<p>It has been a while since I visited DC, and I never paid much attention to the neighborhoods. I know that there are some very unsafe neighborhoods in the DC area – so I am hoping to get some information from those of you who are more familiar.</p>
<p>My 17 year old son will be traveling to DC in November for a program and is planning on going up to DC a few days before the program to check out some of the museums and Georgetown University. </p>
<p>The youth hostel he is looking at 3504 16th st NW in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood.</p>
<p>I have lived in D.C., including blocks away from there (30 years ago), and have spent entire summers living in D.C. as recently as about 4 years ago, and spent a week about a mile from there last summer.</p>
<p>The Mount Pleasant neighborhood is a very urban neighborhood that is much like NYC. 16th street also has a major bus route, which is a big plus. It is in a relatively safe part of D.C. There will be plenty of people out most hours that one would expect that your S would be traveling. It’s a couple of miles from downtown. </p>
<p>I’ve got an 18-year-old S and would feel comfortable having a street smart 17 year old male in a youth hostel there. Indeed, I would feel very comfortable staying there myself.</p>
<p>thanks – I hate going into this blind. so far, he has stayed in youth hostels in NYC and LA without problems, but I felt less confident in the DC area. I appreciate the info!</p>
<p>hsmomstef - Just in case you might be worried that Northstarmom’s perspective could be an outlier, I will second all she has said. I am a Washington, DC native and my aunt lived a little farther north off 16th St. up until a couple of years ago, so I know the area well. It is a good location, wonderfully convenient to everything by bus which can connect to Metro closer in. He should be fine.</p>
<p>Sorry to disagree with upbeat reports by others. That is not the worst neighborhood, but it’s not what I would call an especially safe one either. Google up a recent Washington Post artilce using the words D.C. and neighborhoods and liveliest and robberies. I think you will hit some strong negative info. And the hostels website is pretty misleading when it speaks of its location being on 16th St. and therefore a straight shot to the White House. A relatively straight shot it is but MANY blocks away. Certainly not a convenient walk. Also look at the ratings other have given this hostel. They don’t look good to me. I will take a look at the other hostel recommendations and see if anything leaps out at me as sounding good. PS - I am pretty much a life-long Washingtonian - more than 50 years here.</p>
<p>A qucik search finds nothing in the way of a hostel in DC in a neighborhood that I would classify as extra safe. One idea - search neraby neighborhood areas NEAR A METRO SUBWAY STOP that would be safe: Arlington or Alexandria, VA or Bethesda, MD. Washington has a great and very safe subway system to get you downtown from the suburbs.</p>
<p>I also must strongly disagree with the posters calling that neighborhood safe. Having lived in the Maryland suburbs of DC for 9 years and called on clients in the Mt. Pleasant area, I can assure you this…I WOULD NOT BE IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD AT NIGHT. PERIOD. </p>
<p>I know of at least one murder in that neighborhood in the last year or so…a young man who had just moved to DC and was also lead to believe the Mt. Pleasant neighborhood is safe. He was out walking alone at night when he met his untimely demise. So you might also google the word “murder” when you check out those new stories about the Mt. Pleasant neighborhood.</p>
<p>I appreciate the feedback – it is really hard to tell unless you are there, which isn’t an option.</p>
<p>The searches for hostels in the area of DC include Alexandria, Arlington and Bethesda – and I am limited to those without a strict age requirement, low cost and close to metro/bus options. </p>
<p>His previous hostel experiences were in NYC in the Bowery neighborhood and LA near Hollywood and Vine. He didn’t have any problems there, but he is cautious and careful.</p>
<p>this one seems to be the only option, and it seems like it is far from the metro/bus.</p>
<p>I think you’d find more than a few murders in supposedly safe neighborhoods. It’s been too long since I’ve lived in DC to have a truly reliable opinion here - but the 11th St. hostel is really close to the Convention Center and not far from the National Portrait Gallery. Areas I certainly have no problem with in daylight hours. You’re pretty close to a couple of Metro stations.</p>
<p>As others have said it’s not the worse neighborhood in DC, and it has undergone significant gentrification, but it is not an area my wife and I ever considered living in. Before we moved to the suburbs we lived on Capitol Hill for 15 years.</p>
<p>Most of Capitol Hill, especially close in is quite safe, as is almost all of upper Northwest from Georgetown (although the large crowds drawn in to in the shopping areas do create problems) through Burleith to Cleveland Park to American University and Chevy Chase.</p>
<p>Tsdad has it right re: which neighborhoods are safe. There have been problems with Georgetown, but personally I still see it as safe, and it is a great location. what about contacting the local universities and asking them if they have any facilities or where the recommend that visiting students should stay? Georgetown, American University, and George Washington are all in very good areas.</p>
<p>he did call and check with the universities on where to stay while visiting – they gave him the names of several hotels which are out of our budget range. (the only reason he is able to go to DC at all is because he has a full scholarship from NYLF for their program on Law). The local universities don’t rent out space during the regular semester times, either.</p>
<p>so – the choice is really the one in the mt. pleasant neighborhood and the one on capitol hill on 11th street. so, which is the best of those choices? And what would you suggest be his guidelines? (back to the hostel by a certain time, only ride the bus at certain times, don’t walk around the local neighborhood, etc).</p>
<p>When he went to NYC, he felt comfortable just about anytime of the night or day and rode the public transportation without problems. In LA, I requested that he be back at the hostel before dark unless he was with a group and they would be accompanying him back to the hostel. </p>
<p>Capitol Hill. Everywhere inside the Federal Triangle is crawling with cops (both metro and federal) The Mount Pleasant place is probably “safe,” but it’s one of those places that if you can avaoid being there, leave. </p>
<p>Unless I’m wrong, the closest Metro station is over at Howard and walking there at any time during the day is not advisable.</p>
<p>Above all though, if he sees a sign that ends in “SE,” turn around and go back where you came from. Likewise, if he starts seeing campaign signs for Marion Barry he’s in ward 8 and needs to get out as fast as he can.</p>
<p>It’s not necessarily true about SE. Many of the outstanding Capitol Hill neigborhoods are in Southeast. Close in Southeast and Northeast are pretty good. Southeast would be better for a young person because of all the commerical blocks along Pennsylvannia Ave.</p>
<p>I lived in Southwest for a while, and I have mixed feeling about the area.</p>
<p>My son went to school in Cleveland Park, the Washington International School, and the Connecticut Ave. corridor has lots of shops, restaurants, and movie theaters.</p>