Looking for opinions on commuting from Greenlake or Beacon Hill to downtown Seattle and downtown Bellevue (neighborhoods)

[skb123]

So my wife and I are moving to Seattle, with jobs lined up; mine will be in downtown Seattle, hers will be in downtown Bellevue. We want to live somewhere in Seattle proper that offers reasonable commutes to both downtowns, but we want to live away from downtown itself and the denser neighborhoods around it. Ideally we'd like reasonable commutes via mass transit to both downtowns as well... figure this will be more difficult for my wife, she may end up driving to Bellevue. We'll keep at least one car for general-purpose use and occasional commuting use.

So far we've been focusing on Greenlake and Beacon Hill. Beacon Hill looks great for commuting to downtown Seattle via transit due to the light rail, ok to Bellevue (~ 45 min by bus). Greenlake looks somewhat lengthier commute-wise, but the overall area seems prettier and more interesting.

I'd love to get y'alls thoughts and experience on those neighborhoods, those commutes, and other areas that might work.

[sean98125]

If you can find a decent place, Beacon Hill is a good choice from a commuting perspective. I-90 is an easier commute to downtown Bellevue than 520 most of the time. If you have kids or ever plan on having kids you are better off living in Bellevue, though - the Seattle schools can be pretty dismal if you are in the wrong neighborhood.