Where (and how) should I land in Seattle? (apartments, rent)

[allforcats]

I third the suggestion about West Seattle, an area I absolutely love, especially the Alki and Admiral District areas. But the OP seemed all hot to be "downtown", whatever that means, and West Seattle is like its own small town, definitely not downtown. Alki and Admiral District are a 15-20 minute bus ride from downtown if there is no slowdown on the West Seattle Bridge.

Yes the 3rd & Pike grocery story is convenient in downtown. And small, not at all like a supermarket, limited in items, brands and choices, and quite expensive. There are a couple of health food stores also in the middle of downtown, equally small, limited and expensive. Gotta pay for that real estate somehow! I love Whole Foods where I never shop and often wonder who can afford to pay their prices.

[LordBalfor]

Chicago.to.Seattle -

Here, take a look at this:

SNOQUALMIE PASS, WASHINGTON - Climate Summary

It shows the average temps each month at Snoqualmie Pass. As you can see, summer time is - well, summer time, even up there. Anytime starting in October though it CAN (and DOES) snow, but prior to that you should pretty safe. Keep in mind that at just over 3,000 feet Snowqualmie Pass is not really that high and thus the best of the mountain passes to generally take (not to mention the fact that there's a freeway through it). IF you do decide to come later in the year, and the weather is poor, coming through the Columbia Gorge (on I-84) into Portland then north on I-5 keeps you at even lower elevation and is nearly always open.

Ken

[pw72]

On the mountain subject, keep in mind there are other ranges to pass over besides The Cascades. On I-90, Northern Idaho and Western Montana are mountainous, on I-84 you will run into mountains in Oregon, and depending on your route, I-80 in Wyoming/Utah as well.

The truth is even during the winter the mountains interstates are usually clear of snow, except of course, if you catch a storm.

[texastrigirl]

I would also vote for Queen Anne or West Seattle!! Good luck!

[Elizabeth2009]

Hi, I live in Ballard and I LOVE it!! It is safe, close to downtown (15 min with no traffic and 30 with traffic) and lots of restaurants and small boutique along old ballard street plus some housing and condos are still affordable and not dense like queen anne or capital hill. It is really close to the beach (golden garden) and lots of parks nearby too. Public transportation is so convenient as well.

[scarlet_letterman]

Oh hey guys, and I hope I dont get penalized for this, but I just wanted to mention the place Im at now on Alki (google 63rd and Admiral) is up for rent as of last week. Its perfect for young people. *Mods, plz dont gimme the b& for mentioning this ITT*
DM me for more info if you're interested.

[chicago.to.seattle]

Thank you all so much for your help!! Your posts have given me a lot to think about, and are help shaping where I'll look to live for certain. ^_^

Growing up in a small town before Chicago, I desperately want to avoid anything quiet or like a small town vibe. I love the community, but it sounds like more in a Fremont/Ballard/Etc type of way. A more artists/boutiques/cafes sort of vibe I suppose? Not that I'm a big boutique person, I just gravitate towards areas they are usually popping up in so I mention that.

So from what I can tell, the places I am reading about which I'd probably like most are Fremont, Ballard, Belltown, and maybe Queen Anne. And probably in that order. I mention downtown a lot, as I've always wanted to live in a high rise, especially if I could afford to see the water. Yeah, cheesy....with a doorman, elevator, and all that jazz. I guess I blame Mad About You and Fraiser while growing up?

I'll ask just for kicks, is there anythign like that in any of the names I mentioned above? It sounds like downtown would indeed be a bit too steril if it's all business/corp. When I was one of those pesky tourists in 2004, it was a lot of fun having all the street musicians playing everywhere and Pike Place Market...but I guess my memories might be exaggerating/romantizing that up a bit.

[allforcats]

High rise downtown? Water view? Doorman? This is not midtown Manhattan, so there are no doormen. For all the rest, I'd recommend planning on $2,500-$3,000 or more rent per month. Plus, of course, monthly charge of a couple of hundred $ or more for parking for your vehicle. So you might want to get more practical about downtown Seattle.

As far as elevators are concerned, generally buildings of at least 3, sometimes 4, floors in the industrialized world have elevators, so you'll get that.

I do not recommend Belltown if you are a woman and young and alone. There is a drug treatment center there and the patients wander around Belltown day and night. Belltown is just at the edge of downtown, and there's no place to do any shopping including groceries.

Queen Anne. Fremont. Ballard. Capitol Hill. First Hill. All those neighborhoods have loads of high-rise to quite-high-rise apartment buildings with the possibility of various views and with resources such as supermarkets, cafes, drug stores, banks, book stores, gyms, trails, etc.

Street musicians are cute, but they play at only a few times of the year, and they certainly wouldn't make up for all the time you'd have to spend schlepping to a real neighborhood for real stores, and then schlepping home the things you buy. I strongly recommend that you consider practicalities blended with imagination.

[spacecadet610]

what about harbor steps? a block from pike place market. close to the retail stores downtown. how would living here compare to the other areas mentioned? you can buy groceries at pike place, plenty of coffee places around,.. you can get a place at harbor steps for $1000-$1500 with a view of the water. i'm also a young person that will be moving to seattle this summer. i was all set on harbor steps until this thread gave me some doubts.

[Heiwos]

I share allforcats' sentiment about downtown. Simply not worth it. The other neighborhoods mentioned mostly have what chicago.to.seattle wants, not downtown. I did have doormen at my place on Queen Anne; those were the days!

A buddy of mine lived near Pike Market. He high-tailed it out of there when someone was murdered below his bedroom window. He'll not forget the screaming before the person died. He didn't know when he moved in that the alley his bedroom faced is crack central. It looks innocent by day. Night is another story.