bucheon bum
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
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 Posted: Sat Nov 21, 2015 5:27 pm Post subject: |
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| bucheon bum wrote: |
| joeteacher wrote: |
| DC is cool but it's not a very lively city. It kinda shuts down at night. Not many people live there, mostly the very rich and the very poor. Most people commute in from VA or MD. Which makes for terrible traffic all the time. |
Downtown shuts down at night, but not other areas. As you mention below, there is Adams Morgan, U St (where the 9:30 club is located), Dupont, and H St..
Also, DC's population is growing. 2000-2010 was the first decade of population growth in DC since the 50s I believe. And there are more than very rich and very poor. I know I don't qualify as either nor do most of my neighbors. 
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| Some great restaurants for sure and like mentioned before Georgetown (a bit snobby IMO) and Adam's Morgan (cooler IMO) are the night spots. I'm willing to bet that living in the DC area is one of the best places in the US for live music. The 9:30 club gets some great acts along with some of the other smaller clubs. Also, Wolf Trap and Merriweather are great outdoor venues. |
Yes, there are lots of live music venues. I avoid G-town at all costs because yes, it is snobby, and it is also a pain in the ass to get to from most other areas.
| Quote: |
| Speaking of which, anyone have an impression of COLLEGE PARK, Maryland? Home ownership seems much more attainable there. It is PG County, which seems to be very undesireable on most accounts. But CP does seem to have the University of Maryland there, so I can't imagine it going down that much as a neighborhood. I mean, not with that large of a campus right there. I could be wrong though...I heard it's one of the worst college vibe college towns out there. |
It is one of the better areas of PG county but it is dull. The only time I go there is to go to Ikea. You might want to look into Hyattsville. It's a little closer to DC. It has a big hispanic community and there are definitely sketchy parts, but I hear the area around the Metro isn't so bad and its "downtown" is supposed to be decent.
And if you're going to rent, don't live anywhere beyond Arlington or Alexandria on the VA side. You'll be bored in Falls Church/Annandle/Springfield. Sure, if you've got a thing for Korean and/or vietnamese culture, you might be somewhat happy but it is 100% car culture in those areas. You might as well live in LA imo (much better weather, probably cheaper cost of living, etc). And in MD, there are bethesda (expensive), silver spring (probably your best bet), Rockville (probably the highest concentration of Chinese americans in the DMV), and the aforementioned Hyatsville.
My 2 cents on various DC neighborhoods (a standard, young gov't employee's POV):
Georgetown: As mentioned above, I'm not a fan.
Dupont: Good for happy hour. Central location. pricey to live in but you can sometimes find a decent studio for an ok price.
Adams Morgan: Easy to reach if coming from downtown DC or surrounding areas, otherwise a pain to get to. Good restaurants, bars are hit or miss. Some are good, some want to make you go crazy. A shit show on Fridays and Saturdays. There are still some good deals rent wise (by DC standards) but for the most part, pretty pricey.
Woodley Park/Cleveland Park/Van Ness/Friendship Heights: nice, quiet neighborhoods, not sure why people choose to live in these areas though. Kinda bland.
U St: Lots of music venues, restaurants, clubs. It's actually pretty quiet during the week, but very crowded and busy on Fridays and Saturdays. pricey but affordable if you are willing to live in a group house.
Logan Circle: Home of good ol' Whole Foods. Kinda like U St. but cleaner and whiter. Also doesn't have live music for the most part, but does have a big theater (for plays and stage performances). Downtown, Dupont, U St. are within walking distance. Pricey.
Columbia Heights: In 1990, it was over 90% black. Most recent census: 57% black. Hello gentrification! Yeah, its filled with people like me (young, government-type workers). It has a number of restaurants and bars. I can't afford to buy a place here but can afford rent. Pretty diverse area since it is basically where white and black dc collide plus Mt. pleasant is next to it, so there are a fair number of hispanic people too.
Mt. Pleasant: The one area of the District that has a big hispanic population. Basically it has one main street with some restaurants and bars. It's not bad, and I'd actually buy a house here if I could afford it.
Petworth: If I were in a position to buy, this is the neighborhood where I'd do so. It's definitely up and coming. Basically the gentrification that hit Columbia heights has moved north to this area.
H St NE: For some reason, this is the hot area to buy a house or condo for young people. I know 3 people who have bough here. Personally I don't get it. The area is a pain to reach (no Metro) and there aren't really any decent grocery stores in the area. That being said, it has a number of restaurants and bars (nearly all of which are on the pricier side).
Eastern Market: really nice, but I don't know it that well since it is a bit time-consuming to reach from where I live.
Capitol Hill: Also nice, but full of hill staffers. Yuck. Also pretty dead on the weekends.
Navy Yard: Weird area. Lots of luxury condos, kinda quiet. Near the ballpark.
Anacostia: Honestly, it isn't as bad as people make it out to be. Yes, it used to be really bad but parts of it are ok now. If I had a car and wasnt spoiled by my current neighborhood, I might actually look into living here. Cheap by dc standards. 
Bloomingdale/Shaw: Another area I'd look to buy. There isn't much going on here, but it is close to U St. and semi-close to Logan circle. It is currently gentrifying and has hipsters.
Brookland: Hit or miss, depends on the block. Upside is it is more affordable than other areas. |
Two updates:
1. Brookland and Bloomingdale are pretty expensive now, and both have a lot going on now.
2. Crime has been pretty bad this year. Not 90s DC bad, but not as safe as recent years... |
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