Living in Mt Vernon (Washington: apartment, house, neighborhoods)

[97215]

I've been apartment hunting without much luck for the past few weeks. Mostly because I'm not based in DC (yet) -- moving in a couple of weeks and would like to have a place lined up before I show up for work and am homeless.

Anyway, I was hoping to land a place in Capitol Hill, but haven't had any success, but just saw a place in Mt. Vernon that looked promising (at least on craigslist....). Can anyone tell me what it's like living there? It looks like from google maps and walkscore that there are a decent number of grocery stores and restaurants in the area? I was worried that it would be a bit too much like Portland's downtown, which is basically just a bunch of office buildings and totally empty and dead at night -- I don't mind taking the metro to get to a more happening area to go out, but it would be nice to be able to walk somewhere once in a while in my own neighborhood.

Also, does anyone know what the parking situation is like there? Is it zoned, but not too much of a PITA to find street parking? I don't think this unit comes with a spot. I will pay for a garage if I have to, but would love to get away with street parking if possible.

Thanks!!

[pcity]

Mt. Vernon Square in DC you mean?

In the DC area, Mt. Vernon usually refers to a place in Fairfax County. It could also refer to a neighborhood in Baltimore.

[97215]

Whoops -- yes -- Mt Vernon Sq, near 9th and M. My grasp of DC geography is only worse than my understanding of the neighborhoods!!

Thanks!

[BoomBoxing]

It's a good area but it is still in the early stages of building up so right now it's full of construction. There's a Safeway and a Busboy and Poets. Fortunately, on the other side of massachusetts is Chinatown/Penn Quarter, which is full of retail, restaurants, shopping, and has the Verizon Center. It's generally alive and buzzing most of the time. Mt. Vernon is rather quiet by comparison, but like I said, you are right next to Chinatown, so it's not a big deal.

[peter10]

Mount Vernon is the eighth most populous city in the state of New York. It is a predominantly city in a majority county.

[stateofnature]

I wouldn't worry about the nightlife factor. Right by Mount Vernon Square you've got the Passenger which is a pretty cool and hopping bar. Beyond that, there are only a few other places, but you're in very close proximity by either cab or metro (or even walking if you're up for a longer walk) to U Street, Chinatown, Adams Morgan, etc.

Without knowing exactly where your place would be it's hard to address your street parking question. In general, yes you'll be able to find a spot but it might take a bit of looking depending on the time of day or night, and don't expect to always be able to park right in front of your place. You might frequently have to park a couple blocks away. To me, that's a small price to pay to avoid having to pay $100+ a month for an off-street private space.

Also, just to reiterate it's important to say Mount Vernon Square and not just Mount Vernon, because if you just say Mount Vernon people will think you're talking about George Washington's old house in Virginia.

[r small]

Mt. Vernon in Fairfax Co. is usually considered to be the area between Alexandria and George Washington's Mt. Vernon estate. I grew up in this area and we usually referred to it as L.A. (lower Alexandria).