Am I missing an area I should be considering?

I wasn’t planning on posting here, I thought I could read my way to an answer but hopefully my situation is unique enough that someone has thoughts/suggestions.

I recently moved back to Atlanta (for the 3rd time). The first time was 2008-2013 and I lived in Brookhaven (1050 Lenox), Buckhead (at Gramercy), and Atlantic Station. The second time was 2016-2018 and I owned a home in Grant Park. This time, I am working in Cumberland (previously worked in Buckhead) and I wanted to get an understanding of the traffic patterns before buying.

In an ideal world, I would only be looking at houses in Morningside, VaHi, Inman Park, Reynoldstown/Cabbagetown (and maybe certain parts of O4W). I am single, ~40, and want to live in city, beltline adjacent, and in a proper “neighborhood”. The neighborhoods I would consider beyond the ones that are directly on the beltline (again in an ideal world) would be Candler Park, Edgewood/Kirkwood, Oakhurst, Decatur (basically the Marta Corridor heading east until about Avondale Estates). I absolutely love the little downtown bars and restaurants each of the neighborhoods have and would love to have a place to become a regular at that is walking distance from home. Another important consideration for me is I ride my bike daily and have found training near Sweetwater Brewing to be super convenient so I’d like to keep that as an option if possible.

Instead of buying when I moved back a couple of months ago, I signed a short term lease in a place a block south of Piedmont Park in order to get a feel for the commute and the vibe of the city. Over the course of the that time, I’ve learned 2 things: I still love the East Beltline and adjacent neighborhoods and the drive home on the DT connector and crossing through midtown absolutely succccccks. I just don’t think I’m interested in doing it every day.

That leaves me with only a few options/thoughts and that’s what I am hoping the sub can help me with (I am hoping I am missing something or not thinking about something). 

Peachtree Hills has become the new target. When they open the bridge across Clear Creek, it will be an easy ride down to the beltline and there are a few restaurants that are in the neighborhood depending on which side you are on. The drive home completely avoids hitting the downtown connector and the traffic that comes with it. It is literally half of the commute compared to going to Midtown.

Peachtree Battle/Northside helps from a commute perspective but there is no neighborhood (as far as I know). I also prefer a bit more of an urban setting than the Northside corridor.

Howell Mill/Upper Westside - I may be missing something but I haven’t found any neighborhoods that feel like I’d like them. It may be a lack of understanding of the different areas on this side of town. I also don’t love the cycling on this side of town (again, may just not know the routes).

Anything I am missing? The answer may be just suck it up and deal with the commute if you want to live in VaHi/Morningside/Inman Park…

As far as the house itself: hoping to find a 2/2 or 3/2 with a fairly open concept and a bonus room that I can turn in a gym. I’ll be patient and search for the right house but if the house isn’t in the exact location (East Beltline adjacent), then the attributes of the house become more important. Budget: ~1.25M

Thoughts?