When I graduate from college I may move to the Seattle area. My gf lives there and really doesn't want to leave her family who lives in the area, so I may be sucked into living in Seattle. First, let me describe myself: Heterosexual male who enjoys sports, will graduate w/ degree in business, come from Charlotte, so I have southern roots (if that makes a difference), but grew up in the suburbs of south Charlotte (which is the wealthy part of the city). My dad is from New Jersey, so I also have a certain northern influence on me. I like computers and technology, and I suppose I could describe myself as semi-yuppyish. I love to travel and want to have a dog. I'm also a geography nut, and I love the gorgeous Seattle views of the water, skyline, forest, or mountains. I also love movies, music, and certain other forms of art. I don't know how much money I'll be making out of college, so that will definitely play a part in choosing a place to live.

So this comes to the question: seeing my description, what area(s) of the Seattle metro region do you think would conform to my tastes and lifestyle?

^^ South Lake Union sounds like the place for you.....Always great views of the skyline, Water at your back door(Lake Union) With the trolly up and running ,you would be close to Cinerama(Unique Theater) Shopping, and Arts. Now all you have to do is get a job with one of the Biotech companys and you'll be set!

How urban are you thinking? How central?

Even then, it's hard to say without knowing more. Wouldn't you want to be near work?

Welcome to Seattle, Washington! :cheers:

I think Queen Anne, South Lake Union, and Belltown might fit your personality well since these neighorhoods have what you requested for. You still can look around to find out which neighborhood is right for you. Good luck! :)

I live in L. Queen Anne. You'll be just like everyone else here.

I agree with mhays, live near work.

Thanks for the responses guys. I'd like to work for an urban real estate company, so I'm guessing the offices would be close to downtown. My gf's grandmother lives around the Northgate shopping center - is that a nice area?

I'd love to live around South Lake Union, but what are the prices like around there?

Thanks guys.

Northgate is old Surburbia. Nations first indoor mall.....Its getting better though. Some cute old homes and some new low rise condos.

Thanks for the responses guys. I'd like to work for an urban real estate company, so I'm guessing the offices would be close to downtown. My gf's grandmother lives around the Northgate shopping center - is that a nice area?

I'd love to live around South Lake Union, but what are the prices like around there?

Thanks guys.

Depends on what size and where... The average rental rate in South Lake Union is 1000k for studio/one bedroom apartment. Condos/lofts there worth more than 400k.

Northgate area is alright but very old suburban community. Few of my friends used to live there mentioned that Northgate is sometime hard to get around because of the traffic on I-5. It is depends. It is very boring suburban community.

The place I've heard a lot of good things about is Ballard. Like most other neighborhoods in Seattle, it has its own little down town area. Accept Ballard's seems to be much bigger than a lot of other places, and has a lot more stuff to do (bars, clubs, shops, restaurants, galleries, etc.). There's plenty of old bungalows, new townhouses, mid-rise condos, and older classic apartments to suit whatever you're looking for, and it will probably be cheaper than most other nice areas in the city. Also its a pretty quick trip to downtown either by bus, or bike. Unfortunately, any view of downtown is blocked by Queen Anne Hill, but you do look out over the sound which is pretty cool (I recommend checking out the view from the beach in Golden Gardens park).

IMHO, South Lake Union has a year or two to go before its a really cool place to live. Everywhere is still torn up from condo construction and building the trolley. Plus they might start tearing up Mercer and Aurora if the funding is approved. Not saying it WONT be nice, but it will take a little bit of time

Belltown is a little pricey for some of the problems it has. If you do find a place there, make sure it has an underground Garage (a friend of mine has had his car broken into twice in the garage in his building that's above ground). And besides the 2 shootings in the last 2 months in the area, I hear from another friend about constantly seeing cops breaking up fights and arresting people. It just sounds a little too rowdy for a place to live and work. Partying there is still fun though. Same can be said for Capitol Hill too.

I wouldn't be so harsh on Northgate. I'm not sure but I'm going to go out on a limb and make the uneducated guess that it's cheaper than Ballard. You should be able to get downtown to work in an acceptable time on the express buses. Seattle's not terribly cheap, but in my opinion when making decisions stuff like... getting home from work in 15 minutes instead of 45 or having an extra 300 bucks a month to spend b/c you opted for cheaper rent will result in a happier, fuller life than living in a hip neighborhood.

Ballard is great for all the reasons stated above. It's close enough to downtown and other nice neighborhoods (Fremont, Phinney Ridge, Wallingford). I prefer Capitol Hill, the Central District, First Hill, Madrona/Leschi and Columbia City. The first three neighborhoods are adjacent to downtown, Madrona/Leschi (where I reside), is just a tad further out, but close enough for me to maintain a presence in the first three neighborhoods and downtown. Columbia City is about as far from downtown as Ballard and is up and coming and well, if you're moving in a few years, you will have access to the light rail line, but it is further from the University of Washington. Choose your neighborhood wisely. It all depends on what you want from your neighborhood. Seattle offers many great choices.

Thanks guys - I've been through Ballard and I like it alot. It would definitely be a cool place to live, although I don't really know how expensive/cheap it is. I've heard of Capitol Hill, but never been through the area. Where exactly is it located, and what kind of housing options are present there?

^^ Capital Hill located just east of I-5 in downtown Seattle area. It is also next to First Hill (the mountain of hospitals). There are few things about Capital Hill you should know before you consider to live there. First of all, you mentioned that you're hetrosexual. I am not sure if you're an open minded person like most of people in Seattle... Capital Hill is home of GLBT (gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and trangenders), gothics/punks, hippies, many single women that wants to get away from men, artists, and extreme/moderate liberals. Capital Hill neighborhood offer a great diversity of people, restaurants, bars/clubs, stores, parks, music scenes, and cultures. The option of housing in Capital Hill is very diverse. They offers any type of housing from late 1880s to present day including one room unit without bathroom to pentihouse. The rental rate is diverse there depends on buildng and location. The condo/loft in Capital Hill is little expensive than compared to Queen Anne and Belltown.

Well if you do move here, the first thing I would suggest doing is abandoning any Southern accent you might have. ;)

Otherwise you sound like you should do fine. :)

Well if you do move here, the first thing I would suggest doing is abandoning any Southern accent you might have. ;)

Otherwise you sound like you should do fine. :)

Lol, well, you do have to remember I'm from Charlotte, and half of our population is from Buffalo, so it's really not that much of a southern city. Most people I know don't have southern accents, and I never really had one. Are you from the south?

And thanks for the advice CrazyAboutCities. I consider myself relatively open minded and accepting, but probably would feel more at home in a more moderate instead of extremely liberal environment. Politically, I consider myself a moderate. My parents are more conservative, but not radically conservative. I have many friends that are both liberal and conservative, but I fit comfortably in the middle. In reality I would probably survive just fine in Capitol Hill, but (from your descriptions) Ballard seems like a nice area, as well as SLU and Queen Anne's Hill (although that may be a little too pricey).

How are the suburbs around Seattle?

You could always go to Rainer Valley...Its not as bad as people like to make it sound. And it will be right on the light rail line. I know this place is going to Boom because of it....Very diverse races. Close to every where...Just south of Pill Hill(First Hill) behind Beacon hill. I've seen some nice places going up in the area.

Is there a map of the neighborhoods you guys could put up so I could get a better idea of where everything is?

And thanks for the advice CrazyAboutCities. I consider myself relatively open minded and accepting, but probably would feel more at home in a more moderate instead of extremely liberal environment. Politically, I consider myself a moderate. My parents are more conservative, but not radically conservative. I have many friends that are both liberal and conservative, but I fit comfortably in the middle. In reality I would probably survive just fine in Capitol Hill, but (from your descriptions) Ballard seems like a nice area, as well as SLU and Queen Anne's Hill (although that may be a little too pricey).

How are the suburbs around Seattle?

No problem! :) Have you heard of Bellevue? If so, what do you think of Bellevue? Its got fabulous skyline and really nice area to live in. Bellevue used to be suburban community but now it became an independant city from Seattle. Many people around here are still consider Bellevue as suburban community by today.

Personally, I love Southern accents. I wish I had one.

^^ Not me. My dad has southern accent and half of my family came from southern but they don't live there anymore. I couldn't understand my dad with that accent at all. Anyone got southern accent is hard to understand sometime.

Well, there are all different types of southern accents: you have the real twangy (many times associated with white trash, but I call it the Gaston County accent) annoying accent, the southern Georgia accent, Blue Ridge accent, Lowcountry accent, Piedmont accent, and all sorts of other accents that would take me forever to list. Some southern accents are cool and graceful, others and grinding, twangy, and annoying. I've been exposed to many of them, and there are slight differences between the different southern regions. It's hard to tell if you're not from the south.

But back to the topic at hand, yes, I have heard of Bellevue, upscale east side suburb near Lake Washington. I hear it's a very up and coming place - reminds somewhat of where I come from. I hear it's very upscale and starting to get extremely pricey. I don't know if I'll be able to afford it, but I think it would be a nice place to live. Even though it's becoming increasingly urban, however, it is still a suburb and I feel like it detracts somewhat from central Seattle, and I think I'd rather be closer to the center rather than in Bellevue.

My gf grew up in Mukilteo - what do you guys think of that area?

My gf grew up in Mukilteo - what do you guys think of that area?

I work up there. If you enjoy an urban lifestyle (lots of nice restaurants, walking everywhere, nightlife, etc.) you will be bored to tears. The waterfront area is nice and a good place to eat lunch/look at scenery. But otherwise its a suburban retreat for people to raise their kids. Try and stay in the city if you can. Other than Bellevue, I found the outlying suburbs to be pretty lame.

Important question: Are you looking to buy right away, or do you mind renting?

Oh yeah, I'm very aware of the variety of Southern accents and still have to say that I just love them and do not think they sound dumb at all. Okay, back to the topic, Mukilteo would not suit you if your are looking for an active lifestyle in the city. Southeast Seattle is more affordable than most areas of the city. If you have a car, I'd also suggest Georgetown. They do not yet have a full service grocery store/supermarket, but I believe that a larger development that is in the works will include one. Otherwise, shopping at Uwajimaya in the ID would serve you best. I strongly suggest these areas if you're worried about rental expenses. If you have multiple automobiles, get rid of one, purchase a scooter or rely on public transportation if possible. One of the reasons why I can afford to live in Seattle is that I do not own an automobile, nor do I have to commute far for work. I realize that this is not possible for everyone, but if you're considering the suburbs because you want to maintain the standard of living you enjoy in Charlotte (assuming you have a spacious residence and automobile), the cost savings may not add up to much considering the higher cost of living here. How much do you think you could afford for rent? $1000? You should have no problem. Slightly less? There are options, but consider cutting other costs if you can. Please feel free to PM me if you have other specific questions. I'd love to help!

My gf lives there and really doesn't want to leave her family who lives in the area, so I may be sucked into living in Seattle.Sucked into? Hmmm. It's really a good thing, Sky, to live in Seattle, really. I live in Ballard and, biased though I might be, I am partial to it and wouldn't live anywhere else--the great condos going up downtown notwithstanding. I bought my house 22 years ago for pennies. But that is ancient history and doesn't help first time buyers today. BTW, although this forum mostly covers downtown Seattle and Bellevue, there are some nice condos and town houses going up right in downtown Ballard, including some green ones. I like the way Ballard is made up--multi-story apartments and condos concentrated in the downtown area and single family houses toward the north with a now very vibrant shopping core. I looked in Ballard specifically because so many houses are small and that is what I was looking for. Although home prices are right up there now with other desirable areas, small homes still cost less. And even though it has a "suburban" feel throughout, it is, as previously alluded to, a lively suburb indeed. The area is culturally, if not politically, more conservative than hipper areas, and still has (and in fact is gaining) families with children--a breed becoming rarer in Seattle overall. A choice of three rush hour express buses will get to to/from downtown Seattle in a half hour. I say you can't go wrong with Ballard!

Sucked into? Hmmm. It's really a good thing, Sky, to live in Seattle, really. I live in Ballard and, biased though I might be, I am partial to it and wouldn't live anywhere else--the great condos going up downtown notwithstanding. I bought my house 22 years ago for pennies. But that is ancient history and doesn't help first time buyers today. BTW, although this forum mostly covers downtown Seattle and Bellevue, there are some nice condos and town houses going up right in downtown Ballard, including some green ones. I like the way Ballard is made up--multi-story apartments and condos concentrated in the downtown area and single family houses toward the north with a now very vibrant shopping core. I looked in Ballard specifically because so many houses are small and that is what I was looking for. Although home prices are right up there now with other desirable areas, small homes still cost less. And even though it has a "suburban" feel throughout, it is, as previously alluded to, a lively suburb indeed. The area is culturally, if not politically, more conservative than hipper areas, and still has (and in fact is gaining) families with children--a breed becoming rarer in Seattle overall. A choice of three rush hour express buses will get to to/from downtown Seattle in a half hour. I say you can't go wrong with Ballard!

Ballard sounds nice - I think that area would probably be at the top of my list so far from what people have said. At this point I don't really know how much I'll be able to afford. I would like to purchase instead of rent right out of college so I can start paying off my mortgage. This is all long term, as I'm just entering my sophomore year of college. Assuming things fall into place, I'd be moving to Seattle summer of 2010. I don't know if I'll be attending grad school, but if I do, there is a good chance it'll be at University of Washington if I'm in Seattle. How far is UW from Ballard, and is it accessible by public transit?

Ballard is maybe five, six miles from the UW. Currently there are two buses, one from NW Market Street (downtown Ballard) bus #44 and the other along NW 85th Street (north end of Ballard) bus #48, both of which will take you to the campus. They have been running for decades, so no doubt they will be when you'd be arriving. The 48 even has an occasional express (limited stops) during weekday afternoons, at least.

Ballard isn't a real town, is it? It's just an area of Seattle, am I correct?

^Yes, it is a neighborhood of Seattle.

Here's the map of all the neighborhoods in Seattle. Ballard is on the Northwest side of the ship canal

http://clerk.ci.seattle.wa.us/public/nmaps/fullcit2.htm

If I were you, I won't purchase a place right away. I would rent it first and learn more about Seattle. You might discover another neighborhood that fits you just perfect than Ballard. Who knows? That is what I am doing right now. I rent an apartment in Belltown and I have been living in Belltown for over two years now. I am glad I didn't buy a condo in Belltown, there is another neighborhood I want to move to and buy a condo there. I haven't made the decision yet. I have a year to decide and save up a bit more.

Ballard isn't a real town, is it? It's just an area of Seattle, am I correct?
It used to be a "real town"--had its own mayor, city council, nice city hall, etc. It was annexed exactly 100 years ago to Seattle. Seattle didn't want any rivals (there are other current Seattle neighborhoods, Columbia City and Georgetown among them, which were also annexed by Seattle to thwart competition, I suppose. Some dirty tricks were involved in the case of Ballard. Seattle controlled the water supply and wasn't above threatening Ballard with reduced tap flows unless its citizens voted to "join" Seattle. Even under threat, the vote was very close. There are still those in Ballard who yearn for independence....

There are still those in Ballard who yearn for independence....

http://www.seattleweekly.com/news/blogs/dailyweekly/2007/05/free_ballard.php

Free Ballard!

I was just looking around on craigslist and saw some really cool areas in west Seattle. Can anyone tell me about Alki and the surrounding neighborhoods? How is the crime there, schools, and housing prices compared to other parts of the city?

Aliki will definitely be pricey, not sure about the rest of West Seattle

Aliki will definitely be pricey, not sure about the rest of West Seattle

Pricier than Ballard? Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the north side of Seattle the pricier side with less crime/better schools than the south side?

What about Kirkland?? Its on the eastside. Very european, people like to dress up, nice bars, and restaurants, art galleries, right on Lake Washington.

[QUOTE=skysdalimit;14300291]Well, there are all different types of southern accents: you have the real twangy (many times associated with white trash, but I call it the Gaston County accent) annoying accent, the southern Georgia accent, Blue Ridge accent, Lowcountry accent, Piedmont accent, and all sorts of other accents that would take me forever to list. Some southern accents are cool and graceful, others and grinding, twangy, and annoying. I've been exposed to many of them, and there are slight differences between the different southern regions. It's hard to tell if you're not from the south.

Which accent does Paula Deen on Food Network have? I absolutely loathe her voice and mannerisms. My wife loves her, but the words detestation and revulsion do not begin to describe my reaction to her voice.

I don't want to sound like a bigot, but I instinctively lower my expectations when I hear someone with a southern accent. Perhaps its because of the unfair generalization of the south in popular culture, but I can't help but feel like I have to talk slower and explain things more thorougly (I do tech support and frequently speak with people in the deep south). I should probably work on that.

Kirkland's really nice, but a bit of a drive to get to this side of the lake.

I guess we can recommend a single neighborhood or city until we're blue in the face. Really you just have to take a look around and see what you think. In my opinion, here's my list of places you should look at (some with a few warnings, and not it any particular order):

Ballard
Freemont (might be pricey)
Wallingford
Roosevelt
Lower Queen Anne
Capitol Hill (could be high crime and a little rowdy)
U-District (high crime)
Queen Anne (pricey)
South Lake Union (give it a year or two)
West Seattle (Aliki will be pricey)
Belltown (rowdy and expensive)
Pioneer Square (rowdy)


Suburban Cities
Bellevue
Kirkland

Places to avoid:
-The far northern suburbs (Northgate, Lake city, Broadview) (Very suburban, Northgate has a high auto theft rate)
-The industrial area south of down town (if you can even find a place to live around there?)
-Sand point and View Ridge (very suburban and some of the highest housing prices in the city)
-Madison Park and Montlake (only district in the city to vote FOR Bush, and very very very pricey)
-Magnolia (friends have called it "Leave It to Beaver Land", and also very very very pricey)

Cities to Avoid:
-Mountlake Terrace (lame)
-Lynwood (lame)
-Everett (super lame)
-Kent (high crime)

Some areas that might not be bad, but I don't know too much about:
-Eastlake
-Rainier Beach
-Beacon Hill
-First Hill

Anyone feel free to comment

Eastlake and the north part of First Hill are good areas. Eastlake is a mixed-urban district on the east side of Lake Union. First Hill is part of Downtown though not the CBD -- the north half is basically Downtown's # bedroom area. I'd live in either.

Beacon Hill is a quiet, extremely diverse area that's getting a subway station right now.

Central Everett is ok. It's a separate city that's in Seattle's gravitational pull. Revitalizing. But too far away at 30 miles, even with fledgeling commuter rail.

Ballard I highly recommend. Its downtown is going to be impressive in a low-rise way pretty soon. Good neighborhood feel. Lots of bungalows to the north. A townhouse boom going on outside the fringes of Downtown. Bit of a maritime feel. Nice low-key, two-story historic district that manages to retain some industrial use along with scattered bars and shops.

Magnolia is much nicer than "Leave it to Beaver". That's true for the richer sections with Puget Sound views. But much of it is simply bungalows.

Thanks for the list guys. If you had to guess, what's the average price per sq. ft. for Ballard, Alki, Northgate (just to get a broad range), Capitol Hill, South Lake Union, Belltown, and Queen Anne Hill? Just estimate if you can. Thanks guys.

Thanks for the list guys. If you had to guess, what's the average price per sq. ft. for Ballard, Alki, Northgate (just to get a broad range), Capitol Hill, South Lake Union, Belltown, and Queen Anne Hill? Just estimate if you can. Thanks guys.

My parents were looking for a new 3br townhouse recently (about 2000sqf?). These are the average prices they were seeing:

Ballard: 550K
Queen Anne (ship canal side of the hill across from Fremont)650K
Fremont: 650K
Greenlake (forgot to mention it, but the area surrounding the park is very nice, with a cool little downtown area, but obviously pricey) 650k
Lower Queen Anne: 550k

There was also a 2br condo in Greenlake that was running about 495k.

Also, my apartment in Roosevelt (just north of the U-district) runs about 900$/mo for a small 1br (700sqf), 1300$ for a large 1br (900sqf), and 1600$ for a 2br (1100sqf?)

^^ Greenlake is that expensive? I wonder why... I been to that area before and I don't find that area attractive.

^^ Greenlake is that expensive? I wonder why... I been to that area before and I don't find that area attractive.

Waterview around a popular heavily used park?

I like Greenlake.

The east and south sides of Green Lake is a nice neighborhood. Good, fast-growing urban district on the East. Lots of bungalows all around, with a tremendous amount of townhouse growth (tear down one house, built four -- two behind, two forward).

Waterview around a popular heavily used park?

I know that. I didn't think it would be that expensive too.

I know that. I didn't think it would be that expensive too.

Generally if "water view" is in the description, they will demand top dollar. One place even advertised that it had a "water view" because it looked at greenlake resevoir (which if you haven't seen it, its a square concrete lined man made pond that just fills a city block. I think it looks like a sewage plant)

Generally if "water view" is in the description, they will demand top dollar. One place even advertised that it had a "water view" because it looked at greenlake resevoir (which if you haven't seen it, its a square concrete lined man made pond that just fills a city block. I think it looks like a sewage plant)

Haha I thought same thing about it looked like a sewage plant too. It may be good for these residents who live there but not for me.

In 2 weeks I'll be in WA visiting my gf, so I'll be sure to check out the neighborhoods listed. So far, my list goes as follows as my top choices based on my potential income and lifestyle:

1. Ballard
2. South Lake Union
3. Queen Anne/Lower Queen Anne
4. Alki Beach/West Seattle
5. Belltown
6. Capitol Hill
7. Northgate

If I could choose anywhere to live in Seattle, without money being a factor I would choose Belltown. Right out of college that will likely be too pricey for me, so I'll have to go with a less expensive (but still wonderful) neighborhood.

Tell me if I left out any real goodies guys.

I took a long walk down Ravenna blvd into Green Lake this weekend with my dog, and I have to say that area is getting really built up, and is turning into a pretty cool urban village. The Greenlake Condos opened in 2004, The Florera is close to completion, and two other sites are in the process of being cleared for new construction (I'm assuming more condos, anyone have any info on that? Anyways, I found this blog with some of the sale prices for places in The Greenlake:
http://seattlecondosandlofts.com/2007/02/the-greenlake-condos

In Green Lake, two sites that formerly housed a dairy plant will be converted to residential and retail, something like 500 units total, probably in two phases. These are a block or two east or northeast of where Ravenna intersects with the park. Is that what you're talking about being cleared? Or maybe the old QFC site south of the same intersection? Anyway, Green Lake is going to be a sizeable urban village district pretty soon. The construction is just adding to an already-healthy if lower-scaled district. I'd certainly think about living there if I worked nearby.

Yes, just found both of those projects.

The old Vitamilk site is to have 54,000 sqft of retail (I'm guessing a grocery store to replace the old Albertsons?) and 236 apts (I know where I'm looking after my lease expires).
http://web1.seattle.gov/dpd/luib/Notice.aspx?id=5755

and the other one is the old Albertsons site just across the street from greenlake park.

Both sites are well into demolition.

Vitamilk has a second site where they've planned a Phase II. Not sure what's happening or how long it'll wait. They'd talked about "maybe" doing a grocery there, but I don't know what happened to that idea, or which phase it would go into.

Oops, Albertsons not QFC.

Good to hear that these project might be starting. A few hundred units would be a big percentage boost in that neighborhood, and make a real difference in its character.

Should start a thread on that project. Anyways, sorry to hijack the thread for greenlake development news. But yes, Greenlake/ North U-district/ Roosevelt/ Ravenna worth a look.

Should start a thread on that project. Anyways, sorry to hijack the thread for greenlake development news. But yes, Greenlake/ North U-district/ Roosevelt/ Ravenna worth a look.

Do you guys have some pics of these areas?

I’d also suggest having a look at Bryant, the area bounded roughly by NE 45th and NE 65th Streets and 25th and 35th Aves NE.

Commercially, the area’s anchored by University Village on the south part. UVillage is -- ok, well it’s a mall, but it’s one of those malls that’s more urban than suburban in that it includes many separate buildings, and most of the strolling around is done outside rather than inside.

Meanwhile, a number of the surrounding streets, including Blakely, 55th St, 25th Ave, and 65th St to the west of 25th are, or are turning into reasonably charming urban-village type areas with lots of small shops and good restaurants. Also, it’s walking distance to the University of Washington and the University District.

^^ Oh yeah! That is really nice place to shop, hang out, and live. If I am UW student, I would live in that area for sure.

^^ speaking of which, I noticed driving my dog to the vet yesterday that there was another HUGE lot that had just been cleared along 25th avenue, right before you get to the U-Village. Anyone know whats going up there? More shops? Another big apartment development?

Does Seattle have a city/county run real estate website? Charlotte has one:

http://polaris.mecklenburgcountync.gov/website/redesign/viewer.htm

It's a very helpful tool, and it would be incredibly helpful if Seattle had one.

On another note, is there any decent retail in the Alki Beach area? And what is the area beside Alki on the hill called?

If you mean north of U Village, I believe it's retirement housing or some other residential project. Vague memories of something in the 250-unit range. You can search by street name on DPD for details. http://web1.seattle.gov/dpd/luib/Bulletins.aspx

Oh what the hell, here's the DJC story assuming it's the right site:

May 8, 2007
225 Ravenna units, retail
Location: Seattle, 5101 25th Ave. N.E.

Project: One four-story building containing 122 assisted-living units and one three-story building containing 23,600 square feet of retail and 103 residential units; both structures to be over a below-grade parking garage for 255 vehicles; project includes 25,000 cubic yards of grading; existing structures to be demolished

Action: Determination of non-significance with conditions issued by the city of Seattle to Chad Lorentz

Appeals: By May 21 to the Office of the Hearing Examiner, P.O. Box 94729, Seattle, WA 98124

Information: Scott Ringgold, Seattle planner, (206) 233-3856; Chad Lorentz, applicant contact, (206) 922-4810; Ref. 3003649

Does Seattle have a city/county run real estate website? Charlotte has one:

http://polaris.mecklenburgcountync.gov/website/redesign/viewer.htm

It's a very helpful tool, and it would be incredibly helpful if Seattle had one.

On another note, is there any decent retail in the Alki Beach area? And what is the area beside Alki on the hill called?

For Seattle: Every Monday and Thursday, go to this site and click on "printable version" to scroll through a list of land use permit applications, tentative land use permit awards, and design review meeting notices. Particularly Thursday as that's 85% of them. Time of day varies. Mostly you're paging through a long list of townhouse projects but there are always some bigger ones. The DR notices are the first we hear publicly of major projects. http://web1.seattle.gov/dpd/luib/Bulletins.aspx

King County has a tool for seeing who owns any given property. You can download a detailed report for anything. The easiest search is by street intersection, which gives you a map with parcel numbers. Then you simply go to "search menu" and type in the number. http://www.metrokc.gov/GIS/mapportal/PViewer_main.htm

If you mean an economic development type of website that catalogues real estate opportunities, I'm not aware of that.

Alki has some retail, mostly restaurants at the west end, not the east end which is the line of 6-story condos. West Seattle has two better retail areas: 1. California & Alaska (The Junction), and 2. California & Admiral (Admiral). The Junction is a few blocks of pretty cohesive walkable retail while Admiral is smaller. California is a good street that's well on its way to being all multifamily, while remaining surrounded by bungalows in most areas. As for the hill, overall I don't know what you'd call it other than West Seattle. Looking from downtown, the promontory is called Duwamish Head, while the point facing west is Alki Point.

For Seattle: Every Monday and Thursday, go to this site and click on "printable version" to scroll through a list of land use permit applications, tentative land use permit awards, and design review meeting notices. Particularly Thursday as that's 85% of them. Time of day varies. Mostly you're paging through a long list of townhouse projects but there are always some bigger ones. The DR notices are the first we hear publicly of major projects. http://web1.seattle.gov/dpd/luib/Bulletins.aspx

King County has a tool for seeing who owns any given property. You can download a detailed report for anything. The easiest search is by street intersection, which gives you a map with parcel numbers. Then you simply go to "search menu" and type in the number. http://www.metrokc.gov/GIS/mapportal/PViewer_main.htm

If you mean an economic development type of website that catalogues real estate opportunities, I'm not aware of that.

Alki has some retail, mostly restaurants at the west end, not the east end which is the line of 6-story condos. West Seattle has two better retail areas: 1. California & Alaska (The Junction), and 2. California & Admiral (Admiral). The Junction is a few blocks of pretty cohesive walkable retail while Admiral is smaller. California is a good street that's well on its way to being all multifamily, while remaining surrounded by bungalows in most areas. As for the hill, overall I don't know what you'd call it other than West Seattle. Looking from downtown, the promontory is called Duwamish Head, while the point facing west is Alki Point.

Thanks man! Anyone have pics of the area?

Just very high aerials. Go here and click on pic 306, as well as many others.
http://www.aerolistphoto.com/gallery/WA/seattle/west

Also see here for other areas: http://www.aerolistphoto.com/gallery/WA/

I'm flying out to Seattle tomorrow guys! I'll be sure to take lots of pics, so get ready!

^^ AWESOME! Looking forward to see your pictures! :) Have fun in Seattle!

I moved to Belltown and I hate it. It's a truly awful neighborhood, awful because it's superficially urban yet the people who live there are suburban in mindset. It's a playtown for yuppies, in the worst way possible. Yes, it is possible for a dense, high-rise district to feel like tumbleweed is rolling through the main street... it feels dead and boring, except on weekend nights when drunken girls in too-high heels barf all over the place.

If you're a junior-exec-wannabe with an interest in 'rita bars' and 'sports bars', it's your kind of place, otherwise, skip it, it's not worth the price premium.

^^ Slightly biased opinion of my neighborhood.

Belltown is a work in progress and I don't like some aspects of it either. The retail is too spread out rather than concentrated. The streets are too wide. It's not dense enough yet. It needs its own supermarket rather than relying on the ones just outside its boundaries. It needs a big public park in addition to OSP. A couple subway stations would be nice. But it's also a diverse, fast-growing area that's getting its own nice vibe (or vibes, because it's a large area) and gradually turning into a really good urban district.

Your generalizations about the people are seriously overblown, as is the tumbleweed comment. Many people are superficial but that's true anywhere -- at most there's an incremental difference with Belltown. The sidewalks aren't busy because sidewalks are never busy at Belltown's density level unless the area gets lots of outsiders, or the retail has been concentrated. Belltown has countless small businesses with several times as many unique ones as chains.

Furthermore, while Belltown has many yuppies and empty-nesters, it also has far more than its share of low-cost housing, including many older buildings (public and private), and numerous new non-profit buildings. Even many of the recent for-profit buildings are entirely or partially in the mid-price range.

Capitol Hill, by contrast, has great pedestrian density and retail on Broadway because the other streets don't have retail.

The price premium isn't due to the neighborhood's character. It's due to proximity. Along with the north end of First Hill, Belltown is one of Downtown's biggest "bedroom" areas.

^^ Slightly biased opinion of my neighborhood.

Belltown is a work in progress and I don't like some aspects of it either. The retail is too spread out rather than concentrated. The streets are too wide. It's not dense enough yet. It needs its own supermarket rather than relying on the ones just outside its boundaries. It needs a big public park in addition to OSP. A couple subway stations would be nice. But it's also a diverse, fast-growing area that's getting its own nice vibe (or vibes, because it's a large area) and gradually turning into a really good urban district.

Your generalizations about the people are seriously overblown, as is the tumbleweed comment. Many people are superficial but that's true anywhere -- at most there's an incremental difference with Belltown. The sidewalks aren't busy because sidewalks are never busy at Belltown's density level unless the area gets lots of outsiders, or the retail has been concentrated. Belltown has countless small businesses with several times as many unique ones as chains.

Furthermore, while Belltown has many yuppies and empty-nesters, it also has far more than its share of low-cost housing, including many older buildings (public and private), and numerous new non-profit buildings. Even many of the recent for-profit buildings are entirely or partially in the mid-price range.

Capitol Hill, by contrast, has great pedestrian density and retail on Broadway because the other streets don't have retail.

The price premium isn't due to the neighborhood's character. It's due to proximity. Along with the north end of First Hill, Belltown is one of Downtown's biggest "bedroom" areas.

Well, we're neighbors then. I live at 1st and Lenora, in the more 'lively' part of the neighborhood. I might have been overblowing it a bit, but I do not like Belltown just the same. The Crocodile and Top Pot are the only two things that I would ever visit if I lived outside the neighborhood. I agree though, Ralph's and Dan's Belltown Market are not enough grocery options. For some reason, Lower Queen Anne has too many in my opinion (three large, modern supermarkets within 5 blocks of eachother).

Belltown used to be cooler. When I was a kid, it was the big bad junkie hangout with illegal bars and lots more live music venues. Now it just feels hollow. It just doesn't have a lot of soul in my opinion.

We certainly are neighbors. I walk by twice a day. But I live between Clay and Broad. My section is the mostly-new, quieter part of Belltown.

For grocery options, another mid-sized place is at Pike Place and Virginia. The Market is great but only in the day. I shop mostly at the good corner store in my building.

Belltown has dozens of great restaurants -- all the Tom Douglas ones, much of Seattle's best sushi, Mama's (americanized but good), and so on. Plus many other ethnicities. I'd say we're one of the five or six top restaurant neighborhoods in Seattle. Just dispersed a bit.

I also live in Belltown. Somewhere on First Avenue.

Belltown has both pros and cons.

Pros about Belltown

Very clean (most of the part of Belltown), being redeveloped, has almost everything, near shopping district, better bus routes, safer (except weekends), have many restaurants, and near Seattle Center.

Cons about Belltown

Almost filled by very rude people, sometime homeless bums will come up to your face when you don't expect it, sometime homeless bums will sleep on your entrance doors and block your way to get in/out (its annoying but very rarely), noises from clubs/bars, more crimes on the weekends, almost no affordable restaurants except CJ's Eatry and a couple of Subways, if you drive, parking is pain in the ass, no supermarket, and many Belltown residents are seen like they're very isoluted at their condos, pentihouses, lofts, and apartments.

I have been living in Belltown for over two years now. At beginning, I enjoyed living in the city. After that, it changed because many people around here are not really friendly. For example, they don't even say hi when you say hi or wave at them. Sometime when I walk in/out of the enterance door of my building, some residents were carrying alot of baggages and I always open the door to help them. They just ignored me and acted like they didn't seen me. Sometime I carry alot of grocies or baggages and couldn't open the door by myself and some people were just next to me and didn't offer to open the door for me just like I did it for them. I don't feel home in Belltown at all. I plan to stay in Belltown for one more year then I will move to Capital Hill. I feel much home in Capital Hill than I do in Belltown for many reasons. Capital Hill people are wayyyyyyyyy NICER than Belltown residents.

You're overgeneralizing too.

Why is it that making generalizations about certain groups is considered ok, while making generalizations about other groups is known to be wrong? It's wrong in both cases. To say nothing of inaccurate.

As for holding doors, people tend to be very nice about that sort of thing in my building. Maybe you have a few jerks in your building.

I would have thought the new Whole Foods would be close-enough to be considered Belltown's new supermarket.

I mean, it's just a few blocks away!

It's a mile walk for me unless I walk on Denny, which isn't very nice. On the other hand, do many projects are happening on Denny these days that it's getting a lot nicer pretty quickly. Unfortunately, nothing will change the fact that it points directly at the sun at the end of the workday.

On the other hand, if you live at 6th & Blanchard for example, then yes, it's your neighborhood supermarket along with probably Ralph's.

You're overgeneralizing too.

Why is it that making generalizations about certain groups is considered ok, while making generalizations about other groups is known to be wrong? It's wrong in both cases. To say nothing of inaccurate.

As for holding doors, people tend to be very nice about that sort of thing in my building. Maybe you have a few jerks in your building.

No I don't think that is overgeneralizing at all. That is the truth about Belltown.

You've made a blanket statement about a big group of people you mostly haven't met, based on running across a tiny percentage of them. That's the dictionary definition of over-generalization. There's no debate here.

If you said "I've run across many rude people in Belltown", that would be fine. But you branded 10,000 people you don't know.

I'd ask you if all interior design students are like that, but that wouldn't be true either, and would you get the irony?

I never said "ALL" Just people that I met, ran into, and saw in Belltown are like that.

Well, I don't think he was literally characterizing the entire neighborhood. Just his encounters, which mirror mine.

I have to admit, what I said about Belltown was a bit overblown but I still hold true to what I say about its urban atmosphere. It is very dead for a neighborhood of its density, VERY dead. It makes Capitol Hill look like Chinatown in Lower Manhattan.
A lot of Belltowners talk the walk but do not walk the walk, i.e. they live in a downtown condo but drive everywhere or shop elsewhere. It's plainly obvious.

That being said, this weekend, I discovered that I am not 2 blocks from the only 'cool' strip in Belltown - Bell and 2nd Ave to Blanchard. Mama's, Singles Going Steady, and a few other stores all in a row that seemed halfway decent.

It's a mystery what Capitol Hill you're talking about. Capitol Hill has two busy north-south pedestran avenues and the rest are pretty quiet.

Belltown has six or eight avenues that share the pedestrian load pretty evenly. We don't have a Broadway, but the average Belltown avenue has way more pedestrians than Belmont or any other until 15th.

And Capitol Hill is denser at its core. In terms of residents the area west of Broadway is 45,000/sm compared to a 30,000/sm for Belltown that I extrapolated once. I suspect that both have similar combined volumes of workers and students. Also, both draw restaurant and bar patrons from other neighborhoods.

I'm agree that Belltown probably doesn't have as good of a mode breakdown. But our pedestrian counts are still pretty good, and reasonable for an area of our density.

And getting better. When Belltown reaches 45,000/sm, and when a fuller range of services have shown up as a result, we'll achieve some pretty high pedestrian densities despite dispersing our retail too much. Current projects should bump our population by 15% or so.

Well, I don't think he was literally characterizing the entire neighborhood. Just his encounters, which mirror mine.

I have to admit, what I said about Belltown was a bit overblown but I still hold true to what I say about its urban atmosphere. It is very dead for a neighborhood of its density, VERY dead. It makes Capitol Hill look like Chinatown in Lower Manhattan.
A lot of Belltowners talk the walk but do not walk the walk, i.e. they live in a downtown condo but drive everywhere or shop elsewhere. It's plainly obvious.

That being said, this weekend, I discovered that I am not 2 blocks from the only 'cool' strip in Belltown - Bell and 2nd Ave to Blanchard. Mama's, Singles Going Steady, and a few other stores all in a row that seemed halfway decent.

I agree. In my building, about little more than half of residents don't walk much. They just stay at their units or drive. Over two years ago when I first move in my building... One of my friends used to live in my building... He knows Seattle more than I did at that time. For example, he wants us to go to Rite Aid on Third Avenue and he drove us there. I got really confused why did he wanted to drive and park next to Rite Aid. I asked him why not we just walk since it is several blocks from us? He said he doesn't like to walk much even he is in decent shape. Several of my neighbors in my building do same thing by to drive to very few blocks instead walk. I don't agree with them but I can't control them. I just walk to anywhere that is near to my home. I don't get some people that drives to places that really CLOSE to their homes instead walk. :ohno:

It's a mystery what Capitol Hill you're talking about. Capitol Hill has two busy north-south pedestran avenues and the rest are pretty quiet. .

Not really. Capital Hill has more than two busy pedestran avenues. I believe that Capital Hill have about seven busy pedestran avenues so far (e.i. Broadway, Olive/John/Denny, Pine, Pike, Bellevue, 12th and 15th) I visit my friends that lives in different part around Capital Hill neighborhood often and I can hear any noises at anytime. Only really quiet area is on E. Balmont/Howell.

As for Belltown, First Avenue is Belltown's Broadway but not exactly same but it is pretty busy street for Belltown. Many streets in Belltown are pretty dead but tend to get busy during weekend.

Capital Hill has more students than Belltown because of the affordablitiy. I know some students wants to live in Belltown so they can walk to Art Institute of Seattle without having to take the bus from Capital Hill or First Hill or anywhere in Seattle metro area. They can't afford to live in Belltown because of higher rental rate. Belltown has more workers than Capital Hill. Obviously workers can afford to live in Belltown because they got jobs and have decent salaries.

Half of those avenues are busy for very short distances. 12th? Bellevue? Belmont? Denny? All are mostly residential-only through the core of Capitol Hill, with higher levels of activity only when they hit the busier avenues.

I was talking about students who study in these neighborhoods. Belltown has about 3,000 college students at AIS and a new religious college. SCCC alone has 10,000.

Half of those avenues are busy for very short distances. 12th? Bellevue? Belmont? Denny? All are mostly residential-only through the core of Capitol Hill, with higher levels of activity only when they hit the busier avenues. .

If you visit Capital Hill neighborhood often, you will see how busy it really is.


I was talking about students who study in these neighborhoods. Belltown has about 3,000 college students at AIS and a new religious college. SCCC alone has 10,000.

Oh gotcha! :) Also Belltown has another college... Arosgy (sp?) University. It is located at same building as Art Institute of Seattle is at.

While I don't hang out there much, I've spent vastly more time on Capitol Hill than you have.

While I don't hang out there much, I've spent vastly more time on Capitol Hill than you have.


:ohno:

Don't get miffed just because I don't care about your ideas in the other thread. He challenged my knowledge of Capitol Hill, and I responded in kind.

I grew up partially on Capitol Hill, I went to schools and college there, I worked there, my parents lived near there long after I did, I take long walks through pretty frequently, we have construction projects there, and I have friends and relatives there. I'm sure Crazy spends more time there these days as he suggests, but to say I'm not intimately familiar with the hill is just wrong.

Don't get miffed just because I don't care about your ideas in the other thread. He challenged my knowledge of Capitol Hill, and I responded in kind.

I grew up partially on Capitol Hill, I went to schools and college there, I worked there, my parents lived near there long after I did, I take long walks through pretty frequently, we have construction projects there, and I have friends and relatives there. I'm sure Crazy spends more time there these days as he suggests, but to say I'm not intimately familiar with the hill is just wrong.

No need to be bigot here. You mentioned that before. Capital Hill is changing as well. I am sure it is not exactly same neighborhood that you grew up in. Calm down.

What in the hell are you talking about? Don't toss around words like that. I said nothing even remotely related to anything you just said.

This is a recurring problem with you. You don't read very carefully.

What in the hell are you talking about? Don't toss around words like that. I said nothing even remotely related to anything you just said.

This is a recurring problem with you. You don't read very carefully.

Calm down. You should read what you said above here.

You said...

"While I don't hang out there much, I've spent vastly more time on Capitol Hill than you have."

And...

"He challenged my knowledge of Capitol Hill, and I responded in kind.

I grew up partially on Capitol Hill, I went to schools and college there, I worked there, my parents lived near there long after I did, I take long walks through pretty frequently, we have construction projects there, and I have friends and relatives there. I'm sure Crazy spends more time there these days as he suggests, but to say I'm not intimately familiar with the hill is just wrong."

That is what you said...

You're the one who should type more careful.

Still missing it. Please point out what was "bigoted" about any of that.

Actually I doubt you even know what the word means.

(Since you'll probably never get clued in here, I also ask others: Is there anything about my post that is even remotely related to bigotry of any kind?)

Still missing it. Please point out what was "bigoted" about any of that.

Actually I doubt you even know what the word means.

(Since you'll probably never get clued in here, I also ask others: Is there anything about my post that is even remotely related to bigotry of any kind?)

First of all, long time ago one thread (Martin)we had an argument about open caption films. You used your audism bigot attitudes against Deaf people... I let it slide because it is pretty obvious you're audism bigot that will not change for the better.

Now you're doing it again by told me off that you spend more time at Capital Hill than I do. You are doing same thing with another SSC members on 1521 Second thread. You admitted that you yelled over 200 people by driving... Sounds like you got serious issues. :ohno:

My post was talking to Seattle FTW! The fact that I referred to you as "he" wasn't a clue?! The fact that my post was right after his?! (Again, your careless reading causes a rediculous problem.)

As for the other thread, nothing I said was bigoted. All I said was movies don't need captions, and there are better solutions that can accommodate deaf patrons while not distracting others. Since the idea has existed for decades and it hasn't been enacted, apparently my opinion makes sense to a lot of people.

To call someone bigoted without more reason is incredibly rude. It's about the only thing as bad as actually being bigoted. Either way it can do real damage to others.

There's no question that I've spent more time on Capitol Hill. Since you haven't lived in Seattle very long and I've spent many years up there out of the past 30+, it's a mathematical fact. You challenged me in a belittling fashion and I responded.

I'm not arguing the car thing. But I will say that pedestrian safety is worth it.

What planet you're from is beyond me.

My post was talking to Seattle FTW! The fact that I referred to you as "he" wasn't a clue?! The fact that my post was right after his?! (Again, your careless reading causes a rediculous problem.)
.

You used my SSC member name "Crazy" which is obvious you were talking to me not him.


As for the other thread, nothing I said was bigoted. All I said was movies don't need captions, and there are better solutions that can accommodate deaf patrons while not distracting others. Since the idea has existed for decades and it hasn't been enacted, apparently my opinion makes sense to a lot of people. .

You may not see the way you said were bigot. I showed to a lot of deaf people your posts in the past to see if they agrees or not... All of them said you're an audism bigot period.


To call someone bigoted without more reason is incredibly rude. It's about the only thing as bad as actually being bigoted. Either way it can do real damage to others. .

Well... Truthes do hurt sometime. It is time to wake up. :)


There's no question that I've spent more time on Capitol Hill. Since you haven't lived in Seattle very long and I've spent many years up there out of the past 30+, it's a mathematical fact. You challenged me in a belittling fashion and I responded. .

Duh. My point is Capital Hill neighborhood is changing... You are seen like you are not aware of it yet.

My posts are written with the assumption that everyone here can read. My mistake.

Here's the funny thing about bigotry. Right after the theater thread you made posts about the stores you wanted removed from Downtown and the sorts of people they attract. Basically you wanted Ross and other cheap places removed and replaced with higher end places. Personally I found those posts extremely bigoted, though I didn't specifically say that. To you, "bigoted" apparently means "doesn't agree with Crazyaboutcities", and doesn't apply to others.

My posts are written with the assumption that everyone here can read. My mistake.

Here's the funny thing about bigotry. Right after the theater thread you made posts about the stores you wanted removed from Downtown and the sorts of people they attract. Basically you wanted Ross and other cheap places removed and replaced with higher end places. Personally I found those posts extremely bigoted, though I didn't specifically say that. To you, "bigoted" apparently means "doesn't agree with Crazyaboutcities", and doesn't apply to others.

HA! What do you expect hear it from people with expensive taste?

That type of bigot is nowhere near to it. :) Your type of bigot is putting people with special needs down.

Some people with expensive taste are classy enough to care about people who have less money. Downtown needs stores for them too.

At least I dispute my "bigotry". You admit to yours and actually seem proud of it.

Some people with expensive taste are classy enough to care about people who have less money. Downtown needs stores for them too. .

I do care. I discussed about having affordable restaurants in downtown Seattle area... Surprisely, not everyone agree with that. I also bought it up the topics about having Target and Best Buy in downtown Seattle. They're affordable retailers too.


At least I dispute my "bigotry". You admit to yours and actually seem proud of it.

I have nothing to hide. I admit it that I do have bigotry of having expensive taste. You might proud of it too but you just won't admit that you are wrong. That is how you do.

Hey folks, maybe y'all should have a PM shout out or work it out there somehow. You two are some of my favorite people on SSC.

Thanks. But the moment this got off-topic it became something I needed to respond to publicly.

I don't mind cheap retailers downtown, I am glad they're there - but something has to be done about a lot of the downtown dwellers. I am about as gritty as they come, having lived in some pretty dicey neighborhoods in Brooklyn, and generally dressing in the oldest crap you can find, but there is something majorly wrong going on in this city re: homeless people.

Every night, every block, I encounter the most aggressive, wretched looking homeless people I've ever seen. I have never seen their equivalent in New York, not once in my three years there. And then there are the quasi-homeless people, the spindly permed middle-aged white women who are obviously crackheads or recovering crackheads. The neighborhood is just full of them! It'll be only 8pm, and I'll walk down the street, and be the only person who appears to have a normal life going on.

It's stuff like that that makes me very much long for NYC.

The homeless are definitely a problem in Seattle. It probably has the most homeless people per square mile I've seen (other than San Francisco). Not to mention that Seattle has some really odd people. I was walking down the street with my gf near the piers and some dude came up to me and said "I know you, you're Bill Murphy." and then muttered something else and walked off. It was really weird.

Anyways, overall I had a really good time. I'm gonna post my Seattle pics in the photo section, but I'll create a link here.

And then there are the quasi-homeless people, the spindly permed middle-aged white women who are obviously crackheads or recovering crackheads. The neighborhood is just full of them! It'll be only 8pm, and I'll walk down the street, and be the only person who appears to have a normal life going on.


That's because of the needle exchange near Second & Pike. They're heroin addicts.

I've got my Seattle pics up - check em out and tell me what you think!

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=14826447#post14826447

^^ so what'd you think of everything?

Hey folks, maybe y'all should have a PM shout out or work it out there somehow. You two are some of my favorite people on SSC.

Thanks. I agree that PM would be much better but it is just happens in public. :lol:

^^ so what'd you think of everything?

Well, I've been to Seattle before, but never to Alki Beach. I liked Alki pretty well, and I think it has a whole lot of potential. It seems a little run down in parts, but I think it will get better by the time I consider a move. I didn't get to Capitol Hill or Queen Anne, so that will have to wait until another trip.

Alki Beach, a little rundown in parts??

:?

Got me on that one. *shrugs*

I don't mind cheap retailers downtown, I am glad they're there - but something has to be done about a lot of the downtown dwellers. I am about as gritty as they come, having lived in some pretty dicey neighborhoods in Brooklyn, and generally dressing in the oldest crap you can find, but there is something majorly wrong going on in this city re: homeless people.

Every night, every block, I encounter the most aggressive, wretched looking homeless people I've ever seen. I have never seen their equivalent in New York, not once in my three years there. And then there are the quasi-homeless people, the spindly permed middle-aged white women who are obviously crackheads or recovering crackheads. The neighborhood is just full of them! It'll be only 8pm, and I'll walk down the street, and be the only person who appears to have a normal life going on.

It's stuff like that that makes me very much long for NYC.

Several people here have talked about aggressive homeless people. I have been living downtown for nearly ten years, many people have asked me for change, But never aggressively and never much of a big deal, I am starting to think that it must be how one "carries" themselves walking through the streets : eye contact, body language etc, or I have just been very lucky, because while I agree we have very high homeless population, I have NEVER been aggressively approached. Just "can you spare anychange?" or some such thing.

I feel compelled...
not to start the discussion again, but I want to state that MHAYS has never written anything that appears even remotely bigoted .

Thanks. And I absolutely agree that how you carry yourself is a big help. I walk fast regardless of where I am (force of habit mostly), and I ignore panhandlers. Size has an effect too. I've only had three or four aggressive types in 20 years of constant downtown walking, and those were mostly a matter of me taking the bait and arguing with them.

Alki Beach, a little rundown in parts??

:?

Got me on that one. *shrugs*

Yeah, like some of the houses/apartments are made of poor materials, for example, rotting wood, moldy siding. Some of the new developments are really nice, but some complexes need some work. I'm not saying it's ghetto, I'm just saying some of the housing needs outer work, like replacing siding and wood, as well as better landscaping.

Yeah, like some of the houses/apartments are made of poor materials, for example, rotting wood, moldy siding. Some of the new developments are really nice, but some complexes need some work. I'm not saying it's ghetto, I'm just saying some of the housing needs outer work, like replacing siding and wood, as well as better landscaping.

Heh, mold. I live in a building thats only 5 years old, and already its covered in patches of mold. It's an endless futile battle in this part of the country.