r/maryland 19h ago

Moving to Kensington, MD soon

Like the title says, moving to Kensington, MD at the end of July from NJ…anything I should know?

3 Upvotes

34 comments sorted by

17

u/empty_w4 10h ago

Avoid Connecticut Ave like the plague. The traffic is atrocious. This is my big problem with living in Kensington

11

u/reesa447 9h ago

Cute town. There’s a little farmers market. But you’re kind of trapped by traffic at times. 495 and Conn Ave are so bad. Check out the moco sub too.

10

u/gs12 7h ago

There is a good indonesian restaurant in Kensignton, and the antique mall is nice.

u/BoardThat3637 3h ago

Thank you for the suggestion on the Indonesian spot, I will definitely check it out and report back!

8

u/AdministrationTop772 7h ago

Kensington is a really cool little community and very walkable. Not sure where you are in life but there are a lot of younger families and a pretty good sense of community, block parties, etc., so take advantage of that.

It's nice having the Wheaton Mall there but the area around it can get a little rough, especially late at night, so keep your wits about you.

3

u/BoardThat3637 7h ago

My wife and I just had a baby who will be between 7-8 months by the time we move so that’s good to know there are a lot of other younger families.

9

u/Comfortable-Split143 6h ago

Donut King! Friendliest folks and great food! University near Conneticut Ave.

u/Coltan_Fx 3h ago

Tacos Don Perez is yummy. Valvoline express employees are very kind and explain everything. Continental Subs is cash only but you need to experience a cheese steak from there at least once. And check out the plaza next to 7-11, the one with knowles wine and la gelatteria. The Question Mark guy used to live in the area but moved a while back. Also, Knowles to Plyers Mill are backed up always, its very bad from maybe 3pm to 7pm.

u/BoardThat3637 3h ago

Thank you very much for your suggestions!!

4

u/ExreeHipp 17h ago

Rock Creek Park is great, Kensington is a nice spot.

5

u/MassiveNewspaper5146 9h ago

Yes, the Park is an incredible resource. You can pretty much get to arlington to the south and gaithersburg to the north without a terrible amount of difficulty.

u/BoardThat3637 3h ago

Thank you both for the heads up, I have a 6 month old currently and we will be looking for a park

u/ExreeHipp 1h ago

It’s more of a good park for riding bikes (roads gated off to cars at certain times), hiking, or commuting through a bucolic setting as opposed to the busier roads to the east and west. I’m sure you’ll have some kiddie parks or schools with playgrounds close by.

u/BoardThat3637 1h ago

Ahhh okay thanks for that information!

10

u/wsxcftgb 17h ago edited 17h ago

It’s a cute town but pretty quiet and suburban overall. Mostly families with parents who commute to DC or NIH. If you want things to do go to Bethesda, Silver Spring, DC etc. Antique Row is nice, farmers market is nice, day of the book fest is nice. You can always ask the montgomery county sub if you have more specific questions.

3

u/BlatantDisregard42 Prince George's County 6h ago

It’s a lovely, quiet little area. My boss lives in a modest little 3br house in Kensington thats worth close to a million dollars today. He bought it almost 40 years ago when prices were a little more reasonable.

3

u/Imaginary_Fishing667 5h ago

Prepare for traffic once you leave the neighborhoods.

u/123456789-user 2h ago

I was house hunting a few years ago and noticed that many of the houses have street parking only, which could be tricky during a snow, I'm not sure how often Kensington streets get plowed after a snow storm, however it definitely gave me the feeling that it's a rather nice and safe area

u/BoardThat3637 2h ago

I think we are lucky enough to have a driveway but need to double check that for certain

6

u/Complete-Ad9574 13h ago

Ground zero for 1950s Montgomery County suburban sprawl.

8

u/nivanbotemill 18h ago

It's quite nice.

Worst thing is probably the NIMBYs. These are people who act like the sky is falling if a new sidewalk is proposed or someone mentions multi-family housing.

https://www.thebanner.com/community/local-news/kensington-sidewalks-pedestrian-safety-52OBPBLCBFF63CV22GVOZWSNGQ/

u/rony-tomo 3h ago

Continental Pizza is one of my favorites. Being from New Jersey, you may think it's garbage, and you're probably right, but I love it. BabyCat Brewery and Dish and Dram are also good spots.

u/Comfortable-Split143 3h ago

Still cash only! Continental is legendary!!!

u/rony-tomo 3h ago

Not if you order online!

u/BoardThat3637 3h ago

I will give it a shot. I live close to a brewery right now so I was excited to see I’ll be living close to BabyCat brewery as well. I’ll also check out Dish and Dram! Thanks for the suggestions!

u/Few_Whereas5206 3h ago

Great area.

u/zigzagdc1 2h ago

Other have mentioned the Indonesian and Donut King. I’d also add Frankly Pizza to the mix. Carmen’s for Italian ice and frozen custard would probably be great with the baby.

u/BoardThat3637 2h ago

I’m pretty sure Frankly Pizza is right down the street from us! Thanks for the suggestions!

u/moreperfectz 1h ago

Babycat brewery is a great place to meet young families!

u/BoardThat3637 1h ago

Awesome! That’s great news!

u/RayRayBeLove 49m ago edited 25m ago

K-town is a fine place to live. I’ve lived here for over 50 years. Agree with the good recommendations already commented. People tend to have good manners. Important to know back routes and the proper lanes for driving in rush hour. Cabin John park. Soups at Old Town Market. Say hi to Louie at Continental. E-Ds gas station is cheapest around. Stella’s is good food. Kensington Pharmacy folks are great. Look out for the music shows at Babycat and Dietles close by. Also the parades (e.g. Labor Day, July 4th) and the Car Show in October. Pepperoni on the side at Frankly is crazy good. Etc. Etc. Etc. 🙂

u/BoardThat3637 24m ago

Wow! Lots of information! Thank you very much! Will take it all under advisement!