One working downtown, one in Kirkland - where to live? (Seattle: house, neighborhood)

[MaybeWA2011]

We are considering moving to Seattle - both of us are professionals. I would be working downtown (South Lake Union) and spouse would be working in Kirkland. Neither of us want a long commute (hoping for less than 30 min), but it seems unavoidable for at least one of us since we have a toddler and want a safe, family friendly neighborhood first and foremost.

We like Kirkland, but it seems that my commute to SLU would be terrible. I would be willing to drive and to go in early to avoid bad traffic, but is it possible to park downtown for less than, say, $10 a day? Alternatively, spouse could drive to Kirkland, and parking would not be an issue, but where could we live on the Seattle side that would be safe and family friendly? Or should we split the difference and look for a place in Mercer Island or Bellevue? Any thoughts would be appreciated!

[Xanathos]

Medina.

Barring that, Mercer Island/Newcastle. With the former, the trip into Seattle would be palatable, but the trip into Kirkland would probably push 30 minutes. WIth the latter, you'd both share in the pain to a degree, and would both probably take 25 minutes.

[Hemlock140]

Medina would be a good compromise if you are prepared to pay over a million for a home. I would not suggest Mercer Island or Newcastle, as it would involve a long surface street commute through Bellevue or the 405 commute which is awful. I'd suggest Bothell, Woodinville or Lynwood, all would be a fairly easy short commute to both places. And there is no parking in Seattle for $10/day unless you catch an "Early Bird Special."

[SitoUK]

Originally Posted by MaybeWA2011

, but is it possible to park downtown for less than, say, $10 a day?

If you work in SLU chances are you work for Amazon and you'll get subsidized parking which, I think, leaves you at 40 bucks out of pocket per month...other employers probably have similar schemes...

I think most of the lots in SLU are 200 per month, so if you don't get a subsidy it still works out at roughly 10 per day (disclaimer: I don't know about the daily rates, only know the monthly ones from my driving colleagues)

[Ira500]

Absolutely, Mercer Island and Medina would be pleasant places to live with acceptable commutes. But they're also places with some of the very highest housing costs around here. Bill Gates lives in Medina, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen lives on Mercer Island.
Where could you live on the Seattle side that would be safe and family friendly? Places like Laurelhurst, Ravenna, Wedgwood, Bryant within Seattle, and Lake Forest Park just north of the Seattle city limits.
A plus of Lake Forest Park is the #309 bus, which goes to the South Lake Union area, about a 30 minute bus ride.

[MaybeWA2011]

Thanks for the responses, everyone! Yes, I would be working at Amazon - I did not know about the subsidized parking, but that's a huge help. Another big factor in favor of Kirkland for us is walkability - we would love to be able to walk to shops, restaurants and parks on weekends, instead of driving. I think that means Mercer Island is out, unless there is a walkable part of it that we just didn't see when we visited. Do Bothell, Lake Forest, Kenmore, and other places around there have walkable downtown areas? And where should we consider in Bellevue that would be walkable, besides downtown Bellevue, which seems a tad crowded and urban for us?

[Ira500]

Originally Posted by MaybeWA2011

Thanks for the responses, everyone! Yes, I would be working at Amazon - I did not know about the subsidized parking, but that's a huge help. Another big factor in favor of Kirkland for us is walkability - we would love to be able to walk to shops, restaurants and parks on weekends, instead of driving. I think that means Mercer Island is out, unless there is a walkable part of it that we just didn't see when we visited. Do Bothell, Lake Forest, Kenmore, and other places around there have walkable downtown areas? And where should we consider in Bellevue that would be walkable, besides downtown Bellevue, which seems a tad crowded and urban for us?

Bothell has a walkable downtown area, an older downtown that's kind of cool. Kenmore does not, Lake Forest Park has no real downtown, but has an interesting mall that functions as a town center, with free entertainment, free meeting space, chess boards available to play with, and independent eateries.

[SitoUK]

Originally Posted by MaybeWA2011

Thanks for the responses, everyone! Yes, I would be working at Amazon - I did not know about the subsidized parking, but that's a huge help. Another big factor in favor of Kirkland for us is walkability - we would love to be able to walk to shops, restaurants and parks on weekends, instead of driving. I think that means Mercer Island is out, unless there is a walkable part of it that we just didn't see when we visited. Do Bothell, Lake Forest, Kenmore, and other places around there have walkable downtown areas? And where should we consider in Bellevue that would be walkable, besides downtown Bellevue, which seems a tad crowded and urban for us?

Ok, just to clarify: When you first get there you'll probably have to get on a waiting list for an Amazon sponsored spot. Until you get one you'll have to find your own parking and expense it. But probably best to confirm details with someone at HR.

[Xanathos]

Originally Posted by Hemlock140

Medina would be a good compromise if you are prepared to pay over a million for a home. I would not suggest Mercer Island or Newcastle, as it would involve a long surface street commute through Bellevue or the 405 commute which is awful. I'd suggest Bothell, Woodinville or Lynwood, all would be a fairly easy short commute to both places. And there is no parking in Seattle for $10/day unless you catch an "Early Bird Special."

Lynnwood to Bellevue is an hour commute. Take off 5 minutes for Kirkland's closer geography, and you've still got a miserable drive. And don't even get me started on the I-5 Southbound trip each morning, or the Northbound each day.

Bothell would be a horrible drive for the person going to Amazon (sorry, "South Lake Union"), Woodinville even worse. And with both of these options, you will be relegated to life on the tolled 520 (same with Medina), so be prepared to fork over another couple grand a year just to get to work.

With Newcastle, there are homes right off the exit. You're talking a 3-4 minute drive in a good location to get on 405 which, yes, is a royal pain in the ass once you're on it, but only about a 6-7 minute commute to the 90 interchange, and relatively few slowdowns from there due to reverse commute phenomena. Mercer Island is a 9 minute drive to downtown unless you're waaaay off the main roads, and less than 30 to Kirkland even in the worst of gridlock. Most of Bellevue's "non-crowded" locations take a while to get from home to highway. I used to have a house on the Bellevue/Redmond border on Lake Sammamish, and it was like a 12 minute drive just to get to 90, which was a real downer.

[Inkpoe]

Originally Posted by Xanathos

Bothell would be a horrible drive for the person going to Amazon (sorry, "South Lake Union"), Woodinville even worse. And with both of these options, you will be relegated to life on the tolled 520 (same with Medina), so be prepared to fork over another couple grand a year just to get to work.

No... The driver from Bothell wouldn't use 520 to get to Seattle DT. They use rt. 522 which would be faster since it bypasses 405 traffic. Not that it makes it any easier, but they won't necessarily be forking over the toll money.