Asymmetrical Information

Georgetown, as in Washington, DC Georgetown? Or any of the other of dozens of Georgetowns around the world?

McLean Gardens, up Wisconsin though.

The Apartments above the Gtwn mall.

The Cloisters.

And there are couple right around Duke Ellington and Trinity schools also. The ones of the first floor might work for you.

I would avoid basement apartments, no matter how chic, because of the risk of being flooding (sometimes with sewage, apparently) and mildew. Also, there was a tragic death in the neighborhood involving a student, a fire, and a basement apartment with barred windows. After that event, the city investigated a small area near GU and many rentals near were temporarily closed.

I wouldn't recommend living in Georgetown proper unless you work nearby, because Georgetown is not well connected to the metro system.

Yes, I agree with the above poster. I'd be much more inclined, if I were your mother, to live around Adams Morgan or the Dupont Circle area. Same citified feeling, nearer transportation and populated with adults.

As an ex-Georgetown resident, I'd suggest you make sure your mother understands about the very difficult parking situation and the drunks that roam the streets Thursday through Saturday nights. I used to be sure I stayed elsewhere those nights as it was a real problem.

Oh, I totally forgot to mention that Georgetown has been having a bit of a crime wave for the past couple years. I would suggest googling for exact information on location and timing of muggings. As I recall, some of mugging victims have been in groups of 2 or 3. After midnight is the worst time, but there have been muggings around 10 PM. I believe standard operation is to drive up with several people in a car. There was at least one shooting and a murder. Georgetown is not very well lit.

I know someone renting a 1br unit at the atlas building www.atlasdc.com., pretty good amenities, stretches the definition of georgetown but nice building

Allow me to echo the anti-G-Town statements. It's way too crowded with college kids and suburbanites enjoying a taste of city life. The traffic is awful almost any time of day/week. And it's absurdly overpriced considering all the hubbub one has to deal with. For an adult like your mom I suggest Dupont Circle, Woodley Park or Foggy Bottom.

Further stretching the definition of Georgetown: Rosslyn. If you're feeling frisky, you can walk across the bridge to Georgetown (1/2 mile) or there are buses, Rosslyn has an Orange and Blue Line stop to take you anywhere in DC, and you have Arlington cops protecting you, which is a plus.

I would suggest Tenleytown or Cleveland Park as far better areas for your mother. Better connected, less puke, more family oriented areas than Georgetown. Georgetown's a nice place to visit, but she doesn't want to live there.

My friends in DC all seem to live in adjacent communities: Bethesda, Arlington etc. They seem to be able to reach work by public transport, but the areas are generally safer, and cheaper.

I had a friend who lived near Dupont Circle. It seemed like a (relatively) safe urban area (but not as safe as Manhattan) with lots of amenities, albeit expensive.

Sometimes the local humane society has a list of dog-friendly landlords. Also, if she's looking at small-landlord situations (such as owner lives downstairs), they can sometimes be talked into a dog with a larger deposit and a character reference (for the dog) from a prior landlord, a veterinarian, or another animal professional who knows the dog.

Can we ask why she thinks she wants to live in G-town? As the previous posters have mentioned, it is not really appropriate for an adult, unless you want to buy something there, for some personal reason. Yes, it CAN be "charming", but the downsides (lack of parking, constant tourists, etc) make it unpleasant. Adams Morgan, where I used to live, is just as lively and livable, but not as much hassle. Or Bethesda, which is right on the red line, has LOTS of amenities without the aggravation. Rosslyn or Clarendon in VA has similar appeals.

Why does she want to live in G-town?

I have been a Georgetown resident for about a year now and I really think the complaints above are overblown. I rarely drive and parking has not been much of an issue for me, once I got the permit I was fine.
Apparently I live on a good street. I walk everywhere (including work) and I do not find my stumbling over drunken college students, tourists or muggers. Yes, traffic can be terrible, so if you drive daily that is a downside and the lack of a metro stop is a little annoying (although there are bus stops aplenty). Georgetown may not be perfect but I have found it far from "unpleasant" and all-in-all have enjoyed living here a great deal. (I am an adult and no fan of the bar scene either.)

Although charming and steeped in history, Georgetown is dirty, and the pedestrian is always about one step away from a nasty fall on the very poorly maintained sidewalks (I know they're being dealt with, but it's a slow process). I don't know what Megan's mom is like, but I think most mature ladies who don't like to drive would prefer Bethesda. Of course, the dog complicates things.

Wo ist Fräulein Jane Galt?

Clarendon, unlike Rosslyn, is too far from Georgetown to walk there comfortably. There is, however, a nice dog-walking park in some land waiting for development just north of the metro station.

Used to live in Fairfax, just 5 mins to the Vienna metro - a great area that is safe and well connected too

And there will be no blogging until someone rents to her!

Wow this is an embarrassing silence. It's been a few days now. The food on the snack tray is getting a bit, stale. Shades of Lord of the Flies!

What say we put on some music and make the best of it. I am sure she just ran down to restock the riesling, or pick up a babka.

Or, charades anyone? No? Well how about a theory of what happened to Megalt. My bet is her mom is being difficult down in the DC.

Megan is all, "But mom, my blog, I have to get home!" and Magalt is like "Megalt, I never see you anymore, and what ever happened to that charming Fitzsimmons fellow... now he was a keeper. And why aren't you down here in DC, there are so many eligible young men here. Why just the other day, when exiting the apartment, I ran into the cutest little man, and I gave him your number. So if you get a call from a stranger... or two, you answer it!"

Or, we can talk economics. What says everyone on oil? Higher or lower, and why?

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