DINKS & their dog drawing towards Seattle (Bellevue, Burien: for rent, townhouse)

[CrazyDonkey]

Yeah, the West Seattle Bridge won't be tolled - it'll be the "Viaduct Tunnel" (being dug now by the biggest deep bore tunneling machine in the world). That'll make an-SOV car commute tougher from West Seattle, since the tunnel will have no exits/entrances from/to, functioning as a by-pass through, Downtown, with much of the traffic now being carried by the Viaduct to be routed down First and Fourth. The bet is that more drivers will switch to riding the bus (C-Line RapidRide), and eventually light-rail.

[Scorpion3510]

Originally Posted by CrazyDonkey

Yeah, the West Seattle Bridge won't be tolled - it'll be the "Viaduct Tunnel" (being dug now by the biggest deep bore tunneling machine in the world). That'll make an-SOV car commute tougher from West Seattle, since the tunnel will have no exits/entrances from/to, functioning as a by-pass through, Downtown, with much of the traffic now being carried by the Viaduct to be routed down First and Fourth. The bet is that more drivers will switch to riding the bus (C-Line RapidRide), and eventually light-rail.

Ah perhaps that's what she was talking about. My co-worked is from Mass and said the "big dig" there was a waste of money. Hopefully not the case in Seattle.


Won't 1st and 4th just get clogged? It may sway some people into public transportation but I can't see the majority going that route.

[Scorpion3510]

Originally Posted by Gardyloo

I grew up in LA and discovered when I moved away (to Oregon for college) that the constant stream of California-centric reinforcement I'd received my whole life - every movie and TV show seemed to be set in LA, sports, Hollywood, the beach culture, you name it - was actually the source of feeling a bit disconnected in Oregon. Years later, when I lived in Alaska, Seattle felt like the big "lower 48" city that was emblematic of urban America. Family I have who come from New York City have the same feeling in LA or the Bay Area; British friends find the size of the US to be very disconcerting. It's all relative and has to do with how you perceive things. Of course, standing on a deserted beach in Olympic National Park or on some trail in the Cascades, you really are on the edge of civilization, if only a few miles from settlement.

I'm from the east coast originally and was in the "Megalopolis" region there. Even the move to San Francisco didn't feel as isolating but it did when I lived in Arizona. Like you said though, relative.

Originally Posted by Gardyloo

Two other neighborhoods besides Ravenna/Maple Leaf/Green Lake that you should include for the next time or else do some independent research - Madison Park and Wallingford.

Madison Park is a leafy enclave at the end of Madison Street (where it hits Lake Washington - there used to be a ferry to Kirkland from there.) There are very nice shops, a decent supply of (slightly upscale but not terribly expensive) rental housing, and despite feeling like a bit of a village, it's incredibly convenient to downtown - the buses go right past the big cluster of hospitals on First Hill on their way to downtown. What it looks like - https://goo.gl/maps/b82y9T8SWkB2

Wallingford is just uphill from Fremont, basically between Fremont and Green Lake. 45th Street and Stone Way are the main drags, with gobs of cafes, shops, movies, you name it, but a block or two off those streets and you're in a very pleasant residential district with lots of cool craftsman houses etc. Transportation to downtown or the UW medical complex is super easy, and it's a neighborhood with a very strong identity and personality. What it looks like - https://goo.gl/maps/yByarcXbUWz

My wife sent me some links for places she found in Madison Park that looked really nice. As you can surmise, we are looking for more of a residential neighborhood but that is close to downtown. It seems like a lot of places on the east shore of Lake Washington fit that bill

[Scorpion3510]

Originally Posted by blacknotebooks

Hey Scorpion, looks we were both in the Seattle area scoping out areas to live in - we are also DINKs (no dog yet). The rain on Saturday was pretty nuts huh?

We looked at similar places as you but liked Columbia City best. West Seattle didn't seem as diverse to us but we did go to that ramen spot, which was surprisingly very comparable to places in LA. I liked that CC has a light rail station that we can use for the airport and Capitol Hill as needed.

Yeah even my cousin was saying how she and her husband like Columbia City and would move there if they didn't already have a condo. The locals couldn't say enough good things about that area and how the light rail has really made that area more popular.


Coming from the east coast, that was just a steady to moderate rain. After not seeing anything in California for six month, it was so nice to get rain! During the heaviest part we were hoofing it up Madison from 1st ave downtown. I was loving that whole hike up those very steep hills! My wife...not so much. But we were able to start from 1st ave and hike all the way up Madison to Summit in Capitol Hill.


Seattle definitely is not as diverse as SF but it had it's fair share of pan-Asian culture and Indian sub-continent (especially in Bellevue).


One thing that I will say is that neither my wife nor I felt uncomfortable with our safety there. I work in the Tenderloin/Civic Center of SF and you always have to be on guard in that area. Unless we just missed that area of Seattle (I heard Pioneer Square?) it was overall a great experience.


Seattle isn't Shangri-La and there is some things it lacks but overall both my wife and I liked it quite a bit!

[tobester]

Originally Posted by Scorpion3510

As you can surmise, we are looking for more of a residential neighborhood but that is close to downtown. It seems like a lot of places on the east shore of Lake Washington fit that bill

I'll put in a suggestion for my neighborhood - Seward Park. Residential, diverse, close to the lake, close to an amazing park, close to Columbia City, quick bus ride to Light Rail.

[homesinseattle]

Scorpion, we also have a thriving Ethiopian and Eritrean community, the third biggest in the US. Sweet people, very tasty food and coffee (did you know that coffee was first discovered in Ethiopia?) at one of their many restaurants. The epicenter of those is MLK and Cherry but certainly present in Columbia City/Mount Baker area too.

[CrazyDonkey]

Originally Posted by Scorpion3510

Ah perhaps that's what she was talking about. My co-worked is from Mass and said the "big dig" there was a waste of money. Hopefully not the case in Seattle.

Won't 1st and 4th just get clogged? It may sway some people into public transportation but I can't see the majority going that route.

They're already clogged. Wherever you choose to live, I wouldn't recommend driving to work to or through Downtown, unless working a non-a.m. shift. You shouldn't assume that you can continue a car-centric life-style here. In 2014, only 31.2% of commuters to Downtown drove alone - it is undoubtedly even less now.

http://commuteseattle.com/wp-content...eport-2-23.pdf

https://seattletransitblog.com/2013/...alk-bike-ride/

[Scorpion3510]

Originally Posted by homesinseattle

Scorpion, we also have a thriving Ethiopian and Eritrean community, the third biggest in the US. Sweet people, very tasty food and coffee (did you know that coffee was first discovered in Ethiopia?) at one of their many restaurants. The epicenter of those is MLK and Cherry but certainly present in Columbia City/Mount Baker area too.

I'm from DC originally and there is an enormous Ethiopian/Eritrean community there. However, I haven't had a chance to try their food. I've heard mixed reviews on it as not everyone is on board with that spongy bread they have. I have to try it myself though!

[Scorpion3510]

Originally Posted by CrazyDonkey

They're already clogged. Wherever you choose to live, I wouldn't recommend driving to work to or through Downtown, unless working a non-a.m. shift. You shouldn't assume that you can continue a car-centric life-style here.

Both my wife and I plan on taking public transportation for work but using a car for running errands, exploring, ect. I think it's probably on par with the Bay Area as far as using one's car. I have no desire for a car free life style. I just enjoy driving (still love a manual transmission) for the sake of driving and to explore.


That being said, we both will utilize public transportation for work as I don't want to deal with driving for commuting purposes. Plus the costs of parking downtown and that my work provides a stipend for using public transport helps.

[CrazyDonkey]

They've got bus-only lanes most of the way for the RapidRide lines. To go to Swedish, Virginia Mason, or Harborview, you'll need to walk up a hill or catch a second bus.