Apartment Showcase Blog

The green miles: The Rachel Carson Greenway offers a natural surface trail that stretches more than 10 miles, giving White Oak residents the chance to enjoy a bit of wilderness in the city.

By last official count, Silver Spring, Md., had more than 75,000 residents spread out all over its unincorporated area. Sitting just north of the Washington, D.C., city limits in Montgomery County, Silver Spring offers the renter a very convenient place to plant roots. Not only is there a lot to do in the area itself, but commuting to the capital is as easy as cruising down Colesville Road and making a left onto Georgia Avenue.

[ Related: Silver Spring: Maryland’s Third-Largest Town Boasts Ideal Location ]

Of course, living here you don’t even need to get in the car to travel around the metro region, as Silver Spring has four Metrorail stations, all on the Red Line. The city is also home to a MARC train stop near the Silver Spring station, which can even take you out of the area.

Like any city, Silver Spring is made up of various neighborhoods. One such neighborhood, White Oak, is as good a place to rent an apartment as any in town. Living in White Oak, you can take advantage of White Oak shopping center – which offers Giant, Sears and Rite Aid – so many of your essentials are covered without going very far at all.

[ Related: White Oak Whets the Appetites of Silver Spring Renters ]

Oddly, 3.5 miles is quite a handy measure for White Oak. It’s roughly that distance to Westfield Wheaton Shopping Center (near the Wheaton and Glenmont Metro stations) to the west and about the same to Silver Spring’s extravagant downtown shopping district to the southwest.

Another benefit to living in White Oak is that you’re about a mile between two places of natural beauty and refuge: the Rachel Carson Greenway & Northwest Branch Stream Valley Park Trail (try saying that twice in a row, or once and a half) and the Paint Branch Trail.

The neighborhood of White Oak is in the spread-out northern part of Silver Spring, Md., in Montgomery County. Though it may be a few miles from the hustle and bustle of the busy downtown section of the city, it has a charm all its own.

A quick look on Google Maps will show you that the neighborhood and surrounding environs are very green, with a number of parks and trails in the vicinity. Transportation to Washington, D.C., and the rest of the metro area is a cinch with both Colesville Road and two WMATA Metrorail stations nearby. Well, both the Wheaton and Glenmont stops – on the Red Line – are about three and a half miles away: I consider that fairly near.

Like I mentioned, there are some charms to living out here a little ways from city-center. You get to breathe, for one. And two, just because you’re away from the diesel smoke, traffic, loud noises and all that good stuff, it doesn’t mean you have to give up an impressive variety of restaurant choices. Let’s just focus on the White Oak shopping plaza area and see what tasty treats we can come up with.

Have a hankering for Chinese? Hunan Manor is there for you. The restaurant’s website proudly asserts that it “has established its reputation as the People’s Choice for gourmet-winning Chinese dining in the State of Maryland.” Hunan Manor runs another restaurant in Columbia, Md., so that says something right there.

Great, you say, who doesn’t have a Chinese restaurant in their town of Anywhere, Md.? Well mister, what about another culinary treat from Asia, this one non-Oriental? Yes, sir, I’m talking about Bombay Indian Restaurant. Its website has some awards listed, and we know that bad restaurants seldom get awards unless some shenanigans are involved, so we’re betting that the Bombay Indian Restaurant is a darn fine establishment.

There’s also Vietnamese restaurant Pho An in the same complex. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have a website extolling its virtues. Hey, I got an idea. Why don’t you try it out once you make the smart choice of renting an apartment in White Oak and get back to us?

Before you go thinking I’m some sort of Asian fetishist (please, this is a family-oriented website), I’ll spread the culinary love around a bit. How about Pansa Llena Mexican Grill? That is as unique a restaurant name as I’ve come across in a good while, and I think most everybody would like to pound a few beers and eat some tacos once in awhile. At least I like to. (Disclosure: Mexican food is probably my favorite type of cuisine, Corona Light my favorite beer in a bottle. For a guy who’s as un-Mexican as all get out, it’s pretty funny.)

For lovers of Italian food, there’s mom-and-pop Italian carryout/delivery joint Pizza Castle, which proudly states on its website: “There is a big difference in the quality of the service and food between big chain restaurants and local pizzerias.” And I think even you, neighborhood bistro investigator, would agree there’s some truth to that statement. Again, these makers of pizzas, subs and salads must be doing something right, because they have another location, too.

Feeling lazy, indifferent, or just want great-tasting food on the quick and easy? Well, just hit the local McDonald’s or love you some chicken from Popeyes. Totally off-topic, but did you know that Popeyes is not named after this guy but this fellow from the 1971 movie “The French Connection”?

Don’t ever say you never learned anything by reading ApartmentShowcase.com’s stellar blog, and don’t ever say there aren’t a scad of appetizing reasons to move to the White Oak neighborhood in Silver Spring. Bon appétit!