How would you describe Bellevue?

[knicksin8]

How long would the morning commute be leaving from Bellevue at 7 a.m. to Federal Way and the return commute leaving from
Federal Way at 445pm respectively take?

[RotseCherut]

Originally Posted by Ira500

Unless you drive a BMW, Audi, or Mercedes, you might feel out of place in downtown Bellevue.

Ira, you're a man of wisdom, but I am calling BS on this part of your post.. Actually, only a minority of the cars in downtown Bellevue are BMWs, Audis or Mercedes.. Many more are Hondas, Toyotas, Hyundais, Fords, Volkswagons, etc.. Yeah, you will not find a lot of old junkers around, but you can certainly fit in with an average car. Even though many try to pass Bellevue off like it is the Beverly Hills of the Puget Sound, it certainly is not that.. Actually, there are many middle class and average people in Bellevue, especially with all the IT workers who have been moving to the area who are just making ends meet. With all the new condos and apartment complexes in Bellevue, there is actually a larger number of middle-class people moving in, as opposed to the wealthier elite who live in the upscale housing in the subdivisions of the city. Believe it or not, I am surprised at how few luxury cars I saw in Bellevue as compared to being in nice areas in Los Angeles or the Bay area. Even in Bellevue, people don't show off the luxuries as much as they do in California.

Thanks to a very frugal Asian population, I have found that Bellevue actually offers more affordable and higher quality eating options than you would find in Seattle. A combination of Asian frugality with Scandinavian modesty also helps temperate the outward luxury and expenses people display in Bellevue or Kirkland.

[Hemlock140]

I had a business in Bellevue from 1992-2007, and I found it to have a diverse range in income levels. While crime is much less than Seattle, I had an attempted robbery, and a break-in, and had to call the police several times about a homeless person with mental issues causing problems in the Lake Bellevue area. There are very rich people living in Meydenbauer & Beaux Arts, upper middle class people in several areas like Newport, many basic middle class people, but also working class residents struggling to make ends meet. There is nothing that you could call ghetto or sketchy by any means, but it's definitely not all rich people there. I did a lot of work for many of the car dealers, and the success of the many luxury car dealerships is not all from local residents.

[krieger00]

It sure is nice to walk around down town Bellevue and not be ask for change ever 10 seconds like in Seattle.