[Washington, DC and Maryland suburbs]

Hello,

i've been reading up on housing posts for living in the DC and MD areas, but had some more specific geographic regions which i was interested in and has not been answered yet it seems.

i'll be going to Catholic Law, then AU for grad school and was thinking about living in the northeast of DC around the law school or in the MD suburbs such as Silver Spring. i've been reading that the northeast of DC is a bit "under-served" in terms of amenities and things to do. I've also read that it's relatively quiet and a safe area to live in.

anything close to transportation, relatively safe place to live in, some restaurants, pubs/bars, and not so quiet area is my goal (not looking for sth like Dupont or Adams--perhaps a step down from that) as i will not have a car and will rely solely on bus, subway. is a bike necessary by the way if going to different places such as around the city?

i will be living with my girlfriend so costs will be split. my budget:

total monthly rent: 900-1200

utilities: are they usually included in the rent DC or MD? if not, what is a reasonable range? i am assuming somewhere between 60-100...

any intel on a number of reasonable places to live close to Catholic Law in DC or MD suburbs that fits this apt mthly rent budget would be much appreciated. Thanks so much for any info!