Ditch Your Commute: Foggy Bottom

• November 6th 2009

by Katie Knorovsky

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In this week’s Ditch Your Commute, we look at the Foggy Bottom neighborhood in Northwest DC. Its high concentration of federal, international, and educational institutions make it a great choice for those employed by those organizations to live and walk to work.

While not particularly trendy or up-and-coming, Foggy Bottom has long bustled with an oh-so-Washingtonian mix of George Washington University students, professors and staffers and the professionals who work in the neighborhood — employees of places like the State Department, World Bank, and American Red Cross.

With so many employees pouring into the neighborhood each day, it’s no surprise that a number of mid-rise condos and co-ops have served the neighborhood since the 1960s and 70s, while the Foggy Bottom Historic District’s row houses have injected residential charm. Those people who already live and work in the neighborhood are just following tradition: a century ago, the area was populated largely by immigrants who worked at the neighborhood’s lime kilns, breweries, and other local industries.

Of course, no article on Foggy Bottom is complete without at least a mention of the iconic Watergate complex, a 10-acre self-contained “city within a city” as well as a co-op development that gives residents bragging rights for owning a small piece of political history. Winston Real Estate currently has a 904-square-foot one-bedroom unit listed for $370,000 as well as a 1,384-square-foot two-bedroom unit available for $450,000.

An alternative is Potomac Plaza Terraces Cooperative. Built in 1961, it has a roof deck with Washington Monument views, a 24-hour front desk, on-site laundry facilities, and underground parking for some units. Studios are available for around $200,000 and one-bedrooms for $275,000.

The neighborhood’s central location means residents can not only ditch their work commutes, they can also ditch the drive to some of the city’s favorite attractions. “From Foggy Bottom, it’s just a few blocks and you’re at the Georgetown waterfront, the Kennedy Center and the West End,” says Gigi Winston of Winston Real Estate, which specializes in the Foggy Bottom area. “We’re in a little enclave that feels more like a neighborhood.” In addition to being close to all these areas, there is also a Trader Joe’s and National Airport is about an eight-minute cab ride away.

One con to the neighborhood is that it doesn’t boast many restaurants, bars, or movie theaters, and the ones it does have tend to be geared toward the college party crowd. Still, Dupont Circle is only about a 15-minute walk away, a stroll which should appeal to those looking to ditch their commute.

This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.production.logicbrush.com/articles/blog/ditch_your_commute_foggy_bottom/1482.