Seattle Mags

I'll be moving up to Seattle this Summer with the Mrs and am looking for any and all info/advice/insight you can give me. I've have some friends up there who have filled me in on a few things, but figure this would be a good place to get another view. Btw, I've only been up there once before.

1. What neighborhoods would you recommend living in if we want to rent a place with some sort of yard space (i.e. duplex, triplex, etc..) and reasonable parking that isn’t too urban feeling. My wife will be doing her residency at U. of W. Hospital so a reasonable commute to there would be nice.

2. I’ve heard horror stories about traffic, is it a LOT worse than Denver? If I ended up with a job in Bellevue, am I fucked? Btw, I’ve worked in HR and taught college Psychology- anyone know of a job available? :biggrin:

3. How long is the drive (and how does traffic effect) from downtown Seattle to Alpental and good backcountry terrain on the weekends?

4. Any boaters here I can hook up with when I come out? I need to meet a whole new crew for that. I’m assuming the creeking season will be ending by mid-summer. Is the play run below Sunset Falls on the Sky the closest thing going at that time?

I think that’s enough questions. Feel free to tell me anything you think would help out. Also, cool places to go and see is appreciated. Thanks!

1. You will probably want to look into U-District, Ravenna or Greenlake housing. Sandpoint would be another good one.

2. Traffic is bad, but easily avoidable. I too am going to make a daily commute to Bellevue next month for the next couple years. (new job) Contact the Seattle Remedy Staffing agency...they are headhunters for high-level placements. (I can get you a number if needed, send me a pm)

3. about an hour (45 mins on a good day) to Alpental from downtown Seattle. Crystal is close by as well as Stevens Pass.

4. If you are talking wakeboarding, I will be dropping my Nautique in the water in about a month. Lk Sammamish or Lk Washington are good waterski lakes.

First of all, the search function is there for a reason. Use it.

Secondly,

Most places around Seattle are hit or miss from what I've heard, I'm not too familiar with anything outside of the Kent/Auburn/Renton area myself. Steer clear of the Renton area, Downtown Kent and Auburn. Bellevue would be a great choice but it's $$$$.

Don't know anything about the traffic in Denver. Seattle has bad traffic during rush hours on the I-90, I-5, 520 and 405 but if you listen to traffic reports and avoid the freeways (especially the floating bridges) as much as possible it really isn't too bad.

Seattle to Alpental is less than an hour. Crystal and Stevens are 1 1/2 - 2 hours and Baker is 3 - 3 1/2. http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...eattle+crystal
Check out http://www.turns-all-year.com/ for more bc / touring related stuff.
And unless DOT is blasting avies, there is an accident or you leave/return during rush hour traffic rarely affects the travel times. Also, if snow falls down into the Seattle area don't even bother thinking about leaving your home unless you want to deal with 520972341 people who cannot drive at all in the snow.

Edit: add Lake Tapps to Duder's recommendations.

Good luck!

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Originally Posted by Yonder_River

I'll be moving up to Seattle this Summer with the Mrs and am looking for any and all info/advice/insight you can give me. I've have some friends up there who have filled me in on a few things, but figure this would be a good place to get another view. Btw, I've only been up there once before.

1. What neighborhoods would you recommend living in if we want to rent a place with some sort of yard space (i.e. duplex, triplex, etc..) and reasonable parking that isn’t too urban feeling. My wife will be doing her residency at U. of W. Hospital so a reasonable commute to there would be nice.

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Duder hit most of them. Consider Madison valley too and even Maple Leaf. There's others that are good, but more expensive like Wallingford, Capitol Hill, Madrona.

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2. I’ve heard horror stories about traffic, is it a LOT worse than Denver? If I ended up with a job in Bellevue, am I fucked? Btw, I’ve worked in HR and taught college Psychology- anyone know of a job available? :biggrin:

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The traffic is bad if you're going around or across Lake Washington or trying to go across Seattle in any sense. The trick is to try to stay in your neighborhood and not commute across Lake WA or across Seattle. THe East side (Bellevue/Redmond/Woodinville) has it's own traffic nightmares, but hopefully you won't be living there.

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3. How long is the drive (and how does traffic effect) from downtown Seattle to Alpental and good backcountry terrain on the weekends?

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I think people are smoking something really good if they can make it to Alpental from Seattle proper in 45 minutes. Duder, have you been holding out on me?

It's more like an hour.

THe BC circuit goes something like this:
0) Alpental will run the lifts into early May, then skin/hike there until mid -June. That about an hour from Seattle. THis year, the snow there will last into July, barring major rain or heat.
1) Sometime around end of May or beginning of June, both the N. Cascades highway and Cayuse/Chinook Pass will open. N. Cascades is at least 2.5 hours drive, Cayuse is 2. Cayuse/Chinook will be goijg well into July and is my favorite place. N. Cascades is mindblowing, but a long slog.
3) By July, they open Mount Rainier NP, the Sunrise entrance. There's tons of stuff there, about 2.5 hour drive from Seattle.

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4. Any boaters here I can hook up with when I come out? I need to meet a whole new crew for that. I’m assuming the creeking season will be ending by mid-summer. Is the play run below Sunset Falls on the Sky the closest thing going at that time?

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I'm not a boathead, but I see people farting around below Snoqualmie Falls all year long. It's short though. There's some stuff on the Cedar River right below the reservoir (there's a kayak slalom set up there) about 45 minutes out of Seattle. The big blowout is on the Tieton in late August when they open that res gates.

Any neighborhood on the north side of Seattle would be good for your wife's work. There are also a few just south of the U (Montlake, Madison Park, even Queen Anne or Capitol Hill) that would probably be good, but I haven't really spent much time around there. The farther north you go the more likely you are to find something with somewhat of a yard. I would say the ideal location would be the neighborhoods a ways east of I-5 north of the University. If you get far enough north you'd have the option of going around the north end of Lake Washington if you had to commute to Bellevue or the Eastside, which could be better than trying to cross the floating bridges (520 and I-90).

I guess the traffic can be as bad as you make it by where you work versus where you live. Just keep in mind the bulk of the traffic will be heading into Seattle in the mornings and out in the evenings. For example, I work over 20 miles away from where I live, but it's usually only a 30 minute or less drive because I'm going in the opposite direction from the main flow of traffic.

FYI, if your or your wife's job hours allow it, the floating bridges aren't bad from about 9:45 am to 4pm. Unless there's an accident or break-down, it only takes about 15 minutes to get from the UW area to Bellevue.

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Originally Posted by Buster Highmen

I think people are smoking something really good if they can make it to Alpental from Seattle proper in 45 minutes. Duder, have you been holding out on me?

It's more like an hour.

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I've clocked 52 minutes door to door from wally :tongue:

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Originally Posted by Squirrel99

I've clocked 52 minutes door to door from wally :tongue:

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Well, excuse the math, but isn't that more like an hour?

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Originally Posted by Buster Highmen

Well, excuse the math, but isn't that more like an hour?

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It's about the equivalent of one dead jam.

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Originally Posted by Duder

It's about the equivalent of one dead jam.

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Including drums?

Thanks for all the info so far. I've done my searches on this and am trying to gleam anything else that I can. Keep it coming.

We're bummed to be leaving this area, but real excited to have the chance to live in a great town like Seattle for a bit. Look forward to meeting some of you in the near future.

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Originally Posted by Buster Highmen

Including drums?

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"Space" and a Bob f*ckup too!

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Originally Posted by Duder

"Space" and a Bob f*ckup too!

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That's the canonical time to leave and smoke a joint in the bathroom, right?

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Originally Posted by Buster Highmen

That's the canonical time to leave and smoke a joint in the bathroom, right?

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That's up to you man!....I comprise the other 99%!!

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Originally Posted by Buster Highmen

That's the canonical time to leave and smoke a joint in the bathroom, right?

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Only if it's Pachelbel's Canon.

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Originally Posted by The AD

Only if it's Pachelbel's Canon.

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Dude, is that what all that banging was? I was too hits to the wind.

I'd also add Wedgewood to the neighborhood list... I lived there my senior year at UW, and it's a bit less urban feeling than some of the other neighborhoods but still a really easy commute (bike, bus, or car) to the U. Likely a little cheaper, but you probably won't be able to walk to many bars or anything like that.

That time of the season, you can still creek in the Skykomish drainage, and the creeking out at Tumwater and Icicle Creek area is fantastic. Play spots too. There's really nothing driving out to the Sky to play on at low flows, other than doing rock splats and shit. Tieton release is the last hurah of the summer, and its all the month of September. Great play wave, worth just the drive.

Believe it or not, but West Seattle is relatively convenient to the U-district and the commute Eastbound across I-90 in the morning isn't too bad. The worst part is getting across the W. Seattle bridge, then the 1/2 mile on N-bound I-5 to get to I-90. The earlier you can do it the better. I currently live in the Southernmost part of W. Seattle and commute to Totem Lake on the Eastside (North of Bellevue/Kirkland and the 520 bridge so further than your commute would be) and it only takes me about 35 minutes, but clock-in time at work is 6:30 AM so I'm hitting the road just before 6. I get off work at 4:30 and it can take an hour to get home as traffic is really beginning to pile up on Southbound 405 by then most days. I-90 is never all that bad unless there's a wreck.

I have lived in W. Seattle most of my life and it's convenient to everywhere, there are areas where rentals with yards are still somewhat reasonable and generally cheaper than the other areas mentioned. There is a great beach nearby (Alki), a fantastic big park on the water (Lincoln), several other very cool smaller parks, and downtown or Southcenter are only 20 mins or less though I find myself going to Southcenter hardly ever anymore as Westwood Mall, which is on the southern end of W. Seattle now has stores for almost anything you could need (didn't used to). One of the major bus lines through W. Seattle used to run through downtown then directly to the UW. Don't know if it still does or not but that's how I commuted to school when I was a student there. About 1-/1/2 hours each way on the bus though... But, if you can drive it, the drive isn't more than about 45 mins. even during rush hour. The trick is to take SR99 N. from the W. Seattle freeway, bail off just after you cross the Ship Canal bridge and take surface streets to the U. Did that commute for a couple years too.

The only big monkeywrench that may get tossed in the works is they're talking about demolishing the Alaskan Way viaduct and building a replacement since the existing structure is well past it's lifespan and basically falling apart. When they get to tearing that thing down, no matter what they decide to replace it with, traffic is going to be the worst nightmare anyone's ever seen around here and living near the UW would be a better option. I think that's still a couple years off though.

Learn to fly a helicopter or get a jet pack and you'll be fine.:biggrin:
I used to ride my old 3 sp bike from Ballard, through UW out to the north end of Lk Washington on a great bike trail. If you like to bike to work you might check out the bike trail system and see if there is housing somewhere along the way.
UW Med Center has a shuttle bus system so you might check it's routing to see what's nearby.
I suggest you try hard to not have to commute by car. The higher rent closer in will be offset by lower fuel costs and fewer traffic induced migraines.
As soon as the monorail is built out to Snoqualmie Pass I'd look to live next to that.
Welcome to Seattle and remember; it rains every day.

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Originally Posted by fiddler

I used to ride my old 3 sp bike from Ballard, through UW out to the north end of Lk Washington on a great bike trail.

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Yes, the Burke-Gilman trail.

congrats to your wife on UW residency! what's she going to be doing?
i'm a second year med student here and, after a few years off of just skiing and boating, i thought i was going to be bummed to come live in the city and go to school all the time. it's been a pleasant surprise! i didn't get to do a lot of boating in the fall but i ran some rivers, had some great play and was thinking of taking out the creek boat when we started to get all that great november snow! good times. there are a lot of people here a lot more qualified than i am to wax on about the boating and skiing but i think you'll have a good time. i've got a few rotations here this coming summer and fall and would be happy to run some rivers with you or do some spring skiing depending on when you'll be around.

one thing i'd say about the skiing: i bought a pass at steven's and had a great time but if i had known it was going to be such a good winter i probably would have done alpental instead. it's a lot easier drive, the resort looks great and the touring in snoqualmie has a lot to offer. it's pretty easy to escape this place if you time it right. it hasn't been too hard to have a 50+ day ski season even with classes every afternoon.

let me know if i can help any more. email is best as i'm not on this thing all the time: forward@u.washington.edu

ps one of the absolute best things about seattle that is that it's only a 3 hour flight to anchorage!

I would add that there are a lot of great neighborhoods in seattle that fit your criteria. It's not cheap though, not as cheap as denver. I would give yourself an hour from seattle to alpy and 1.5 to crystal. I'm not a boater but I'm sure there's plenty of them around.

Don't worry about traffic too much, it's not as bad as it's made out to be ( just like the weather). The problem is there's so much water(lakes/sound) that there can be congestion issues in some spots but generally the distances are short compared to places like Denver and SF that are much more spread out.

Definetely less Sun than CO but easier to access skiing in my opinion. Still 4 season though. Hope you find a place you like. If you work on the eastside I'd still live in Seattle just make sure you live some what close to i90 or 520.

INHO there's no reason to live on the eastside unless you have kids.

Wedgewood, Maple Leaf, Ravenna, Northgate and Sand Point are good neighborhoods to look for less expensive housing with some yard space, "not too urban" and a fairly easy commute to UW. The U-District itself tends to be especially crowded, trafficky and noisy. All the neighborhoods east of I-5 and just north and south of UW are reasonably easy commutes, but the areas north of the U are substantially cheaper than neighborhoods to the south. That said, you can find some decent places in the Central District, Madison, Beacon Hill and Mt. Baker neighborhoods, but they're definitely more urban in feel. Generally speaking, the closer a neighborhood is to one of the lakes or to the bay, the more expensive it is, but you can often find nice pockets of housing just beyond where the view properties end. For easy UW access and relative affordability, I'd stick to neighborhoods in the valleys and ridges between Lake Washington and I-5 (east of the freeway).

Anything close-in that's west of I-5 (e.g. Wallingford) will be pricier and more urban in feel. West Seattle is a great neighborhood but the commute to UW is unpredictable--could be 20 minutes one day and 40 minutes the next.

This Seattle neighborhood map isn't great but will give you an idea of the basic layout.

If your idea of a good time is hanging out in freshly-scrubbed shopping malls, you'll enjoy living in Bellevue. And no, the traffic in Seattle isn't as bad as it's reputed to be--it's much worse than that.

No guarantees but I wouldn't be surprised if Crystal Mountain extends the season another week to 4/23 and then re-opens Memorial Day for weekend lift service between then and July 4 or so.

Good luck--

As a recent transplant, I’ll agree with all the advice you’ve been given. Also, the skiing is off the hook. Sometimes the snow sucks, but the terrain is amazing.

Duder, you fucking hippy.

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Originally Posted by Greydon Clark

but the terrain is amazing.

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Good to hear that. I ride lifts a lot more than bc and the ski areas in Summit are getting old quick. I like steep and technical and there is next to none of that inbounds here.

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Originally Posted by Yonder_River

Good to hear that. I ride lifts a lot more than bc and the ski areas in Summit are getting old quick. I like steep and technical and there is next to none of that inbounds here.

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the wet stuff when it falls opens lots of doors => enter Alpental. though the inbounds may be small, it lacks up with super rowdy adjacent BC and some short steep lines inbounds. just like the other cascade mtns, the bc has the goods.

and even under the lights at night, it's possible to ski fresh pow and small cliff drops.

look us up when you get up here. hopefully we'll have another kick ass season next year (and if it trends toward a stronger la nina...booyah!)

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Originally Posted by Yonder_River

Good to hear that. I ride lifts a lot more than bc and the ski areas in Summit are getting old quick. I like steep and technical and there is next to none of that inbounds here.

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Having done time in Summit, I can assure you the terrain is a vast improvement, the lift accessed BC is A+++. Look through Squirrel trip reports and get hyped.

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Originally Posted by greenmachine

I would add that there are a lot of great neighborhoods in seattle that fit your criteria. It's not cheap though, not as cheap as denver. I would give yourself an hour from seattle to alpy and 1.5 to crystal. I'm not a boater but I'm sure there's plenty of them around.

Don't worry about traffic too much, it's not as bad as it's made out to be ( just like the weather). The problem is there's so much water(lakes/sound) that there can be congestion issues in some spots but generally the distances are short compared to places like Denver and SF that are much more spread out.

Definitely less Sun than CO but easier to access skiing in my opinion. Still 4 season though. Hope you find a place you like. If you work on the eastside I'd still live in Seattle just make sure you live some what close to i90 or 520.

INHO there's no reason to live on the eastside unless you have kids.

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1.5hrs to Crystal? Woo-hoot! Can I drive with you sometime, I heart white knuckles.:biggrin:

Good suggestions on Seattle neighborhoods, I sorta prefer north of U district-Wedgwood/Sandpoint/Roosevelt/Greenlake/Mapl Leaf. Easy UW compute on bus lines /bike path etc. IMHO, Seattle doesn't really qualify as a big city and the truly "urban feel" areas are small, lots of neighborhoods to choose from.

Also consider Shoreline, cheaper, little farther north of UW, definitely more bang for buck. I'd also consider buy vs rent option as stated above, rents not cheap and sounds like you'll be here a few years.

Skiing isn't too bad once you realise not everything revolves around water content (sic). Usually the people complaining about PNW are looking for that resort feel anyway.