The Southerners are moving in! Help with apartment choice! (Lind: 2014, apartments)

[LindseyG2014]

We are finally getting the &*%# out of the South and we are beyond thrilled!!! Now we need help deciding between apartments. We want to live in the middle of everything to start out so we are only looking downtown. We need to stay under $2000/month. We have it narrowed down to the following places:

The Viktoria - beautiful, fancy new apartments in an amazing location but parking is $250! We like that this place is close to the restaurants and bars in Belltown but not exactly in Belltown. Awesome views!

The Martin - basically the same as Viktoria, beautiful and fancy new; awesome views!

The Cobb - a little further away from Belltown and the more affordable restaurants/bars; this area seems to be on the more pretentious side? The building and apartments are beautiful but we may not get the views.

Harbor Steps - excellent location and even though they are remodeled they seem a little old still?

What are everyone's thoughts? Do you have another building suggestion in the area? Any feedback or information would be greatly appreciated!!!

[mkarch]

A lot of people might say that Capitol hill is the middle of everything, whereas downtown is still up and coming. Downtown is actually a newer urban neighborhood than Capitol hill. Even 10 years ago it didn't have a whole lot of amenities for people living there, because relatively few people actually lived there. Just thought I'd point that out in case you get there and wonder why there are so few grocery stores

[LindseyG2014]

Our concern with Capitol Hill is access to a very wide variety of public transportation. I may be getting to work relying solely on public transportation as my husband will need our 1 car and I do NOT want to have seven transfers to get there. I have no idea what area of the city I will find work in so I need to be in the middle of my options. Does Capitol Hill meet that? If so, what specific buildings do you suggest?

[BATCAT]

Originally Posted by LindseyG2014

Our concern with Capitol Hill is access to a very wide variety of public transportation. I may be getting to work relying solely on public transportation as my husband will need our 1 car and I do NOT want to have seven transfers to get there. I have no idea what area of the city I will find work in so I need to be in the middle of my options. Does Capitol Hill meet that? If so, what specific buildings do you suggest?

"Capitol Hill" is a actually a fairly large area. Parts of it are so close to downtown you may as well be downtown, and other parts are more like a 20-30 minute walk to downtown. Almost all of it is relatively close to major transit lines, though, especially anything fairly close to Broadway, Pike, or Pine. (This applies to bus only, but there is soon to be streetcar and light rail that, while limited, will expand your possibilities)

If you have "no idea" where you might be working, then there isn't that much difference between downtown, Capitol Hill, and First Hill. Parts of the latter two are an easy, brief walk to downtown.

It is true that downtown itself is the central transit hub, so if commute time is the number one factor, then I'd live there. Downtown lacks a bit in the "neighborhood" department, though.

[LindseyG2014]

Originally Posted by BATCAT

"Capitol Hill" is a actually a fairly large area. Parts of it are so close to downtown you may as well be downtown, and other parts are more like a 20-30 minute walk to downtown. Almost all of it is relatively close to major transit lines, though, especially anything fairly close to Broadway, Pike, or Pine. (This applies to bus only, but there is soon to be streetcar and light rail that, while limited, will expand your possibilities)

If you have "no idea" where you might be working, then there isn't that much difference between downtown, Capitol Hill, and First Hill. Parts of the latter two are an easy, brief walk to downtown.

It is true that downtown itself is the central transit hub, so if commute time is the number one factor, then I'd live there. Downtown lacks a bit in the "neighborhood" department, though.

Thank you for that info!! Based on that we probably need to stick to downtown at least for the first year so that we are completely open to all options. That may change later though.

Also add 206 Bell to the list of possibilities.

[Kayela]

Sent you a DM with another recommendation.

We are former DT renters who now live in Cap Hill - exactly for that 'neighborhood' feel. However, we had a blast living DT, and it's definitely got a lot of fun things to do. It wasn't something we wanted to do long-term, but we're very glad we did it for awhile.

[LindseyG2014]

Originally Posted by Kayela

Sent you a DM with another recommendation.

We are former DT renters who now live in Cap Hill - exactly for that 'neighborhood' feel. However, we had a blast living DT, and it's definitely got a lot of fun things to do. It wasn't something we wanted to do long-term, but we're very glad we did it for awhile.

Your suggestion (The Olivian) is amazing!! I would love to live there but unfortunately the only 1 bedroom option they have available starts at $2800. The rest of the floorplans are waitlisted! That building has unbelievable amenities though!

Thanks!!

[Kayela]

Your suggestion (The Olivian) is amazing!! I would love to live there but unfortunately the only 1 bedroom option they have available starts at $2800. The rest of the floorplans are waitlisted! That building has unbelievable amenities though!

Oh wow! We actually paid much less (right around your desired price range) for a 1 bdrm + den, and that was only last year. It was near the middle of the building though. They charge through the nose for the upper floors, or certain views... I'll also note that the price they quoted us was several hundred less than the price on their website, so if other places are similar, it doesn't hurt to do some calling and see what they'll take.

[MafHoney]

For me, personally, I wouldn't consider DT to be in the center of it all. It's still very downtown-ish, and parking fees for apartments are insane. We were going to look at Harbor Steps when we moved out here until we realized that parking was about $200 a car, and you are not guaranteed a spot. It's connected with a hotel, so if all the spots are taken from guests and other residents you're outta luck.

Have you looked at Lower Queen Anne? It's still within walking distance to a lot of things, with the added benefit of being walkable to grocery stores (which DT doesn't have), and somewhat cheaper parking. And also good with the public transportation.

And lots of places in CH are on bus lines.. but if you have a car and look in the core of CH, good luck to ya. A lot of places there are older and don't have parking, and street parking is atrocious.

If you still want to stay near DT, have you looked at The Audrey at Belltown, or Ava Belltown? I have a friend who lives at Audrey and really likes it. Ava is right next door and is pretty much brand new.

[LindseyG2014]

Originally Posted by MafHoney

For me, personally, I wouldn't consider DT to be in the center of it all. It's still very downtown-ish, and parking fees for apartments are insane. We were going to look at Harbor Steps when we moved out here until we realized that parking was about $200 a car, and you are not guaranteed a spot. It's connected with a hotel, so if all the spots are taken from guests and other residents you're outta luck.

Have you looked at Lower Queen Anne? It's still within walking distance to a lot of things, with the added benefit of being walkable to grocery stores (which DT doesn't have), and somewhat cheaper parking. And also good with the public transportation.

And lots of places in CH are on bus lines.. but if you have a car and look in the core of CH, good luck to ya. A lot of places there are older and don't have parking, and street parking is atrocious.

If you still want to stay near DT, have you looked at The Audrey at Belltown, or Ava Belltown? I have a friend who lives at Audrey and really likes it. Ava is right next door and is pretty much brand new.

Lower Queen Anne and Capitol Hill may have some bus lines but we want the option of practically every bus line. Again, I have no idea where I will be working and I want to keep my options open but still leave my husband with the car. Belltown will have the same issue but with the added benefit of being loud as %$&@ on the nights and weekends. Downtown just best fits our needs.

We are 100% positive we want to live downtown. Without a doubt. We have done a TON of research and this best fits our needs for the immediate future. And we want to be right downtown and not near it or close to it (ie not Belltown, Capitol Hill, Lower Queen Anne, etc). I really appreciate the opinions on the different areas but they just do not work for us right now. We know the pros and cons and accept them all.

So besides the feedback on living downtown in general, can anyone speak to the specific apartments I listed above? Or any other downtown apartments? Again, thanks for the help!!