Anonymous
Post 04/28/2014 10:40     Subject: Mt. Pleasant, Capitol Hill, Columbia Heights, & Petworth (where to look?)
If I were you I would move to Petworth and live close to the school. In theory you could rent an entire rowhouse on your budget, or if it's more your thing, you could be in a 2BR at one of the brand new apartment buildings right above or next to the Petworth metro.

I live in Petworth and it's incredibly family friendly and affordable. If you live near the metro it's very walkable (and you could live near the metro on your budget). I'm not sure why you would choose to live elsewhere when you could could have such easy access to the school. If you've been researching on the internet keep in mind that the neighborhood is gentrifying incredibly quickly. There was an article a couple years ago in the Washington Post comparing Petworth to Dupont Circle - the analysis found that Petworth had the same level of violent crime as Dupont Circle, and far less property crime than Dupont Circle. The low level of property crime is amazing as I've had to deal with car break-ins everywhere I've lived but here (I've been in Petworth 9 years).
Anonymous
Post 04/28/2014 10:37     Subject: Re:Mt. Pleasant, Capitol Hill, Columbia Heights, & Petworth (where to look?)
Anonymous wrote:
We drive from Bloomingdale to and from NE Capitol Hill every day (during commute) and it takes about 20 minutes. the problem is you have to get through the NY/Florida intersection which is a mess. Then you'd have to add at least 5-10 minutes longer to get to the soldiers home, so while it's a good location to live and may well offer what you're looking for (it's a great neighborhood) it's not very convenient for CM.


I'm the Atlas District booster from the other thread and I kind of have to agree with this. Much as we'd love to have you in the neighborhood, that Florida-NY Ave intersection makes my blood pressure rise every time I have to go through it. I would probably listen to the others and aim for CH or Mt. Pleasant.

But you should still come visit the neighborhood and walk around, just in case. I spent almost the whole weekend outside walking with my kids to various things (parks, Nats game, friends' houses) and was struck again by what a great neighborhood we stumbled into. (We bought here because we couldn't afford anywhere else; now we wouldn't trade it for any DC hood.)
Anonymous
Post 04/28/2014 10:33     Subject: Re:Mt. Pleasant, Capitol Hill, Columbia Heights, & Petworth (where to look?)
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:How did you enroll at CM without providing proof of residency?


Maybe with proof of local employment?


If this is the case, MySchool DC needs to make this clear and inform everyone as their website is contrary to this. It only discusses residency as the requirement. It's not fair to others looking to move to DC and would like to try the DC lottery.


Well, CM is outside the common lottery, so I don't think they are bound by the My School DC rules. They are, of course, bound by whatever the Charter School Board allows. I am not sure what that is. Has anyone checked with them to find out?
Anonymous
Post 04/28/2014 10:30     Subject: Re:Mt. Pleasant, Capitol Hill, Columbia Heights, & Petworth (where to look?)
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:How did you enroll at CM without providing proof of residency?


Maybe with proof of local employment?


If this is the case, MySchool DC needs to make this clear and inform everyone as their website is contrary to this. It only discusses residency as the requirement. It's not fair to others looking to move to DC and would like to try the DC lottery.
Anonymous
Post 04/28/2014 10:13     Subject: Mt. Pleasant, Capitol Hill, Columbia Heights, & Petworth (where to look?)
Anonymous wrote:I'm chiming in to agree with OP on how insane someone sounds saying that it is sad "on many, many levels" for a student to begin at a school if their family will be moving down the road.

The idea that students transferring or moving on places some unbearable burden on a school and the students left behind comes up fairly frequently on this board and it is so divorced from reality that I usually just laugh.

p.s. OP, if I were in your circumstances and were looking for the walkability you seek with an easy commute to the school, I would live north of U Street between 11th and 14th.


+1 on everything including the recs. I would not look into Cap Hill, it would be a nightmare and Columbia Heights/U street area are great!
Anonymous
Post 04/28/2014 10:05     Subject: Re:Mt. Pleasant, Capitol Hill, Columbia Heights, & Petworth (where to look?)
Anonymous wrote:How did you enroll at CM without providing proof of residency?


Maybe with proof of local employment?
Anonymous
Post 04/28/2014 10:01     Subject: Re:Mt. Pleasant, Capitol Hill, Columbia Heights, & Petworth (where to look?)
You have some good options. I would check out Park View, which is close to the soldier's home. Park View starts just south of Rock Creek Church Road. Lots of families, new rec center and you are in walking distance to Columbia Heights/ 11th street. Bonus is you could walk to school or its a very quick drive, and you are walking distance to Petworth Metro. If CM ends staying where it is, its just a quick bus ride on the H buses to Columbia Heights.
Anonymous
Post 04/28/2014 09:50     Subject: Mt. Pleasant, Capitol Hill, Columbia Heights, & Petworth (where to look?)
I'm biased but I think the commute from Capitol Hill to the Old Soldier's Home would be miserable on a daily basis.

We live in Columbia Heights, the north part that a PP mentioned--blocks from the Coupe and the trolley playground at 11th and Monroe. We've been in the neighborhood for about 8 years and the walkability is one of the things that makes it really, really hard for us to think about moving anywhere else. We're very spoiled being able to walk to so many playgrounds, restaurants, grocery stores, Target, etc. The one thing that we haven't really found is a good sense of community with other parents in the neighborhood. We live on a busier street that has a lot of renters, and our oldest kid (5) seems to be at least a year or two older than the majority of kids in the neighborhood. But we're also guilty of not making the effort with families who live nearby, although now that that kid is in PK we've started making friend with some of the families at his school who live in the area.

Also, I don't know the status of CM's location change, but if there's any chance it'll stay at the current location for another year (or more), then I definitely wouldn't recommend the Hill or even Bloomingdale. The part of our daily commute that takes the longest is getting from Columbia Heights to the other side of Mt. Pleasant--everyone else in the city seems to be trying to go the same direction at the same time each morning.
Anonymous
Post 04/28/2014 09:47     Subject: Mt. Pleasant, Capitol Hill, Columbia Heights, & Petworth (where to look?)
I live in Petworth, about two blocks from the front enterance to the Soldier's home. It is a fantastic neighborhood. It feels very safe to me. My childeren leave their bikes on the front porch, and nothing has ever been taken. When I leave the dome light on in my car, one of my neighbors will always knock on the door to let me know. Its a 1/2 mile walk to the metro, and about the same to the library, and to the shops and resturants opening up on Upshur and GA Ave. There are two state department families on my block, and another one around the corner.
Anonymous
Post 04/28/2014 09:31     Subject: Re:Mt. Pleasant, Capitol Hill, Columbia Heights, & Petworth (where to look?)
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I would definitely go for Columbia Heights, because you'll be very close to Soldier's Home, but close enough to other places in DC that you'll be able to walk anywhere to many places in downtown DC. like a PP said, look around 11th street, where there are more and more families. if you go to the coupe (restaurant) on a weekend, it will be full of families with young kids, also at bloombars, an arts center with things for kids on 11th. We rent near the metro, where there is crime occasionally, but it is quieter toward 11th street. you just have to choose your block carefully.

Petworth is great too but you said you wanted walkability, and you have more walkability in CH.

I don't know why people are suggesting bloomingdale, I would not want to drive from there to Soldiers' Home 2 x/ day, in traffic, when you have the option of living much closer in petwroth or CH. the handful of cool coffee shops and restaurants there aren't worth it, and there are just as many families in petworht or Col heigths.


Soldier's home is straight up North Capitol, takes less than 5 minutes by car, and unless they want to live in Petworth right next door, they'd be driving anyway. It' also a much more walkable neighborhood and much more urban and centrally located. Also, much more desirable overall than Petworth. Columbia Heights has a lot more racial tension and is just a less pleasant place to live. Someone else suggested Brookland, which has a lovely neighborhood feel and lots going for it, but isn't as urban so probably not what OP is looking for.


It's more than 5 minutes. 10 at least but with all the road closures due to macMillan park and traffic at least 15 to 20. I drive this every day and then some more for play dates.

Petworth or Columbia Hts are the best bets.


I also drive it every day and it's 5-10 minutes, a straight shot up N. Capitol.


So did you drive it this morning? North Cap was backed up from P St NW to Michigan. Michigan became one lane after crossing N. Cap NW resulting in people going West to block the intersection. A freak'n nightmare.
Anonymous
Post 04/28/2014 08:58     Subject: Re:Mt. Pleasant, Capitol Hill, Columbia Heights, & Petworth (where to look?)
Anonymous wrote:OP here. First of all, thanks for all your concern everyone ( ) but I am not cheating anything. I have been upfront with CM the whole time. They have a copy of my government orders showing the summer transfer. They informed me that I can enroll now with those orders, but will need to demonstrate proof of residency by the first day of school -- which I will certainly do.

Anonymous wrote:The biggest issue here is that OP is coming just for a few years. That means she is taking up early elementary spots with no intention of staying past Kindergarten. That is very sad for the child who doesn't get in who would have stayed all the way through elementary - on many, many levels.


Quotes like the above are NUTS! Yes, we'll be here temporarily -- for 2 to 3 YEARS! What would you have me do doing this time? Not enroll my child in school? Purposely pick a lesser school? (Note that I struck out of the common lottery and other individual school lottery, so I have no other public options for PS3). Give me a break! I did not buy or cheat my way into the lottery, I entered and crossed my fingers and got lucky (for once!). I'll be a resident and paying my taxes every year, so have just as much right as you do to take my kid to the best possible school that I can. (But kudos to you for agreeing to keep your DC in your current PS3 for the next 15 years until he graduates, that's a very noble commitment).

Finally, thanks to all the previous posters who have provided neighborhood input, it's all been very helpful. Looking like Mt. Pleasant area is seeming ideal, though will definitely check out CH, Bloomingdale,etc..... I'd love to hear a little more from those in Capitol Hill (or NE Capitol Hill, e.g. Atlast district) regarding the best areas to check out/wander (within my price range). Also curious how the commute (driving) from Old Soliders Home to/from say Capitol Hill would compare to that to/from Mt. Pleasant....

Thanks again to all (well, to the non-bitter, non-paranoid posters, anyway).



OP, you've got to take them with a grain of salt. This is a stressful time of year, especially for the parents who struck out in the lottery and are now on pins and needles because of their WL numbers. It's not representative of the people you'll encounter once you arrive.

Something to think about regarding your quality of life is your commute - not just for school but for your work as well. If there's anything you can do to ease that (metro, bike, capital bikeshare, etc.) definitely factor that in. Some areas are more transit friendly than others. Welcome to DC.
Anonymous
Post 04/28/2014 08:58     Subject: Mt. Pleasant, Capitol Hill, Columbia Heights, & Petworth (where to look?)
I'm chiming in to agree with OP on how insane someone sounds saying that it is sad "on many, many levels" for a student to begin at a school if their family will be moving down the road.

The idea that students transferring or moving on places some unbearable burden on a school and the students left behind comes up fairly frequently on this board and it is so divorced from reality that I usually just laugh.

p.s. OP, if I were in your circumstances and were looking for the walkability you seek with an easy commute to the school, I would live north of U Street between 11th and 14th.
Anonymous
Post 04/28/2014 08:53     Subject: Mt. Pleasant, Capitol Hill, Columbia Heights, & Petworth (where to look?)
OP, I live in Columbia Heights, in an apartment, with preschooler. I live in one of the newer apartment buildings on 14th Street, and think you could probably find a 2 bedroom or a 1 bedroom + den apartment in my building within that price range.

Try the following buildings:

http://www.allegrospaces.com/ - this is where I live and I love it. Our one bedroom with den is $2000/mo. The den is big enough that it's a proper room for DD. The differentiator between 1+den and proper 2 bedroom in this building seems to be mostly that 2 bedrooms are set up for a roommate situation and accordingly have two bathrooms. The kitchens are nice, there is laundry in the apartment, and I have generally found it to be a great place to live. There aren't too many families with children in the building, but I have been seeing more and more as months go by.

You could also try Park Triangle apartments (at 14th and Kenyon), Highland Park (14th and Irving) and Park Road Courts (Park Road between 14th and 13th). There are also a few smaller buildings with apartments, but I haven't seen those.

We almost moved up to Petworth to a similar complex this spring, but ultimately the convenience of staying in the same building and neighborhood won out over saving a little money.
Anonymous
Post 04/28/2014 08:43     Subject: Re:Mt. Pleasant, Capitol Hill, Columbia Heights, & Petworth (where to look?)
Anonymous wrote:OP here. First of all, thanks for all your concern everyone ( ) but I am not cheating anything. I have been upfront with CM the whole time. They have a copy of my government orders showing the summer transfer. They informed me that I can enroll now with those orders, but will need to demonstrate proof of residency by the first day of school -- which I will certainly do.

Anonymous wrote:The biggest issue here is that OP is coming just for a few years. That means she is taking up early elementary spots with no intention of staying past Kindergarten. That is very sad for the child who doesn't get in who would have stayed all the way through elementary - on many, many levels.


Quotes like the above are NUTS! Yes, we'll be here temporarily -- for 2 to 3 YEARS! What would you have me do doing this time? Not enroll my child in school? Purposely pick a lesser school? (Note that I struck out of the common lottery and other individual school lottery, so I have no other public options for PS3). Give me a break! I did not buy or cheat my way into the lottery, I entered and crossed my fingers and got lucky (for once!). I'll be a resident and paying my taxes every year, so have just as much right as you do to take my kid to the best possible school that I can. (But kudos to you for agreeing to keep your DC in your current PS3 for the next 15 years until he graduates, that's a very noble commitment).

Finally, thanks to all the previous posters who have provided neighborhood input, it's all been very helpful. Looking like Mt. Pleasant area is seeming ideal, though will definitely check out CH, Bloomingdale,etc..... I'd love to hear a little more from those in Capitol Hill (or NE Capitol Hill, e.g. Atlast district) regarding the best areas to check out/wander (within my price range). Also curious how the commute (driving) from Old Soliders Home to/from say Capitol Hill would compare to that to/from Mt. Pleasant....

Thanks again to all (well, to the non-bitter, non-paranoid posters, anyway).


We drive from Bloomingdale to and from NE Capitol Hill every day (during commute) and it takes about 20 minutes. the problem is you have to get through the NY/Florida intersection which is a mess. Then you'd have to add at least 5-10 minutes longer to get to the soldiers home, so while it's a good location to live and may well offer what you're looking for (it's a great neighborhood) it's not very convenient for CM.
Anonymous
Post 04/28/2014 08:40     Subject: Re:Mt. Pleasant, Capitol Hill, Columbia Heights, & Petworth (where to look?)
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I would definitely go for Columbia Heights, because you'll be very close to Soldier's Home, but close enough to other places in DC that you'll be able to walk anywhere to many places in downtown DC. like a PP said, look around 11th street, where there are more and more families. if you go to the coupe (restaurant) on a weekend, it will be full of families with young kids, also at bloombars, an arts center with things for kids on 11th. We rent near the metro, where there is crime occasionally, but it is quieter toward 11th street. you just have to choose your block carefully.

Petworth is great too but you said you wanted walkability, and you have more walkability in CH.

I don't know why people are suggesting bloomingdale, I would not want to drive from there to Soldiers' Home 2 x/ day, in traffic, when you have the option of living much closer in petwroth or CH. the handful of cool coffee shops and restaurants there aren't worth it, and there are just as many families in petworht or Col heigths.


Soldier's home is straight up North Capitol, takes less than 5 minutes by car, and unless they want to live in Petworth right next door, they'd be driving anyway. It' also a much more walkable neighborhood and much more urban and centrally located. Also, much more desirable overall than Petworth. Columbia Heights has a lot more racial tension and is just a less pleasant place to live. Someone else suggested Brookland, which has a lovely neighborhood feel and lots going for it, but isn't as urban so probably not what OP is looking for.


It's more than 5 minutes. 10 at least but with all the road closures due to macMillan park and traffic at least 15 to 20. I drive this every day and then some more for play dates.

Petworth or Columbia Hts are the best bets.


I also drive it every day and it's 5-10 minutes, a straight shot up N. Capitol.