As you may or may not know, we'll be leaving DC in a few months. While we're really excited about heading back to NYC, we're sad to be leaving our neighborhood, and are now trying to figure out what to do with our condo.

Among other things, it totally breaks our hearts to be leaving because we *love* this apartment. We bought it a little more than year and a half ago, a 2BR duplex in the Logan/Dupont area, and know that we'll never find its like in the Big Apple.

Bishop's Gate

The unit is located along the back courtyard of Bishop's Gate, at 1715 15th Street NW, and the complex offers an ideal setting for city life. Originally a hospital for foundlings before being turned into a convent in 1929, Bishop's Gate was bought by a developer and converted into condos in 1983 (original condo prospectus available on request). The community is a mix of middle-aged professionals and younger couples, and most units are owner-occupied. The board is friendly and responsive, and maintenance fees are low (we're paying $266/month, which covers among other things water, garbage pickup, landscaping, the master insurance policy and basic cable TV). The complex is extremely pet-friendly.

Most of the units are duplexes arrayed around several interior courtyards; when you walk through the main gate, it's easy to forget that you're right in the middle of DC. The complex is well-lit and safe, with a front-door callbox and gated entry to the courtyard; in a sense this unit is one of the most secure in the complex, positioned at the back through several open courtyards.

Our unit is along the eastern edge of Bishop's Gate, and includes a several hundred square-foot terrace, where we keep a gas grill, outdoor smoker and enough patio furniture to seat eight comfortably. There are also two five-foot-long hayrack planters, where we've kept an herb garden as well as garlic and tomatoes. The light is *fantastic*, coming from the rear in the morning and shifting to the front as the day progresses.

The unit itself doesn't come with parking, though there are spaces in an underground garage available to rent from the condo association. We've never felt a need to rent because street parking has never been a problem - with the exception of a few-hour window on Saturday nights, it's rare that we even have to circle the block to find a spot. There are also storage spaces available to rent in the basement of the complex for an extremely reasonable rate (under $100/year, I believe).

The Condo

As for the unit itself, the condo has hardwood floors (3/4" solid maple), and its own central a/c and hot water heater. There's no gas hookup, so all heat/hot water is electric, and we've found that the monthly bills are extremely reasonable (partly due to the efficient heat pump, located on the roof). By our measurements the square footage is about 765 sq feet, but it feels much bigger because it's spread over two floors.

When you walk in the private entrance, you'll find the kitchen, as well as a combined living/dining room. If you know us, you'll know that we spend a lot of time in the kitchen, and we've honed it to the height of utility with a built-in bookshelf for cookbooks and hanging racks/shelves for pots and cooking tools. As for the living/dining room, we find it an extremely comfortable space for entertaining small groups of friends, and it's home to one of our favorite features: a working, wood-burning fireplace (which has been seeing a *lot* of use in the past few weeks of winter).

Upstairs, you'll find two bedrooms, a full bathroom, and a washer/dryer. We've been using the second bedroom as an office, and would be happy to leave the built-in desk and shelves for the next owner (or make it as if they'd never been there, if you'd prefer); it's large enough for a sofa sleeper that folds out into a queen-size bed, and many friends and family members can attest to its comfort (the room, not necessarily the sofa sleeper). The washing machine is new, bought last year, and the dryer is only a few years old and in great working condition. As for the bathroom, it's clean and modern; when we moved in, we removed the fiberglass shower liner and retiled the shower/bathtub with 1-inch Bisazza Italian glass tile; in addition, we set a deeper cabinet into the wall alongside the medicine cabinet, which is large enough to hold every towel we own (and then some).

Our favorite upgrade, though, is in the master bedroom, where we installed a wall-to-wall, floor-to-almost-ceiling wardrobe system (including a corner unit sunk into the wall where a closet used to be). Living in the city, storage is at a premium, and there's so much room for clothing in the wardrobes that we keep the second closet in the bedroom essentially empty. The result is a bedroom that feels airy, light and uncluttered.

The Neighborhood

Bishop's Gate is located along 15th Street, between R & S Streets NW. Metro-wise, The U Street/Cardozo station (Green) is the closest, less than a 5 minute walk to the northwest, and the Dupont Circle stop (Red) is about 10 minutes in the opposite direction. It's 35 minutes door-to-door to National Airport via Metro, and less than 20 minutes to Union Station.

One block east is 14th Street, with the Black Cat literally around the corner, Saint Ex a block to the north and the Studio Theater three blocks south. A few blocks north of Bishop's Gate brings you to the bustling U Street corridor, with everything from Ben's Chili Bowl to the 9:30 Club to the right and Adams Morgan a short walk to the left. To the west, the restaurants, bars and cafes of 17th Street are two blocks away, with Dupont Circle itself just a few minutes further.

We go to the gym at the DCJCC, which is two blocks down and one over (close enough that we actually go regularly!), and shop at the Whole Foods that is 4 blocks down 15th Street. Virtually anything you might need, from hardware stores (2) to coffeehouses (I count 9, including only two Starbucks) is available within just a few minutes' walk.

The clincher for us, though, and one of the things that makes it hardest to leave, is across the street: on land donated by the Masonic Temple on 16th Street, about 100 gardeners each maintain a plot in an organic community garden. After a relatively short (we waited less than a year) wait on a waiting list, you can get a 10' x 15' plot for the princely sum of $20/year, on which you can grow whatever you like. Believe us, there's *nothing* in this city like walking out your front door, crossing the street and picking fresh vegetables for dinner. Or maybe we're just gardening dorks.

The Process

If you want to reach us, you can call or e-mail Josh Greenberg (cell:202.577.4902) or Jenny Bilenker (cell:202.360.9606), or call our home phone (202.232.6373). And if you know anyone who might be interested, please feel free to forward this along; while there's no finder's fee, if you find us a buyer we'll take you out for a nice dinner, and be eternally grateful...