Moving to Washington DC advice?

[vinylstalker]

Wassup strut.
So my wife just got word she landed a very cool teaching position
@ the Kennedy center in dc. We have decided to accept and move
the family up there this summer. I visit dc every 15 months or so,
my father and sister live on the city, so I'm vaguely familiar.

Questions :
Anybody work in theater there or know someone who does?
I'm a theatrical live sound engineer looking for a gig.

Shit is crazy expensive in the city. Maryland or Virginia for housing?

Who lives in dc? Who used to? What say you?
Any other anecdotes or info appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[Delay]

vinylstalker said:Wassup strut.


So my wife just got word she landed a very cool teaching position


@ the Kennedy center in dc. We have decided to accept and move


the family up there this summer. I visit dc every 15 months or so,


my father and sister live on the city, so I'm vaguely familiar.





Questions :


Anybody work in theater there or know someone who does?


I'm a theatrical live sound engineer looking for a gig.





Shit is crazy expensive in the city. Maryland or Virginia for housing?





Who lives in dc? Who used to? What say you?


Any other anecdotes or info appreciated.





Thanks!

JFK said it best:


"DC is the home of northern hospitality, and southern efficiency"





couldn't be more poignant. it has gotten a lot better over the last few years. nothing is really all that cheap regardless of location. basically it boils down to how comfortable you are being robbed. if not so much, you'll probably need to commute.

 

[vinylstalker]

Thanks possum.


Not worried about crime. We're moving from Nola.


So if I can stand some gulliness, where do you recommend?


Dad lives on 14th and Newton. Colombia circle I think?


That area seems mostly Latino, and maybe cheaper,


so I'm starting my search around there.








Schools? The kid will be starting eighth grade when we move.





Oh and I will say I'm super stoked on DC from what I've researched.

 

[knewjak]

vinylstalker said:





Schools? The kid will be starting eighth grade when we move.







If you want a good school district you will have to live in northern Virginia.

 

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knewjak said:vinylstalker said:





Schools? The kid will be starting eighth grade when we move.







If you want a good school district you will have to live in northern Virginia.




pfffffft. if schools are an issue i'd look in silver spring. montgomery county public schools are the best in the area.

 

[meistromoco]

vinylstalker said:Thanks possum.


Not worried about crime. We're moving from Nola.


So if I can stand some gulliness, where do you recommend?


Dad lives on 14th and Newton. Colombia circle I think?


That area seems mostly Latino, and maybe cheaper,


so I'm starting my search around there.








Schools? The kid will be starting eighth grade when we move.





Oh and I will say I'm super stoked on DC from what I've researched.




That's Columbia Heights and is also where I live. It did used to me mostly hispanic, but the rapid development has brought in the yuppies and it is not really that cheap anymore. Cheaper than some of the fancier neighborhoods closer to downtown, but still not cheap to rent. Or are you looking to buy? The market in DC is one of the strongest in the country. But for the 8th grader I would prob want to be in Northern VA / Arlington / Alexandria or in Maryland I would look into Takoma Park. It's kind of a hippie community, but borders DC and is affordable and nice. Silver Spring is also a good bet, but is pretty sprawling and feels more like the burbs. Bethesda is nice too, but pricey. You could also look in DC, but I would stick to the charter schools, of which there are many. Some great, some less great.

 

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vinylstalker said:Silver Spring is also a good bet, but is pretty sprawling and feels more like the burbs.

I think Silver Spring is the best bang-for-your-buck in the DC area. It's affordable, there's good public transportation, the public schools are beyond decent, and there is still a lot of diversity and culture. there are also some of the best restaurants, thrifts, and dive bars in the area. It doesn't have the hoity toity cracker vibe of bethesda.





no offense to northern virginians, but i would never want to raise my kids in that souless place. it's like the spawn of an incestuous relationship between banana republic and starbucks.

 

[The-gaffler]

vinylstalker said:Anybody work in theater there or know someone who does?


I'm a theatrical live sound engineer looking for a gig.




I don't, but i do frequent the Kennedy Center for stuff and uhrthing there is union. Maybe get in touch with The Shakespeare Theatre Co. here in DC. I see a lot of youthful folk working there.





Also on schools, don't forget Duke Ellington as an option - ellingtonschool.org


A bunch of my friends went there and I too was supposed to until we moved and I got a lack-luster Virginia public school education :/

 

[Bon Vivant]

Fairfax County Schools consistently rank near the top in the nation. Cost of living is probably better in Maryland, though, and Possum Tom is right, Montgomery County Schools are also great.





I lived in Dc for about 8 years, and loved it. However, it was expensive, and I didn't have a wife or any children. Petworth was an option to live a bit more reasonably (I lived in Adams Morgan), but that was 4 years ago. Not sure what's happening now, really.

 

[vinylstalker]

Thanks for the info, especially about schools. Reading up on the Duke Ellington school,


looks great. At this point, we really want to live in the city, but understand that may not ultimately be practical. We do fine, but nobody's getting rich working in arts and education., so I'm looking into surrounding areas like takoma and silver spring.


Who has lived in the city without a car? Would be lots cheaper, maybe help ease big city costs?


I really hate suburbs.

 

[Bon Vivant]

I lived in DC w/o a ride. Public transportation is great; buses, Metro. Also, if you're in a pinch, DC has the most taxis per capita in the US. If you lived in Silver Spring or Tacoma, you could take the Metro in to the city, no problem.

 

[RAJ]

I lived in Northern Vagina for a summer. That place is one big strip mall / housing development.

 

[The_Hook_Up]

Virginia ranks third after Alabama and Oklahoma on my list of states where I would never want to live. Spent some time in Silver Spring and was fond of it...stay away from Virginia.

 

[The-gaffler]

RAJ said:That place is one big strip mall / housing development.




DC is quickly becoming this.

 

[meistromoco]

Bon Vivant said:I lived in DC w/o a ride. Public transportation is great; buses, Metro. Also, if you're in a pinch, DC has the most taxis per capita in the US. If you lived in Silver Spring or Tacoma, you could take the Metro in to the city, no problem.




Metro is a mess on the weekends, but you can def get by in dc proper without a car. We've got zipcar if you need a car for the weekends every now and then. I wouldn't want to be carless in Silver Spring or Takoma unless you were in walking distance to the metro. But DC is pretty manageable.

 

[Bon Vivant]

meistromoco said: I wouldn't want to be carless in Silver Spring or Takoma unless you were in walking distance to the metro. But DC is pretty manageable.




Most def. I was thinking along the lines of taking the car to the Metro and parking there. Forgot about Zipcar, and yes, Metro is pretty full of tourists on the weekends.





I grew up in Virginia (Nothern-related), and I turned out fine. Virginia is a beautful state, Yes, the politics are pretty shit, but there's more to life than politricks. Just sayin'.

 

[vinylstalker]

Okay say we wind up in takoma park. My research says living in walking distance to a metro is like three times as expensive as living miles away. We will be renting the first year or so btw. So we're paying all day parking for the wifes job, and my job has me working nights usually, so maybe we're paying twice to park. And whatever transportation for the kid to school. Is this really cheaper than paying more in rent in say columbia circle careless?





This is my current quandary.





And it looks like takoma has more of an urbanenvironment and culture than silver spring, at least looking on the internet. Is this accurate?

 

[The-gaffler]

Takoma Park, MD? or Takoma, DC?





Also, your wife could just take the metro to Foggy Bottom and take the free shuttle, or walk the 7mins to the Kennedy Centre, if that's where she ends up. I don't own a car. Neither my girl. One thing you'll learn here is that the district's parking enforcement is very good at revenue retrievin' even in the residential areas.

 

[Theodore_Rucks]

I'm gonna be out there in June for a week. All I can remember as far as record stores was this spot called Kemp Mill that I came across in 03. Any store recommendations?

 

[The-gaffler]

the Kemp Mill at 10th & F holds gems.