I plan on spending about 2K a month. I'd like to live in a rowhouse or very small, old building. I want to be near restaurants & shops. On my block in DC there are 19th c. rowhouses, 15 restaurants & bars, 3 dry cleaners, grocery store, hardware store, etc. I like dense, busy neighborhoods with a good mix of commercial and residential and a mix of income levels.
Edit: 5-10 miles each way max. I want to be close in though.