So this weekend I embarked on my second day of apartment-hunting, this time with J.Chu in tow (the first time was with my mom, and we just looked at big apartment buildings relatively close to my house). The very first place we went was this totally cute one-bedroom, the top level of a rowhouse that's been divided into three apartments, and it's got hardwood floors and it's all, like, funky and cute and stuff. However, it's in not quite the safest part of town (far, far, far from the most dangerous, but just a notch or two below the safest) and is a 10-minute walk from the metro. Which is a fine walk, until you imagine doing it at 11:00 after a choir rehearsal with the occasional armed robber lurking between the parked cars.
Anyway, I got the apartment and now have to
make a decision. Pluses: totally cute. Nice landlord. Very reasonable rent. Previous tenant (also a single woman) had been there 10 years. Pretty neighborhood. Minuses: no grocery shopping in the neighborhood (especially not now). Twenty-six violent crimes within 1500 feet in the last 365 days (thank you dc crime map). Miniscule closets. Window unit air conditioners. (Is my hatred of window a/c units irrational?)I guess now it's decision time. Do I wait until I find something that makes me jump for joy and want to wander around alone toting valuables at 3 a.m.? (Which is to say, do I move to Japan?) I do have the luxury of waiting, basically, forever to move. Or do I take this very cute apartment a half hour from work? (Half an hour is pretty good around here, although improvement is possible.)
Help me, people!
4 comments:
woah, i work right near the market. (well, a mile.) but still, i know the area decently, and my office is also in a not-the-safest-but-nowhere-near-horrible section. what's the neighborhood / streets area?
Ummmm....having been mugged in a "safe" neighborhood in Berkeley, my guess is you're as safe there as anywhere. The crime-doers may not be looking for you.
But then, I'm pretty at ease in my current suburban setup, far from the threat of crime. And I sleep well at night.
This is much IMPROVED part of town -- and getting better. We could meet for lunch at the Belga on 8th street...and they just opened a Marvelous Market just a half block south of Eastern Market, really, there is food shopping. I'd keep this one close but still look a little more.... Safe is as safe does by the way....
OMFG! I leave for four days and Eastern Market burns down!?! Yikes.
Are you planning to get rid of your car? If not, doing a big shopping trip once in a while shouldn't be too painful. Or if you are ditching the car, there's always Zipcar. And Peapod. And convenience stores tend to be surprisingly well-stocked, for your last-minute needs.
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