Capitol South

J is considering moving out here at the end of the academic year, but we both agree that my current apartment is not sufficiently large for two people who love having their own space as much as we do.  Not content to just move down the hall - since there's no telling if apartments in this complex will be available when we need them - I've begun feeling out different neighborhoods to see if I'd like to look for apartments elsewhere.  First up: Capitol South, the region (you guessed it) just south of the Capitol complex.  Capitol South isn't an official neighborhood - everything near the Capitol is called Capitol Hill - but I intend to carve my own regions out of this city, so if I want to divide Capitol Hill into subsections, I will.  I confined myself to a relatively small area around the Library of Congress, extending south a few blocks towards Eastern Market.  And what have I got to show for it?  Pictures, of course - and rain-damp pants.  Ah well.

The most prominent feature of this mini-neighborhood, besides Pennsylvania Ave SE, is the proliferation of charming row-houses.  These are different from the austere brick houses of other parts of the city (Georgetown); there are colors, metal-work (look at the grilles on that balcony), architectural details, and in some cases little front gardens.  Some are modest, some middle-of-the-road (above) and some, ritzy:

This bit of town is clustered around St. Peter's church (see my posts about it here and here) which is a great feature in my mind; it's also very close to the Capitol South Metro stop (Blue and Orange lines).  Pennslyvania Ave SE is the main transport arterial for those with cars, and there are plenty of good sidewalks for walkers like me.  The neighborhood is pretty, and I like being so close to Eastern Market.  And having the Library of Congress across the street is a kick too:

Downsides: there's no supermarket here - in fact, no proper grocery stores (I like my Safeway, turns out!).  There's also not that many apartment buildings here, which means that there may not be very many units available for rent and/or they may be units rented by private owners of the row-houses, which are harder to find out about (it's generally large companies on Rent.com, for example).  However, this neighborhood is close enough to Waterfront that if one had a car (and J probably will), one could simply drive to the Safeway.  Of course, that's a moot point if there aren't any apartments to be had - but I'd be willing to live here if I could!

Especially because this was in the local real estate broker's window:

I don't normally say this, but SQUEE!  I could definitely see myself walking down the damp brick-lined sidewalks of Pennsylvania Ave, in sight of the dome of the Library of Congress, perhaps carrying some things from Eastern Market for dinner and peering into brightly-lit shop windows as I go...