Tell me about Seattle, part 2- Lynnwood

In My Humble Opinion
21

Well, that’ll teach me to not check in on this thread until 2am. :slight_smile:

Johnny L. A., I was wondering how you were and if you had moved yet. It’s too bad that your job is postponing your move. Although I do have to say-- in a time where so many people are getting laid off, it’s nice to hear about someone who manages to dodge the bullet. (Okay, in your case, it’s a stoopid bullet, but you know what I mean. :D) Anyway, I’ll quit yapping. Thanks for your posts. :slight_smile: Hope we’ll be calling you Johnny WA soon.

Thank you for the links, OneChance. I spent about half an hour at 4am (6am PST) watching the traffic cams scenes. And the StepOne site’s been quite helpful.

Binarydrone, as future roomie KKB said, we’re basing our neighborhood picks on the amount of cash we have/will have, and not on our jobs, because, well, we don’t have any lined up yet. It would help a lot, but there’s a catch-22 of sorts when it comes to getting an apartment and getting a job in a city you don’t live in and can’t possibly visit every now and then because of the geography involved. It’s tougher to get a job without a local address, and you can’t really get a local address (in a nice place, at least) unless you have a source of future income.

Why’s that? To be honest, those three were among the, oh, six or seven neighborhoods we looked at. Is it because of the distance between those 'hoods and downtown Seattle, or do you have another reason in mind?

GargoyleWB, a quiet, blue-collar, hick town doesn’t sound half bad.

And would that be a fetish for transvestites with piercings that you folks have, or is it a fetish for actually performing the piercings on them poor transvestites? Oh, wait, the hyphen makes it clear. Thanks. :wink:

Thanks for the Magnolia suggestion, BurnMeUp. I’m looking into rentals there literally as we speak.

BTW, I meant no offense to you with the Bellevue/Redmond/East side jabs. In my first thread, the consensus was those neighborhoods were fairly homogenous style-wise and dull. Truth be told, I would not mind living there one bit. (Apologies extended to amarinth, too, because if memory serves me right, she grew up in Bellevue.)

Thanks for the (early) welcome, masonite. I have a question-- what exactly are the off-hours on the Lynnwood-Seattle route? I remember someone in the first thread said that rush hour was generally 3:30pm to 7:30pm. If by the grace of some miracle we have schedules that allow us to avoid the freeway between those hours, would our lives still be reparable? (Said with a ;), but I am curious.)

Oh, this makes me nervous. How is the public transportation system there?

:doublechecks to make sure she has an ‘l’ in ‘public’:

I have a fairly dismal view of Hawaii’s public transportation systems. Though we’ve been getting shiny new air-conditioned buses, the routes are mapped and scheduled by morons who obviously drive in their own cars to work and play. Will the bus system there be a shock, do you think? Or is it mostly the traffic that makes it bad?

racer72– snow and hail in June?! As a native of Hawaii, where June weather looks pretty much like December weather, this frightens me…

Scotti, I’ll e-mail you as soon as I’m done here. :slight_smile:

Geoduck, thanks for your post. I’ve read elsewhere that west Seattle has crime problems, so your post just reaffirms my decision to avoid the area. And I like your ‘reassess after six months’ advice; I was thinking that that might be a good idea.

JonScribe, I very much want to explore Seattle’s ferry system, but I’m not sure I want to rely on it for daily transportation. I don’t know why; I think I’d just rather live closer to downtown and have the higher cost that comes with it. I think it’s the result of having commuted to Honolulu all my life. But I’ll keep the suggestion in mind.

A friend of ours lived in Bremerton in his pre-Navy days, so we could ask him for his recommendations about the area.
:whew:

Thanks again, everyone, for chiming in.

22

AudreyK, on the whole, not true. There is one large dicey neighborhood in West Seattle, southward, but actually most of West Seattle is wonderful. More affordable than other places (due to its proximity and the bridge getting there) and beautiful–Alki park is miles long beach and jogging/biking trails that are very popular. West Seattle was a separate city until the 'teens and retains some unique character. I do recommend it.

23

Yeesh, it seems that Seattle is not just Chicago’s farthest northwest suburb, it is also getting to be Honolulu’s farthest northEAST suburb! I swear that half the people I know there are from Hawaii.

24

BTW, if you can afford to live on Bainbridge Island (it’s gotten pricey) and will be working downtown (no, I haven’t read the whole thread nor the previous one) that would be a great place to live. Not many commutes include orca spotting.

25

The only problem with living on a Ferry commute area is if the weather gets bad (maybe once or twice a year) or if there is a loss to ferry funding, or a ferry out for repairs, you’re screwed.

26

Generally speaking, I think that my reasons for suggesting that you live somewhere in Seattle proper (as opposed to the outlying communities) has to do with my reasons for being here. Naturally, you may have far different motivations than I.

As a recent transplant (moved from Vermont just under a year ago), I have found that a lot of the enjoyment that I have in being here has to do with the neighborhood that I live in. Also, I have found that this drives a lot of the contact that I have with people. For example, some good friends of ours live in Renton (which is all of 15 miles away) and we never see them.

Given the I-5 or 90 general suck, there is a huge difference between living in the city and living (geographically) close. The temptation is to think that you can find good deals on rent near the city and that you will come in to the city for the fun stuff (clubs, museums, whatever) but my experience has been that this is not true.

Finally, you have picked a pretty good time to move here. Rents are trending lower, and a lot of landlords are willing to cut a deal (at least on Capitol hill where I reside). I know that finding a place sight-unseen is rough (My first place was a disaster), but hell, I will swing by and look at a place or two for you if you ask nice. :smiley:

27

Nothing much to add, as Binarydrone pretty much just said what I would.

So I’ll just repeat- if you’re moving to Seattle, move to Seattle. Maybe you’ll decide to move outside the city in a year (God knows why, but perhaps that’s just me); but starting out centrally located (and I’d say Magnolia, Ballard, Capitol Hill, too) will give you better access to all the other areas to check them out.

Besides, the traffic mess that we have is mostly the result of people commuting in. If you live in the city, you get around a lot of that- and that’s true whether you work in Seattle or outside. My commute (north of Ballard to downtown) is 35 minutes by bus, 20 by car.

Oh, yeah, the public transportation. It’s rather extensive and farily reliable, as long as you’re on the main routes (to/from either Downtown, Eastside proper, or the U-district), but not too good otherwise. And while ferries are romantic, commuting on them sucks rocks, according to everyone I know who does it.

28

I’ve lived in Seattle all my life (except for schooling back east). Three years ago, my wife and I were looking to buy a house. I work downtown, but am not rich. So, the Eastside was out.

I looked in the North End (including Lynnwood) and in the South End (Kent/Renton). I found the best value, in terms of what you could get for your money and in terms of my commute to Seattle, was in Kent. We bought a new 1850 square foot townhouse for approximately $180K. I live close to a bus line and take it in and out of downtown and don’t get hassled by traffic. While Kent may be geographically farther from downtown than Lynnwood, I’m convinced it’s closer during rush hour.

Plus, I like the Kent area and the people who live here. There’s not a lot of fine dining alternatives, or arts, but it’s a good solid community to live in.

Anyway, I just thought I should speak up for the Kent area.

29

As a recent import (1 year) from the hell that is Mississippi, I can tell you this is the best place I have ever lived-and I’ve lived in almost every time zone in the US. Don’t really know about Lynnwood, but I chose Bellevue (simply because it was 6 minutes from work), and I’ve never regretted a day of it. Believe all the other Pugent Sound Dopers-your commute has to be a HUGE factor in your final decision of where to live. Since you don’t have a job lined up, I’d make sure to just get a 6-month lease so you can relocate if your eventual job puts you in a miserable commute. Atlanta is tied with Seattle for the worst gridlock in the nation, but the does seem to be alot of buses here on the Eastside. Many people who moved here when I did chose Kirkland, which is north of Bellevue and gave them the option of working north or south of Seattle, but I don’t think it’s worth because of the horror of Rt 405 .Also, because of the generally mild, albeit somewhat damp, climate, there are a lot of people that use bicycles. Me, I wouldn’t last 2 blocks on these hills, but I’m shot to hell anyways and am the envy of my peers because I have a handicapped permit (guess who usually drives for lunch…):smiley:
But for shopping, climate, ambience, art, food and great scenery, this place can’t be beat!

30

I’ll second those who say you should have a trial period before settling into a permanent residence. Lynnwood is pretty far away, rush-hour-speaking. Ditto Woodinville, Bothell, etc., the various outlying areas. Where you choose to live must depend on where you work if you want to minimize the stuck-in-traffic thing. I know folks in White Center, Renton, Mountlake Terrace, etc., and most of them have constructed their lives around the freeway’s limitations. Me, personally, I live in Maple Leaf (just south of Northgate), but I work in Factoria, which involves driving south through downtown and then east across one of two bridges. I’m about ready to claw my face off.

There are too many peculiarities with the region to give you a solid recommendation on where to live without knowing a whole lot more information: where do you work, what’s your schedule, what kind of neighborhood do you prefer, are schools important, and so on and so forth. So I’ll just repeat, if you can, plan to take the first six months to a year just to get the lay of the land.

Oh, and I’m sure most anybody here would be happy to give you a “new resident” tour when you arrive. I know my wife and I would. :slight_smile:

31

And I live there NOW.

Town’s not too bad - and lord knows the rent’s lower than in Seattle proper. (I pay 750 for a three bedroom HOUSE - about what some friends of mine are paying for a STUDIO in Belltown) I work in West Sound, so no Ferry commute for me - it’s five minutes from work to home. I have lots of friends who do the ferry shuffle - most of them hate it, but would still rather do it than live over there. Also, we have a foot ferry that is CAPABLE of making the run in 25 minutes. Unfortunately, the rich @$$h*le$ in Manchester and Bainbridge Island complain about the wakes hurting their waterfronts, so half the time the boats are on a court-ordered slowdown. The Car Ferries take about 50-60 minutes to get across. Slower ride, true, but you can nap, or get breakfast in the galley, or play cards, or do whatever you need to do.

Be aware that Bremerton (and most of the West Sound and Olyimpic Peninsula) are economically depressed - between the death of the NW timber industry and the fact that the big boom of the 90’s that Seattle had NEVER REALLY GOT HERE (and we’re just 15 miles away) can make it an interesting place to be if you’re looking for work.

32

I completely agree with smaft. There are plenty of places for rent right now, at least in my area (Queen Anne/Interbay/Ballard). IMO, it’s better to move to where the jobs are – you’ll have an easier time getting from interview to interview, if nothing else – and once you know where you’re working, you can move if you know you won’t mind the commute.

My husband and I have a ~500sq.ft. 1-bedroom apt. in Interbay (it’s a “sort-of” neighborhood, between Queen Anne and Magnolia), for $650/month (garbage, water, and basic cable included). Within about a 5-block area, there are at least 8 “for rent” signs I know of. It’s on a couple of bus lines, about a 10-min. drive to downtown, and near plenty of grocery stores, great neighborhood places, etc. We’re looking to move to a bigger place this summer, and have leads on a couple of places in Ballard for not much more money.

If you’re looking to move soon, let me know and I can get some of the phone numbers off the signs nearby… you could even take the unit next door to me! (everyone’s buying houses, so the number of rental vacancies is going up fast.)

(some people will probably say, “Interbay? Ew!” It’s a little industrial. But you sound like you’re about my age (24) and like you’re not looking for the poshest neighborhood. Interbay has its share of run-down buildings, but overall it’s pretty safe, clean, and low-rent. That’s what I was looking for, and it’s fit the bill. YMMV…)

Good luck! I’m more than willing to answer other questions, or do a little foot-work for ya. :slight_smile:

33

Ah, food for thought.

Hm… Well, it looks like the question, for me at least, is no longer “where should we live,” but rather, where is there work?

My last job was as a web designer, a field that I’m thinking isn’t quite so hot in Washington right now. I also have a degree in creative writing, so a technical writing job isn’t inconceivable, though I fall into the “you need experience to get a job” catch-22 in that area.

Personally, I was thinking of working as a temp (or even retail, whichever pays better) while trying to establish myself as a wholesaler, but that’s not something I’m willing to bet the farm on.

In your opinions, what areas, geographically and market-wise, are hiring in Washington?

Speaking for AudreyK, she has a BA in psych and is willing to do pretty much anything for money. (Interpret that as you will. ;)) Her dream job would be as a fontographer, but we have the mutual feeling that the odds of that happening aren’t all that great.

Ah, adventure… :slight_smile:

34

I spent an hour and a half today calling apartment properties in Renton (we have a list of 39 properties in Renton, Lynnwood, Bellevue, Kirkland, and Shoreline) and so far, so good. I got one answering machine, one no-apartments-available, and about five friendly-sounding apartment representatives. Each place is going to be snail-mailing me information packets, and they should all arrive within a week. I’m really looking forward to getting them.

Some places have policies where they only hold units for 14 days. This kinda sucks, as that’s too close to the moving date for comfort. What if something goes wrong? I’d hate to get a call 3 days before we’re supposed to be there telling me whoops, sorry, but we don’t have a place for you after all. Fortunately, a couple of the places were willing to hold it longer, as long as a month in one case, understanding that we were calling around in advance because we were moving from out-of-state.

Geoduck, thanks. I’m glad we don’t have to eliminate west Seattle from our options. Living that close would be great, especially for our first few weeks there, which I plan to spend exploring and playing tourist.

Hi dropzone. My mom had an interest in Bainbridge Island. I think she read about the place in a book (Snow Falling on Cedars, maybe?) and she used to think out loud about what the place looks like, how expensive it was, etc. I personally would find something amusing about leaving Hawaii for the mainland only to wind up living on an island again. As it is, I think the place is to expensive for us.

BurnMeUp- Yeah, that’s another worry. In all likelihood we won’t be living someplace where the ferry is an option. I’m sure we will ride it, though; I’ve been curious since I found out Seattle had ferries.

That’s very nice of you to offer! :slight_smile: I’m not sure it’ll be necessary, though; the website that we’ve been shopping at has pictures. They’re not the greatest, but they are enough to give us an idea of what the place looks like. KKB’s uncle has also offered to do some footwork.

Still, thank you. :slight_smile:

smaft, right now, we’re basing our picks on what we can afford, and what’s the best deal for the price. So far it means living outside downtown Seattle. If we start itching for a place closer to downtown, maybe after our lease is up we can give it a try.

Thanks for the input on public transportation, too.

Squooshed, thanks. Kent and Renton were two of the neighborhoods we looked into (and Renton, as I said, was where I called around for apartments today). I’m glad to hear the traffic seems to be better going in and out of those areas. I’m definitely not looking forward to finding out exactly how bad the traffic there is.

singular1, with luck, we’ll find jobs that don’t require commuting, something within, say, 10 miles. I’m hoping we’ll be able to just walk to a bus stop (I nearly typed “bust top”) outside our apartment complex and ride to work.

If it helps:

No jobs yet; I’m planning on establishing residency before applying to graduate schools. We’re night owls-- left to us, we’d get up around noon and not go to bed until 3 or 4am. We’d prefer a quieter, safe neighborhood (I’m guessing this would mean an older neighborhood, one without schools). Proximity to schools isn’t important-- we don’t have kids, and as I said, school for me is at least a year away. We like movie theaters and bookstores and I’m pretty sure we’re game for plays, concerts, and the like. We’re not wild, partying types.

And thank you for the tour offer. :slight_smile:

lawoot, thanks for expanding on the ferries and Bremerton. BTW, $750 for a 3bdrm house is amazing; you never see anything even close to that here in Hawaii.

Thanks, stargazer. I’m doing our apartment-hunting online, and as the ads for the Ballard/Queen Anne/Magnolia areas tended to not have pictures or had too little info, I didn’t add any places there to my to-call list. That is a great location, though. Maybe after we get jobs and reassess our situation we’ll take a look there. From what I remember from looking at my maps, the place is surrounded by water, and being a Hawaii kid, that’ll be nice.

BTW, I am exactly your age. Thanks for the well-wishes and the offer to do footwork for us. :slight_smile: Chances are we won’t have to ask you to do that for us, but the thought is very much appreciated nonetheless.
You guys rock. :slight_smile:

35

What’s the commute like if you’re lucky enough to avoid an 8 to 5 shift? I’d say it gets better, proportionately, the longer you manage to get away from the usual hours. This probably doesn’t help you much, does it?

Today I drove from Seattle to home at 3:45. It took a little over a half hour; traffic was bad all the way up but it was actually moving. When it’s completely stopped, that’s when you have to watch out.

Wild guess here - but I’d say if you left downtown before 3:30, or after 6:30, you’d be all right. And even 4:30 or 6:00 can be significantly better than, say, 5:15.

But this must be the same everywhere there is rush-hour.

36

I lived in seattle for years -mostly U-district, Capitol Hill, Fremont and Ballard.

I did spend some time in the Shorline area… which is a suburb of Lynnwood. :slight_smile:

If you plan on moving to Lynnwood, you might want to check out this site. http://www.mulletsgalore.com/

Most importantly, this page

37

Hey AudreyK, if you really want to have some fun, move to Mount Vernon Washington! It’s about 60 miles north of Seattle and filled with fun stuff to do! Ain’t that right Squooshed?:smiley:

38

Oh, dear lord. I can’t even evade my wife’s relatives in the privacy of an anonymous message board. There goes the neighborhood. :slight_smile:

By the way, ignore Mt. Vernon. It takes 2 hours to get to Seattle and nothing ever happens there.

39

Actually, thank you. You guys just reminded me to get in touch with my uncle in Olympia. :slight_smile:

6:30’s not too bad, masonite. Depending on where/the hours we work, that might suit us just fine. Knowing us, we’d go out for dinner in town if we’re there at that time.

Seven, that’s one scary page.

40

If you’re not married to working, living in the immediate Seattle area, I can recommend Bellingham, just south of the border with Canada and about two hours north of Seattle. It’s a college town (Western Washington University) so it’s got some life and culture to it, it’s relatively close to Vancouver, B.C., close to skiing at Mount Baker (if you’re into that) and despite a major mall it has a fairly vital downtown.

I’d recommend where I live, but I’m keeping that a closely guarded secret to keep it from being overrun by them furiners.