Barracks Row? That doesn't jibe with the people I see out on the street. Maybe when you had kids you decided your life had to end, but for many of us it does not.

It's a nice neighborhood, and I'm sure it does have a nice sense of community, but if I'm going to pay big city prices, I want big city amenities. That means walkable restaurants, grocery stores and Metro. A twenty minute walk one way to Metro is not that desirable. And loading kids to take the bus isn't either. The zoo is nice, but honestly, how often are you going there? And both 11th St and 14th st are superior to the commercial strip n Mt. P, hands down.

This is just my opinion after limited experience. I feel like the the idea of Mt. Pleasant is better than actual Mt. Pleasant. I'd love to be proved wrong though.

Happy to. I've lived in Mt. Pleasant for over 10 years (the first half without kids, the second half with) and we were on the far western fringe - it is NOT a 20 minute walk to the CH metro (well, I guess it could be if you walked slow enough). As to the zoo, it has not been unheard of for our kids to go to the zoo several times a week, especially before they were in school and our nanny took them. DH and I loved that on date night we could walk to bars/restaurants in CH, Adams Morgan or the 11th St stuff (maybe that's still CH?). We never had our car or home burglarized (well, someone did take our shovel during snowmageddon part 1) and we didn't have random people drinking or hanging out near our house. If you work downtown (like DH does) the 16th St buses were a great/quick way to commute, especially once they added the express buses. And if you worked somewhere that meant driving, being so close to Rock Creek Parkway made that a breeze too. And a great community feel (have you seen how they shut down the streets for Halloween or ever been to the Hobart St. Porchfest in summer??) I think it's the perfect blend of city living without some of the negative drawbacks of being right on top of stuff. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of Capitol Hill too, but that area is cut off a lot more from the rest of the city... and it makes it challenging (without a long commute) to consider jobs in VA - I know, I know, who wants to work in VA... but there are lots of job options there. The one thing I will wholeheartedly agree with on the posts here is that the "retail" strip of Mt P really does suck.

Capitol Hill is right by the SE/SW freeway. How is that cut off from VA?

PP here, I said it was cut off from the rest of the city... perhaps just my opinion but I'm sure there are others who feel that way as well. What I said about VA is that it's far (commuting wise) from VA. Have you tried to take that route from the Hill to Tysons or further West where a lot of the jobs are? A coworker of mine did this every day while I was doing the commute from Mt. P, his commute was considerably worse than mine.