Phew! I thought you had a link to some news saying the Osama (the impersenator of the devil) was in the DR. Thank God its something else!
Anyways, you can live in inner city neighborhoods that are rather quiet.
Try Bella Vista or Los Cacigascos (where I live). It's very quiet except along the main avenues (but that is expected of main streets). Plus, the area is close to the huge Parque Mirador which is just wonderful for jogging, walking, or just people watching. The area is very nice, pretty affluent, and because its within the capital, everything is within reach.
That's one mistery of this metropolis. There are neighborhoods that if you look at them on a map are smacked in the center of the city and you expect them to be busy and noisy and such. Then you go there and bam, its the complete opposite, that is until you reach the main avenues. You should spend some extra time checking the capital out so that you can get a feeling of the city and its neighborhoods. With 300 neighborhoods, one of these got to make you feel good enough to become your home.
Also, the Malecon is a very nice area to have an apartment. Depending on the height of the apartment, you will get priceless seaviews and sunrises and sunsets, its just a wonderful experience to live in the Malecon. I have a friend who lives in a Penthouse near the malecon and the views are awesome.
BTW, you can get nice sea views from most highrise apartments in the city.