"Hip"Neighborhoods (to buy, shops, food)

[BajanYankee]

Originally Posted by jokerstars

SW could be hip if it actually had retail. Navy Yard is too damn expensive to be hip.

I don't know if SW has what it takes to be hip. I could see SW becoming more similar to Penn Quarter over time (based on the plans MDAllStar posted), which I don't think of as being "hip" per se, but moreso upscale.

Meridian Hill Park is the essence of "hip," imo.


meridian hill park drum circle, washington dc - YouTube

[11KAP]

hip to you could be nerdy, wack and way over the radar to someone else yo.

[jokerstars]

I could see SW becoming more similar to Penn Quarter over time (based on the plans MDAllStar posted), which I don't think of as being "hip" per se, but moreso upscale.

I kinda see Navy Yard the same way. Lots of new construction and slick eateries. Although Bluejacket could add some Hipster cred? Hipsters like beer don't they?

[BajanYankee]

Originally Posted by jokerstars

I kinda see Navy Yard the same way. Lots of new construction and slick eateries. Although Bluejacket could add some Hipster cred? Hipsters like beer don't they?

Hipsters like vintage. I'm not sure if shiny condos on the waterfront will engender the same feelings of nostalgia in this demographic as, say, Shaw, which not only offers an old, adorable housing stock, but also a connection to a white Civil War officer from New England that led a regiment of black troops! That's major progressive cred right there.

[brooklynborndad]

Originally Posted by BajanYankee

That's true.


I dunno. Do you wear black, thick-framed glasses? Sweet Lumberjack beard? How many Apple products do you own? You may unknowingly fit the profile.

An impulse at Lenscrafters actually gave me somewhat hip looking eyeglasses. No beard, nothing by Apple.

I also do not drink PBR or vodka martinis. Are those things still hip?

[BajanYankee]

Originally Posted by brooklynborndad

I also do not drink PBR or vodka martinis. Are those things still hip?

PBR, yes. Go to nearly any Whole Foods in an urban area and they'll be stocked at the front of the store.

Vodka martinis, I'm not so sure about. I never knew that was a hipster stable. That shows how "deck" I am.

[11KAP]

Originally Posted by BajanYankee

Hipsters like vintage. I'm not sure if shiny condos on the waterfront will engender the same feelings of nostalgia in this demographic as, say, Shaw, which not only offers an old, adorable housing stock, but also a connection to a white Civil War officer from New England that led a regiment of black troops! That's major progressive cred right there.

what does that have to do with being hip?

[Mahatma X]

Columbia Heights, Adams Morgan, U street corridor, Dupont Circle, Logan Circle, Petworth, Kalorama, H street/Atla District, Pleasant Plains, Mt. Pleasant, Woodley Park, Cleveland Park, NoMa, and in the suburbs: Downtown Silver Spring, Old Town Alexandria, Downtown Bethesda, Chevy Chase Village, National Harbor, Rosslyn, Clarendon, Ballston, Shirlington, and Tysons Corner in the future, possibly Reston.

[Albino Gecko]

Thanks to all for the info so far.
I understood my misuse of the term hip when I wrote the post, but didn't know what to substitute in its place. I want a pedestrian friendly, pedestrian active place where people hang out, where culturally diverse food can be found, coffee shops that feel friendly, bartenders that will learn your name given the chance, and access to a few too many glasses of whisky/wine every now and again.
I had also purposefully omitted info such as age, rent, crime in order to not squash possible recommendations, but...
I'm 42 (but generally prefer to hang with a slightly younger crowd), looking to buy at around the $400K mark, but capable of going to $5, and I'll be working for Uncles Sam at the Pentagon.

[jokerstars]

Downtown Silver Spring, Old Town Alexandria, Downtown Bethesda, Chevy Chase Village, National Harbor, Rosslyn, Clarendon, Ballston, Shirlington, and Tysons Corner in the future, possibly Reston.

Young social scene, yes. HIP? No.

I'm 42 (but generally prefer to hang with a slightly younger crowd),

Gee, I wonder why?