Pacific Northwest - Moving to Seattle

Hi all. I'm moving to Seattle soon and was wondering if you know of some of the better neighborhoods to move to. I want to be close to downtown for work reasons but I also want to be in biking distance from wherever the clubs, pubs and bars are at. If anyone knows the cool-hip-young-musical-coffeedrinking neighborhood please let me know.

Also unfortunately cycling is a bit secondary because I must move but how is the road cycling scene in the area??

Thanks!

Some neighborhoods to consider:

Right downtown: Belltown
Near downtown: Capitol Hill
Still pretty close: Queen Anne, Fremont



That should get you started...

As for road cycling scene -- lots of road cycling in Seattle of all types (recreational, group rides, racing, randoneering, etc.).

www.cascade.org (http://www.cascade.org) is a good general resource for organized rides, group rides, message boards, links to bike shops.

Also find the website for the Seattle Bicycle Touring Club -- they have an excellent library of route maps in the Puget Sound Area (click around until you find their route starts library).

If you're into organized rides (centuries, charity rides, etc.), this blog has a very good calendar of local rides:

http://www.bikingbis.com/blog

And then there is this:
http://www.bicyclepaper.com/news

There are lots of places you can live that will get you to downtown quickly.

Cap Hill will probably be your best bet if you want hip, young, funky, and fresh. Don't mind the junkies at your doorstep, they are all part of the perks of the neighborhood. I lived there for several years and loved it.

Queen Anne is where you would live if you want more of a preppy lifestyle. Lots of good grocery stores there and a super hill to climb on the way home from work. I lived in this part of town for awhile as well and it is very peaceful, but the people tend to be a bit more stiff lipped.

Eastlake is a new build-up area that is basically downtown where Amgen planted roots. Lots of new development here so I'd definitely check it out.

Don't forget to check out Vivace on the hill and top pot donuts when you move up there!

Ezelles chicken and the taco bus on rainer are secret food spots you must try as well!

What used to be so cool about Seattle is that there were pockets of small family-run businesses that owned the local tavern, coffeeshop, and small grocery that sold real food to cook a meal. Now that developers have had their way, it's not that as much anymore. There are still these neighborhood pockets, you won't know the difference if you've never lived here.

There are lots of places you can live that will get you to downtown quickly.

Cap Hill will probably be your best bet if you want hip, young, funky, and fresh. Don't mind the junkies at your doorstep, they are all part of the perks of the neighborhood. I lived there for several years and loved it.

The meth-fiends and other assorted druggies are precisely the reason why The Girl and I moved out of Cap Hill. We couldn't take the near constant barrage of drug-addled morons coming up to our window (we lived on the first floor of The Capitola, at 14th and Republican):

- Hey, my friend lives in this building. Can you open the gate for me? I forgot his phone number. (also couldn't "remember" his friend's name or apartment number, and got violent when we wouldn't open the gate.)

- *2am tapping on window* "Can I get some change, or something to eat?"

- Came home one day to see 3 guys attempting to scale front gate to the building courtyard.

Granted, we only traded the street-cretin meth abuse around Cap Hill for the bored suburban housewife abuse of Valium and Arbor Mist in Redmond, but at least they don't try and hit me up for spare change and cigarettes.

Cap has it's up side, though. Walking distance to Pike Place Market. The Victrola coffee shop. Riding distance to some really nice bike shops. Riding distance to Salumi (sandwich joint owned by Mario Batali's father.) Really excellent hills. Possibility of nice downtown view, depending on where you live. Boom Noodle. Trader Joe's and a grocery co-op in the same block.

I live in Queen Anne now, and I really like it. It is a little preppier BUT you have a few great record shops (Easy Street, Silver Platters, Underdawg Records) and some good restaurants and coffee shops as well. There's also a little bike shop (Counterbalance Bicycles) right on Queen Anne Ave. Not sure what the general opinion of them around here is, but they've done some work for me and it always been good work and they're pretty friendly. The ride to downtown is short and easy, as well. Though Capital Hill is also a really neat place to live and is about the same distance (I think) to downtown...

There's also a little bike shop (Counterbalance Bicycles) right on Queen Anne Ave. Not sure what the general opinion of them around here is, but they've done some work for me and it always been good work and they're pretty friendly. The ride to downtown is short and easy, as well.

Counterbalance has both good and bad reputations that I've heard. They do great work, but they have a rep mostly with the couriers and track racers. It may not be true, (I haven't been there,) but I've heard that they can come across pretty clique-ish if you're not part of their scene.
Then again, I've also heard similar things about my favourite shop here on the eastside: Sammamish Valley Cycles. I mentioned the shop to someone once, and they said "Oh, the you're not a randonneur but I suppose we can sell you a bike anyways, shop?" So, I think it's a crapshoot really. Some people like one shop over another.

Then again, I've also heard similar things about my favourite shop here on the eastside: Sammamish Valley Cycles. I mentioned the shop to someone once, and they said "Oh, the you're not a randonneur but I suppose we can sell you a bike anyways, shop?" So, I think it's a crapshoot really. Some people like one shop over another.

I always figures it takes two or three visits to a shop to figure out what they're like, and whether maybe if you had a bad experience they are just "having a bad day," or have the wrong people on the floor.

Me, I've tried Sammamish Valley 3 times. (Including a visit to test ride a bike that I had arranged via phone 3 days in advance). Bad experience all 3 times. Oh well - lots of great bike shops in the area!

Belltown sorta sounds like what you're looking for. Say what you want about gentrification, but it feels more livable than capitol hill.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh.. thanks for the advice!! It has been a pain in the arse finding any info on Seattle. If you've never been you can get lost in the sea of info.

So it sounds like Capitol Hill or Belltown. I don't know if I want the whole drug scene again..I live in Oakland CA right now which is as ghetto as they come.

Does anyone know if there is a good music scene in any of the neighborhoods?

Does anyone know if there is a good music scene in any of the neighborhoods?

Good music? Seattle? Pfft.......The music scene in Seattle is endless. There are tons of venues in just about any hood you choose near downtown........No worries there. Seattle has got the music scene covered. No matter what type of tunes you like. Check out The Stranger:
http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Home
Pretty comprehensive coverage of all the worthwhile (IMO) things going on in Seattle. Just click the music section.......
I like BellTown.......

I agree with kpug505. I know fremont and ballard both have pretty active old-time/bluegrass scenes. I little out there but it's what I've been goofing around with.

If you're moving to Seattle from the east bay, you'll actually think Seattle traffic is an improvement, too!

Wow traffic improved...that sounds good.

OK so music is covered that's great to hear.

One more question...Public transport? Is there a subway or is it mostly just buses?

One more question...Public transport? Is there a subway or is it mostly just buses?

Buses...though downtown they travel in an unground tunnel that gets them from one part of the central business district to the other pretty quickly.

Light rail coming soon...from downtown to airport.

Cool thanks!!

I've lived in Seattle all my life, and I wouldn't touch Capitol Hill with a 10 foot condom.