Moving to DC for graduate school, what are best places to live near AU?

Basically, I just want a 1 bedroom apartment in a nice neighborhood with good security and parking, close to shops, supermarket, bank, and close to metros for a short commute to AU. I've heard that the metro system is pretty good and on time from any location... I would prefer to be closest to American University. A decent range for me would be +/- $1300/mth. Any advice anyone?