would you live in bothell or redmond? (Bellevue, Sammamish: vs., shops)

[joyinthejourney]

thanks for all the ideas. i did visit woodinville as well and it just personally did not appeal to me. i don't particularly care about having a large lot or a ton of privacy. actually that somewhat creeps me out to be so isolated (watched too many horror movies i guess)

it def looks like bothell is going through a lot of changes. not sure i want to be there in the midst of that. i guess redmond's appeal is that it's suburban yet close enough to bellevue it has a lot of conveniences. but it's still somewhat small town in a nice way. for example today i went to get my passport and i was literally the only one there. no lines, no parking hassles. what a huge difference from LA!

[angelenogirl]

[quote=Seacove;36991394]I hope a bunch of you move to Redmond around that Town Center and reinvigorate it. The last time we were at that mall it looked like it was going through tough times. That was months ago, not years. I don't know why either, it would seem to have everything going for it.[/quote]

I love that mall! I just had a foot massage there that was stupendous.

[Blondebaerde]

I love that mall! I just had a foot massage there that was stupendous.

"Malls" are a dying concept, nationally. The Internet is annihilating that and many other kinds of retail. Bet all your chips on Amazon, not Sears.

RTC has a couple stores I like, and one restaurant I frequented in the 'Naughts but haven't been to in maybe 5 years (Thai Ginger). I assume it's still there. The ice cream place is great once or twice per year, too.

The swanky movie theater is quite the event, good place for date night.

Note the above are "experiences" one cannot purchase online. That may be the only saving grace of places like that in the future: sell a unique theme, not products one can find anywhere. Can't get a foot massage via Amazon Prime, either.

Along those lines, business seems lively at the restaurants behind RTC, but who knows. I'm there a lot of Saturday mornings in the summers, c. 9-11am, for Exotics at RTC (ongoing exotic car event). Mine's more-exotic than some, less than others (chuckle).

Was really hoping they'd move our whole organization there, about a thousand of us, but alas it was not to be. Good chunk of office space in that general area. The Marriott seems to be doing well. Again, though, I'd bet that caters to business experience vs. the typical consumer.

Redmond has always had something of a charm and appeal, for no reason I can pin down either. Lived there 1.5 years during the boom, late 1990s. Looked at some houses there a couple years ago, still nice as-ever if that kind of location is what you're into.

Bothell is alright, and clearly under heavy renovation. I'm curious where all that will land. During commute hours, getting in and out via 405 sucks. Via back roads, maybe less so.

[thatguy950]

Originally Posted by Seacove

I hope a bunch of you move to Redmond around that Town Center and reinvigorate it. The last time we were at that mall it looked like it was going through tough times. That was months ago, not years. I don't know why either, it would seem to have everything going for it.

That's the truth, I was last there on a sunny and warm Saturday afternoon in July and was surprised by how much if felt like an old west ghost town. I remember several years ago that place was PACKED all the time, now for some reason it seems deserted, but it's such a nice place with lots of nice shops and a convenient location I cannot figure it out either.

[rockyinyourradio]

Interesting thread being these are two places along with Edmonds I was looking into if I was ever to relocate out there (unfortunately just a pipe dream now) but you never know what the future holds.

My questions, how are the crime rates in Bothell verses Redmond, which place is overall safer?

Also, what is the rental situation like in both these cities? can you find a decent apartment (well built that is up to code for earthquakes) that is less than about 1200/month? I'm figuring that price for a 2bd/1ba place.

Then there's the job scene.. how many commute from these two places into Seattle for work. That alone could be a deal breaker.

I looked into Woodinville. as much as I love that area, rentals seemed few and real estate prices were through the roof in comparison to other area's near by.

[Ira500]

Originally Posted by rockyinyourradio

Interesting thread being these are two places along with Edmonds I was looking into if I was ever to relocate out there (unfortunately just a pipe dream now) but you never know what the future holds.

My questions, how are the crime rates in Bothell verses Redmond, which place is overall safer?

Also, what is the rental situation like in both these cities? can you find a decent apartment (well built that is up to code for earthquakes) that is less than about 1200/month? I'm figuring that price for a 2bd/1ba place.

Then there's the job scene.. how many commute from these two places into Seattle for work. That alone could be a deal breaker.

I looked into Woodinville. as much as I love that area, rentals seemed few and real estate prices were through the roof in comparison to other area's near by.

The crime rate is lower in Bothell vs Redmond. Rents are a little lower in Bothell. Lots of people commute to Seattle from both places. The express bus from Redmond takes 33 minutes, 39 from Bothell.
Edmonds is way prettier than either.

[GraceKrispy]

I prefer Redmond of the two, for many of the reasons already said. I like the way Redmond is set up better, I like the ease of travel and the proximity to many places I'd like to be. I also like their parks. I find Bothell to be more difficult to navigate and I feel like it takes forever to get anywhere because of the way the roads are set up. So my choice would be Redmond, hands down. I feel like the schools are pretty comparable.

For the record, I love Edmonds, too! It was where I planned to move when I moved back (I lived there before). Wasn't in the cards

[Hemlock140]

Originally Posted by thatguy950

That's the truth, I was last there on a sunny and warm Saturday afternoon in July and was surprised by how much if felt like an old west ghost town. I remember several years ago that place was PACKED all the time, now for some reason it seems deserted, but it's such a nice place with lots of nice shops and a convenient location I cannot figure it out either.

Since they built it, I always thought it was a bad concept for this climate, since you get wet going from one store to another. Shoppers go to the one store they need and then go home, while at Bellevue Square/Lincoln the stores are still thriving, because you can park and shop all day without going outside. Even Crossroads is still doing well. The other problem with Redmond Town Center is the parking. The restaurants (especially BJs) take up all of the parking at that end people new there don't realize there is a parking garage in the middle.

[Ira500]

Originally Posted by Hemlock140

Since they built it, I always thought it was a bad concept for this climate, since you get wet going from one store to another. Shoppers go to the one store they need and then go home, while at Bellevue Square/Lincoln the stores are still thriving, because you can park and shop all day without going outside. Even Crossroads is still doing well. The other problem with Redmond Town Center is the parking. The restaurants (especially BJs) take up all of the parking at that end people new there don't realize there is a parking garage in the middle.

But University Village is the same way, as is the Landing in Renton, where you get wet going from one store to another, and those complexes are doing very well. So maybe it's the parking? All I know is that I met a client at the Redmond Town Center a few months ago, and it was mobbed. So it's not always an abandoned ghost town.

[modc]

Redmond Town Center is really busy on Saturday mornings in the Summer with the farmer's market there. That's a really great farmer's market with a lot of vendors and live music.