cool towns around DC?
November 24, 2010 6:34 PM Subscribe
I'm looking for a cool town near DC.
It has to have a good nightlife. It should be walkable that is, I shouldn't have to drive to/from bars or restaurants. I want to see people walking the streets, I want to be able to shop without getting in my car if I wanted to.
I'm a single guy in my 30s and I want to have access to a bustling dating scene without having to drive for hours just to meet someone for drinks.
It has to have some form of public transportation connecting it DC, and less than an hour away in any direction.
It has to be safe.
Moreover, parking and lodging shouldn't be very expensive. I intend to keep a car as well.
Does such great place exist?
It has to have a good nightlife. It should be walkable that is, I shouldn't have to drive to/from bars or restaurants. I want to see people walking the streets, I want to be able to shop without getting in my car if I wanted to.
I'm a single guy in my 30s and I want to have access to a bustling dating scene without having to drive for hours just to meet someone for drinks.
It has to have some form of public transportation connecting it DC, and less than an hour away in any direction.
It has to be safe.
Moreover, parking and lodging shouldn't be very expensive. I intend to keep a car as well.
Does such great place exist?
Any cool, walkable area within an hour of DC is going to be fairly expensive. That said, Silver Spring, Maryland fits the bill. Bethesda might, but it's especially expensive and sort of fakey. If you are willing to go further out (would need to drive to a Metro station or connect via MARC), Frederick is turning into a pretty great little town. The suburbs of DC are generally sprawling messes with lots of not-very-well-done New Urbanism.
posted by peachfuzz at 6:42 PM on November 24, 2010
posted by peachfuzz at 6:42 PM on November 24, 2010
Alexandria
posted by SLC Mom at 6:47 PM on November 24, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by SLC Mom at 6:47 PM on November 24, 2010 [2 favorites]
If you are looking for a place to live, Ballston in Arlington is tad a pricey but has nearby shopping (Ballston Commons Mall and Harris Teeter off the top of my head). Nearby is Clarendon which has a pretty bustling nightlife. Both are Metro accessible.
posted by littlesq at 6:47 PM on November 24, 2010
posted by littlesq at 6:47 PM on November 24, 2010
Response by poster: @The World Famous
I think the broadest answer is both. I'll very likely have to keep a car for work, and as such I would prefer not to have to deal with expensive parking and a messy commute.
Dunno how easy it is to get in and out of DC but from my sole experience driving around the city, it seems the roads can get pretty crowded.
posted by spacefire at 6:57 PM on November 24, 2010
I think the broadest answer is both. I'll very likely have to keep a car for work, and as such I would prefer not to have to deal with expensive parking and a messy commute.
Dunno how easy it is to get in and out of DC but from my sole experience driving around the city, it seems the roads can get pretty crowded.
posted by spacefire at 6:57 PM on November 24, 2010
The best way to avoid parking in and commuting to DC is to live in DC. Have you definitely decided against that?
posted by MrMoonPie at 7:11 PM on November 24, 2010
posted by MrMoonPie at 7:11 PM on November 24, 2010
A vote against Baltimore. I like Baltimore, have family there, and almost moved there with a boyfriend, but would not want to be single there. The dating scene does not really seem that great (and I should mention that Baltimore was recently placed on a list of least attractive people in a city, which I think is really due to the fact that a lot of people who live there eat badly and smoke and just don't take care of themselves). It's also not that walkable, unless you enjoy waiting in the sun for the bus a lot.
If you can afford it, I would live in actual DC.
posted by elpea at 7:11 PM on November 24, 2010
If you can afford it, I would live in actual DC.
posted by elpea at 7:11 PM on November 24, 2010
You want U St/Logan/Shaw in DC.
posted by awesomebrad at 7:26 PM on November 24, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by awesomebrad at 7:26 PM on November 24, 2010 [2 favorites]
Live inside DC city limits, or in Arlington (Clarendon/Courthouse area), or maybe Silver Spring or Bethesda. Any further, and you're deep in the car-culture suburbs.
But first and foremost, make sure you have a convenient commute to where you're going to work, keeping in mind that all major arteries into the city slow to a bumper-to-bumper crawl during peak hours; what looks like an "easy" five-mile highway drive into the city is likely an hour-long nightmare during morning rush. If you want quality of life, give yourself a short "reverse" commute, or an easy one-seat Metro/bus ride, or (best of all) just live close enough to walk.
posted by Dimpy at 7:33 PM on November 24, 2010
But first and foremost, make sure you have a convenient commute to where you're going to work, keeping in mind that all major arteries into the city slow to a bumper-to-bumper crawl during peak hours; what looks like an "easy" five-mile highway drive into the city is likely an hour-long nightmare during morning rush. If you want quality of life, give yourself a short "reverse" commute, or an easy one-seat Metro/bus ride, or (best of all) just live close enough to walk.
posted by Dimpy at 7:33 PM on November 24, 2010
Baltimore is great. DC is great. Commuting from one to the other on a daily basis would really suck.
posted by bardic at 8:10 PM on November 24, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by bardic at 8:10 PM on November 24, 2010 [1 favorite]
Bloomingdale may be a cheaper alternative. It's a transitional neighborhood. Not a lot of social infrastructure, but that should change, and downtown is quite reachable by bike/bus.
posted by mojohand at 8:13 PM on November 24, 2010
posted by mojohand at 8:13 PM on November 24, 2010
Old Town Alexandria is pretty good if you are over 35 or so. There are some decent apartment buildings near the King Street and Braddock Road metro stations. Most of the rest of Alexandria is not close to metro.
posted by Gringos Without Borders at 8:15 PM on November 24, 2010
posted by Gringos Without Borders at 8:15 PM on November 24, 2010
Old Town Alexandria; and in Maryland, Silver Spring or maybe Takoma Park.
As for Bwadimoah, remember the rule:
DC has class, but no style; whereas
Baltimore has style, but no class.
posted by Rash at 8:35 PM on November 24, 2010 [5 favorites]
As for Bwadimoah, remember the rule:
DC has class, but no style; whereas
Baltimore has style, but no class.
posted by Rash at 8:35 PM on November 24, 2010 [5 favorites]
Yeah, the "town" you're looking for is called a city, not a town. I don't think a town exists that has the level of density and walkable amenities you're looking for. College towns are maybe the closest thing, but the skew young of course, and there aren't any within an hour of DC.
posted by yarly at 9:05 PM on November 24, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by yarly at 9:05 PM on November 24, 2010 [1 favorite]
DC also has Zipcars available.
posted by Dick Paris at 4:58 AM on November 25, 2010
posted by Dick Paris at 4:58 AM on November 25, 2010
Bethesda, Alexandria (old town), and Arlington. Possibly takoma park. That's really it.
posted by bananafish at 5:35 AM on November 25, 2010
posted by bananafish at 5:35 AM on November 25, 2010
Arlington, specifically the Wilson Boulevard corridor.
posted by smoothvirus at 6:20 AM on November 25, 2010
posted by smoothvirus at 6:20 AM on November 25, 2010
DC, parts of Arlington, maaaaybe some inner Maryland 'burbs. These are really your only options, and even if you pick Arlington or Takoma Park/Silver Spring you will probably be looked down on by DC residents as a boring suburban fuddy-duddy. There is plenty of parking in DC (although registering your car is expensive-ish), and lots of reasonably-priced housing. I lived in the Capitol Hill/H Street area, but (at least until H Street started developing) was always really envious of friends near U Street. There are lots of great neighborhoods in DC, though. If you must do Arlington, the Clarendon area is best - Ballston is soulless, its mall is gross, and its bars are pretty bro-y (sorry Ballstonians).
posted by naoko at 10:27 AM on November 25, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by naoko at 10:27 AM on November 25, 2010 [1 favorite]
I live in Baltimore, in Greenmount West, about a 7 min. walk from Penn Station, where I catch the MARC to work every day. Very walkable, there must be over a hundred restaurants within walking distance, lots of arts stuff. I can walk to two grocery stores.
Not for everyone, but if I were any happier about living here, people would think I was on drugs.
posted by QIbHom at 7:05 AM on November 26, 2010
Not for everyone, but if I were any happier about living here, people would think I was on drugs.
posted by QIbHom at 7:05 AM on November 26, 2010
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posted by procrastination at 6:42 PM on November 24, 2010