Nyc to Seattle part two--now with commute to Bellevue (Kirkland: wood floors, apartments)

[Water 4 the Pool]

Seattle has always been on our short list of possible places to move but we have no sense of what to expect when we get there. I had an offer a few years ago that I declined, but now, a few years on, have a pending job offer there and need advice.

We are interested in living in the city at least to start, but we may not make that long term. However...

1. How about city neighborhoods? We have four kids, ages 7 and under, so schools--public or private--are critical, as are a vibrant restaurant scene and local shopping options so we can walk pretty much everywhere. Walkable neighborhoods are essential.

2. We like city living here in Manhattan and will probably rent to start. What will a budget of $4k get us?

3. What about getting a nanny? My wife heard this can be an issue. She will likely do some freelance work so we will need some childcare help.

4. Commute to Bellevue from the city?

and maybe a weird question...

5. Will my kids feel blue with all or that rain and gloominess? We've been four season people all our lives.

Thanks!

[Gardyloo]

Obviously moving anywhere in the US from Manhattan, you're going to need a different definition of "city living."

The "reverse commute" from Seattle to Bellevue (and nowadays the commute in both directions is pretty big) depends a lot on where in Bellevue and coming from where in Seattle. There are two bridges over Lake Washington: the bigger one (un-tolled I-90) runs from the south CBD in Seattle to a mile or two south of the Bellevue CBD, while the smaller (and being rebuilt) SR 520 - tolled - runs from a mile or two north of the Seattle CBD to a mile or so north of Bellevue's. A big part of the commute time is spent accessing the bridges from both ends - the surface links can be miserable at times.

There are plenty of nice residential neighborhoods in close proximity to either bridge at both ends, and your price point shouldn't raise any barriers.

Both Seattle's and Bellevue's school systems are very good and would not represent a barrier in either case. And, if interested, high quality private options abound in the region.

You might also look at downtown Kirkland, just north of Bellevue. While Kirkland isn't Bellevue's size, its downtown area is very functional and walkable, its proximity to Lake Washington gives it very high amenity, and there's a reasonably diverse selection of housing types, both rental and purchase. A commute from Kirkland to most parts of Bellevue would be quite easy, and probably could be done on surface streets, again, depending on where to where specifically.

I don't think you'll have any huge problems in locating household help.

Will the kids feel blue? Hard to say, you know your kids better than we do. Millions of kids have grown up around here and appear to have thrived. My own went to school here and did graduate school at Columbia and couldn't wait to get out of NYC.

[CrazyDonkey]

The 520 bridge is now tolled, so that portion of the reverse commute is pretty quick.

The closest to Manhattan-style density is Capitol Hill around or west of Broadway Ave E. The top of the Hill is less dense, around or east of 15th Ave. E. A light rail tunnel is being bored under Capitol Hill, so you'll even have a subway (2016, I believe).

However, 4- or 5-bed apartment rentals are very rare in the Seattle area generally, which means you're pretty much limited to houses. Even so, I could only find one on Capitol Hill proper and two in the general area that are roughly in your price range:

Large View Home $4500.00/Month
✸✸✸ WATERFRONT 4 BR/2 BA HOME... Close to Everything

I could only find one south of Capitol Hill, near the I-90 bridge:

VICTORIAN CHARMER

There are more choices north of "the Cut", within fairly easy reach of SR-520:

5 bedroom house in Laurelhurst
House for Rent -University District - Available Now
Rare Great House in U- District Great Location
Wallingford 3000sf home in John Stanford Int'l school geo-zone

Downsize to a 3-bed (doubling up the kids) and you'll have more choices, including apartments:

Capitol Hill - Perfect Townhouse
Euro Style 3br by Anhalt, Wood Floors, Updated Kitchen, Parking

[RJ8089]

Originally Posted by Water 4 the Pool

Seattle has always been on our short list of possible places to move but we have no sense of what to expect when we get there. I had an offer a few years ago that I declined, but now, a few years on, have a pending job offer there and need advice.

We are interested in living in the city at least to start, but we may not make that long term. However...

1. How about city neighborhoods? We have four kids, ages 7 and under, so schools--public or private--are critical, as are a vibrant restaurant scene and local shopping options so we can walk pretty much everywhere. Walkable neighborhoods are essential.

2. We like city living here in Manhattan and will probably rent to start. What will a budget of $4k get us?

3. What about getting a nanny? My wife heard this can be an issue. She will likely do some freelance work so we will need some childcare help.

4. Commute to Bellevue from the city?

and maybe a weird question...

5. Will my kids feel blue with all or that rain and gloominess? We've been four season people all our lives.

Thanks!

Seattle area has 4 seasons also, just more clouds and less snow. A $4K rental budget will get you a lot. Commuting from Seattle to Bellevue will be difficult. Bellevue is a growing city with a large downtown. You'll see by just looking at the skyline and skyscrapers. Traffic headed into that downtown Bellevue is rough now, but not as bad as Seattle.

[Ira500]

If you're willing to consider private schools, the Madrona area might be a good fit. It's less than three miles east of downtown Seattle, with a small downtown area. Kid friendly, great restaurants. Or Madison Park. Sort of the Upper East Side of Seattle. Every neighborhood in Seattle is going to be less dense than the island of Manhattan, just by the virtue of the fact that the population is so much smaller. There are really no comparisons, neighborhood wise. Madison Park would be comparable to the Upper East side only in that it's comfortable, a neighborhood that has been good for a very long time. The in city neighborhoods closest to downtown Seattle are going to be the densest/most urban. And Bellevue, as nice and clean and busy as it is, will be even a bigger change. The Seattle neighborhoods closest to Lake Washington like Madison Park, Leschi, and Madrona, would all be pretty close to I-90, making the commute not so bad.

[Inkpoe]

1. How about city neighborhoods? We have four kids, ages 7 and under, so schools--public or private--are critical, as are a vibrant restaurant scene and local shopping options so we can walk pretty much everywhere. Walkable neighborhoods are essential. If you're open to private schools and can afford it, City Life (or the world)'s your oyster

2. We like city living here in Manhattan and will probably rent to start. What will a budget of $4k get us? A very good amount of options

3. What about getting a nanny? My wife heard this can be an issue. She will likely do some freelance work so we will need some childcare help. Seattle does havenanny agencies around. The only way it would be an issue is cost wise, it can be pretty pricey.

4. Commute to Bellevue from the city? Not odd at all, plenty of folks live in the city and commute out to the suburbs

and maybe a weird question...

5. Will my kids feel blue with all or that rain and gloominess? We've been four season people all our lives.

Always YMMV, but personally kids handle it better than adults. Just be sure to be active and up on your vitamin count.

[ctr88]

If you are coming from Manhattan I think you would like living in Seattle proper more than Bellevue or Kirkland. The Seattle neighborhoods have more of a east coast city feel, where Kirkland & Bellevue are more your newly built type down towns that are more chain oriented and have a different vibe than Seattle.

[ctr88]

Seattle has 4 seasons but they are not quite as dramatic and well defined as the Northeast's 4 seasons. Also winters are much milder here, but they also have more grey skies. The northeast (NYC, Boston, etc..) get a lot more fall and winter sunshine than Seattle.

[vnodak]

Originally Posted by RJ8089

Seattle area has 4 seasons also, just more clouds and less snow. A $4K rental budget will get you a lot. Commuting from Seattle to Bellevue will be difficult. Bellevue is a growing city with a large downtown. You'll see by just looking at the skyline and skyscrapers. Traffic headed into that downtown Bellevue is rough now, but not as bad as Seattle.

It is all relative--yes their are four seasons but they are entirely different than the East coast or midwest. Seattle is wet and gray a good part of the time and so far, no snow. Summers are usually short but very beautiful.

[Gardyloo]

Just browsing Craigslist, came up with this listing - ✸✸✸ WATERFRONT 4 BR/2 BA HOME... Close to Everything - and felt it was worth a comment or two.

As I said above, comparing anywhere in the Seattle metro region with Manhattan is a false start. Even Seattle's "densest" neighborhoods come up way short of Manhattan character. Capitol Hill would barely reach the density levels of some low-key Brooklyn neighborhoods, or parts of Queens, or, hell, parts of Staten Island. Newly developed neighborhoods full of condos and apartments for singles or couples, might reach Manhattan density on a block-to-block basis, but with nothing like the amenities or the character. You're just going to have to change your terms of reference.

What Seattle has in abundance are in-city neighborhoods composed of single-family houses on individual lots, but with good access to commercial, recreational or other services and areas. "Good" means a short drive or bus ride, or in (relatively few cases) a walk.

Take the house above as a case in point. It's located in one of the most desirable neighborhoods in the city, facing the Lake Washington Ship Canal. A three block walk over the Montlake Bridge (a drawbridge) you're at the University of Washington medical center, one of the best hospitals in the US. Across the street from the hospital is Husky Stadium, and next to it a light rail station (opening next year) that will take you to downtown and the airport. A half mile farther north (plenty of bus service along Montlake Blvd.) is the University Village shopping center, an in-city open air mall with high-end shopping as well as numerous restaurants, supermarket, etc. Just south of this house is a little neighborhood commercial area, with a small (and pricey) supermarket, a couple of very fun restaurants, and a real neighborhood feel.

The house is also a couple of blocks from an entrance to SR 520, the toll bridge that goes to Bellevue. While the toll isn't cheap, it's nothing like the tolls on the bridges/tunnels to/from Manhattan, so everything's relative. Or, if your place of employment in Bellevue is convenient to a bus stop, there are umpteen buses leaving from a stop right on SR 520 (a 5-min. walk from this house) straight to Bellevue, with short transit times because they can use HOV lanes.

There's a park at the end of the street from this house that looks out on Portage Bay, with its houseboats and constant water activity. It's one of our favorite parks in the city for picnics. From the house you can walk or ride bikes into the Washington Park arboretum. Near the former site of the Museum of History and Industry (across Montlake Blvd. from this house, a 5 min. walk) are a series of trails leading through the Union Bay wetlands, full of eagles, migrating birds... you can rent canoes from the UW boathouse and explore the waterways through this amazing marsh. In the spring and fall, the arboretum is nothing short of stunning with blooming trees or fall color. It's a bit like the Brooklyn Botanics but without the people - a Japanese garden, hidden paths, bike trails...

The point of all this being, it's not at all like Manhattan, but it has everything Seattle is justifiably famous for - water, views, cozy and convenient neighborhoods, open space, immediate (and I mean immediate) access to recreational opportunities, outstanding transport links... hard to beat IMO.

This listing probably won't last long enough for you, and it might not serve you all that well, all things considered. But these opportunities are out there.