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ktspktsp · 08-06-2010, 10:06 PM

Welcome to Seattle, Jinn

(and possible Cadre!)

So yes, abaya and I live in Seattle. I live in the NE Seattle, but I work on the Eastside (Redmond) and commute there by bus everyday.

Seattle traffic is defined by the geography - you're talking about a hilly city that narrows at the center, and large employment/residency centers across a wide lake. So the bridges are chokepoints and get very busy - especially the 520 bridge, which I take everyday. To be precise, it's the sections right before/after the bridge that are very busy, especially the interchanges with I-5 and I-405. Also note that the HOV lanes on some sections of 520 are 3+ passengers.

However, the bus system is pretty good (and there's even a light rail, but it won't get to Bellevue for another 10 years at least). Check out the websites of King County Metro and Sound Transit for routes.

The bus ride takes me anywhere from 20 minutes on a really light day to 1 hour on a really bad day. But I really prefer living in Seattle as it's more urban than the Eastside. If you pick a good spot for a bus commute, living in Seattle and working in Bellevue is certainly doable.
The Eastside is largely suburban-residential. But Bellevue has been adding lots of condos (in tall buildings) to its malls, and its downtown is getting bigger. It feels very new, and perhaps slightly artificial to me.. But some people certainly like it. Redmond has some density towards its town center, but it's a bit out of the way. Kirkland is another Eastside city that has some density around its downtown. Still, overall... That whole area is quite residential. Parts of it are quite expensive too.

Seattle is a city of neighborhoods, as snowy mentioned

, so different areas have different flavors.. Have you visited yet? Capitol hill is fun, so are Wallingford, Green Lake, Fremont, Roosevelt... Ballard is great too, but it's a bit far from the Eastside. Belltown is also a bit far, but has lots of bars and nightclubs if you like that. The 550 bus from Sound Transit is a good way to get from the SE edge of cap hill to Bellevue, for instance.

When it comes to buying a place... I would certainly advise renting first, and then figuring out what areas you like the most, if you want to buy.

1400 for a 3BR would work for some places, but not others.. Craigslist is your friend.

Feel free to ask any questions!

08-06-2010, 10:06 PM	#12 (permalink)
ktspktsp Addict Location: Reykjavik, Iceland	Welcome to Seattle, Jinn (and possible Cadre!) So yes, abaya and I live in Seattle. I live in the NE Seattle, but I work on the Eastside (Redmond) and commute there by bus everyday. Seattle traffic is defined by the geography - you're talking about a hilly city that narrows at the center, and large employment/residency centers across a wide lake. So the bridges are chokepoints and get very busy - especially the 520 bridge, which I take everyday. To be precise, it's the sections right before/after the bridge that are very busy, especially the interchanges with I-5 and I-405. Also note that the HOV lanes on some sections of 520 are 3+ passengers. However, the bus system is pretty good (and there's even a light rail, but it won't get to Bellevue for another 10 years at least). Check out the websites of King County Metro and Sound Transit for routes. The bus ride takes me anywhere from 20 minutes on a really light day to 1 hour on a really bad day. But I really prefer living in Seattle as it's more urban than the Eastside. If you pick a good spot for a bus commute, living in Seattle and working in Bellevue is certainly doable. The Eastside is largely suburban-residential. But Bellevue has been adding lots of condos (in tall buildings) to its malls, and its downtown is getting bigger. It feels very new, and perhaps slightly artificial to me.. But some people certainly like it. Redmond has some density towards its town center, but it's a bit out of the way. Kirkland is another Eastside city that has some density around its downtown. Still, overall... That whole area is quite residential. Parts of it are quite expensive too. Seattle is a city of neighborhoods, as snowy mentioned , so different areas have different flavors.. Have you visited yet? Capitol hill is fun, so are Wallingford, Green Lake, Fremont, Roosevelt... Ballard is great too, but it's a bit far from the Eastside. Belltown is also a bit far, but has lots of bars and nightclubs if you like that. The 550 bus from Sound Transit is a good way to get from the SE edge of cap hill to Bellevue, for instance. When it comes to buying a place... I would certainly advise renting first, and then figuring out what areas you like the most, if you want to buy. 1400 for a 3BR would work for some places, but not others.. Craigslist is your friend. Feel free to ask any questions!