Reply to s/o Would you move to Ward 3 if money wasn't an issue?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Ward 3 is beautiful and I can see why some people love living there, but its too vanilla for me. My ideal DC neighborhood would be a home in the U Street corridor (with off street parking). I'm granola meets urban chic and still under 30 fyi. Being in walkable distance from a Whole Foods, more than one metro, and Ben's/Ben's Next Door would be awesome! My friends and I were leaving Lauriol Plaza last week and were joking how we'd all be in trouble if one of us lived in walking distance.[/quote]

I love this area of DC too and lived there for 11 years. I'm now 32, married, TTC and while I still LOVE the more urban feel of U St/Dupont, we just moved to the calmer Ward 3 and I'm really enjoying it. At least I can still walk to a Whole Foods and Starbucks - and it's a quick drive down Mass if I go through withdrawal! I can't imagine raising children in the hustle and bustle of U St.

By the way, the houses in Dupont and Kalorama are more expensive (per square foot) than anywhere else in DC. I love Kalorama.[/quote]

I don't really get this pervasive idea.  If you liked living in a more urban place when you didn't have kids, why wouldn't you with kids?  We love being urban even more now that we have kids, and so do the kids![/quote]
Because needs change when you have kids. I'm glad that what you do works for you.  I too loved the urban vibe before kids, but once they arrived, the following happened:
 - I don't have time or money to spend much time in trendy bars and restaurants I adored pre-kids. So I don't need to be close to them;
 - I need space with kids. A lot more space. I'm just not a minimalist person.
 - Quiet
 - Large backyard
- I love museums and theatres as much as the next person, but I simply don't spend much time there with kids.  A quick trip down to the Mall with kids every month (once they are old enough) is not reason enough to live near them.  Besides, getting to museums from Ward 3 takes as much time as from NOVA burbs
 - Don't want to take kids on metro

Again, I respect your choices, but you asked a question, and I'm happy to answer. [/quote]

This makes sense to me, although my own preferences are opposite on almost every count. I am, or at least aspire to be, a minimalist.  I like noise the sound of active streets.  I don't want to have to take care of a yard.  I go to museums and theatres much more than I did prior to having a child, on average 2-4 a week.  I love taking my child on public transportation of all kinds, and I hate driving.  But, although I still feel a sense of reminiscence about living close to my beloved bars and restaurants, I rarely actually go to them.[/quote]

Just curious where you're from. I'm from Manhattan and I love being able to drive and have easy access to parking wherever I go. (I'm not the pp you quoted.)[/quote]

I moved a lot, mostly in suburbs.  High school in Ridgewood, NJ.  I liked having a car and driving when I was a teenager, but I much prefer using public transportation.  Moreover, when I think back about all the dangerous situations my friends were in (and the several that died in car accidents), I would much prefer my child to be able to get around without (not that she won't learn to drive; I just hope that she will learn that it isn't always necessary, especially when people are drinking).

Also I do have a car, I just don't use it that often, and almost never within the city.  For example, I walk to the Mall, take the bus to Mount Pleasant, take the metro to Cleveland Park, but I drive to visit people in Kent or the Palisades, and to skip town (although sometimes I will train or bus to NYC because I find it more pleasant than driving and trying to park there).  Where I choose to drive, I can generally park.  If there isn't parking where I am going, there is usually a simple form of public transportation, which I prefer anyway.[/quote]

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