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Seattle-GAF!
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distantmantra
Member
I'd agree with that. My neighbors pay more monthly in rent (for a really shitty house in terrible condition) than I do on my mortgage.
"Poor Raspberry! What a Cuck!"
finalflame
Gold Member
Signed my official offer letter today, SeattleGAF 
It's more official than official now. I should be in Seattle around the end of March, ~3/26. I'm currently looking at Capitol Hill and Fremont as neighborhoods I'd be interested in -- any other suggestions with decent commute options to Bellevue?
It's more official than official now. I should be in Seattle around the end of March, ~3/26. I'm currently looking at Capitol Hill and Fremont as neighborhoods I'd be interested in -- any other suggestions with decent commute options to Bellevue?Signed my official offer letter today, SeattleGAF
Bellevue? Going over the bridges during commuting hours is a nightmare.
finalflame
Gold Member
Yah, but there's no way I'm living in Bellevue, or the eastside in general. I wasn't a fan at all when I was there for my interview, but I love just about everything I've seen of Seattle proper. Not to mention I'm coming from the Bay Area....I don't think much could be worse than commuting to/from SF from Silicon Valley.
According to Google, it's a 20-30ish minute commute from Capitol Hill to Bellevue around ~8:30am?
Here
And about a 20-35 minute commute back around 5:30pm:
Here
Which would roughly be the hours I plan to be at work, using the 520 which as I understand it is a toll bridge, but that's alright. A bit longer going south to the 90. Does this sound about right, or is Google just being clowny with these estimates?
Stuggernaut
Grandma's Chippy
Do a Google maps look at those times live, and see the diff. It can be silly sometimes. Especially if it's raining and people are driving stupid.
Can't knock you wanting to live in Freemont area though, or Capitol Hill (I prefer Freemont). Great part of the city. I work there
I commute from Marysville, 45m north of Seattle but I would love to live closer.. just too expensive.
With no traffic, those times are about right. But you're not going to be that lucky. I'd say an hour is more realistic. Maybe more, depending on weather conditions and other factors. If you want to live in Seattle but work in Bellevue, I'd look into mass transit.
That doesn't seem accurate at all in my experience. 45 minutes to an hour and a half seems closer, and then it depends on where you're going in Bellevue, as the surface streets will be completely fucked. Going over 520 every day gets really expensive too.
What are you looking for in a place to live? We can probably be more helpful if you give us some guidelines.
finalflame
Gold Member
Thanks guys. I'll look into public transit options and try to find housing close to bus stops and whatnot. I'm not really familiar with the area too much, so my plan will be to get into town around 3/25 and have a lease signed and move into a place by 3/31 (no responsibilities until early April as that's when I start at the new job).
My budget will be ~$1700/mo for rent, and I hope to find either a 1/1 or Studio within that range in a good walkable area around Cap Hill or Fremont..or maybe just other neighborhoods I haven't thought of/looked into yet. I hear Wallinfgord and the U District are nice? One of my main requirements is I'd like to be walking distance to things like bars, restaurants, parks, weekend farmer's markets, etc. I lived the suburbia life in Silicon Valley while I was in the Bay Area and would love to be somewhere a bit more "alive", if that makes sense.
What most turned me off from Downtown Bellevue is that almost everything seemed marketed/built around "upscale" living/shopping, which I'm not really partial to. The whole feel of downtown Bellevue was just a bit stuffy to me..maybe I'm misreading, and I was only there for 2 days, but yah. What I loved about Fremont were the bars/restaurants, waterfront, and the Sunday market, having a PCC nearby, and just the general feel that people were out and about walking.
Sorry if the above criteria doesn't seem very well defined, but I guess in the end I just want to live somewhere with plenty of walkable local food/drinks and whatnot.
My budget will be ~$1700/mo for rent, and I hope to find either a 1/1 or Studio within that range in a good walkable area around Cap Hill or Fremont..or maybe just other neighborhoods I haven't thought of/looked into yet. I hear Wallinfgord and the U District are nice? One of my main requirements is I'd like to be walking distance to things like bars, restaurants, parks, weekend farmer's markets, etc. I lived the suburbia life in Silicon Valley while I was in the Bay Area and would love to be somewhere a bit more "alive", if that makes sense.
What most turned me off from Downtown Bellevue is that almost everything seemed marketed/built around "upscale" living/shopping, which I'm not really partial to. The whole feel of downtown Bellevue was just a bit stuffy to me..maybe I'm misreading, and I was only there for 2 days, but yah. What I loved about Fremont were the bars/restaurants, waterfront, and the Sunday market, having a PCC nearby, and just the general feel that people were out and about walking.
Sorry if the above criteria doesn't seem very well defined, but I guess in the end I just want to live somewhere with plenty of walkable local food/drinks and whatnot.
distantmantra
Member
The majority of Seattle proper is walkable. The only areas I'd say that aren't are Magnolia and Sand Point, and you couldn't afford to probably live in either.
I'm in Green Lake. Tons of stuff (Whole Foods, PCC, bars, restaurants, shops, etc.) within walking distance of my house, and we walk to the University Farmers market every Saturday rain or shine. It's about a mile each way.
There's good farmers markets all over the city really, my favorite is probably the Fremont one (because I'm more into thrifting weird shit than picking up organic produce).
I'd also look into Columbia City or the Central district. Both are kind of up-and-coming areas with a lot going on, and would be close to 90 for your commute. Maybe even look into the international district- there's definitely a lot of nice apartments opening up there and there's a decent amount of stuff to do. Oh, also all of these places would be cheaper so you'd have more to spend on other stuff.
The east side isn't that bad really. It's one of those stupid Seattle memes like "fuck umbrellas". I get what you mean about the gaucheness of it. Capitol Hill and Ballard are definitely going in that same direction though.
Ballard and Capitol Hill have the most nightlife, but it's mostly outrageously drunk tech bros and college kids acting like it's their first night out in their life.
Capitol Hill and Fremont are the only places people from out of town are likely to recognize, but Seattle has a ton of cool neighborhoods with a lot going on. I'd maybe even look into getting a monthly lease for the first month or two and check out some different areas / see what the commute is like.
Yeah, you're not going to be happy in the Eastside if that's the vibe you're after. Bellevue in particular has a reputation for being snobby, as you noticed. Your budget is very doable in most of Seattle and I'm sure you'd be happy here. Would you be working in Downtown Bellevue? I ask because it's much easier to bus there than it would be to other parts of Bellevue.
(Unfortunately, like all mass transit, it does take more time. It's just that instead of fuming behind the wheel, you can at least be reading or playing a game while on the bus.)
distantmantra
Member
University, Broadway and West Seattle are the only year round dedicated farmers markets. If you're in it for the produce. Ballard and Fremont always have tons of other crap that I don't care about. And the vibe of the Sunday Ballard market made me want to punch people when I lived in Ballard over ten years ago.
finalflame
Gold Member
Nice -- hadn't considered the areas a bit further north, I will look into that. The lake itself looks awesome.
Yah, I like a good mix of having produce options and random eats/trinkets, and food trucks around are always neato, which I think happened to be the case when I went to the Fremont market last weekend.
I understand that maybe the Eastside thing isn't all true, but I was put up in the Hyatt in downtown Bellevue and in order to distract myself the day before my interview just walked around the mall that's right there and saw the shopping stuff/walked to a café nearby (Café Cesura, whoa those ceilings were tall), but it seemed like mostly wealthy executive types and the high-school aged children of said wealthy exec types. It was cool to see an original Surface Table in the hotel lobby, though.
I'll definitely give all the neighborhoods you mentioned a gander, all of them seem in the general area I wanna be in.
Thanks! Yup, right downtown on 109th/4th NE. I've looked at some Google Transit stuff from Capitol Hill to the exact address and it seems to suggest taking two different buses, which would be a bummer. Are there any single-bus options to get from Capitol Hill to Bellevue? I'm sure I'll just have to look into this more.
Good to know! Work will probably feed me most of the week, but I definitely like to pick up fresh produce and cook on the weekends, which makes it nice to have a farmer's market nearby. It's not of the utmost importance, but a nice plus.
Edit: It would be about a 1.25 hour bike ride to/from work, but it seems feasible via the I-90. I could definitely use the exercise. It's something to consider..or am I being crazy?
distantmantra
Member
A good friend of mine lives in Seward Park (near Columbia City) and often bikes to work in Factoria (right next to Bellevue). It's doable.
WesternHeretic
Member
Wow.... lol
I think there used to be but our bus system unfortunately suffered a series of cuts.
I think our weather would often make that a miserable experience.
distantmantra
Member
Live here long enough and you just get used to the rain.
I ran five miles in it earlier today. [shrug]
Showing up to work soaked and sweaty is different though.
Cosmic Bus
pristine morning snow
I used to do pastry for the Triple Door and Wild Ginger.. until they axed the whole department. Got to watch a lot a good shows from the kitchen entrance, at least. The English Beat was probably the most fun; people were literally dancing on top of the tables by the end.
finalflame
Gold Member
Oh, right, the rain. I actually love the rain and am really looking forward to Seattle's mostly overcast/drizzly weather, but I guess for biking to work it wouldn't help. I think at the end of the day I might end up driving if I can't find a single-leg commute option, which I'm ok with, I've had a really, really easy commute for the last couple of years.
No idea if it will give you the same results, but the actual bus system's trip planner is here: http://tripplanner.kingcounty.gov/
distantmantra
Member
The people I know who ride to work bring clothes to change into to. Probably depends on where you work.
The eastside drive commute SUUUUUUUUCKS. Just an FYI.
finalflame
Gold Member
Thanks, this is awesome. Looks like if I lived in the U District I might be able to just take a single bus to work, maybe. Also, even the two buses to/from the rough location I'm trying to live in isn't too bad.
platypotamus
Member
The 520 will be open for bike traffic this year as well. I will be biking from Fremont to Kirkland when weather/daylight hours don't suck. My drive is usually about an hour, and I don't think the bike ride will be longer really
distantmantra
Member
Ravenna, Roosevelt, Montlake, Wallingford and Green Lake are all surrounding the U District. Don't limit yourself to just one neighborhood, might be discouraging.
finalflame
Gold Member
Oh, sweet. I think I will definitely try this.
Thanks -- definitely. I plan to drive around and see a lot the first couple of days while looking at apartments. Hopefully being there will help me make some decisions quickly.
distantmantra
Member
There's a also big Metro park and ride in Green Lake right by Roosevelt (and two blocks from a future light rail station). I'm actually looking right at it from my living room window.
I haven't driven 520 during rush hour since the toll has gone up. I know it was fairly light at first. Has it gotten worse since? I'm sure 90 is still a nightmare.
Stuggernaut
Grandma's Chippy
Sometimes a single bus just requires a bit of walking. I go from Freemont (well, Latona & Northlake) to Bellevue on one bus by just walking less than 2 blocks first. Then it's one bus (#271 right to BV transit center and then another coiuple of blocks on the other end to get to where you work.
Just select "Fewest Transfers" when googling routes and such. Then you get some walking options.
finalflame
Gold Member
Thanks for the tip! Writing all this down for when I hit the ground running in a month or so.
Oh, nice. Yah, my new workplace is .. very close to the transit center. I'll have to take a look and see if I can swing that, but at first glance, doesn't seem there are any direct routes from Capitol Hill, it's showing routes south from downtown or north from the U District.
So just FYI finalflame, as the newest GAFer to move to Seattle, the responsibility officially falls to you to organize the next SEAgaf meetup. I'll bring the Rainier and Nirvana cassettes.
finalflame
Gold Member
I'm 100% down to do this! I have an entire 9 days between moving in (hopefully) and starting work. So..putting out a feeler, how would Friday, 4/8, potentially work for everyone interested?
It's hard to get Seattleites to commit to anything so I wish you the best of luck.
MisterNugNug
Member
Take your friend to Tsukushinbo (515 S Main St (btw 5th & 6th Ave S), Seattle, WA) or Yoroshiku (1913 N 45th St, Seattle, WA).
Thank you, I'll give em both a shot!
Yeah, I'm down if we can get a group together.
WesternHeretic
Member
Apparently there was an earthquake? Lol i didn't feel shit but people are telling me that it was a 4.2ish.
finalflame
Gold Member
Neato. Still some time left, guess we'll see if anyone else is interested.
There have been like, 4-5 earthquakes I should've felt since I've been in SF, yet I've still to actually feel any. Wonder if I'll get to finally experience my first earthquake in SEA.
I went Redmond to Seattle yesterday on 520 at 5:30 PM. No traffic.
finalflame
Gold Member
This bodes well.
Seattle schools does.
Yes and it's been glorious!
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