Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Umm there is a trader joes in Brooklyn and a whole foods too. The subways by park slope, cobble hill, Brooklyn heights are clean and fine. Don't know what you found so vomit inducing. Why are people so uninformed on this thread, yet so full of opinions?

Trader Joes, yes, Whole Foods not open YET. And it has been in talks FOREVER.

Signed, former Brooklynite who is happy in DC.

Anonymous wrote:

Umm there is a trader joes in Brooklyn and a whole foods too. The subways by park slope, cobble hill, Brooklyn heights are clean and fine. Don't know what you found so vomit inducing. Why are people so uninformed on this thread, yet so full of opinions?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, but there are pockets of "suburban" living even in Georgetown. Places where you can have a backyard and a cookout. There are adorable little streets in WestEnd that are entirely residential, yet close to retail. If she can afford Georgetown and its environs, why settle for anything else? I concede the lack of a metro stop is annoying, but lots of convenient buses-- preferrable to be above ground when you are new to the city anyway! Seems to me that Georgetown IS suburban compared to NYC.

Signed,

Happy Cap Hill Resident

NYC is not Manhattan, it's also Queens, Bronx and Brooklyn, and Staten Island (which is pretty much suburban). There are deeply suburban areas in Queens and Bronx, which would make you forget you are anywhere near the city and a lot of Brooklyn is low rise and lower density urban. I'd say most of DC (outside of National Mall) is similar to Brooklyn in terms of density and access to amenities, I would even say, DC is better, because it is better served by chain stores like Whole foods and Trader Joes, which Brooklyn lacks, and has more cultural amenities and museums and it's cleaner. The subway stations in Brooklyn are vomit-inducing.

Anonymous wrote:Um, it is way easier to catch a taxi in dc than NYC.

Anonymous wrote:Transplanted New Yorker here. Don't try to recreate your Manhattan experience here. DC is a company town and the inside-the-beltway mentality is real. It's not a city: no taxis, no delis, no real intellectual/creative life (in the sense of the buzz - though there are great offerings). That said, it's a very pleasant place to live - you just need to adjust your expectations. FWIW - Alexandria is probably the closest thing to a real city here (we started off in Chevy Chase and moved to Alexandria and it's a much better fit), which includes the good and bad aspects. It has a real city life and is not overrun by chain stores and restaurants. The ethnic mix does not express itself in terms of a diverse restaurant scene, sadly, but there is a decent selection. The waterfront is wonderful, as are the farmers' markets. If you are rich, there are spectacular 18th century houses that are magnificent - really from a bygone age with walled gardens and the whole nine yards. If your budget is tighter, Del Ray is fun and has lots and lots and lots of families. You see people out and about all the time in Alexandria, which just makes it more "real" for us. Easy commute into DC and from here you're close to the Kennedy Center and the Mall. Arena Stage is not too much of a haul.

Good luck in your move and give yourself at least 18 months to settle in.

Anonymous wrote:Transplanted New Yorker here. Don't try to recreate your Manhattan experience here. DC is a company town and the inside-the-beltway mentality is real. It's not a city: no taxis, no delis, no real intellectual/creative life (in the sense of the buzz - though there are great offerings). That said, it's a very pleasant place to live - you just need to adjust your expectations. FWIW - Alexandria is probably the closest thing to a real city here (we started off in Chevy Chase and moved to Alexandria and it's a much better fit), which includes the good and bad aspects. It has a real city life and is not overrun by chain stores and restaurants. The ethnic mix does not express itself in terms of a diverse restaurant scene, sadly, but there is a decent selection. The waterfront is wonderful, as are the farmers' markets. If you are rich, there are spectacular 18th century houses that are magnificent - really from a bygone age with walled gardens and the whole nine yards. If your budget is tighter, Del Ray is fun and has lots and lots and lots of families. You see people out and about all the time in Alexandria, which just makes it more "real" for us. Easy commute into DC and from here you're close to the Kennedy Center and the Mall. Arena Stage is not too much of a haul.

Good luck in your move and give yourself at least 18 months to settle in.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, but there are pockets of "suburban" living even in Georgetown. Places where you can have a backyard and a cookout. There are adorable little streets in WestEnd that are entirely residential, yet close to retail. If she can afford Georgetown and its environs, why settle for anything else? I concede the lack of a metro stop is annoying, but lots of convenient buses-- preferrable to be above ground when you are new to the city anyway! Seems to me that Georgetown IS suburban compared to NYC.

Signed,

Happy Cap Hill Resident

NYC is not Manhattan, it's also Queens, Bronx and Brooklyn, and Staten Island (which is pretty much suburban). There are deeply suburban areas in Queens and Bronx, which would make you forget you are anywhere near the city and a lot of Brooklyn is low rise and lower density urban. I'd say most of DC (outside of National Mall) is similar to Brooklyn in terms of density and access to amenities, I would even say, DC is better, because it is better served by chain stores like Whole foods and Trader Joes, which Brooklyn lacks, and has more cultural amenities and museums and it's cleaner. The subway stations in Brooklyn are vomit-inducing.

in urban environments, most residents live in apartments. If most residents live in houses or townhmes that is not an urban environment. Such arrangements simply cannot create sufficient population density.

Most people in US cities, except Manhattan don't live in apartments, certain percentage does, but most US cities have lots of central neighborhoods with rowhome/townhome type of housing or even detached SFHs, and low-rise apartment buildings. To me if the neighborhood is central inside the city boundaries, and walkable and has PT access, and you can live there without a car, it's urban. If for you urban means having people living on top of each other stacked 1/5 mile high, then you must refer to the world's densest metropolises, which are very few outside of Asia.
Then US doesn't have any real cities other than Manhattan, because this is the case in most cities. Most people live in SFH or attached townhomes in US cities with a certain percentage of apartment buildings.

Indeed, the US does not have any real cities except for Manhattan - that was my point. There are plenty of real cities in Europe, not just Asia. A vast majority of Europeans live in apartments, and most of those are between 500 and 750 sqft in buildings 5-10 stories tall. Areas that are fairly removed from downtown are still very urban and in fact often more urban than the city centers.

Your definition of urban is simply incorrect. Centrality connects to urbanity only to the extent that increases density through tourists and people who work in the area.

Actually, being a destination for jobs and tourists is an important factor defining urbanity. It adds to density and brings in businesses and street life, that otherwise would not be there just to serve residents alone. That is why there is less stuff in NWDC residential neighborhoods than in let's say Dupont, which is essentially low rise low density housing. And being a part of historic city center, being an older area, also is a part of this. Density of population is not everything.

You seem to think that urban = high rise living. This is not as simple. If this was the case then Rosslyn/Arlington or Tysons should be more urban in your eyes.

Anonymous wrote: