Is This Overkill to Retrieve an Int from a Web API REST call?

Question

This code works, but may be only as performant as a 112-year-old alcoholic:

try
{
    const string uri = "http://localhost:28642/api/departments/Count";
    var webRequest = (HttpWebRequest)WebRequest.Create(uri);
    webRequest.Method = "GET";
    var webResponse = (HttpWebResponse)webRequest.GetResponse();
    if ((webResponse.StatusCode == HttpStatusCode.OK) && (webResponse.ContentLength > 0))
    {
        var reader = new StreamReader(webResponse.GetResponseStream());
        string s = reader.ReadToEnd();
        MessageBox.Show(string.Format("Content from HttpWebRequest is {0}", s));
    }
    else
    {
        MessageBox.Show(string.Format("Status code == {0}", webResponse.StatusCode));
    }
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
    MessageBox.Show(ex.Message);
}

The Web API REST method being called simply returns an int. Is this StreamReader jazz overkill for getting that one simple value? If so, what is the preferred method?

Answer 1

Jon Skeet is on the case - WebClient.DownloadString is easy as (eating) pie:

var client = new WebClient();
MessageBox.Show(client.DownloadString("http://localhost:28642/api/departments/Count"));

IOW, the code I originally showed is definitely overkill for retrieving a scalar value.

UPDATE

Better yet:

private void buttonGetDeptCount2_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    MessageBox.Show(GetScalarVal("http://localhost:28642/api/departments/Count"));
}

private string GetScalarVal(string uri)
{
    var client = new WebClient();
    return client.DownloadString(uri);
}