DC neighborhood recommendations? Where do the artisanal-jerky-making hipsters live?

[Anonymous]

Eh, Del Ray is nice, but I wouldn't recommend Virginia to someone moving from LA. Del Ray is essentially a nice neighborhood surrounded by boring/played out preppie (Old Town) to soul-sucking depressing (Crystal City) neighborhoods. Plus, Virginia isn't exactly the most liberal place (politically), which may not be great for someone moving from CA.

Last I checked too, Del Ray hadn't gotten expensive.

[Anonymous]

First off, Del Ray is a part of the most liberal precinct in Northern Virginia, a state that voted both for Obama and now-Sen. Tim Kaine. And it is pretty expensive, actually.

[Anonymous]

Del Ray is great in many ways but it's not hipstery at all. That said, I like Eastern Star quite a bit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:First off, Del Ray is a part of the most liberal precinct in Northern Virginia, a state that voted both for Obama and now-Sen. Tim Kaine. And it is pretty expensive, actually.

And yet VA considers and passes some of the most retrograde state-level policies in the country and will probably elect Ken Cucinelli governor later this year. DelRay and Arlington are nice little liberal bastions, but the downstate good old boys and Liberty University types still dominate state-level politics.

[Anonymous]

Former Govs. Kaine and Warner say hello!

[Anonymous]

Sorry OP, ITA you won't find that here. All of the up-and-coming neighborhoods have come to a grinding halt in this market. Also, you might not want to go out at night to walk the dog in these kinds of neighborhoods; and the businesses usually close early or are condemned. You will see what was once beautiful architecture, though. I do wish the types of neighborhoods you mention existed here. Better luck in NYC, perhaps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Former Govs. Kaine and Warner say hello!

Current Gov. McDonnell says he wants you go get a transvaginal US before you can get an abortion! And that gay people shouldn't be able to adopt! And future-Gov. Ken Cucinelli says he can't wait to make McDonnell look like a progressive!

[Anonymous]

McDonnell couldn't get that through. Any no way Kooky Kenny wins.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Former Govs. Kaine and Warner say hello!

Current Gov. McDonnell says he wants you go get a transvaginal US before you can get an abortion! And that gay people shouldn't be able to adopt! And future-Gov. Ken Cucinelli says he can't wait to make McDonnell look like a progressive!

Guys, guys, take it outside! The thread, that is.

[Anonymous]

OP, to sum it up. Your options for attractive neighborhoods that meet your wish list include Bloomingdale, Petworth, and Columbia Heights. That's the closet to Echo Park you will get in DC. The upside is that while gangs are still a huge problem in Echo Park, the DC neighborhoods you're looking at have little to no neighborhood gang presence these days.

[Anonymous]

Del Ray is great in many ways but it's not hipstery at all. That said, I like Eastern Star quite a bit.

First of all, the name of the restaurant is Evening Star. Del Ray has many hipstery families, but it is a small enclave and I suspect that OP would not be satisfied with it based upon her description of what she is looking for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Takoma Park is nice but more of what I see as east coasters perspective of what the west coast is like.

You think Takoma Park needs to be explained as how East Coasters imagine the West Coast? I don't see how that enters into the TP gestalt. I don't think most people in DC think about the West Coast that much, and the interested parts are well north of LA.

OP, are you looking for crunchiness or trendiness? I realize there's overlap, but the neighborhoods that are suitable for epidsodes of When Granolans Breed aren't going to be as hip as the lands of the young and the single. Add to that DC's general staid-ness, and you really need to pick which matters more: farmer's markets or cutting-edge bands. I'm guessing the former because of your mention of parking spaces (for your Prius? Your Subaru?), but maybe I'm misreading your post.

+100. OP your list is too evolve and too fancy for us in the DC area. You've got to compromise on some of your wants. That is why I think Columbia Pike would be perfect for you, it doesn't have the aesthetic you're looking for but has the vibe. Plus good schools, excellent county services - lots of recs stuff, multiethnic environment. You'll have a front row seat to the revitalization that is going on there right now. But it isn't quaint at the moment. I live in North-Arl, I wouldn't even suggest my hood, this board would pin me to hell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Takoma Park is nice but more of what I see as east coasters perspective of what the west coast is like.

You think Takoma Park needs to be explained as how East Coasters imagine the West Coast? I don't see how that enters into the TP gestalt. I don't think most people in DC think about the West Coast that much, and the interested parts are well north of LA.

OP, are you looking for crunchiness or trendiness? I realize there's overlap, but the neighborhoods that are suitable for epidsodes of When Granolans Breed aren't going to be as hip as the lands of the young and the single. Add to that DC's general staid-ness, and you really need to pick which matters more: farmer's markets or cutting-edge bands. I'm guessing the former because of your mention of parking spaces (for your Prius? Your Subaru?), but maybe I'm misreading your post.

+100. OP your list is too evolve and too fancy for us in the DC area. You've got to compromise on some of your wants. That is why I think Columbia Pike would be perfect for you, it doesn't have the aesthetic you're looking for but has the vibe. Plus good schools, excellent county services - lots of recs stuff, multiethnic environment. You'll have a front row seat to the revitalization that is going on there right now. But it isn't quaint at the moment. I live in North-Arl, I wouldn't even suggest my hood, this board would pin me to hell.

Yes I do. I can't tell you how many times I've heard that TP is the Berkeley of the east and in reality it is nothing like Berkeley at all. It's east coasters perception of what Berkeley is like.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

You think Takoma Park needs to be explained as how East Coasters imagine the West Coast? I don't see how that enters into the TP gestalt. I don't think most people in DC think about the West Coast that much, and the interesting parts are well north of LA.

Yes I do. I can't tell you how many times I've heard that TP is the Berkeley of the east and in reality it is nothing like Berkeley at all. It's east coasters perception of what Berkeley is like.

FFS, TP does not exist as some sort of Berkeley-in-exile any more than San Francisco is a failed version of Positano. They are entities unto themselves, and despite some people's urges to draw analogies, thinking about one of them as a lesser version of the other isn't helpful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What do you value more, quaint hpisteryness or proximity to lots of walkable restaurants?

If you value quaint hipsteryness more look at Takoma DC or stones-throw to the metro Takoma Park, MD.

If you value walkability to lots of restaurants, look at Adam's Morgan.

I love Adams Morgan, but most of the restaurants are mediocre.