Commute from downtown Seattle to Tacoma? (Federal Way, Spanaway: apartment, rentals, condos)

[Bundy5490]

Hi! I am a captain in the Air Force and just found out I am getting transfered to work just south of Tacoma. I am 26 and single and want to live in downtown Seattle and know nothing about the area. What would my commute be like from downtown Seattle to just south of Tacoma (I-5 straight shot)?

Does anyone know of some of the trendier areas of downtown Seattle? I want to be right in the heart of everything....great food, art, parks, bars, clubs....where there are a lot of young professionals. Do areas like that exist up there? Like I said i know nothing about Seattle so any information you have is great.

I am so excited and can't wait to hear what ya'll have to say!

Thanks - Bundy

[Patron of Wrath]

Google maps lists the drive from Seattle to McChord AFB as 41.5 mi – about 45 mins (up to 1 hour 20 mins in traffic). Hence you would be spending nearly 3 hours every day commuting.

[Bundy5490]

Patron of Wrath,

I am not going to be working at McChord, I am going to be working at Ft Lewis, and I do know how to use google maps and figure out distaces...what I do know is what the traffic is like between Seattle and Tacoma during the average work week....which is why I posted the question as to what the commute would be like.

Does anyone know what the traffic is like (and thus the length of commute) between Seattle and Tacoma during the average work week?

[liz722]

from what i can remember going from seattle to tacoma at those commute times weren't as bad as going in the opposite direction. With no traffic from downtown to downtown took about 45 minutes. we lived in belltown for 7 years and will be moving back to belltown for the reasons you mentioned (you'll get all kinds of opinions though)...loved being in the middle of everything, able to walk to bars/restaurants/pike place market/shows/sporting events (back when seattle had a basketball team)/gym was right around the corner...yes you will hear a lot about homeless, addicts, ect. but it's not as bad as some make it out to be plus that's just part of city living. belltown can be a little obnoxious on friday and saturday nights with everyone pouring into the area but it's still a lot of fun...i was checking into apt prices for rentals and for 2 bedrooms the range is from 1300 to lots more depending on what you want to spend. check out craigslist and just keep looking because there are some good deals with the glut of new condo developments...good luck!!!

i forgot...the waterfront is about a five minute walk from where we were living so you can run along the water into myrtle edwards park where the seattle art museum sculpture park is and all other parks are a short drive away

[nfdsouza2001]

I worked in the Belltown neighborhood around the Pike place market for about 3 years. I drove from Seattle to Tacoma to pick up my daughter from school during rush hour. The reverse commute is not that bad just keep a few altenates in mind to travel. The traffic does change erratically and when it rains. Housing around the 2nd ave condos are nice and close to everything. They are affordable. Go through a respected property management company to rent your apartment. Recently Craigs list has had a few scams going on. Hope this info helps and welcome to Seattle

[jenlion]

I've been from Tacoma to Seattle at rush hour only twice, and both times it was awful (stop-and-go, mostly stop) in both directions. One of those times it we because there were about a dozen flashing police cars in the median with the cops in the classic arms-straight-out guns-drawn squat, though, so perhaps that's not representative.

It does sound to me like you're looking for Belltown. There was one night I walked from Pioneer Square during an art walk, up the waterfront, through Belltown (bars and clubs), and back again. I'm sure there are good alternatives, but I think that's a safe place to start.

You could always rent your apt, and if the commute stinks, move. Being military and single, I'm betting that's not too hard to do. I'm betting that you'd regret NOT trying out heart-of-Seattle more than you'd regret trying it and finding it doesn't work.

[cabocurtis]

I have been doing weekly commutes by Mchord to play golf at Lake Spanaway. In my experience the commute is a piece of cake in the AM. You are going against the commute. You could be there in 40 minutes or less. Northbound its also against the commute but gets clustered up around south seattle on I5 sometimes so plan for an hour or less. A closer and cheaper alternative is you could rent a condo downtown tacoma or ruston and have all kinds of restaurants and bars to hit and bus or drive up to Seattle on the weekends.

[Seattleite61]

Well Ft Lewis is even farther away from downtown that McChord. What hours will you be working? That will make a difference in commuting time. Just an FYI - we lived in Federal Way which is about 30 miles from Ft Lewis and 20 or so from Seattle. In the afternoons, it would take my husband anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour and a half to get from Ft Lewis just to Federal way, depending on traffic. With any traffic, you could easily spend 2+ hours getting home in the evening. The mornings were not bad at all - 30 minutes from Federal Way to Ft Lewis...

[gussieishere]

What would the Seattle-Tacoma commute be like? Friggin' long, unless you're going in the off hours -- midnight's a pretty good time to travel that route! I had a roommate who commuted the route; used to take him 2 hours to travel 30 miles.

[jbol]

I live in Renton and commute to Lakewood, just south of Tacoma. It takes me 40 minutes south and about 45 minutes going north. But that is leaving at 3:30 everyday so I do beat the rush a bit in the northward direction and am merging from and to 405 might make a difference.