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We don't have kids yet, so I guess we have the 10 minutes to drive to the nearest hiking trail. We went on 4-7 mile hikes almost every weekend in the summer. In the winter, we usually take short walks on greenways or parks around town. We live in Kirkland: Its about a 25 minute drive to Cougar, 45 to Tiger/Mt.Si. We're about a 8 minute drive to a place that rents kayaks on the lake, and just down the street from a beach. We stopped at a park 1 mile away today and saw a bald eagle, ducks and about 5 trumpeter swans.
I consider Rainier/Olympics to be a weekend trip, so no, they aren't places we go often.
How long are the distances to the three national parks? What islands are most visited? What are the most popular outdoors destinations in the Seattle proper other than Alki beach, Green Lake or Discovery park?
Mt. Rainier National Park is the closest to Seattle, about an hour and twenty minute drive. North Cascades National Park is more like two hours away, and Olympic National Park is closer to three hours away.
Islands....Orcas is probably the most popular of the San Juans, though San Juan Island ( Friday Harbor) and Lopez also get a lot of visitors...Of course closer in Bainbridge and Vashon also get plenty of visitors...
Some popular outdoor places in Seattle include Seward Park ( my fave), Lincoln Park and Schmitz Park in West Seattle, and Golden Gardens and Carkeek Park in Ballard.
Mt. Rainier National Park is the closest to Seattle, about an hour and twenty minute drive. North Cascades National Park is more like two hours away, and Olympic National Park is closer to three hours away.
Islands....Orcas is probably the most popular of the San Juans, though San Juan Island ( Friday Harbor) and Lopez also get a lot of visitors...Of course closer in Bainbridge and Vashon also get plenty of visitors...
Some popular outdoor places in Seattle include Seward Park ( my fave), Lincoln Park and Schmitz Park in West Seattle, and Golden Gardens and Carkeek Park in Ballard.
Originally Posted by daroosta777 It was great 20 years ago...but is now a hard core snooty yuppie town loaded to the brim with lesbians and gays who are not friendly but only to their own.
Well honestly how friendly do you want them to be? I don't mind large communities of gays and bis, but they don't help me get a date, and I prefer to keep their culture at arm's length. I'd rather live somewhere with more straight women.
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Seattle has no nightlife,
That doesn't ring true. Of course it doesn't have the nightlife of NYC, LA, London, or Tokyo. If you want that sort of thing, you have to go to those places and pay accordingly.
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and has the most uptight, reserved and standoffish people in the country. If you are single here, and you do not make over 60k you will have a hard time getting a date.
I dunno, I had trouble getting a date regardless. Maybe it's because men outnumber women. Maybe there are too many gays and bis. Maybe getting a date in a competitive urban environment is hard, no matter where. Maybe one has to take some personal responsibility for how one searches. Maybe maybe maybe. I haven't figured it out yet in Raleigh, NC either, and it's been almost a year. I think I made a mistake living behind NC State U. as I'm not a college student. I'll be solving that problem in about 3 months, so we'll see.
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I wasted ten years in seattle!! I finally moved away!!!
I spent 11 years in Capitol Hill, aka gay ground zero. I think that was a mistake. I should have found a different neighborhood, but every time I looked, I never found anything compelling. I spent some time "borrowing" Ballard, driving a long ways to hang out there. It didn't take. I think it's hard to fit into a local neighborhood scene if you don't actually live there. Just not enough time spent hanging out in the local environment.
Was Daroosta777 multi-quoted before the comment got erased? I don't recall seeing that post in the thread.
Interesting question. I just looked back and looks like his post was deleted. Hopefully, they did so only because it was a cross post, otherwise it would seem a ridiculous bit of censorship because it didn't attack any one particular person. It just was an overall negative assessment of his interactions within the city.
I've been thinking about moving from NYC to Seattle for some time. I'm in Seattle right now exploring neighborhoods and looking for places to live and am not sure anymore I want to move. Where are kids, where are playgrounds? I have 2 playgrounds and a nice park 5 minutes walk from where I live. Some of my friends in Seattle saying NYC is not a good place to raise kids. Are they joking? Seattle is?
I'm driving like crazy all around the town trying to find something attractive, but other than natural setting... nothing. I have a couple of friends who live in Seattle with whom I'm staying and they say that it's not the city but natural setting. I do like some things like nature and climate, but freeways and single houses are killing me. Seattle looks to me not like a single city, but a collection of villages full of houses connected together by freeways. Is that not depressing? Now, instead of bringing my whole family, I'm planning to move alone and try it out for a month or two. I'll probably do it this January / February to "enjoy" the place during winter months.
Ballard, Capitol Hill... what is so special about them? Capitol Hill has Broadway, which is a bad version of Vancouver's Commercial Drive and 15th Ave and other than that houses... houses... houses. Even Belltown is dead after dark.
It's not the first time I'm in Seattle, but first time not as a tourist. Am I missing something? Other than nature, what else does Seattle offer? If nature is taken away, can it stand alone as a city? For now, it looks to me like a couple of skyscrapers in the downtown and the rest are houses and freeways. I'm really confused.
Try portland, the city center isnt big but it feels like a little city and it is beautiful there, though i too wonder where are all the chidlren
Ballard, Capitol Hill... what is so special about them? Capitol Hill has Broadway, which is a bad version of Vancouver's Commercial Drive and 15th Ave and other than that houses... houses... houses. Even Belltown is dead after dark.
It's not the first time I'm in Seattle, but first time not as a tourist. Am I missing something? Other than nature, what else does Seattle offer? If nature is taken away, can it stand alone as a city? For now, it looks to me like a couple of skyscrapers in the downtown and the rest are houses and freeways. I'm really confused.
Having lived on our around Capitol Hill most of my 15 years in Seattle, here's my two cents about CH, and the rest of Seattle, too. Until recently, Broadway had been in a state of decline for about a decade. IMO it used to be a more interesting street in the 90s, but at some point turned into a long row of second-hand clothing stores, pho and gyro fast food places, junkies and street kids. Lately, though, it seems things are changing - Poppy (a new restaurant owned by notable local chef Jerry Traunfeld) moved in at the end of Broadway, and there are new condo and apartment buildings going in that are bringing more people and new businesses to the street. Not everyone is happy with that, but I think it's improving the area. Pike/Pike from downtown up to 13th or so is lively especially in the eveninings- there are tons of bars, clubs and restaurants in the area (Century Ballroom, Baltic Room, Cha Cha, Barca, Purr, Pony, the Lobby, Neumos, Chapel, Chop Suey, Capitol Club, Neighbours, Wild Rose, Comet, Lindas, just to name a few nightlife venues). I'm always astonished at how many people are out on the streets in that area on weekend nights. 12th around Pine is up and coming - Cafe Presse, Tavern Law, Stumptown, Stellina, Boom Noodle, Lark, Barrio, and the nearby Anchovies and Olives are usually packed whenever I wander down that street. 15th Ave north of John is a also a nice business area with some great local cafes, restaurants and shops.
There are grocery stores on the Hill - 2 QFCs, a Safeway, Trade Joe's, and Madison Market; branches of the major banks, a library branch, movie theaters (Egyptian and Harvard Exit), local theater groups and performance spaces (Theatre Schmeatre, CHAC, Hugo House, Balagan, probably others - I'm not a big theater person). There's a ton of vintage/used clothing stores, if that's your thing, but not much in the way of clothing, which is more of a downtown thing, I guess. There are bookstores (Bailey/Coy sadly closed, but one of Seattle's great bookstores, Elliott Bay, is moving up to 10th) Cal Anderson Park is a great addition to the neighborhood and is packed on sunny day, and Volunteer Park with the Asian Art Museum is a beautiful, tranquil area right in the city. To me, most of the Hill west of Broadway is apartment and condo buildings, and hardly any single-family style housing. East of Broadway is more of a mix of the two, eventually giving way to more single-family east of 15th, but there are tons of multi-story apartments and condos on the hill, just not towering concrete blocks - we're not Manhattan or even Brooklyn by any means. There is decent transit and downtown is a walk away, and a light rail station connecting downtown and the U-District is under construction in the middle of the 'hood, as well as a streetcar connecting CH, First Hill and the International District. I like Capitol Hill for the mix of people - gay, straight, hipsters, street kids, hippies, yuppies (stroll around north Capitol Hill, especially Federal Ave & near Volunteer Park sometime - megabucks and expensive mansions abound), and just plain-old regular folks. It feels safe to me; personally I've never had a problem there, although crime certainly does happen in the neighborhood, just like everywhere - I've just never experienced it myself. I like that there are busy areas like Pike/Pine, and also an abundance of quieter streets. I enjoy the many local/indie businesses - there's little in the way of chains or big-box commercialism. I suppose that's enough of a mash note for my favorite neighborhood.
Queen Anne is another neighborhood that is similar, but more upscale/yuppie feeling to me. It's quite dense, especially on the lower hill, has a thriving business district, and is close to downtown. South Lake Union is really starting to boom, as well. It's certainly a neighborhood in transition/development and so not as established as say Queen Anne, but it's growing quickly. First Hill is also very urban in terms of tall condo and apartment buildings. I like the area, but for me it doesn't have as much character as Capitol Hill. Fremont is a nice area - compact and busy with restaurants, bars and shops, and still reasonably close to downtown. I like Ballard, but it's just too far out for me. Belltown is certainly urban and there are some okay parts, but some of it is too dicey for my taste (I worked at an office there for five years). I go there quite a bit because some of Seattle's best restaurants (in my opinion) are in the area - Zoe, Brasa, Shiro, El Gaucho, Dalia Lounge, Lola, etc.; First and Second are packed with restaurants, and First, especially around Virginia at the border of Belltown and downtown is a charming area. Most of Belltown is a little too much of a condo canyon for my taste, but there are some nice (if very expensive) buildings there. Sculpture Park was a nice addition to the neighborhood, and I know the city is trying to make some improvements like a new greenway on Bell, but the 3rd/Bell open-air drug market and museum is a blight, and it contributes to so many of the problems in that area.
I lived in north Green Lake for a year some time ago, and although it is a pleasant area, it was WAY to residential-only for me, and the lack of a grocery store nearby (except for PCC, which was pricey for my budget back then) was a real issue (I don't own a car, and never have). I felt isolated from the rest of the city and couldn't walk to anything (besides just going around the lake). I also lived in Wallingford for a year, which I enjoyed. It's residential, but has a pretty good business area all along 45th, and since I was at the UW, it was a good location close to the university, but outside of the U-District.
You're statement that Seattle is a collection of villages is pretty spot-on. In fact I believe that's what the city's planning department used to refer to in their city and neighborhood plans (and probably still do). The idea was to maintain the residential character of the neighborhoods within the city, while allowing for greater density and upzoning in the central neighborhoods along the core business areas in each. I think that's what attracts a lot of people to Seattle - it's a mix of urban areas and residential, where you can still have a little of a small-town feel - not just endless highrise development. It suits many people, but certainly not all, and in recent years there has been growing unhappiness in some quarters with people feeling the city is growing too dense, at the expense of single-family residential areas. Ultimately, Seattle is a young, small city, and probably not for everyone. I love it here, but it's not perfect by any means. We have our share of issues like any other place. I've known people who moved here and hated it for a variety of reasons, and moved away (except for one person, and I think she just really likes to complain). I also know tons of people that have moved here from other places and love it. I happen to be one of those. We have the benefits of urban living, while being surrounded by stunning scenic beauty. Sorry for the long ramble, and good luck in your search!
svartkatt, I am thinking of moving from NYC to Seattle so your post was very helpful as I am considering Capitol Hill. I lived on the West Coast for twenty years, San Francisco and Portland, so I am not at all concerned about culture shock, in fact, I am looking forward to it.
Maybe you can answer a question. I am also looking into the Admiral District of West Seattle. Do you know much about that neighborhood? I know Capitol Hill is probably better for someone without a car, but the Alki Beach area looks beautiful and the area appears to be walkable in terms of getting to the grocery store, etc. But I don't want to feel like I am living in the suburbs, either. I want a vibrant, quirky neighborhood with interesting businesses, but also don't want to be kept up at night by bars and partying kids. So, if anyone can give me a comparison of the two neighborhoods, that would be great. Also, which neighborhood would be best for a middle-aged progressive former activist who wants to get back into the activist thing (local stuff like housing, land-use issues)? Thanks.
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Capitol Hill v. Admiral District of W. Seattle
