OP, you seem cool and I'd like you to be our neighbor.

I live RIGHT by where you work. Put another way, if you lived in my house, you could walk to work in <10 minutes. (Microsoft?)

Anyway, I strongly urge you to look for a rowhouse in Friendship Hts. DC. There aren't tons, but there a few that come on the market every month and they range from $700 to $800K. Your child can attend Janney (search DCUM for "janney") and have an excellent facility and peer group.

Your stay at home? spouse can walk to 4 grocery stores ranging from cheapo to pleasantly strange to Whole Foods. Several drugs stores within a couple of blocks. A big park (google "Livingston Park" and DPR). Multiple gyms, between 2 public libraries. Banks, way too many banks. Doctors offices. Basically, all the conveniences you can name are within 3-4 blocks if you score one of these townhouses on either side of Wisconsin Ave.

This is not an artistic community, at all. But there are tons of public interest lawyers, journalists, non-profit types. Some professors. More journalists. That is, if you stay on the DC side.

Your child will be set for school for the next 6 years at least, and maybe 3 more if you like the middle school (many do). If not, and you want to move, I'd personally guarantee your rowhouse within this small area will appreciate. You can sell and decamp to a suburb then and pride yourself on avoiding a commute 100% for 6 years.

Anonymous wrote:Look in the part of CC, MD that is along East West Hwy. 800k will get you a reasonable house around there, the public schools are excellent, and the commute to Friendship Heights easy - especially if you wind up near Rock Creek Park - you can cut through the park to the Friendship Heights area easily. I live in Woodmoor, and while I love my neighborhood, if I had 800k to spend, it would not be at the top of my list.

This is an excellent suggestion.

Anonymous wrote:"Anonymous wrote:
After a while the quirkier neighbours thing started to get a little old for us so we moved to CCDC. Both areas great schools and neighbours. Super walkable.

22:20, define quirky. Vegan? Or phobic about airline contrails containing poison from the government? We've lived next to both and the latter is too quirky now that I am a mother."

No quirky as in "I have a crazy overgrown garden that looks like a maze created by mentally ill people and I also have a broken chair collection on my front porch and newspaper in my windows but I'm totally nice to talk to"
or "I carry my 'water bottle' to walk my dog every night and am completely unaware that all the other dog walkers can smell the vodka on my breath. Please swerve to avoid me as I lurch drunkenly into the street to prove a point that we need sidewalks"

Ah. Yes, that IS too quirky.

"Anonymous wrote:
After a while the quirkier neighbours thing started to get a little old for us so we moved to CCDC. Both areas great schools and neighbours. Super walkable.

22:20, define quirky. Vegan? Or phobic about airline contrails containing poison from the government? We've lived next to both and the latter is too quirky now that I am a mother."

No quirky as in "I have a crazy overgrown garden that looks like a maze created by mentally ill people and I also have a broken chair collection on my front porch and newspaper in my windows but I'm totally nice to talk to"
or "I carry my 'water bottle' to walk my dog every night and am completely unaware that all the other dog walkers can smell the vodka on my breath. Please swerve to avoid me as I lurch drunkenly into the street to prove a point that we need sidewalks"

Look in the part of CC, MD that is along East West Hwy. 800k will get you a reasonable house around there, the public schools are excellent, and the commute to Friendship Heights easy - especially if you wind up near Rock Creek Park - you can cut through the park to the Friendship Heights area easily. I live in Woodmoor, and while I love my neighborhood, if I had 800k to spend, it would not be at the top of my list.

10:44, I got that feeling as well. That's why I am really pleased to have discovered this forum. This kind of input is invaluable, thank you everyone.

Anonymous wrote: After a while the quirkier neighbours thing started to get a little old for us so we moved to CCDC. Both areas great schools and neighbours. Super walkable.

22:20, define quirky. Vegan? Or phobic about airline contrails containing poison from the government? We've lived next to both and the latter is too quirky now that I am a mother.

20:05, thank you for that tip about the Metro trains, certainly important info to have and not readily apparent from the Metro websites etc.

SS (Woodmoor/Woodside/7 Oaks) is about 20-25 minutes driving to Friendship Heights. I live in 20910 and although biased think it's a great area. However, with an 800 budget I would strongly consider the west side of the red line corridor, including parts of Rockville (away from downtown Rockville - like closer to White Flint).

In Woodmoor you can get a renovated larger home for $550-$650, so if you are trying to stay away from your max it's a good value play.

Rockville is OK, but it's not more than OK. Definitely not artsy - the opposite. Rent first if you want to try it out.

Anonymous wrote:Rockville to Friendship Heights isn't terrible by metro, but keep in mind that during rush hour every other train turns around at Grosvenor so trains are not as frequent as if you lived closer in. Also, I have to admit I'm not sure why you would live in Rockville if you could afford to live closer in. Most of the houses just aren't that nice and traffic is a bear. Not sure what the schools are like. Of course, closer in, you get very little house for your money. As another poster said, for less than $800, you can find houses in Bethesda or Friendship Heights or Chevy Chase but they will be small 3-bedroom colonials, with small front and back yards. We chose to go this route and are happy, but others want more space, or a garage, big yard, etc.

Silver Spring or Takoma Park would probably suit you culture-wise, but the metro commute wouldn't be great because you'd have to swing around the entire red line. With the frequent metro delays this will get old fast. Driving would be faster. Or bus, if your husband wants to use public transit. Friendship Heights is a major bus hub.

+1. We live in Woodside Park (near downtown Silver Spring) and I drove to Friendship Heights today - it took me 20 minutes in traffic. But the Metro would entail going all the way around the red line, not worth it.

IMO Metro is pretty pathetic anyway.

As an artist, I think of the palisades-dc. It is full of musicians, artists, hippies and quirky people and families. 10 min drive or bus ride to frdshp hts. Almost everyone is super friendly. After a while the quirkier neighbours thing started to get a little old for us so we moved to CCDC. Both areas great schools and neighbours. Super walkable.

Kensington

Rockville to Friendship Heights isn't terrible by metro, but keep in mind that during rush hour every other train turns around at Grosvenor so trains are not as frequent as if you lived closer in. Also, I have to admit I'm not sure why you would live in Rockville if you could afford to live closer in. Most of the houses just aren't that nice and traffic is a bear. Not sure what the schools are like. Of course, closer in, you get very little house for your money. As another poster said, for less than $800, you can find houses in Bethesda or Friendship Heights or Chevy Chase but they will be small 3-bedroom colonials, with small front and back yards. We chose to go this route and are happy, but others want more space, or a garage, big yard, etc.

Silver Spring or Takoma Park would probably suit you culture-wise, but the metro commute wouldn't be great because you'd have to swing around the entire red line. With the frequent metro delays this will get old fast. Driving would be faster. Or bus, if your husband wants to use public transit. Friendship Heights is a major bus hub.

Shepherd Park and Colonial Village are nice, but the schools aren't good. For $800k you could buy near the Van Ness metro. That's where we live, and we have an easy commute downtown on the Red line. A commute to Friendship Heights would be a breeze. The schools are all good, too.