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Hi!
My boyfriend, our dog and I are moving from NYC to DC and are trying to decide on a neighborhood to move to. We currently live in Park Slope, Brooklyn and absolutely love it and would love to find some place similar (or better) in the DC metro area! Right now we are looking at Takoma, but there is a chance I might be working in Alexandria.
Some of the things we are looking for are:
- Proximity to the metro. We do not have a car and are hoping not to have to get one.
- Fresh produce. We are currently members of the Park Slope Food Coop and are completely spoiled. The produce is outstanding and varied, it has an extensive bulk food section and is ridiculously well priced. I am an avid
- Liberal neighborhood. We are both public interest lawyers and quasi-socialists
- Walkability. We love that right now we can walk to tons of bars and restaurants.
- Public parks. Right now we live next to Prospect Park and we take our dog there for off-leash hours every morning. It would be really great to find something similar in DC.
Without considering price, the DC neighborhoods most comparable to Park Slope would be Logan Circle, Capitol Hill, Dupont, U Street/Shaw, Columbia Heights and Adams-Morgan. Takoma is a nice neighborhood, but very quiet--there's only a handful of restaurants and shops scattered around the Metro station. But the Metro is a nice perk, and it is within close proximity to Silver Spring, which increasingly has a lot going on.
Our price range is between 1500-3000 for a 1bd. Other amenities aren't necessary, but we really want a some private outdoor space. Thanks for the help!
I guess it's a downer to say this, but Park Slope blows away any neighborhood in DC. Of the neighborhoods that 14thandYou mentioned, I'd say that Dupont and Adams-Morgan are most like Park Slope, followed by Logan Circle. These areas may not be quite as coop-laden as Park Slope, but they are at least as liberal. If you look at Adams-Morgan, you might want to avoid places that are super-close to 18th Street, as that's the main commercial stretch and it can be fairly noisy on nights and weekends. Also, some parts of Adams-Morgan are more convenient to the Metro (either the Dupont Circle or Woodley Park stations) than others.
I have most of that in the Mount Vernon Square/Logan Circle area. Tons of farmers markets, but ours aren't cheap. Also, consider Del Ray in Alexandria. You might need one car, but most people that I know there don't have more than one. The one thing neither of these neighborhood have is good public schools, but it doesn't seem like that is a consideration for you at this point.
Duh, I should have mentioned Old Town, as I glossed over the fact that she would be working in Alexandria.
Clarendon's got stuff going on, but still has a suburban vibe to it...I certainly don't get a Park Slope feel from it.
I agree. I've never even been to Park Slope, but there's nothing about anything in Arlington that really reminds me of other neighborhoods in Brooklyn, except for the large number of white 22-35 year olds.
I wouldn't commute from Takoma Park to Alexandria, though, that's for sure. The OP would like TP's politics, but the town actually downzoned around the Metro to avoid anything dense or walkable. They have a bizarre version of liberalism there.
Old Town would make a lot of sense, but I would probably suggest Logan Circle first. My lawyer friends who just moved from Boerum Hill to DC wanted to live there, but decided to save some money and live between U St and Columbia Heights instead. As far as Adams Morgan goes...I have a strong personal dislike of the neighborhood, but aside from proximity to Metro it sounds like a good fit.
I agree. I've never even been to Park Slope, but there's nothing about anything in Arlington that really reminds me of other neighborhoods in Brooklyn, except for the large number of white 22-35 year olds.
I wouldn't commute from Takoma Park to Alexandria, though, that's for sure. The OP would like TP's politics, but the town actually downzoned around the Metro to avoid anything dense or walkable. They have a bizarre version of liberalism there.
Old Town would make a lot of sense, but I would probably suggest Logan Circle first. My lawyer friends who just moved from Boerum Hill to DC wanted to live there, but decided to save some money and live between U St and Columbia Heights instead. As far as Adams Morgan goes...I have a strong personal dislike of the neighborhood, but aside from proximity to Metro it sounds like a good fit.
Why the dislike for Adams Morgan? I like it but not my top choice for a city neighborhood either.
Duh, I should have mentioned Old Town, as I glossed over the fact that she would be working in Alexandria.
Clarendon's got stuff going on, but still has a suburban vibe to it...I certainly don't get a Park Slope feel from it.
And you would be right for the most part.
I lived in Park Slope for several years. Its what I would term a "gaslight district." Old Towne, being somewhat the same thing, is the obvious choice.
As she is working on that side of the Potomac, I threw Clarendon in as well. While it does not have the gaslight aethestics, it does have the restaurants, bars, and walkability.
Nothing in this area has a Park Slope vibe. And that is no surprise as Park Slope is in Brooklyn and this is DC Metro. Both have their pros and cons, but Brooklyn is a truly unique place. Which is why my first answer, which was given in all due seriousness, was to remain in Park Slope.
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