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[luckyboyceo]

I don't think I've ever spent more than a few minutes in Ballard. Everyone talks it up but I've never had a reason to go there.

Completely different vibe, but for the most part, Ballard has all of the cool things about Capitol Hill (bars, restaurants, live music, etc) with less of the garbage. It feels much more community oriented as well, which is cool.

This. Capitol Hill is the Hollywood of Seattle.

This is accurate.

 

[leroidys]

Not trying to troll, but what's appealing about Ballard outside of breweries?

 

[dubc35]

Not trying to troll, but what's appealing about Ballard outside of breweries?

It's incredibly walk-able, amazing restaurants, farmers market, view of Olympics, etc. It used to be a nice almost outside the city neighborhood but now it's just apartment and condo boxes everywhere.

brb, have to go shake a fist at a cloud

 

[freenudemacusers]

Ballard has a nice chill vibe.

So it looks like I leave WA late November, for those track on my whereabouts. You bros want to chill or wut

 

[leroidys]

It's incredibly walk-able, amazing restaurants, farmers market, view of Olympics, etc. It used to be a nice almost outside the city neighborhood but now it's just apartment and condo boxes everywhere.

brb, have to go shake a fist at a cloud

Yeah that makes sense. I guess living in Bellingham desensitized me to these aspects. It doesn't seem that walkable to me though, unless you happen to live right in downtown.

 

[lawnchair]

Ballard has a nice chill vibe.

So it looks like I leave WA late November, for those track on my whereabouts. You bros want to chill or wut

;_; x 100

 

[distantmantra]

Yeah that makes sense. I guess living in Bellingham desensitized me to these aspects. It doesn't seem that walkable to me though, unless you happen to live right in downtown.

Walkability is so incredibly important to me. I'd have a difficult time ever losing that.

And in 2021 I'll have a light rail station just blocks away.

 

[jb1234]

I am pretty excited about the Capitol Hill light rail station starting service soon. A nice, convenient way of getting to the airport without worrying about parking there.

 

[Trouble]

I am pretty excited about the Capitol Hill light rail station starting service soon. A nice, convenient way of getting to the airport without worrying about parking there.

It will be hilarious if it goes into service before the First Hill streetcar.

 

[cdyhybrid]

Need that Brooklyn station ASAP.

 

[distantmantra]

Need that Brooklyn station ASAP.

It opens in 2021 along with Roosevelt. :-/

 

[dubc35]

I was surprised the UW/Capitol Hill (University Link) opens early next year. 2021 does seem like a long way away for the Northgate link. I might not even live here then, lol.

 

[distantmantra]

I was surprised the UW/Capitol Hill (University Link) opens early next year. 2021 does seem like a long way away for the Northgate link. I might not even live here then, lol.

Roosevelt and Brooklyn will likely be done earlier, but Northgate is where the trains turn around.

My daughter will be nine when Roosevelt opens. Wow.

 

[luckyboyceo]

Not trying to troll, but what's appealing about Ballard outside of breweries?

Like others have said, it's super walkable. Both Ballard Ave. and Market St. are home to some of the best restaurants and bars in the city. While it's definitely seen its fair share of changes/remodeling in the last 10 years, it doesn't seem nearly as overrun as Capitol Hill, nor is it as dirty. It's definitely a nice change of pace from the hustle of downtown.

So it looks like I leave WA late November, for those track on my whereabouts. You bros want to chill or wut

;_; x 100

Count me in bros.

 

[dubc35]

Roosevelt and Brooklyn will likely be done earlier, but Northgate is where the trains turn around.

My daughter will be nine when Roosevelt opens. Wow.

My daughter will be 8. Crazy to imagine. They won't know Seattle without light rail.

 

[distantmantra]

My daughter will be 8. Crazy to imagine. They won't know Seattle without light rail.

My kiddo is pretty knowledgeable about the city now. She'll remember pre-light rail North Seattle.

Also, I can't remember if I mentioned it, but my wife and I went to Salare in Ravenna last weekend. It was pretty damn amazing.

 

[devilhawk]

There being no SLU light rail station is unconscionable. Like I can't put into words how massive of a mistake it is.

 

[distantmantra]

There being no SLU light rail station is unconscionable. Like I can't put into words how massive of a mistake it is.

West Seattle and Ballard not having a station are much bigger mistakes than SLU not having one. Hell, Southcenter not having one is dumber than SLU.

 

[Stinkles]

The light rail will only really be useful to me for airport runs, and I'd still need a ride to UW station. And I haven't seen schedules but I imagine it will be far slower all things considered, than the 20 minutes it takes to drive right now ( even with some traffic, which is really just ship canal to Union st).

 

[distantmantra]

Light rail will be great for heading to Capitol Hill and Mariners games, and I might actually be interested in hitting up downtown for once.

 

[mYm|17|]

West Seattle and Ballard not having a station are much bigger mistakes than SLU not having one. Hell, Southcenter not having one is dumber than SLU.

Seriously, ballard and west seattle desperately need a light rail station

 

[distantmantra]

Seriously, ballard and west seattle desperately need a light rail station

But to be honest, it's not really mistakes at the moment. They're doing a straight north south line to begin, so Ballard and West Seattle would be east west extension lines.

 

[platypotamus]

Didn't they approve an expansion of the light rail to Ballard earlier this year (for like a decade or more in the future)?

 

[distantmantra]

Didn't they approve an expansion of the light rail to Ballard earlier this year (for like a decade or more in the future)?

Yep.

I was just trying to make the point that SLU not having light rail isn't that big of a deal.

 

[Trouble]

Yep.

I was just trying to make the point that SLU not having light rail isn't that big of a deal.

I agree. SLU has streetcar<->light rail access. That's a lot more than most of the city.

 

[leroidys]

Anyone tried Wave broadband in the area? My house is dumping Comcast as they throttle us down to <1Mbps on weeknights.

 

[jetsetrez]

Wave has been pretty annoying to me. Outtages pretty frequently, though to be somewhat fair, my prime time usage is probably what makes the most sense for them to be doing maintenance (12am-4am). Still doesn't make it any less annoying after coming home from work when nearly everything I would want to do requires Internet access. South Lake Union area. They also run Condo Internet though which is really fast, so I guess it all depends.

 

[zero shift]

So I was thinking of moving to Seattle next year.

I have a few questions:

• Is it as expensive as people say it is? Some people make it sound like San Francisco Jr.
• Is the cost of living still rising or is it starting to lower (I heard the $15/hour wage is trying to counter the cost of living)?
• Is the city very diverse?
• How is the city's nightlife?

 

[WesternHeretic]

So I was thinking of moving to Seattle next year.

I have a few questions:

• Is it as expensive as people say it is? Some people make it sound like San Francisco Jr.
• Is the cost of living still rising or is it starting to lower (I heard the $15/hour wage is trying to counter the cost of living)?
• Is the city very diverse?
• How is the city's nightlife?

Yes basically cheaper than San Fran but isn't exactly cheap. But it also depend where in Seattle you're looking for.
Not sure
Very
Tons of bars. A few hip hop clubs, about 3 main EDM clubs. Oh and more bars... and did I mention bars? Okay... oh and hot dogs!

 

[zero shift]

Yes basically cheaper than San Fran but isn't exactly cheap. But it also depend where in Seattle you're looking for.
Not sure
Very
Tons of bars. A few hip hop clubs, about 3 main EDM clubs. Oh and more bars... and did I mention bars? Okay... oh and hot dogs!

Would I be able to find a studio apartment for $1000 or less? I see some on Craigslist but not sure how common they are.

Oh and my second question is how's crime?

 

[jb1234]

So I was thinking of moving to Seattle next year.

I have a few questions:

• Is it as expensive as people say it is? Some people make it sound like San Francisco Jr.
• Is the cost of living still rising or is it starting to lower (I heard the $15/hour wage is trying to counter the cost of living)?
• Is the city very diverse?
• How is the city's nightlife?

Yes but it's still nowhere near as expensive as San Francisco is.
It's been rising for a while now.
Yup.
Plenty of bars. Nightlife isn't really my thing so I can't elaborate further.

Would I be able to find a studio apartment for $1000 or less? I see some on Craigslist but not sure how common they are.

Oh and my second question is how's crime?

Probably? There are Apodments (yay?) right across from me for $750 so I can't imagine that studios are much more expensive. And as always, it depends on how close you are to downtown.

Crime is like any typical big city. There's definitely neighborhoods you'll want to stay out of, especially at night. Seattle isn't especially high on violent crime.

 

[WesternHeretic]

Would I be able to find a studio apartment for $1000 or less? I see some on Craigslist but not sure how common they are.

Oh and my second question is how's crime?

Like Jb say we are pretty low on violent crimes (like murder), but for crimes like auto theft etc.. probably same as every other major city in the U.S.

 

[riotous]

Seattle has significantly higher property crime rate than most major cities in the US actually.

It's 4th in the nation overall on property crime and I believe #1 on at least one specific property crime threat (car theft/prowling.)

 

[dubc35]

For reference, Seattle PD has online crime maps.

 

[mYm|17|]

Finally on the 4th attempt, we got a house!

We were lucky that there was only one bidder against us. Got the house for $570,000 and right in Columbia City east of Rainier Ave. Glad that is all over.

 

[WesternHeretic]

Finally on the 4th attempt, we got a house!

We were lucky that there was only one bidder against us. Got the house for $570,000 and right in Columbia City east of Rainier Ave. Glad that is all over.

Congrats!

 

[dubc35]

Congrats! Welcome to the neverending expenses that go along with owning a home! It's more than worth it IMO.

 

[mYm|17|]

Thanks! We're excited to finally have a place of our own and lots of room in the house so we're not in each others face all the time.

 

[Frankenstrat]

So it turns out the Monkey Loft is a pretty fun place! Never done the whole party marathon thing on a holiday but I guess this was a good start. Did anyone here go to freaknight?

 

[cdyhybrid]

So it turns out the Monkey Loft is a pretty fun place! Never done the whole party marathon thing on a holiday but I guess this was a good start. Did anyone here go to freaknight?

I did.

Western did for Saturday night, as well.

 

[WesternHeretic]

So it turns out the Monkey Loft is a pretty fun place! Never done the whole party marathon thing on a holiday but I guess this was a good start. Did anyone here go to freaknight?

I did freaknight too but only Sat.

 

[zero shift]

So I was thinking of moving to Seattle next year.

I have a few questions:

• Is it as expensive as people say it is? Some people make it sound like San Francisco Jr.
• Is the cost of living still rising or is it starting to lower (I heard the $15/hour wage is trying to counter the cost of living)?
• Is the city very diverse?
• How is the city's nightlife?

Can others answer these questions as well? I'm curious to hear everyone's input.

 

[dubc35]

Can others answer these questions as well? I'm curious to hear everyone's input.

Is it as expensive as people say it is? Some people make it sound like San Francisco Jr.
- Yes, housing cost depends on where you want to live though. Some neighborhoods are more expensive than others.

Is the cost of living still rising or is it starting to lower (I heard the $15/hour wage is trying to counter the cost of living)?
- Still rising, property taxes may rise more after tomorrow as well (no on prop 1!). My property tax has gone up about 30% in the six years I have owned a home. It hits renters too, landlords will raise rent when their taxes increase.

Is the city very diverse?
- Yes

How is the city's nightlife?
- I'm too old to comment but from what I hear it is still very active (Belltown, Ballard, Capitol Hill, Pioneer Square, etc)

 

[platypotamus]

So I was thinking of moving to Seattle next year.

I have a few questions:

• Is it as expensive as people say it is? Some people make it sound like San Francisco Jr.
  
  Less expensive than Southern California was when I was there. More expensive than Vegas.
  
• Is the cost of living still rising or is it starting to lower (I heard the $15/hour wage is trying to counter the cost of living)?
  
  I feel like this is a difficult question to answer for me personally due to how much both my income and expenses have changed lately. Between babymaking, house buying, work promotion/bonus, house basement repair, 2 cars dying and needing replaced... I dunno.
  
• Is the city very diverse?
  
  Yeah, for sure.
  
• How is the city's nightlife?
  
  When people say "nightlife", I think "da clubs", which sounds like hell to me. We probably have some, and they are probably hell. On a less hellish note, we have a great music scene, a ton of breweries/distilleries, great restaurants and bars.

 

[cdyhybrid]

RE: nightlife, the club scene isn't Chicago/NYC/SF/LA, but there are some quality venues here. We don't get as many of the big names coming through as regularly as the aforementioned cities, but we do alright.

That said, there a metric fuckton of great bars and restaurants. Lots of live music venues.

 

[av2k]

I will be living in Seattle by the end of the month, can't wait to call Seattle my home.

 

[fluffydelusions]

So they are giving the wall a cleaning? That sucks...I won't be moving to the area till early next year so looks like I will never get to see it =\

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle...source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=owned_buffer

 

[dubc35]

Shocking news! All the property tax levies are passing.

I'm not sure how much longer I can live in this city.

 

[WesternHeretic]

So they are giving the wall a cleaning? That sucks...I won't be moving to the area till early next year so looks like I will never get to see it =

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle...source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=owned_buffer

Well like the article says they will just be new gum lol.

You can be apart of the new wall.

 

[Red The Hunter]

So they are giving the wall a cleaning? That sucks...I won't be moving to the area till early next year so looks like I will never get to see it =\

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle...source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=owned_buffer

I'm not a crazy germaphobe by any means but from the images of it, that would make me feel ill just standing next to or being near it. it amuses me how some people will latch on the craziest things like this and say we should keep it, when it's just in my own opinion just disgusting and tacky.