Downtown Redmond . . . on foot (Seattle, Bellevue: apartments, rent, how much)

[SeekerFinder]

My husband and I are relocating to downtown Redmond shortly and unfortunately will be without a car for a little bit, as we're fighting a lemon law case on a new car which we sunk a lot of our savings into that is unsafe to drive at the moment, and do not wish to spend any more money on another new car until we can resolve this first issue. We're currently weighing the options of renting a car versus going "green" (car-less).

Does anyone have an opinion or any insight as to whether living in downtown near the Town Center without a car is doable? I work from home, so as long as I have the basics around me (grocery, bank, post office), I'm pretty much OK for the time being. Coming from Los Angeles, I am used to a driving culture where few walk. Do people walk in Redmond typically?

Also, my husband will be working in Seattle, and so he will need to take the bus or rent a car until we get our car issue sorted out. How reliable is the bus line from Redmond into Seattle?

Any input is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[Blondebaerde]

Near the Redmond Town Center, aka RTC, hmm. It is do-able without a car, though eastside seems to favor cars vs. say parts of Seattle proper. Though wet and dirty this time of year, bicycle(s) are not bad investments, either. That area is definitely bike and walk-friendly. Being something of a cautious person, I wouldn't ride in poor visibility due to potential to be clipped by a car, but YMMV. There are various trails that are more recreational than avenues for commuting, depending on where you need to go.

Tons of stores and services nearby, largely along Redmond Way not far from RTC. The RTC itself seems a bit foofy/mall-ish, though that doesn't stop me from leveraging the movie theater and Macy's from time to time. "Essential services" are found elsewhere, however.

(There are several walk-friendly score aggregators for any particular address and zip code. I agree with those I've found for my house in-particular, though walking a mile to the Kirkland TC doesn't bother me much. Depends on how much time one wishes to spend. Not sure too many eastside locations receive more than mediocre transit-friendly scores. Just how it is, at this point in history.)

You should probably use Google, One Bus Away, and similar apps and forums to map out bus routes to specific points in Seattle or elsewhere (eastside, etc). Redmond Transit Center is a bit north of the RTC, that will be an important research project for your cause. I've never used it, much to my own personal amusement: Bellevue, Kirkland, and various Seattle hubs, yes. Redmond, it's just never come up.

The systems themselves...King County Metro and others...seem to be going heavily data-driven, past c. five years, thus I'm sure the answers are out there.

[Hemlock140]

You can walk to almost all services from the Town Center area, including Trader Joe's, Safeway, many restaurants and a theater. People living in the many new apartments there walk all around the area, and there's a great walk/bike trail nearby along the river. Even Whole Foods is walkable, though it's a bit longer walk. The bus service to Seattle is good, and not very long across the 520 bridge, as long as you get off close to the work site and don't have to transfer and/or walk too far at the other end. The 545 Downtown Express will get him from Redmond Way and NE79th to 5th & Pine in Seattle in 35 minutes.

[SouthSeasLifestyler]

I tend to agree with Hemlock, the area around Redmond Town Centre is very walkable, and you get a huge variety of offerings. Apart from the big ones that everyone mentioned, there are small shops that sell Mexican foodstuffs, an organic butcher, loads of places providing services like hair cuts, doctors, library, etc. and tons of cafes and restaurants. I have walked in it alone and with small kids, and we managed.

SSLifestyler

[GraceKrispy]

I would have no problem doing this, if my situation were as you described. As previously stated, the 545 would be your bus to get you downtown (hopefully close enough to where the end point is). Most everything you need would be within walking distance, and I find RTC to be really walkable.

[Seacove]

The Redmond Town Center is totally walkable but I don't find the mall area that great. It seems to be a mall that is struggling which is a unusual for here. Living in Woodinville, this mall is close to us but because of the "off" vibe, we hardly ever go there.

[SeekerFinder]

Great! Thanks, everybody, for your thoughtful replies. I'm really excited to get to know and become part of the community. And it's great that the 545 Express can get my husband in and out in little time. I haven't yet spent much time at the Town Center mall itself, but being more of an online shopper in all honesty, I'm not sure how much I'll frequent it anyway. But the Trader Joes, indie shops, and bike and walking paths--now, that's going to be fun.

[Hemlock140]

I think much of the reason for the lack of shoppers at Town Center is that it was designed for walking, as if we don't get rain. Much of it has as a lack of awnings or other cover to get from one store to another. There was also a story a while back about the rent being really high, driving out some stores/restaurants. We do like to eat at BJs.

[benleis]

There are several counter examples like U. Village that indicate the pedestrian layout at Redmond Town Center is not the main cause of its issues. I only visited a few times right after it opened, but even then it never felt as lively as other places.
Ben

[Seacove]

Originally Posted by Hemlock140

I think much of the reason for the lack of shoppers at Town Center is that it was designed for walking, as if we don't get rain. Much of it has as a lack of awnings or other cover to get from one store to another. There was also a story a while back about the rent being really high, driving out some stores/restaurants. We do like to eat at BJs.

Maybe high rents are what's driving it but when we last went around August to the comic book store for our younger son, the main mall area had a lot of closed/empty stores and it definitely had a declining feel to it. We ate at Matt's and it was fairly busy but not many others were. I remember when Redmond Town Center first opened and it seemed it would really do well, sort of like a future Santana Row in San Jose, but it didn't keep growing and seems to be shrinking a bit.