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

[Anonymous]

Make sure the commute doesn't get in the way of your ideal lifestyle.

[Anonymous]

Maybe a year of the killer commute will change our mind, but for now, it seems like the best choice for us.

Yes. I guarantee a year of this commute will change your mind. This is not snark, and I wish you no ill will. But, it's horrible.

I lived this myself with a 2 year old, after H moved us "away from all family and friends" for an "opportunity he couldn't refuse" in a large cosmopolitan west coast city/megalopolis. We chose a charming 1920s hipster neighborhood, even, full of the >>original<< hipsters -- the people who served as the model for, yes, Red Hook/Ft. Greene AND 11th St. in DC.

Then DC proceeded to be gone 15 hours a day due to a $$ job + that killer commute. He didn't know his kids and missed their toddler and early preschool years. He left when they were sleeping, missed all their meals, returned home after 8-9 pm bedtime. He was exhausted on the weekends and cranky and only went through the motions of "family time," I assume because he understandably wanted a little Me Time.

So please, think very very carefully about being glib about kissing away 2-3 hours -- yes, HOURS --a day on a commute, should you live in Columbia Hts type location.*




* personally, vibe-wise, I think you'd do best in Logan Circle brownstone floor-thru condo.

[Anonymous]

OP, please think very, very hard about commute and schools. You seem kinda fixated on a neighborhood with good lattes, etc., but honestly, do you really think those are more important than family time and your kid's education?

1) RENT. You really seem to have zero idea how bad the traffic here is. I think most people who move here, actually, are shocked by how bad the traffic can be. (DC is regularly ranked worst in the nation--worst than LA and NYC, even.) You don't mention what time your DH will need to be in the office, but unless he leaves the house at 7 am, he will be in the car for an hour (even with the reverse commute) EACH WAY. Why an hour? Because 1) there's no guarantee of a garage even paying $4K in rent, so you have to count walking to the car, which you may have parked 3 blocks away. 2) There are always delays on the inner/outer loop.

By 8 am, forget it. Rent a hotel or stay with a friend in DC and have DH try the commute. I promise you, you will think differently about living in the city. And I love living in the city, but I think that you'll have to give up on the idea of having dinner with dad during the week if you consider neighborhoods in DC proper.

2) A lot of the hip neighborhoods have crap-tastic schools. Your kid will be ready for PK before you know it, and you will need a year or so to figure out which schools are a good fit for your family. The best private schools are highly competitive to get into, so you have no guarantee of admission--and if you do get in, expect to pay $32K for a school year's of tuition (this does not include summer camps, of course).

[Anonymous]

I'm also surprised that more people haven't suggested Capitol Hill as an option since it is so near/easy to get on 295. I think if the OP's family is willing to commute, the commute from Capitol Hill won't be any worse than any of the other suggestions and it isn't always bad. Now my husband doesn't do the commute all the time but he often drives up to Baltimore one day a week and he has no real complaints. Full disclosure though in that the commute is typically more like 45 minutes.

Some houses on the Hill are definitely in the OP's price range (although renting first is advisable) and the neighborhood is super walkable.

OP, I think you should check out Capitol Hill as might meet your needs.

[Anonymous]

First Cap Hill poster here: There are also lots of good school options on the Hill, especially for early childhood. Our kids will both be in a GREAT public school next year, thanks to the luck of the lottery draw. The lottery can be a stressful way to start school, but everyone we know has ended up really happy with their (public/charter) choice.

[Anonymous]

i think you should look at capitol hill/eastern market/lincoln park areas. close enough to 295 for commute purposes, good schools, plenty of restaurants and "stuff" to do. honestly, if DH and i could afford to buy there, we probably would.

i live in takoma and am currently looking to buy in tkpk or dtss, so i know the areas well. i would not look there if you want anything close to an urban feel. it's not. even "downtown" tkpk/takoma is far from urban. it's getting busier, but it's more like living in small town than anything urban. dtss is fine, but it's still more like a busy suburb than an urban area.

[Anonymous]

also, OP. you do NOT want your DH relying on New York Avenue as a primary route to work between Memorial Day and Labor Day. it's the way everyone gets to the beach (delaware and maryland), and it backs up as early as late Friday morning EVERY WEEK.

[Anonymous]

Columbia Heights is not really near a metro. So if you want to work downtown, that is tough -- you would need to drive to preschool/daycare and then downtown. That would be at least an hour each way if not more. Unless you have a nanny, that is.

For rentals, are you looking for 2 bedrooms or 3? Two bedroom apartments are easy to find. 3 bedrooms means you need to rent a townhome and that will be harder to find.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Columbia Heights is not really near a metro. So if you want to work downtown, that is tough -- you would need to drive to preschool/daycare and then downtown. That would be at least an hour each way if not more. Unless you have a nanny, that is.

For rentals, are you looking for 2 bedrooms or 3? Two bedroom apartments are easy to find. 3 bedrooms means you need to rent a townhome and that will be harder to find.

Huh? What about Columbia Heights metro station?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Columbia Heights is not really near a metro. So if you want to work downtown, that is tough -- you would need to drive to preschool/daycare and then downtown. That would be at least an hour each way if not more. Unless you have a nanny, that is.

For rentals, are you looking for 2 bedrooms or 3? Two bedroom apartments are easy to find. 3 bedrooms means you need to rent a townhome and that will be harder to find.

Huh? What about Columbia Heights metro station?

Oops. Meant to say Mount Pleasant. Thx!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Columbia Heights is not really near a metro. So if you want to work downtown, that is tough -- you would need to drive to preschool/daycare and then downtown. That would be at least an hour each way if not more. Unless you have a nanny, that is.

For rentals, are you looking for 2 bedrooms or 3? Two bedroom apartments are easy to find. 3 bedrooms means you need to rent a townhome and that will be harder to find.

Huh? What about Columbia Heights metro station?

In addition to the Columbia Heights metro, there are a ton of bus lines that run between Columbia Heights and downtown. Perhaps you were confused about Columbia, MD and Columbia Heights the DC neighborhood? They're totally different!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Columbia Heights is not really near a metro. So if you want to work downtown, that is tough -- you would need to drive to preschool/daycare and then downtown. That would be at least an hour each way if not more. Unless you have a nanny, that is.

For rentals, are you looking for 2 bedrooms or 3? Two bedroom apartments are easy to find. 3 bedrooms means you need to rent a townhome and that will be harder to find.

Huh? What about Columbia Heights metro station?

Seriously.

Though I suppose there is also a case to be made that there are parts of CH nearer the metro than others. I am the CH booster from up thread, and I live several blocks up 14th from the metro.

It's also possible that the PP is thinking of Mt. Pleasant, which I actually agree with. I had people tell me that MtP is "walking distance to the CH metro" which is really only true for the eastern edge. That said, MtP has buses going for it - the 42 and 43 will take you downtown pretty quickly and run pretty often. I've taken both of them (plus the metro) in rush hour with a kid between from 1.5yrs to 3yrs and it's never been a problem.

[Anonymous]

OP, I just wanted to wish you the best of luck in your search. I'm from NYC and I really, really miss NY but I have finally found my peace in DC living in the Palisades neighborhood.

When we were househunting, my priorities were walking to coffee and a few restaurants, good parks, and great public schools for the kids. I should emphasize that it is not at all urban - it is leafy and green and residential and quiet. There are a few good (and actually, some great) restaurants and cafes. We can walk everywhere - to the school, parks, library, safeway, and vibrant farmers market. The running/bike path is just beautiful. We've found the neighborhood to be really friendly and warm, especially with our kids at the public school.

I gave up trying to find something that would replicate Brooklyn or Manhattan - that doesn't really exist in DC and when we lived here and moved into a neighborhood that was supposedly the closest to the NYC neighborhoods I loved, I found that neighborhood (Dupont) to be so lame and the restaurants awful. I'm much happier now that we found a place that has its own vibe.

Just mapquested the drive and it says 39 minutes to Columbia MD. I'm sure it's worse with traffic, but Palisades is very close to the highway so you get on 495 quickly. And it's a 10 minute drive to my government office downtown.

Anyway, good luck. I concur with others that you might want to rent first and see what kind of place makes sense and feels right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You seem kinda fixated on a neighborhood with good lattes, etc., but honestly, do you really think those are more important than family time and your kid's education?

Well, that's judgy.

We all make choices in life. My husband and I agree that the best thing we can do for our daughter is to give her happy parents, much love, and an interesting life. We're not going to choose where to live out of fear that she may turn out to be a derelict if we make the wrong choice. I'm the child of a single mother who never went to college, I went to a dinky high school with no AP classes and a grim graduation rate, and here I am, a fully functional and happy adult. I don't believe my choice of where to live for 2-3 years in my thirties is going to determine the rest of my daughter's life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I just wanted to wish you the best of luck in your search. I'm from NYC and I really, really miss NY but I have finally found my peace in DC living in the Palisades neighborhood.

When we were househunting, my priorities were walking to coffee and a few restaurants, good parks, and great public schools for the kids. I should emphasize that it is not at all urban - it is leafy and green and residential and quiet. There are a few good (and actually, some great) restaurants and cafes. We can walk everywhere - to the school, parks, library, safeway, and vibrant farmers market. The running/bike path is just beautiful. We've found the neighborhood to be really friendly and warm, especially with our kids at the public school.

I gave up trying to find something that would replicate Brooklyn or Manhattan - that doesn't really exist in DC and when we lived here and moved into a neighborhood that was supposedly the closest to the NYC neighborhoods I loved, I found that neighborhood (Dupont) to be so lame and the restaurants awful. I'm much happier now that we found a place that has its own vibe.

Just mapquested the drive and it says 39 minutes to Columbia MD. I'm sure it's worse with traffic, but Palisades is very close to the highway so you get on 495 quickly. And it's a 10 minute drive to my government office downtown.

Anyway, good luck. I concur with others that you might want to rent first and see what kind of place makes sense and feels right.

I love the Palisades - great neighborhood!