[Transfer]

I checked out the who/where thread and a lot of you are near DC. So any suggestions on THE BEST neighborhood/city to live in for GW grad students moving from Seattle? Looking for $1200-$1800 rent. I know this isn't very bike related, but hey, looking for opinions.

 

[corey_rideDC]

as a grad student, will you be spending much time at the university? if so, i'd recommend living in the city, especially the western end of northwest DC near the school.

my wife just finished grad school at GW and she spent most of her time there at a lab in gaithersburg, with a pretty hellish commute.

you're looking at the #2 most congested city in the country, so living close to your work here makes life MUCH easier. you'll get less for your money living in DC, but your quality of life may be higher.

 

[DamienC]

you're looking at the #2 most congested city in the country, so living close to your work here makes life MUCH easier. you'll get less for your money living in DC, but your quality of life may be higher.

Corey is absolutely correct. The way the crow flies I live less than 3 miles from work but because of the location of my job and the lay of the land my commute turns to 10 miles each way and completely inaccessable by either metro or bike. Like the old real estate maxim - location is everything here.

Have a look at the Metro system map and locate the Foggy Bottom/GWU station on the orange/blue lines. If you think you're going to be using the metro regularly follow the orange and blue lines generally going west/southwest for some possible places. In NW DC, Foggy Bottom, Dupont, Adams Morgan, Woodley Park, Cleveland Park, maybe even Georgetown would be the choice locations but prepare to pay a premium for a place. The Seattle equivalents to these neighborhoods would be maybe First Ave. downtown, Capitol Hill, Queen Anne, Belltown.

Other possibilities might be in Northern Virginia in some of the Arlington areas like Rosslyn, Clarendon, or Ballston. If you're familiar with the University Village area near U. of Washington in Seattle, Clarendon and Ballston are very much like that. These areas are just across the Key Bridge (albeit up a hill) from Georgetown and Foggy Bottom. Likewise, these are also sought after locales so prices aren't going to be much better than in the District. In general, close to Metro = $$$. All of the places listed above would be within a easy bike commute to GW. If you're going to have a car, living downtown would be more of a pain in the ass than in NoVA or the Maryland suburbs of DC but it's doable - just ask Will (whale on RM) who lives in the thick of it all.

If you haven't already, check out Craigslilst DC for apartment listings.

Good luck! Give us a shout when you arrive and we'll hook up a ride.

 

[BikeGeek]

There are some pretty nice places in your price range within a short walk or bike ride of the Courthouse, Clarendon, and Balston Metro stops. I just moved from a 1 BR apt in a complex of mostly grad/law students near Courthouse and I was paying $1300 +gas and electric. I could walk to the metro/bars/restaurants/shopping/etc. in 10 minutes and be in DC in 20.

 

[whale]

i live in NW near 16th and harvard and commute by bike to work right by GW at the edge of gtown everyday. it's a 10 minute ride (mostly downhill) on the way there and 15 minutes back.

i'm basically about a 10 minute walk to adams morgan (lots of bars and stuff), 15 minute walk from the red line woodley park stop, 5 minutes to the columbia green line stop (slightly sketchy area) and a 5 minute walk to the zoo. it's pretty central and i've been happy with the management company and apartment complex i live in (2nd year in the complex). i use the rock creek parkway to get in/out of the city to VA (which avoids driving through the city and all those traffic lights) and 16th street mostly to get in/out to MD.

our rent is $1300 for a one bedroom with a sunroom. i think it's about $1100 for just a one-bedroom and about $900-1000 for an efficiency in my building. rent includes utilities (electricity, gas heat/oven). we pay another $100 for digital cable, cable modem, and phone.

check out the chalfonte apartments at: bernstein management if you are interested. i'd call though because most places in the city get snagged up real quick during the spring/summer time. parking in this area sucks though. most places only have street parking and it's a pretty happening neighborhood.

both damien and corey (who posted above) have been to my place and i'm sure many others are pretty familiar with the adams morgan neighborhood. of course, craigslist is a good place to find roommates and stuff. i found that the best way to find a place though is to walk through neighborhoods you like and find signs posted (row houses and/or apt complexes), a lot of places tend to do that instead of publishing because things get rented out pretty quickly.

good luck!

 

[whale]

just had someone send me this site that integrates craigslist with google maps. you get a visual representation of the listings. pretty cool!

 

[DamienC]

just had someone send me this site that integrates craigslist with google maps. you get a visual representation of the listings. pretty cool!

Nice! That's pretty slick. I like how you can switch to the satellite imaging view as well so you can get a bird's eye view of the actual property.

I was scrolling along through the DC satellite imaging near the Kennedy Center and you can plainly see the Watergate wallride!