Bellarita

I spent some of my best years living in this neighborhood! I can't help but feel nostalgic every time I drive by and see the herds of college students on the streets. But then, I realize that I'm getting too old to keep up with this neighborhood...

As a college neighborhood, the U-district is amazing. There is always something going on. Rent is affordable, although the living establishments aren't always the best. School is walking distance, and public transport is pretty amazing for Seattle. We have one of the nations top hospitals around the corner, the IMA, Gasworks, and a ton of other perks. There are great CHEAP places to eat and cute retail stores. College pubs and bars abound in this neighborhood as well. A few of my favs are the College Inn for a low key night with friends or Earl's if you're in the mood for stiff drinks and a party. Oh, I miss the good ol' days.

But then there's the noise. And the drunken college students. And the bears that get shot, and the people that get shot. The homeless people and sex offenders. Plus a lot of cell networks get really bad reception in a lot of the UW areas (e.g. T-mobile).

Overall, I guess the U-district is kind of...bi-polar. There are lot of goods and a lot of bads. I guess it depends on what you are looking for in a neighborhood. But I had a lot of fun living here, and it really wasn't as bad as I might make it sound :/ I still work around here, so I hang out in the area quite a bit, and really do miss living here sometimes.

Walking around in an outdoor mall can be really difficult. That's why I really like that the University Village has this pedestrian street, although I never knew that it had a name until now! This street has some cute stores and places to grab a quick bite to eat, as well as some nicer restraunts down at the QFC end. When it's nice out, the hot dog guy sets up his cart here. If you've never had a real Seattle hotdog, you're in for a treat! You can load the hotdogs with all sorts of tasty toppings - try the cream cheese, I swear it's delicious! Back to the subject at hand, Village Lane also is a great place for parents with children who are out shopping. There are a number of tables and benches, as well as a playground area where parents can let their kids play. Village Lane is a great street in the village that makes U-ville feel less like just a mall and more of a fun place to hang out.

To be honest, I'm surprised this street showed up on Street Advisor! It's probably the "main" street that goes through the University Village outdoor shopping center. It's not a bad street, although crowded! There are several entrances and smaller streets that navigate through the U-village, and I would avoid this one during peak shopping days, especially holidays and weekends. The sheer number of cars that go in and out of this entrance is bad enough, but the other problem is all the crosswalks that are along this street. On busy shopping days, it's really hard to get anywhere driving in this street because of all the people crossing it! The only benefit is that there is a traffic light at this entrance, which makes turning left when exiting the village a lot easier than some of the other entrances.

Wedgewood is an upper-middle class neighborhood, and you can tell by it's main street. 35th has the core of its businesses, including the post office, Top Pot Donuts (yum!), and a number of great bakeries and cafes! Cafe Javasti and the Grateful Bread Baking Co are some of my favorite places to grab some delcious baked goods and a cup of coffee. I would probably say the bulk of the commerical area starts north of 65th. It's a nice area to take a stroll in, and one of the better areas for families in Seattle. If you're young and single though, you might find it a bit dull.

Downtown Magnolia feels quite different than the rest of Seattle. It has a charming, old fashioned neighborhood feel to it. West McGraw has a number of bistro style restaurants that serve delicious food and have a quaint atmosphere. I really love the local everyone-knows-your-name feel that this street has. I used to work near here, and everyone at the Starbucks & Subway knew you by name! The rest of Magnolia is mostly residential, so I guess it's mainly locals that hang out around here - another great point about this street if you're getting tired of all the yuppie/hipster bars that are popping up all over town!

Over the years, I've known many, many people that have lived on 16th during their student years. There are a number of "decent" student apartment complexes on the street. It's close to campus and close to The Ave. Greek row is just next door, so you know you'll never be bored on a Thursday night, or any other night, for that matter. This area (to be fair, the whole area, not just 16th) is famous for the high number of registered sex-offenders that reside there.

It's basically a student street. There are always drunk college students wandering about. And it's not exactly safe - there have been shootings! If you're young and looking for a cheap "lively" place to live, I say go for it. If you want something more, avoid it at all costs!

I'm not sure about the entire span of NE 82nd, but I used to live in the area between Lake City Wy and 25th. It's definitely affordable for Seattle, and there are a lot of great schools and parks nearby. Lake City Way also has a bunch of cute restaurants and cafes near there, and one of my favorite dive bars - Cooper's. However, I would not recommend walking around there by yourself at night. Nothing actually ever happened, but it's not very well lit, and kind of scary. I guess it didn't help that the guy living next door was super creepy. As far as public transport, 25th is just down the street and offers decent bus services (except on weekends). There are a few buses that stop on 75th as well, which is walking distance.

I used to live nearby a few years ago, but haven't been here for a while. Then I drove by just the other day and wow - I barely recognized it! There are new building and condo developments going up all over the street. However, there is still that section between NE 55th and NE 65th that has all the "old" houses, that retains the feeling of the residential area.

I used to walk down this street on my way home from work, and it's a nice, safe street to do so on. The area near 65th has recently put in some restaurants, and University Village (a great, big outdoor shopping mall) is also on the street. The only real complaint that I have is that the traffic here can be a NIGHTMARE!!! Especially when the University is having a big game or event! So avoid this street during football season, student orientation, etc. or you will sit in traffic for hours!

College Way N borders North Seattle Community College to the west. They have the cutest houses I've ever seen in Seattle! They are half-sized houses that are painted all sorts of fun colors. I'm not sure they would be everybody's cup of tea, but they remind me of some sort of fantasy land :)

The area itself is pretty nice to live in. The neighborhood around North Seattle Community college has a residential vibe, which makes it feel safe. There are a lot of students crossing at the crosswalks during school hours, but the traffic doesn't get that bad. It's also the best place in this area to catch a bus! If you don't mind the walk, it's fairly close to both Greenlake and Northgate Way. Or less than a 5 minute drive if you're not a walker!

North 85th street is one of the larger streets in this area - it turns into NE 85th and NW 85th. It's a great street for catching public transportation, and one of the easier streets to manuver during traffic hour in Seattle! There are a bunch of new apartment/condo complexes popping up on this street. I'm not sure how great it would be to live right on a big street, but I would say N 85th is a lot quieter than most of the other larger streets.

The area near Greenwood Ave. N is really cute! There are a bunch of cafes, restaurants, and even boutiques in that area. It's great for locals who live near here to hang out - almost like a mini-Ballard. There's a great Gelato place on the corner of N 85th & Greenwood, and a Greek restaurant that's fantastic (even though it's technically on Greenwood).

One of my best friends lives on this street, so I'm over there quite a bit...all the time actually. It's another affordable apartment/condo development street near North Seattle Community College. If you're looking for a nice, "suburby" place to live still in Seattle, I would say this is a great place. Perfect neighborhood for going on runs. Depending on how far south you live, it's also walking distance from Greenlake, which is perfect in during the few sunny days we get. However, parking is a nightmare here. And a lot of the people who live here seem to be the passive-aggressive sort who leave all sorts of warning notes on your car... It's a few streets down from Aurora, which has a bad rep, but it's been safe enough during the 4 years or so I've been coming here!