If money were't a big obeject, which n-hood would you live in DC area

[Anonymous]

Capitol Hill is gorgeous but the school situation is terrible! If you want private, the commute is terrible.

[Anonymous]

There are at least a couple of good elementary choices on Capitol Hill now.

[Anonymous]

Spring Valley or Kenwood

[Anonymous]

I love how diverse the responses are! Different strokes for different folks, indeed. Myself, I'd live in a larger house in my current 'hood--Chevy Chase DC. Or maybe a Victorian in Cleveland Park or a big-ass colonial in Woodley Park. Couldn't do Gtown or the Hill b/c I need a yard + ample parking + less crime.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:kalorama/adams morgan

where i live now in a teensy apartment

Hey- me too. I live there (here?) now in a decent-sized apartment, but wouldn't mind either a grander apartment or one of the row houses.

I might want Logan Circle or Dupont East, too.

It is not Dupont East despite what real estate agents try to name it. The area is called Shaw and named after a great Colonel from the Civil War.

Okaaaay, PP. I meant the blocks between Dupont and Logan Circles. You know, the greater "Borderstan" area.

There are indeed some lovely blocks in Shaw beyond Borderstan, but that's still a place to go when money *is* an object, not when you can have your pick.

The area between Dupont Circle and Logan Circle is called Shaw.

Mmmm... no. That is, you could say this of, maybe, 13th through 15th Streets if you're inclined to be uncharitable and haven't noticed 14th Street's metamorphosis, but this doesn't account for 16th to 19th Streets.

Not to hate on Shaw, of course, because there are nice things about blocks that belong more specifically to Shaw, too.

Just to be clear, Logan Circle is IN Shaw.

Shaw is a neighborhood located in the Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C. It is roughly bounded by M Street, NW or Massachusetts Avenue NW to the south; New Jersey Avenue, NW to the east; Florida Avenue, NW to the north; and 11th Street, NW to the west. However, the area also includes the U Street Corridor, which is the commercial hub of the Shaw area, extending westward to 16th Street NW.

The missing pieces of the puzzle are Kalorama/Adams Morgan and Dupont. There is no "Dupont East."

As you must know, Logan Circle lies on 13th St., which is west of 11th St., and is several blocks south of the U St. Corridor. I can't imagine that you don't know the area I'm talking about and are be aware of how it's clearly distinct in character and separated by several blocks from anything that can properly be called Shaw. I agree with the very nice "Borderstan" bloggers that this can be described as its own neighborhood. Also, you would feel better if I called the 17th St. area I like so much the eastern reaches of Dupont?

Again, no specific intention of hating on Shaw. I like Shaw, but I could already afford to move to a nicer home if I chose Shaw over Kalorama Triangle. It's not an option I'm inclined to exercise. In real life, my eastern Dupont and Logan Circle options couldn't get any shmancier, and we're supposed to be talking total quality of life fantasy package. If I could afford either a fabulous (rather than a merely pleasant) apartment or a rowhouse there (and you know very well where I mean), I would buy it. Or maybe I'd stay in Kalorama Triangle and just trade up. Like that's going to happen any time soon!

Listen, there are things (often semantic quibbles) that annoy the hell out of me, too, so I sort of get it. But really!

I believe the 11th Street border is at M, and the Logan Circle wikipedia page (I know it is THE intellectual authority) seems to include Logan within the realm of Shaw.


In the early 20th century, 14th Street NW rose to prominence as a main shopping district for both black and white Washingtonians on the edge of downtown Washington D.C., and became known as an area for auto showrooms. Further north, "14th and U" became synonymous with a large African American community, later known as Shaw, encompassing parts of Logan Circle and U Street to the north. Segregation marked the emergence of this large area of well-preserved Victorian row houses as a predominately African-American community; the unofficial dividing line was 16th Street NW, several blocks to the west, with Logan Circle and its older homes sandwiched in between.

I kind of tend towards what came first the neighborhood or the circle? When the neighborhood was named Shaw, Logan Circle was called Iowa Circle.

[Anonymous]

Along MacArthur Blvd. so I could walk to the canal every day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One of the big Victorians in Cleveland Park.

Yes, God, yes.

[Anonymous]

If money weren't an object, we would move somewhere away from DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If money weren't an object, we would move somewhere away from DC.

I'm with you, sister!

[Anonymous]

Current neighborhood in Fairfax, which I love. Wouldn't get a bigger house. I'd get a second house at the beach.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I can't believe so many people voted for Capitol Hill. We live there now and are looking to move to the burbs or a quieter DC 'hood. If I could afford it I would rather live in upper northwest somewhere. Cap Hill is actually pretty affordable compared to lots of other areas in the district.

I would choose Capitol Hill over the suburbs or upper NW every single time. Obviously different people want different things. I always want to be able to walk and have a very short Metro commute downtown.

There are some areas nearby that some people refer to as "Capitol Hill" even though it's really not, and I would not necessarily want to live there.

We're pretty much in the heart of what is considered Capitol Hill. I like being close to the metro and having a short commute downtown, and there is definitely a nice sense of community. That said, it is not as walkable a neighborhood as it seems. There are lots of dive bars but very few decent restaurants in walking distance, and those that are decent (mostly new ones on Barracks Row) are always packed when you want to go. There's also not much in the way of shopping or services. The new Harris Teeter is nice but it's pretty far without a car and not in an area I'd want to visit at night. Eastern Market is fun for a weekend stroll but doesn't add anything else except insanely overpriced food items that are often no better than the grocery store. There are very few shops/boutiques on the Hill outside of bodegas and useless gifty type places. There's no place to get yummy baked goods or high-end, unique, or ethnic groceries. Definitely no place to buy clothes or shoes. No music stores and only one small bookstore with limited hours. Only very crappy hair and nail salons. No movie theater.

These things might seem unimportant but it actually makes the neighborhood feel not very liveable. I have to leave the Hill so often to do things I want/need to do and that means braving 395 or trying to park downtown (as the metro is not an efficient option on weekends.) It's a real pain in the ass and I can't wait to move somewhere that has more usable goods and services close by.

Sorry, I know this wasn't what the thread was about, but I just find it interesting that so many people want to move here. Hopefully that means it won't be too hard to sell my house!

Depending on what part of the Hill you're on, for restaurants there's Union Station, and H Street. When you say "music store" are you talking about CDs? Do they still have those? You've got a point with the crappy hair salons, though probably aren't a whole lot of folks for whom "Can't walk to an assortment of hair salons" is a deal-breaker.

For me, the best thing about living on the Hill (other than living on the Hill) is that you can ride a bike downtown, to Penn Quarter/Chinatown, or to the National Mall in under 10 minutes, all on residential and side streets with wide bike lanes . That rocks.

It wasn't a personal attack--I've enjoyed my years on the Hill and will miss certain things when we move. But to address your questions--I'm not a fan of the Union Station restaurants. There are a few decent places on H Street (Granville-Moore's for instance) but the waits are outrageous and you can't make a reservation, so it's basically not an option with small children. The super-divey atmosphere of the H Street restaurants does get old after a while too. I like Matchbox, Cava, and Belga on 8th Street, but I think there are many other neighborhoods with a better selection. I'm not a bike rider but I can imagine the lanes would be a perk if you are.

I think I'm just bitter because my car was broken into the other night for the third time in the past year (and there was NOTHING in it!) I've had my diaper bag stolen from the front seat of my car while I pumped gas with my baby in the backseat. I can't have packages delivered to my house because they get taken off the porch. Friends of mine have literally had shrubs dug out of their yards by thieves. I definitely do not feel unsafe here, but I am totally worn down by the constant petty property crime.

[Anonymous]

Mass Ave Heights.

[Anonymous]

if I had the money and could choose any area in the DC. I would choose to not live in the DC

[Anonymous]

Edgemoor Neighborhood (is that what its called?) in Bethesda....where Sidwell Lower School is....walk to downtown Bethesda - but, WOW, some beautiful houses.......

[Anonymous]

20:09 here - guess we are s'posed to be talking DC...OK - then I would pick a part of Georgetown close to the West End, so I could have the best of walking in G'town and also the funkiness of West End and Dupont restaurants and such. Montrose Park and the quiet little side streets of G'town are so pleasant and you can still walk to the just about everything. Again, this is assuming MONEY no Object - so this would be a house with parking, renovated, a pool, etc, etc......y'know like 5-5 million dollars! Kalorama is beautiful but just far enough to be less walkable.......but very elegant. And I agree about the Foxhall area....beautiful houses, land, proximity to all the city has to offer - but no place to walk. To me that might as well be a life in the suburbs.