Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My fiance and I are moving from Philadelphia to Seattle this summer. I begin a PM role at Amazon August 1st.
I'm trying to find a decent neighborhood without getting price gouged. We want something walkable, like to eat and drink, and I don't want to worry if she walks the dog at night. I'd also like to keep my commute to SLU to less than 20 minutes if possible.
I've heard good things about East Lake, Capital Hill, and Ballard. Any other neighborhood or apartment complex recommendations? We live in an awesome neighborhood that not many know about in Philly and I'm trying to replicate that experience in Seattle. What's the neighborhood that will be popular, but isn't yet?
My fiance and I are moving from Philadelphia to Seattle this summer. I begin a PM role at Amazon August 1st.
I'm trying to find a decent neighborhood without getting price gouged. We want something walkable, like to eat and drink, and I don't want to worry if she walks the dog at night. I'd also like to keep my commute to SLU to less than 20 minutes if possible.
I've heard good things about East Lake, Capital Hill, and Ballard. Any other neighborhood or apartment complex recommendations? We live in an awesome neighborhood that not many know about in Philly and I'm trying to replicate that experience in Seattle. What's the neighborhood that will be popular, but isn't yet?
Thanks!
If you are insistent on being at Amazon in 20 minutes or less, then you are basically confined to the same neighborhoods that every other Amazonian is fighting to get into ... Queen Anne, Eastlake, SLU, Capitol Hill, and Downtown. That's it.
If your commute tolerance goes up, then you can consider other neighborhoods or even other cities. Ballard to SLU is about 40-45 minutes by bus (the traffic here is that bad). Northgate to SLU is fairly quick, but you're still looking at 30+ minutes with a bus-and-walk-to-Amazon commute. Shoreline has some lovely parts, but expect a commute of about 45 minutes or so.
If you are willing to tolerate a longer commute, you'll have more options. Otherwise, what can I say? There IS NO undiscovered neighborhood nearby SLU; you're 8 years too late for that, man. And if you're expecting such a short commute and wanting a lower price, your best bet will be to get here and hit the pavement and see if you can get a better price. I'll warn you, though: one-bedrooms in that area are about $1500/mo and I don't know one person (long-timer or newbie) who is paying less than $1200/mo for a 1 bedroom in that area.
Good luck!
Last edited by amaiunmei; 12-31-2015 at 12:05 AM..
Reason: clarity
You really want to be in Ballard, Freemont, or Greenlake, but as others have said that will be about 30 mins on the bus. There are certainly places closer in but they're MUCH more expensive and won't be like Philly at all.
Expense wise, Ballard (more specifically not "old Ballard" but Crown Hill or Loyal Heights - places 15-20 blocks north of "old Ballard") would be good to you. If you keep normal-ish (9-5) work hours, the express buses will get you to Amazon with no trouble. And you'll save $500 a month in rent.
If you are insistent on being at Amazon in 20 minutes or less, then you are basically confined to the same neighborhoods that every other Amazonian is fighting to get into ... Queen Anne, Eastlake, SLU, Capitol Hill, and Downtown. That's it.
If your commute tolerance goes up, then you can consider other neighborhoods or even other cities. Ballard to SLU is about 40-45 minutes by bus (the traffic here is that bad). Northgate to SLU is fairly quick, but you're still looking at 30+ minutes with a bus-and-walk-to-Amazon commute. Shoreline has some lovely parts, but expect a commute of about 45 minutes or so.
If you are willing to tolerate a longer commute, you'll have more options. Otherwise, what can I say? There IS NO undiscovered neighborhood nearby SLU; you're 8 years too late for that, man. And if you're expecting such a short commute and wanting a lower price, your best bet will be to get here and hit the pavement and see if you can get a better price. I'll warn you, though: one-bedrooms in that area are about $1500/mo and I don't know one person (long-timer or newbie) who is paying less than $1200/mo for a 1 bedroom in that area.
Good luck!
Thanks for the thoughtful reply amaiunmei. This is exactly what I've been struggling with during my diligence- Commute to Amazon v. Price has a direct correlation.
If you haven't heard, my hours will be quite long. Minimizing the commute is worth quite a bit to my fiance and I. Let's make an assumption that we can go up to ~ $2,500/mo in rent. Which neighborhood do you think you'd recommend then?
SLU seemed corporate-y but nightlife seems to be building rapidly.
Capitol Hill reminded me of the neighborhood I lived in right after college; I had a few bucks to spend, and seeing people vomit at night didn't bother me that much lol (past tense).
We didn't stop by Queen Anne during out visit, but I've heard good thing about "Lower Queen Anne."
East Lake looks beautiful, but how's that commute? It also means being CLOSE, but not CLOSE ENOUGH to campus to walk (i.e. build in the price of a car to the rent).
We also wandered some of Downtown (Belltown specifically). It was awesome, and likely where I'd move if I were single. I couldn't imagine the fiance walking the dog at night though. It was like 11AM and there were still dope fiends in the bus stops. Was I just in the wrong place?
Thanks for your input. I'll have to buy you a beer come July
P.S. What does parking typically run at a complex? I think it's $220 on Amazon's campus but it's subsidized.
Quote:
Originally Posted by homesinseattle
Greenwood, trust me.
GMaps says 15 min by car, but I'm going out on a limb and assuming this is closer to 45 min during rush hour? I'll definitely check out the area though.
Quote:
Originally Posted by eightbitguy
You really want to be in Ballard, Freemont, or Greenlake, but as others have said that will be about 30 mins on the bus. There are certainly places closer in but they're MUCH more expensive and won't be like Philly at all.
Expense wise, Ballard (more specifically not "old Ballard" but Crown Hill or Loyal Heights - places 15-20 blocks north of "old Ballard") would be good to you. If you keep normal-ish (9-5) work hours, the express buses will get you to Amazon with no trouble. And you'll save $500 a month in rent.
Could you tell me more about the Express buses? My hours will likely be closer to 9AM - 7PM.
Thanks for the thoughtful reply amaiunmei. This is exactly what I've been struggling with during my diligence- Commute to Amazon v. Price has a direct correlation.
If you haven't heard, my hours will be quite long. Minimizing the commute is worth quite a bit to my fiance and I. Let's make an assumption that we can go up to ~ $2,500/mo in rent. Which neighborhood do you think you'd recommend then?
SLU seemed corporate-y but nightlife seems to be building rapidly.
Capitol Hill reminded me of the neighborhood I lived in right after college; I had a few bucks to spend, and seeing people vomit at night didn't bother me that much lol (past tense).
We didn't stop by Queen Anne during out visit, but I've heard good thing about "Lower Queen Anne."
East Lake looks beautiful, but how's that commute? It also means being CLOSE, but not CLOSE ENOUGH to campus to walk (i.e. build in the price of a car to the rent).
We also wandered some of Downtown (Belltown specifically). It was awesome, and likely where I'd move if I were single. I couldn't imagine the fiance walking the dog at night though. It was like 11AM and there were still dope fiends in the bus stops. Was I just in the wrong place?
Thanks for your input. I'll have to buy you a beer come July
P.S. What does parking typically run at a complex? I think it's $220 on Amazon's campus but it's subsidized.
GMaps says 15 min by car, but I'm going out on a limb and assuming this is closer to 45 min during rush hour? I'll definitely check out the area though.
The issue isn't money, the issue is time. Google "Mercer mess" sometime; it is referencing a traffic bottleneck that has been in the area for quite some time (even before Amazon moved to SLU) and represents the biggest threat to your commute by car and/or bus. There's no way around the volume of traffic that tries to get in and out of that area. That accounts quite a bit of the waiting that happens when in your car.
That's why -- ultimately -- your decision to be close to work is probably the best instinct in this situation.
Eastlake is definitely walkable to Amazon; it's maybe a mile or two away and that's a pretty flat walk the whole way. Not to mention the gorgeous view ... the downsides to Eastlake are the lack of a comprehensive grocery store (you will need to go to Whole Foods in downtown or QFC in Queen Anne or up to University District for a proper grocery store) and parking is a beast.
Note that Queen Anne is one large hill, so people refer to Queen Anne in two parts ... there is Queen Anne (sometimes called Upper Queen Anne) which usually refers to the top of the hill and goes back towards Fremont. Lower Queen Anne is referencing specifically the area around Seattle Center at the bottom of the hill, adjacent to Belltown. If you have a car and have never parked on a hill before (don't laugh, I haven't done so either), then LQA makes a lovely choice. LQA gets more residential as you get closer to 15th Ave W and more commercial as you get closer to Seattle Center (where the Space Needle and all that jazz is).
Parking tends to start at $200/mo and heads quickly upwards in the areas you are looking at, so Amazon's offer looks like a good one and you may want to consider it strongly.
As far as Seattle neighborhoods go, I actually really like SLU. The neighborhood may not be organically grown in place, but it really sparkles. It might be one of my favorite districts in the city.
If I were renting, and working long hours there I'd definitely live there also. If you want what razzle dazzle passes for night life in Seattle, it's close enough to walk but not so close you trip on junkies and drunks passed out in their own waste. There also seem to be fewer aggressive asocials to harass passers-by.
I do work in South Lake Union neighborhood (neither long hours nor for Amazon). However I chose to buy a home on North Beacon Hill which I'm not sure I would recommend. The daily commute on bike is ok, but several of my colleagues have been hit by motorists while cycling to work. Almost every day I have a close miss. Not looking forward to my own first unfortunate close encounter with a motor vehicle.
I really doubt you'd regret living close enough to work to walk. Those hours each day and that stress adds up. I see how it ages and wears people out. Sure that might not be your first choice of "neighborhood" but you'll probably be too tired most evenings to do any discovering. On days after work that you do have energy, you can explore the city and the region and you won't have wasted it commuting home. You might also enjoy being in a transient neighborhood where crusty old cliques of people with "established" roots keep newcomers at bay. It's not too late for you to be a pioneer in something new there.
Could you tell me more about the Express buses? My hours will likely be closer to 9AM - 7PM.
I actually drive to Factoria on the east side, but like any other city there are buses and then there are also express buses. The differences are that express buses have less stops and take more direct routes, and they typically run from 7am to 7pm-ish, for commuters. You can pull the bus schedule to see where they do in relation to where you want to be.
Look at the west side of Queen Anne, between 10th and 14th Ave W, between Galer and Dravus. You'll be able to find parking on the street, and will be within 25-30 minutes of SLU by car, as long as you're not commuting at the peak of the rush (which I assume you won't be at least half the time, based on your "long hours" comment). You're within easy reach of Lower QA, Upper Queen Anne, and Ballard, with abundant shopping, dining, imbibing, and entertainment opportunities. Rents will be a bit lower. The wife will be quite safe walking the dog, at any hour. You will get some noise from the Interbay railyards, but it was always more music than noise to my ears when I lived there (for 13 years), but the rents will also be a bit lower.
The issue isn't money, the issue is time. Google "Mercer mess" sometime; it is referencing a traffic bottleneck that has been in the area for quite some time (even before Amazon moved to SLU) and represents the biggest threat to your commute by car and/or bus. There's no way around the volume of traffic that tries to get in and out of that area. That accounts quite a bit of the waiting that happens when in your car.
That's why -- ultimately -- your decision to be close to work is probably the best instinct in this situation.
Eastlake is definitely walkable to Amazon; it's maybe a mile or two away and that's a pretty flat walk the whole way. Not to mention the gorgeous view ... the downsides to Eastlake are the lack of a comprehensive grocery store (you will need to go to Whole Foods in downtown or QFC in Queen Anne or up to University District for a proper grocery store) and parking is a beast.
Note that Queen Anne is one large hill, so people refer to Queen Anne in two parts ... there is Queen Anne (sometimes called Upper Queen Anne) which usually refers to the top of the hill and goes back towards Fremont. Lower Queen Anne is referencing specifically the area around Seattle Center at the bottom of the hill, adjacent to Belltown. If you have a car and have never parked on a hill before (don't laugh, I haven't done so either), then LQA makes a lovely choice. LQA gets more residential as you get closer to 15th Ave W and more commercial as you get closer to Seattle Center (where the Space Needle and all that jazz is).
Parking tends to start at $200/mo and heads quickly upwards in the areas you are looking at, so Amazon's offer looks like a good one and you may want to consider it strongly.
Mercer mess is nothing new. It's been around since 1950. Seattle declared Jihad on urban freeways in the '70s though, so it's still a problem today. You can always bike from Ballard which is faster than driving or using the bus. It's an easy bike commute.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
