Is commuting from Seattle to Bellevue really that bad? (Redmond: apartments, rent)

[winterlight]

I'm in the late stages of interviewing for a dream job in Bellevue!

My wife is game to relocate (she is self-employed via the internet and can live anywhere) but she's very much an urban life sort of person (walkability, public transit, food delivery, bars, all that stuff) and I get the sense from my brief time in Bellevue that it would not be her vibe. But she has visited Seattle before and liked it quite a bit, despite saying it seemed small (we currently live in LA, and lived in NYC and Chicago before that).

On the other hand, I'm not that fussy about where I live as long as the rent for a large 2BR or small 3 BR is not more than $3000/month, my commute is usually under 40 minutes or so, and there are good bars and restaurants within 30 minutes by any method of transit.

I'd love to take the job but I think she would be much, much happier in Seattle. The problem is, every time I've Googled for personal stories about commuting to jobs in Bellevue from Seattle, I see people say it's horrible, that it's an hour and 15 minutes of torture on the bridge each way while paying a toll for the pain. That it's unbearable and no one should ever do it.

But my source of confusion is that I've been checking Google Maps directions from my prospective workplace in downtown Bellevue at 8:30 AM and 5:30 PM to and from various neighborhoods like Wallingford or Montlake or Capitol Hill, and it has consistently said 35-40 minutes every day this week.

To me, coming from LA, that's tolerable (I'd obviously prefer 35), but a 50 or 60 minute one is not. 50 minutes every couple weeks or so if there's an accident is one thing, I'm used to that, but if it's an hour both ways every day, that's a no-go.

I'm not sure what to think; which is right, Google Maps, or the Reddit posts, etc. that I've seen on the subject? Because they tell two very different stories! Any natives who make the commute willing to clarify?

Thanks in any case!

[Kayela]

Commuted to Redmond (bit further down the road, but we preferred the Seattle vibe as well) from Queen Anne, then DT Seattle, then from Capitol Hill (7 years from CH). Stay east of I-5 and it will make things much smoother and more consistent. My employer was great about flexibility, so I was able to leave around 4-4:30, and that makes a big difference. I could usually make it in <30 minutes.

[pnwguy2]

Bellevue has an urban feel downtown, though it is a "modern" urban feel. Has your wife visited the area?

But to answer your question the commute is pretty bad. In the olden days it was simple, easy going east in the morning, easy going west in the evening. But that no longer exists. Reverse commutes are now the norm.

[leastprime]

If you are taking public transportation, the trick is getting to a Transit Center (TC). Buses and carpool have dedicated lanes and reduced tolls. Single occupancy commutes will be costly.

From University Hospital/Husky Link TC to Bellevue TC, SoundTransit.org says that a morning trip on bus #271, will be 27 minutes. Also www.tripplannerkingcounty.org
From InternationalDistrict/Jackson St TC, #550 will be about 50 minutes.
From Redmond TC, #232 limited express, will be 25 minutes.

Lots of neighborhoods with good walk scores.
You & spouse will want to locate in a temporary location in order to get the lay-of-the-land.

[homesinseattle]

Good luck with the job! Yes, you are on the right track for easy Hwy 520 access with Montlake (best location of all for you) and North Capitol Hill. Both of those are probably better than the Wallingford location wise for you, Wallingford just adds a few more layers and potential for trouble. The Arboretum area would work too, as would Madison Valley. Your wife would very much like the vibe around 15th Ave near Volunteer Park (NE side of Capitol Hill), lots of little shops, cafes, funky places but not as busy as other parts of Capitol Hill. I live in Madison Park and I am in Bellevue fairly regularly for business. I think your commute estimate is pretty accurate.

[TheTimidBlueBars]

There are a few bus routes over that way - I don't know about Bellevue specifically but with Redmond, they're the 545, 219, 542, and 268. I just moved here and I work in Redmond (you get one guess as to where) but wanted to live in the city, so I looked up the bus stops of all those routes and narrowed my search to apartments within a few blocks of them.

Driving is also doable. The middle-north side of Seattle (like NE 45th St) across I-90 can get you to Bellevue in 35-40 minutes at rush hour. The traffic gets a lot better once you get onto 90.

[leastprime]

Lots of fun at the Bellevue Arts Fair, July 26-28.
Consider living close to work. Bellevue has a big city feel and is sunny. Redmond is more like a commuter town with so many SFH and 7 story apt bldgs. Seattle has a big city feel with separate neighbor hoods.

[thatguy950]

Well Seattle traffic=LA traffic just on a smaller scale (meaning less sprawl), but going 10 miles at traffic times (as with LA that’s 5a-8p or later give or take roughly 7 days a week) will be just as painful there as it is down here in SoCal. I split my time between here and there so I get plenty of chances to sit in LA (Irvine) and Seattle (Bellevue) traffic.

With that said, Seattle to Bellevue and vice versa are probably about as easy as it gets and should be 60min or less. I think seattleites get on the road a little earlier because they like to be at work as early as possible for some reason, so keep that in mind, and also keep in mind there’s the expectation that you’ll be in early as well, and probably staying late too; Seattle is a work=life town and it’s super competitive in the office in a strange passive aggressive way

[Seacove]

The commute is pretty bad and I genuinely wish fewer were moving here. If one absolutely has to, the goal would be to avoid 405 however possible, so living around 90 with a straight shot across the bridge to Bellevue is probably easiest.

[flyingsaucermom]

If she likes those cities I can't imagine she would like Bellevue. My sister from inner Minneapolis recently stopped by both Seattle and Bellevue. Her opinion as someone who also likes those same cities as your wife is that Bellevue is sterile, pretentious and fake.

And lots of Asians.

We know Microsoft employees that go from West Seattle, Ballard and stadium district to Redmond. It's worth the commute to them. You seem pretty flexible honestly. What's the saying... Happy wife, happy life?