Definitely doable to live in DC without a car. I own a car and love the freedom to easily range far beyond the city, but even in my neighborhood where the nearest Metro station is not convenient, I easily rode the bus to work this morning.

I think you can ask yourself what the difference between visiting NYC versus living there is and you’ll have the answer to that question.

Personally NYC has that sort of dirty, seedy feeling all over whereas in DC that’s more concentrated and otherwise it’s easy to determine what areas you are comfortable living or walking in.