Anonymous wrote:At this point I think OP has decided to give up and stay in NYC where things are less confusing.

It's the same in NYC, people move to the burbs every day when kids have to start school or are about to finish elementary school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

OP, what's your budget?

Not OP, but 21st Centery SAHMs living in Manhattan don't have "budgets." Those are for the little people.

Aha ha ha. Right. You can afford to be SAHM in Manhattan.
Appears "Budget" is not a concern here. Good luck in your home search.

Identical post in the private schools forum where OP appears to check back more frequently. Budget s $1-$1.5M.

Anonymous wrote:A lot of NYers saying no to NoVa on here. Care to elaborate on why?

There are lots of NYC transplants in NOVA. If you are OP, the reason people don't recommend NOVA, is because you said, that you want to do private schools (most of them are in NWDC), and DH works in Gtown. His commute and your commute to kid's schools will be easier logistically if you settle near Georgetown. If DH worked in NOVA, we would say, go to NOVA, or if you wanted public schools, we would say, try nearby areas of NOVA close to Gtown.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A lot of NYers saying no to NoVa on here. Care to elaborate on why?

Its all very provincial compared to NYC - NOva, Bethesda, DC proper. Some of it is pretty but its stil like living in a village compared to NYC.

NYC has its "villages" too, which are admittedly, some of the priciest areas. Village living is pretty desirable in manhattan, there is a premium to be on nice clean secluded tree lined streets often away from crazy tourist spots.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, sahm in AU park, but not walkable? Easy access to stuff though? Super suburban? Or ok mix? We are ok with townhouse or single family.

Spring Valley/AU Park have a Starbucks, a Crate and Barrel, Le Pain Quotidien, Wagshalls Deli, a gas station and a CVS that you can walk to....

Wesley Heights is closer to the rest of DC and has a Starbucks, a couple of restuarants, a deli, and a few boutiques inside the shopping square.

Kalorama is gorgeous, amazing in the middle of urban DC (Dupont) with tree-lined streets and wow houses. Very walkable into Dupont.

Cleveland Park/Woodley Park- close to the private schools you're thinking about, a bit more urban/in the city than Wesley Heights or Spring Valley/AU PArk.

Georgetown - beautiful homes, very walkable, downside in my opinion is all of the visitors/traffic but it might be a great fit if hubby will work there

Glover Park - can walk into Georgetown, walkable with a While Foods, Safeway, Starbucks and a bunch of restaurants. Lots of young families. More affordable than the rest.

SAHM's - I think pretty equal amongst all of them.

How old are your kids?

Just for clarification to the OP - AU Park is pretty big. It has a side that is close to Spring Valley/Mass. Ave. that is not quite as walkable or accessible to metro. But the side close to Wisconsin Avenue is very walkable and more urban. From many points in AU Park you can walk easily to both Tenley and Friendship Heights metro stations and the commercial strip on Wisconsin Ave. So, when you're searching don't write off the entirety of AU Park as not being walkable. You need to look at how close to Wisconsin versus Massachusetts.

For purposes of commuting to Georgetown, you can't beat Glover Park (other than living in Georgetown proper, of course). The main con to Glover Park is that (like Georgetown) it's not metro accessible.

So NYers don't value trees?

Anonymous wrote:A lot of NYers saying no to NoVa on here. Care to elaborate on why?

Its all very provincial compared to NYC - NOva, Bethesda, DC proper. Some of it is pretty but its stil like living in a village compared to NYC.

bethesda is a joke, McLean and N arlington is where it's at

If you came from Long Island or North Jersey, sure. We're comparing to NYC here.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A lot of NYers saying no to NoVa on here. Care to elaborate on why?

Different cultures and different lifestyles. NoVa is more car dependent, relative to NW DC and even Bethesda. NoVa is also more conservative.

bethesda is a joke, McLean and N arlington is where it's at

Anonymous wrote:A lot of NYers saying no to NoVa on here. Care to elaborate on why?

Different cultures and different lifestyles. NoVa is more car dependent, relative to NW DC and even Bethesda. NoVa is also more conservative.

A lot of NYers saying no to NoVa on here. Care to elaborate on why?

At this point I think OP has decided to give up and stay in NYC where things are less confusing.

Anonymous wrote:

OP, what's your budget?

Not OP, but 21st Centery SAHMs living in Manhattan don't have "budgets." Those are for the little people.

Aha ha ha. Right. You can afford to be SAHM in Manhattan.
Appears "Budget" is not a concern here. Good luck in your home search.

I'm with 10:44 - North Arlington is a really straight shot into Georgetown, and there are a ton of kids because the schools are so good. Also a ton of parks, and parts of the county are extremely walkable to metro and other places. The 38B starts in Ballston and works its way to Georgetown for days your husband doesn't feel like driving. (It takes awhile, though. but in general, I can recommend both the WMATA buses and ART buses for cleanliness and safety.) If you can afford it, I'd start in Clarendon and work your way East to Rosslyn and West to Ballston. Walkable neighborhoods include Lyon Village, Lyon Park, Ashton Heights, Cherrydale, Waverly Hills and Bon Air/Bluemont plus some others.

Anonymous wrote:You will never find anything like Brooklyn or Mattanhatten here. Search the Like Brooklyn post.

Not like Manhattan for sure, because DC is not nearly as dense or will ever be, and it's not a bad thing. But as far as Brooklyn is concerned, come on. Most of DC is sort of like this, lots of rowhomes, some highrises, similar density, but without the grunge and dirt of BK. DC is much cleaner and nicer than BK, IMHO. I still live in Manhattan BTW, used to live in DC and planning to move back.

OP, if you can afford living in Gtown, go for East Village part, there are families, family parks, not too far from Dupont metro or Foggy Bottom metro for all the museums or the zoo, plenty to do when your kids are in school. Very nice, beautiful tree lined streets and appealing architecture, sort of like better parts of West village, except homes are more colorful and M st is a little too touristy. super short commute for DH and since you intend to do private schools, no worries about schools. If I could afford to be a SAHM and buy a rowhouse for 2 mil and send kids to a private school it would be a dream life. Another suggestion is Kalorama near Dupont or some Dupont's area residential streets. But it's mainly a rowhome living.

If you want something with a yard, if you have a longing for an SFH and a little more space, then look around NWDC, Woodley park, Cleveland Park, AU park. I would not go further out, no reason for you, unless you want a lot of space, a large lot.