attn DC folks

[KittyT]

Are there any loungers here from DC? There is a potential move to DC somewhere in my future and I am wondering a few things:

How long have you lived in DC?
What do you like and dislike about the city?
How do you perceive the cost of living in DC compared to other places you've lived?
Is it easy to get around the city (public transport vs driving)?
Are there sufficient activities (social, shopping, etc) for the vintage-inclined?

Any info/opinions will be greatly appreciated!

 

[scotrace]

I don't live there.

That being said, I've visited often. The good thing about DC is that the members of Congress (who run the City as well as the Fed) want to make sure the folks from back home have a good experience when they visit. DC is therefor clean and relatively safe. The public transportation is the best, cleanest and safest I've ever used.

There are tons of fantastic restaurants, and right next door (and accessible via rail) in McLean, VA is one of the best shopping complexes in the USA, Tysons Corner.

 

[Mid-fogey]

We have...

...plenty of DC Metro area Loungers. I hope they'll chime in.

I lived in the area for 15 years until 10 years ago. The only thing I'll say is: look at where you'll work and decide where to live based on that. Also, don't turn your nose up on an area until you've researched it fully.

If you don't want to live in your car and really experience what the area really has to offer, pick carefully.

 

[Quigley Brown]

I live about 45 miles away and worked down there for while....commuting via train. It's a very fun city. Check craigslist to get an idea about apartment prices.

 

[KittyT]

Check craigslist to get an idea about apartment prices.

Yeah, I've been looking around... it's strange because the cost of living indexes put DC housing prices higher than Boston. At the same time, apartments on CL seem to be more affordable than they are here - rather, there is a bigger range of housing prices in DC than there is in Boston. Some of what I've seen seems affordable, whereas nothing comparable would be affordable here in Boston.

 

[staggerwing]

I've lived in the area since 1968, with the exception of 1990 - 2001 when I lived in Dallas. Most folks live in the suburbs. I live in a fairly close in Virginia suburb and would strongly recommend the Maryland suburbs if you're not going to live in the city proper. The housing bust will probably lead to more affordable rental prices as more people are rent out houses as an alternative to trying to sell them. More and cheaper houses for rent should push down apartment rents as well.

The advice to live close to where you work is spot on. I think DC just surpassed LA as the site of the world's worst traffic snarles. As an old married guy, I don't know much about nightlife and that sort of thing. When I was younger it seemed to be just a bunch of singles bars, and for us guys who weren't congressional staffers or partners in law firms, forget it.

All in all, I'd perfer to live somewhere else - in fact just about anywhere else. High taxes, high cost of living, inconvenient, rude and dangerous. Plus, no real good hat stores! But, since I derive most of my income selling stuff to the government, I'm stuck here.

 

[KittyT]

High taxes, high cost of living, inconvenient, rude and dangerous.

I can't imagine that it would be worse than Boston

In any case, these are the things I was hoping to hear about. Thanks for the comments, everyone!

 

[Josephine]

I live in Virginia, inside the Beltway. I third, fourth, wherever it's at to live near where you'll be working, or further in toward the city than your work is (so you will be going against traffic when you drive, though that doesn't make too much of a difference). I've lived here since 1992; hubby and I moved into his parents home, else we would be further out into the suburbs where our friends had to buy. Housing prices here (IMO, and I'm cheap) are insane. They keep building these McMansions that cost a million dollars.

I can't tell you anything about the night life here, since I don't go out, but Metro is pretty good to get around.

 

[KittyT]

I live in Virginia, inside the Beltway. I third, fourth, wherever it's at to live near where you'll be working, or further in toward the city than your work is (so you will be going against traffic when you drive, though that doesn't make too much of a difference).

We would be living (renting) right in the city - no suburbs for us. We are both serious city dwellers and have both had enough living in the suburbs! Also, boyfriend doesn't drive and will be working next door to the Capitol, so that is a major factor. I have no idea what will happen with my job once I'm there, so unfortunately I probably won't be able to use that as a factor for choosing a rental location. If my current job allows me to transfer, I'll be working near the White House.

 

[Valhson]

I can't imagine that it would be worse than Boston

In any case, these are the things I was hoping to hear about. Thanks for the comments, everyone!

HA HA HA just you wait! My first duty station in the Navy was Charleston Navy Yard. I use to live on Moon st. in NE. DC is hard to get a hold of the first few months but then things work out. The majority of people are here only for a set amount of time so maybe that has something to do with it.

I live in Vienna which is close to the afore mentioned Tysons. I agree that you should live close to where you work. I work in the Navy Yard and it is a solid 18 miles on 66 if I drive it. The sorry part of that is the commute could be anywhere from 45 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes. The orange line can take the same amount of time.

Quality of life is important. I use to live 2 miles form the yard in Waterfront and it was good but the stacked apartment thing got me and a friend had an extra property for rent so I couldn't turn that up.

Over all, if you drive, enjoy your car. The two of you will get close. If you are in the city proper, get rid of the caror find a place to park it. You don't need it and everything is off the metro or bus line. Don't listen to things like Eastern Market is a hole... etc... That is all changing and FAST! It is nothing for a new store or station to go up in a matter of three weeks. I do suggest staying away form Anacostia. That is a personal thing maybe but really isn't the best part of the city to live.

The nightlife is varied. There is a little of everything but they seem to be polarized into different areas of the city. Bethesda has a good dance/swing scene. I don't get there much due to the commute but still nice. Adams Morgan and Georgetown are the Big college scenes. This list could go on and on.

Maybe there is someone form the MD burbs that can chime in also.

 

[Valhson]

We would be living (renting) right in the city - no suburbs for us. We are both serious city dwellers and have both had enough living in the suburbs! Also, boyfriend doesn't drive and will be working next door to the Capitol, so that is a major factor. I have no idea what will happen with my job once I'm there, so unfortunately I probably won't be able to use that as a factor for choosing a rental location. If my current job allows me to transfer, I'll be working near the White House.

Eastern market, Capital Hill, Waterfront are all close to your described location. Also they are a little cheaper than Dupont and most of NW.

Edit, oh and Barricks row area.. 8st SE is really cleaned up.

 

[PA Dancer]

If looking at a map of DC, I would say stay towards the left side of the beltway circle. (Alexandria, VA, Arlington, VA, Bethesda, MD)

I went driving around DC area while I stayed there for a year for dancing ...and I believe it was 14th street that goes right from center city straight up to Bethesda, MD.

It was so weird going from houses with bars on the windows and going half way up this hill into some of the most beautiful houses where I know a lot of the gov't lives.

Renting downtown sounds like a lot of fun and it is expensive, but the transportation system there is fantastic, so if it's lack of a car you worry about, be assured you will get to where you are going if you live further away from where you originally wanted.

...and if you like to dance, there are a ton of great studios and teachers in DC, and the dance community is wonderful!

 

[KittyT]

DC is hard to get a hold of the first few months but then things work out.

Yes, I've had a difficult time getting my bearings during my few visits to DC. In this case, I would be lucky in that the boy has lived there before and knows the city pretty well.

I work in the Navy Yard and it is a solid 18 miles on 66 if I drive it. The sorry part of that is the commute could be anywhere from 45 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes. The orange line can take the same amount of time.

Thank you. Information like this is really valuable. I currently live less than 10 miles from my office and the drive is about 40 minutes and the train ride is 1 hour. When I lived 3 miles from my office, the drive was 15 minutes and the train ride was 45 (10 on my bike). I don't care about a longish commute or having to take the train, as long as the train is saving me time.

Oh, is DC a bicycle-friendly city (weather aside, of course)?

Over all, if you drive, enjoy your car. The two of you will get close. If you are in the city proper, get rid of the caror find a place to park it. You don't need it and everything is off the metro or bus line.

I love my car and I drive everywhere... and Boston is not a car-friendly city. At the same time, the main problem is that public transportation here stinks. It is expensive for the service provided, inefficient, and doesn't go many places. I would really rather take public transportation if it could easily get me where I'm going, which is what I've heard about DC for the most part. That would certainly be a welcome change.

 

[Valhson]

Oh, is DC a bicycle-friendly city (weather aside, of course)?

Yes and no. That will depend on what direction you are coming from. In the summer I do bike the 18 miles twice a week when I am doing triathlons. There are alot of paved trails and such but some of the streets are straight death traps. So you will have to learn the back routes. Bikes are also allowed on metro outside of rush hours (6.00-9.30 and 3.30-7.00)

I love my car and I drive everywhere... and Boston is not a car-friendly city. At the same time, the main problem is that public transportation here stinks. It is expensive for the service provided, inefficient, and doesn't go many places. I would really rather take public transportation if it could easily get me where I'm going, which is what I've heard about DC for the most part. That would certainly be a welcome change.

Where you are both looking for work you will have no issues at all. The only big thing to remember is that metro stops at midnight on weekdays and 3 am on weekends. I have been to the Kennedy center and gotten stuck with taxi fares due to this.

There is a really good reason that DC is hard to get around that most people dont' know. When L'Effant designed the city he designed it so that invading toops were easily confused and also that it was hard to do a straight march into or through the city thus stalling an enemy. This has translated to making traffic, directions etc difficult. Also it doesn't help that during rush hour times some streets are entirely closed and traffic moves one way in all lanes.