NW DC or Bethesda or Silver Springs (affordable apartments, lease)
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I will be moving from Florida to Gaithersburg to take up a job, I am looking to stay closer to DC for the night life. I have been looking at NW DC, Bethesda, Silver Spring. Any advice on the locations, commute and prices i will be looking at. I am single and looking for a 1br/1ba preferably close to the red line
In NW DC, the easy commuting neighborhoods would be Glover Park, Cleveland Park, Tenleytown and Friendship Heights. Most 1-br's are around $1500. That number goes higher if it's a nicer building near the metro.
Downtown Bethesda and Silver Spring would be a tad cheaper.
Bethesda or the North Bethesda area in Rockville may be your best bet.
Most 1 bedrooms in Bethesda near the metro start in the $1600-$1700 range, but there are some more affordable apartments around Battery Lane. The further north you travel on Wisconsin (355) the cheaper the price is.
I live in Bethesda and commute to Gaitherburg for work; the commute via 270 is a breeze since you are traveling in the opposite direction each way. However, the problem with NW DC and Silver Spring is that you have to take the local roads to get to the freeways which can take time especially with traffic lights.
Rockville and Bethesda are very expensive IMHO. You can find apartments in Downtown Silver Spring for $600. My place is like a 2 minute walk from the metro.
If you want to be close to nightlife you should stay in NW DC. Bethesda is really nice and not as congested, but it's kind of a downtown in a polished suburb. Very family oriented and the place is dead at night.
Silver Spring or Takoma Park are not good places if you are commuting to Gaithersburg. They ar on the red line, but you have to go through DC to take the red line to Gaithersburg. NW DC or Bethesda are more like what you said you wanted.
If you want to be close to nightlife you should stay in NW DC. Bethesda is really nice and not as congested, but it's kind of a downtown in a polished suburb. Very family oriented and the place is dead at night.
There are a few good watering holes in Bethesda but I agree with your comments for the most part.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lscalder
You might want to check out Takoma Park DC. The area is close to metro and also close to the club areas.
Which side of Takoma? There is a good side of Takoma and then there is a not so good side of Takoma.
Really depends on what you like. Since I don't want to drive, NW DC was my choice. I commute to College Park... that 9 miles takes me 50 mins on the train and bus, but it's worth every second of it (then again, I only work 20 hrs/wk, I think I would be too tired to enjoy the city if I work full time). I don't think you can walk to your work from red line station? If not, I wouldn't suggest living in DC, unless you leave early/come home late.
If it's a short term (say 1 yr lease), try it out. I had my doubts but I decided to splurge and take the hit on commute time. I have never been happier in my life. I don't think I can do this forever, but it's an experience that I will always remember.
The best thing is stay in a weekly hotel in each location to see where you like the most. I have lived in hotel for a month everytime I moved. It's not very cheap but the chance of regretting where you end up picking would be lower.
Good luck.
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