How about Lake Forest Park? Help needed -- wanting to rent a house (Seattle: real estate)

[francou]

I'm French Canadian, relocating from Montreal to Seattle in less than 2 weeks, to start working at UW and doing my doctorate in Piano Performance there. I'm looking for a house to rent because I want to buy a grandpiano and be able to practice without having neighbor problems. I've been looking online and it looks very difficult to find an affordable, preferably furnished detached house to rent. I found one in Lake Forest Park that looked great. How would that be? Would the commute kill me? How is the area? I don't know Seattle at all, have been there only one day last February for my audition! Thanks for your help!! Or if you have any suggestions to help about different areas or tips to find what I'm looking for... thank you!

[jabm67]

Real estate prices are murderous all throughout the Seattle area. Lake Forest Park is a decent place to live, and it's possible to commute by bus from there to UW . See http://transit.metrokc.gov/ for general bus info ... as a UW student you will be able to get a very cheap, possibly free, bus pass.

If you have the inclination, you can quite reasonably commute by bicycle (!) to UW from there (google for "Burke-Gilman Trail" to see the route; the Wikipedia entry for it is useful too).

I used to be UW faculty, and my offhand assessment is that for a daily commute to UW I wouldn't want to live any further north than Shoreline - Lake Forest Park - Kenmore and any further south than First Hill. I am, however, a road rage kind of guy and I hate driving in traffic. I know people who live much further away than that.

[francou]

Thanks for your help! I decided to get this house in Lake Forest Park. It sounds like a good area and since I want to live by myself in a house and not an apartment (for piano practicing purposes), I think I'd have to live some distance from UW anyway to be able to afford it. And I'll see if I get in shape for the 10 miles bicycle ride when the weather is good!! Cheers, francou