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2. The homeless, the people lying on the sidewalk everywhere, the riff-raff, the crazies, the people yelling nonsense at the top of their lungs, the drug addicts everywhere... the panhandlers... getting asked for change 200 times every day, as soon as the second I step out the door... you get used to it all I guess, but it gets very old. This is a reality if you want to live an urban and car-free lifestyle as I have, in the core/ most walkable area of Seattle. I'm a man, so that makes it easier. It's not like living in the "hood" levels of danger or anything, but I can see why women are afraid of walking the streets here.
A great post, Primaltech. Cheers.
In red
This is the fault of those running the city.
There is no excuse to live in this area or any area, especially paying high prices to deal with this crap.
We live in the north end of Belltown and walk into the downtown core frequently and don’t see much of what has been posted. There are certainly areas that are worse than others and there are problems but not to the degree being represented here.
I do like primaltech’s approach that shows both the good and bad with an overall positive rating. Although, comments like …”getting asked for change 200 times every day, as soon as the second I step out the door…” is more tongue-in-cheek and not reality. The sad part is that some will believe it.
LOL, omg this thread. The naivete... how young we were back then. Look at me, I had no idea the pandemic was about to happen, and blow up the world right after I moved myself across the country and made such a big life move.
Approaching the 3 year mark in Seattle now here for me, all in all I'm glad I moved here. I survived, I'm doing well all things considered, I definitely like Seattle all in all, but let me start with the 3 primary negatives first, for reference:
1. As I had not yet fully grasped when I made this thread, sadly it is usually not just the 3 months of winter that is very overcast constantly every day. Some years are better or worse than others, but I think last year it was something like 8 solid months of barely seeing hardly any sun. That was too much, and that really got to me. Being a southerner from the land of plenty of year-round sun, the lack of it for most of the year here (even though the summers are great), is something I have had to accept but probably will never say that I enjoy. If it was a mere 10% sunnier (like maybe one clear day a week), that would make all the difference. But the gloom, the gloom... it is truly near constant, and unrelenting. I could live with it if it was just during the winter (as a trade for that clear summer), but that doesn't seem to be the case.
2. The homeless, the people lying on the sidewalk everywhere, the riff-raff, the crazies, the people yelling nonsense at the top of their lungs, the drug addicts everywhere... the panhandlers... getting asked for change 200 times every day, as soon as the second I step out the door... you get used to it all I guess, but it gets very old. This is a reality if you want to live an urban and car-free lifestyle as I have, in the core/ most walkable area of Seattle. I'm a man, so that makes it easier. It's not like living in the "hood" levels of danger or anything, but I can see why women are afraid of walking the streets here.
3. Cost of living, and housing especially, is truly ridiculous on the west coast. I even got a new job based here a year ago, with a big salary increase for me, but that still doesn't really make too much of a dent as far as being able to afford to buy a place that I actually like... like, with an actual bedroom. Rent is high for the small apartments you get. But trying to buy a place is insane... like basically half a million for anything decent, unless you want a tiny studio. So I've decided to put that off another year. Maybe the interest rates will come down some again, I don't know. But that will just make the market red hot again, so you can't really win here as a potential buyer. Unless you want to live way out in the suburbs, which I do not.
Other, minor gripes: more places need to be open 24/7, or much later. Only a few things are open late, and it's weird. For some reason even Atlanta (even in the Bible Belt), seemingly had more nightlife than what's generally going on here, and that surprised me. Seattle is a city that definitely does sleep. But, it also can be vibrant around its hot spots. Good density.
I miss the sound of rain, so bad. Or, storms, I mean. Actual rainfall as the southeast gets. It's so funny that they call this the "rain city". I DREAM OF RAIN BECAUSE I MISS IT SO BAD. It just sprinkles here, which isn't enough to make that relaxing sound that puts me to sleep.
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All that aside, all the positives and cool things about Seattle that made me decide to move here, still stand proud. It's so beautiful, the summers are incredible, there's great water features, walking is awesome, parks are awesome, there's good transit and dense urban walkability/pedestrian focus for most of the city, the economy is awesome, construction and growth is booming, jobs are there for the getting (especially if you're in tech or tech-adjacent), the coffee, the Asian food...
When I start to dwell on some of those negatives, and long for things that were positives elsewhere, I remind myself that the grass is always greener on the other side. If I moved away or moved back east, I'd miss it here. I'd loathe the humidity there just like I did before. Just how our brains are wired, I think. We tend to cherry pick our memories of places.
This is truly as good of a place as any in the country (to say the least), and I have a great job here that's going well, and at least a few friends around here (even if not as many as I'd like), so, I am not going anywhere, for now. It's home.
I lived in Belltown for the first 2 years, and Cap Hill now for the past year. Grocery stores there (total lack thereof), was actually probably my biggest issue with the Belltown neighborhood, which I generally like. I just didn't like relying on a handful of corner store bodegas, or having to walk up to Whole Paycheck. There needs to be a QFC down there, so bad.
What is your definition of walkability, if grocery stores aren't a part of it? Belltown IMO is one of the least walkable parts of town. We must have very different priorities, though you'd think, that eating would be a pretty basic one....
If you miss the sound of rain, wait until an El Nino year. I had to have a special full-length raincoat made from waterproof material to cope with walking to work in Seattle rain. Maybe the climate has changed a bit in the last 20 years, too. It certainly has in other parts of the US, although last November was rainy enough to cause flooding, and more of the same is expected shortly. But the last time I was in Seattle during an El Nino year a few yrs ago, the rain was blowing sideways. I got soaked to the skin just opening my car door at the gas station, and standing up to get gas. I got back in my car instantly. Be careful what you wish for!
Panhandlers asking for change: the way I dealt with that in San Francisco is to give my change away to them until I ran out. The ones at the end of the line could see I'd done my best, so -- no complaints. "Sorry, I'm all out, guys!", and they'd wish me a good day, anyway. But I didn't run that gauntlet on a daily basis. You might have to vary your route. I don't know if that would help in Seattle's case.
Last edited by Ruth4Truth; 11-04-2022 at 09:27 AM..
PCC is now open in Rainier Square. That isn’t much more walkable than Whole Foods Westlakr for deep Belltown, but lower BT has that option, and HMart.
Yeah! I was just there on Tuesday. It's right near our new office, nice little easy walk. Pretty nice place, I think I like it better than WF. Or, the prices are a little better I think.
As for Belltown, I just mean there needs to be an actual proper national grocery store somewhere, over on the west or south parts of Belltown, just for that neighborhood. If you're a few blocks from downtown then you can just rely on the Target or the PCC. And if you're a rich kid in the Denny Triangle then you have the one WF accessible at least.
It would be one thing if I liked any of those little corner markets. Honestly, I didn't like any of them. Glorified dirty 7-11's, by my (formerly sheltered suburban) standards.
South Lake Union area is I think in the same boat, too. They just have that Whole Foods. Whereas, Queen Anne has multiple QFC's, Safeways and Metropolitan Markets, and Capitol Hill has multiple QFC's, a Safeway, and its own Whole Foods.
That in itself makes Capitol Hill and Queen Anne feel much more residential, like actual neighborhoods. Belltown could and should feel like more of a neighborhood. SLU also.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chilkoot
Although, comments like …”getting asked for change 200 times every day, as soon as the second I step out the door…” is more tongue-in-cheek and not reality. The sad part is that some will believe it.
That comment was not about Belltown specifically, and it was obviously an exaggeration, but still based in the reality that I've observed and experienced. I live on Broadway now, and whenever I make my daily walk to the QFC and back, the panhandling is pretty constant. It all depends on the block or street you're on.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth
What is your definition of walkability, if grocery stores aren't a part of it? Belltown IMO is one of the least walkable parts of town. We must have very different priorities, though you'd think, that eating would be a pretty basic one....
Yeah, well, I'm a single dude, kind of a stereotypical tech dude I guess, and I was previously a very takeout-oriented guy, probably way more than I should have been, not exactly living my healthiest lifestyle. And the corner grocery stores for me were just for getting my drinks and snacks and a few basic easy things. I wasn't cooking most meals, especially that first year. That pandemic was rattling me and I was obsessed with takeout.
I was having FOB poke all the time..., teriyaki, Chinese food, pizza... all that kind of stuff on most days. In that sense, it was functionally a very walkable area for me. And obviously Belltown is the most combined walkable area to Downtown, Pike Place, waterfront, Space Needle area, etc. It's prime walkable in its density and location, just lacking a grocery store to solidify it as a residential neighborhood and not just an extension of downtown/obvious former warehouse district recently being revitalized.
This past year especially living right near the QFC, I've been focusing more on eating healthier meals at home and buying a more complete set of produce and groceries...
Oh, and if you live on the Denny Triangle side of Belltown closer to the monorail/Amazon Spheres, then you do have that Amazon Go store which is at least a nice convenience store with drinks and snacks and basic items. But the one in Cap Hill is an Amazon Fresh, actual small grocery store with some produce.
Quote:
If you miss the sound of rain, wait until an El Nino year. I had to have a special full-length raincoat made from waterproof material to cope with walking to work in Seattle rain. Maybe the climate has changed a bit in the last 20 years, too. It certainly has in other parts of the US, although last November was rainy enough to cause flooding, and more of the same is expected shortly. But the last time I was in Seattle during an El Nino year a few yrs ago, the rain was blowing sideways. I got soaked to the skin just opening my car door at the gas station, and standing up to get gas. I got back in my car instantly. Be careful what you wish for!
Ha, alright, well, I don't think a lot of you west coast people have any idea what rain is. Rain is when you can't go outside without getting instantly soaked. It's "cancel everything". In 3 years here, I don't think I've experienced a single day that it was too inclement to walk around and do my usual errands and stuff. Even the few snow days were easy to walk outside.
Seattle just has this occasional annoying 'spittle' some days over the winter... I'm so used to it that I completely forgot it's even there.
Ha, alright, well, I don't think a lot of you west coast people have any idea what rain is. Rain is when you can't go outside without getting instantly soaked. It's "cancel everything". In 3 years here, I don't think I've experienced a single day that it was too inclement to walk around and do my usual errands and stuff. Even the few snow days were easy to walk outside.
Agreed. Growing up and living in Tennessee, both the east side (Appalachians) and west side (Memphis/river delta) get intense thunderstorms. I miss listening to the thunder rolling in from miles away and watching the black storm clouds advance over the landscape. And I do miss the deluges as well. We used to have little rivers that formed in our yard. It was a very fun and exciting event for a little kid stuck on a farm
Rain here is fine, and I've grown accustomed to the gray (even welcoming it), but there is nothing like a midwest or east coast rainstorm.
Also as far as panhandling... if you decide to move again, going southwest of the lower Broadway QFC puts you into a totally different neighborhood. Much nicer than mid-Cap which is kind of rough. I live about 6 blocks from QFC and although we do have a few street folks here, I've actually never been panhandled in my neighborhood.
Agreed. Growing up and living in Tennessee, both the east side (Appalachians) and west side (Memphis/river delta) get intense thunderstorms. I miss listening to the thunder rolling in from miles away and watching the black storm clouds advance over the landscape. And I do miss the deluges as well. We used to have little rivers that formed in our yard. It was a very fun and exciting event for a little kid stuck on a farm
Rain here is fine, and I've grown accustomed to the gray (even welcoming it), but there is nothing like a midwest or east coast rainstorm.
I miss that type of rain as well. Good description.
Also as far as panhandling... if you decide to move again, going southwest of the lower Broadway QFC puts you into a totally different neighborhood. Much nicer than mid-Cap which is kind of rough. I live about 6 blocks from QFC and although we do have a few street folks here, I've actually never been panhandled in my neighborhood.
Thanks, yeah, I'm looking at some various location options. The First Hill side of Cap Hill is where I would move, because I could walk to work a lot easier. But moving is such a hassle that I'm leaning towards probably renewing my lease (unless they raise my rent a bunch, about to find out any day now), and hopefully buying a condo after 1 more year, and never renting again. Everything will have to come together for that...
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