Moving from London - where to live?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Will you have a car? Glover Park is a really nice, safe neighborhood with lots of kids, parks, grocery stores, etc. and close to many nice preschools. BUT it's not on a metro line, so DH would most likely want to drive to work. It's just north of Georgetown.

This is actually a really good suggestions. Probably slightly cheaper rents so the $4k would go farther.

But GP is nowhere near a metro. Pretty limiting if OP's DH takes the car to work, and OP has frequent guests.

I would stick to the Hill--easy metro commute for DH, lots of activities for you and your LOs, and great for visiting guests. If you were planning on staying longer than 3 years, I would consider NW DC neighborhoods like GP, but that is not your case.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why are people recommending that someone moving to DC for 2-3 years -- someone who can afford to live in DC proper with an easy commute to the Pentagon, someone who doesn't have to worry about schools -- should move to Virginia?

OP, you will have a much better experience if you live in DC itself.

Well--the Pentagon is in VA. This is why I mentioned Clarendon area--the Pentagon is right down the street and a public transportation/walkers dream. As somebody noted--there is even a British store and it is filled with families with young families and a million parks, etc.

I ruled out Oldtown because it is just too far away for daily DC sightseeing, etc.

I would also probably lean to a nice neighborhood in DC 'for the experience' if her DH could find a quick commute. There are some safety concerns with Capitol Hill that OP should be aware of. Landords don't always accurately recite 'Capitol Hill' and the rental could actually be in an unsafe area. you really have to be careful...this happened to DH when he was a new grad at 22 he was basically in a VERY bad area,,,break-ins, crime, etc. that he ended up sleeping at a friends until his lease was up. I am not saying there aren't safe areas of CH,,I am just saying you have to be careful when viewing online rental listings.

I, personally. love Dupont/Gtown/Kalorama area.

[Anonymous]

The commute is just so much better from Clarendon, and there are plenty of amenities for a SAHM of a one-year-old.

Parks and space matter more with a toddler than museums.

[Anonymous]

I don't get this Old Town is too far away from DC for dailysightseeing. if you live near the metro it is 20 minutes away.

[Anonymous]

OP, you need to understand that areas like Capitol Hill and Kalorama will feel like a suburb to you. Downtown DC is very small and only a few blocks wide. And most of the actual suburbs in DC (like Alexandria away from Old Town) are ghastly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't get this Old Town is too far away from DC for dailysightseeing. if you live near the metro it is 20 minutes away.

Why have a 20 minute Metro commute to the Mall when you could have a 5 minute Metro or a 20 minute walk?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, you need to understand that areas like Capitol Hill and Kalorama will feel like a suburb to you. Downtown DC is very small and only a few blocks wide. And most of the actual suburbs in DC (like Alexandria away from Old Town) are ghastly.

Isn't OP living in North London now? This describes a large area, but much of it is pretty suburban. The more close-in neighborhoods, like St. John's Wood, compare to maybe Cleveland Park/Woodley Park in density, but some neighborhoods in North London are where people from Central London go for Ikea and giganto-supermarkets with parking.

I moved here from Central London almost a decade ago, though I'm American. Initially, I had my eye on Capitol Hill, but I found I liked it less than the Dupont/Logan/Adams Morgan areas. Don't get me wrong-- I do like the Hill, but the architecture just left a flavor of Washington-as-a-small-Southern-city in my mouth (because it really was during the 19th century decades when the Hill was developed), and I thought the air was oppressively still and heavy with extra humidity. I get a lot happier as I move into City Beautiful-era neighborhoods and climb a little higher uphill to enjoy the breeze.

But these are personal preferences, and I'd say Capitol Hill sounds like a great place for OP's family. There will be many families with children the same age as OP's DC, and the commute to Virginia is much easier from the Hill than from NW. Clarendon is also very reasonable for commute and company purposes (if OP won't mind that it's ugly-- I do, but then again, that's me and for me, the built environment is really important), and I expect Old Town and Del Ray would do, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Will you have a car? Glover Park is a really nice, safe neighborhood with lots of kids, parks, grocery stores, etc. and close to many nice preschools. BUT it's not on a metro line, so DH would most likely want to drive to work. It's just north of Georgetown.

This is actually a really good suggestions. Probably slightly cheaper rents so the $4k would go farther.

But GP is nowhere near a metro. Pretty limiting if OP's DH takes the car to work, and OP has frequent guests.

I would stick to the Hill--easy metro commute for DH, lots of activities for you and your LOs, and great for visiting guests. If you were planning on staying longer than 3 years, I would consider NW DC neighborhoods like GP, but that is not your case.

GP is also full of obnoxious people. People try to act crunchy, but really, they're entitled snobs who ignore their ill-mannered kids.