I was thinking Bloomingdale too.

Petworth or Bloomingdale

We just relocated here from California with a very very similar wishlist. We haven't found an area like that. It's just really different here. Like PP said its not bad but probably won't be exactly like LA... Or comparable. Takoma Park is nice but more of what I see as east coasters perspective of what the west coast is like. Not like silver lake or echo park.

Yeah, there isn't really a Silver Lake equivalent in DC (unfortunately). Check out Mount Pleasant, Columbia Heights, Shaw, Logan Circle, houses near the 14th Street Corridor, Petworth, and Kalorama, see if any are close enough. Takoma Park is a decent suggestion, too.

If you have specific rental listings you want some opinions on, feel free to post them - we can let you know what the neighborhood's like.

Shaw/Logan Circle. The closer you are to 14th St, the more expensive and probably fewer hipsters. If you go east of 14th a few blocks, you can be close to a nice public library, green line metro stop (Shaw metro), a nice little park (you didn't say how old your kids are - this park is for youngish kids- Westminster park.) Lots of good restaurant options on 14th St. and U Street.

Anonymous wrote:Columbia Pike, Arlington, zips - 22202 & 22204

No.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Adams morgan

All Dcps schools suck so you may want to take that into consideration

Not true, of course. But the up-and-coming neighborhoods tend to have less-good schools (as in most cities).

Ross ES is good and includes the western parts of Logan Circle. That might fit. Columbia Heights or Mount Pleasant would be a good fit, but the schools are still hit-or-miss (from what I understand)--search the DC schools forum for Bancroft and Tubman for more info.

There are charter schools, but it's all lottery (as in LA), so it's a crapshoot.

You might try searching within Oyster boundaries; not particularly hipster-y, but walkable to AdMo and Metro.

Good luck!

U Street or Logan Circle

First you have to adjust your expectations. There just isn't any equivalent here to the neighborhoods you have mentioned. Not remotely close. You could probably be happy in takoma park or Capitol Hill, but again it will NOT be like what you are used to. If you can let go of that, there are some very nice people and neighborhoods here.

Columbia Pike, Arlington, zips - 22202 & 22204

Takoma Park - not in the city, but fits a lot of what you're describing otherwise.

Anonymous wrote:Adams morgan

All Dcps schools suck so you may want to take that into consideration

A different city. Seriously, you won't find that here.

Adams morgan

Hi all,

We're relocating to DC from LA. Can I pick the UrbanMom (and Dad) brain collective on which neighborhoods we should be looking at? Initially to rent, possibly eventually to buy, but no rush.

Wish list:
*Funky neighborhood, the DC equivalent of Silver Lake or Echo Park (or Eagle Rock, Highland Park, etc.) in Los Angeles, or the funkier parts of Brooklyn in NYC? Where do the bike-activist hipsters live? (We are not hipsters, but we like a lot of the things they like.)
*Rent under 3000 for 2+ bedrooms, 2 baths. We could go to 3500 but it would have to be amazing.
*Prefer a (row) house over a high-rise apartment building.
*We're a young family and we're boring. Our main out of the house activity is eating at weird restaurants, so proximity to ethnic food is a big one.
*Close-ish to a Metro stop.
*In fantasyland, we'd love one parking spot and some kind of outdoor space. (Also hardwood floors, diverse neighbors, other families with little kids, and herds of free-range unicorns.)
*Possibly also relevant: spouse will be working in Foggy Bottom.

Right now I'm browsing Craigslist for Petworth and Columbia Heights listings. What else should I be looking at? Thank you!