craigslist and DC synopsis

We're getting closer and closer to moving to DC. I had an absolutely wonderful experience with the American University listserve ... I sent a question to a girl who was looking for an apartment and seemed to know the area. I wanted to know more about the area since we're coming there soon and have *no clue* about anything there. She returned my mail with an amazingly thorough synopsis of the various areas of DC. I'm posting it here because it was so helpful that maybe others may use it too:

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You definitely want to avoid anything that is not in NW (the North West quadrant of the city), as it is all more dangerous/dirtier/etc... except for parts of Capitol Hill, but that is a LONG haul to campus.

AMERICAN U/FRIENDSHIP HEIGHTS - A quieter, more suburban area of DC that borders Maryland. The people here are mostly young families with yards and garages, although there are a lot of apartment buildings that cater to students. The area is hilly and tends to feel way less like a city than a suburb.

GLOVER PARK/ CATHEDRAL HEIGHTS - Very similar to AU area, but closer to GTown and feels more like a city. Fun place, but definitely more of the late 20s/early 30s set.

FOGGY BOTTOM - George Washington University home base, located in the flat area between the White House and Georgetown. Pretty uneventful and expensive.

GEORGETOWN - Quaint, great shopping and restaurants, no parking, lots of yuppie happiness! GTown is a great place to spend a sunny afternoon but not so great for living... 2 bedroom apts go for around $3600/month, there is NO parking, it is pretty inconvenient to metro. There are buses, but you would have to transfer to get to school and it would take about 45 - 90 minutes. Plus you have to hang out with old money and college kids almost exclusively. :o)

DUPONT CIRCLE - Another expensive area, but VERY nice and hip. Dupont is the center of gay culture in DC and a hub of business and law firms. Great restaurants, bars, shopping, etc. It is also the most centrally-located area of the city (bus lines and metro abounds). The only problem is that it is REALLY expensive (second only to GTown).

U St/ ADAMS MORGAN/ LOGAN CIRCLE/ MT PLEASANT/ COLUMBIA HEIGHTS - These are the areas that are considered to be the up and coming, hip areas of DC. That means that they are still a little sketchy, very ethnic, and have a lot of culture. I would stay away from Columbia Heights unless you knew exactly what you were getting into as it tends to be more dangerous than the others. AM can be pretty expensive. U St. is very gay. MT P is full off huge old Victorians... so it is mostly big groups houses. Anything smaller than a 4 bedroom is going to be an apartment or an English basement... which can be really great. I would stay away from AM if you are interested in quiet as it is THE place to party in DC and the streets tend to stay busy 24-hours a day.
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Now wasn't that the coolest thing ever? It's so great to have nice people who give you solid info.

Next on my list of community resources is craigslist. No, this is not my Craig, but it is an excellent message board that hooks people up in different neighborhoods. Check it out if you want to find anything in a major city area!

Posted by Kristen at May 14, 2004 03:25 PM | TrackBack