PaulGab

Jam-packed with apartment dwellers, Summit is a great little street that houses just the barest of essentials. Along the street, the highlights are Top Pot, maker of fantastic doughnuts and coffee, as well as Sun Liquor, a very fabulous neighborhood bar with a cool Asian-themed atmosphere. Also, the street hosts a very un-Seattle-like bodega close to Top Pot. The further away you get from the madness on the Hill, the nicer the street gets, ending close to Cornish College of the Arts, where on a nice day you can hear students playing piano from the open windows of the college. Great atmosphere!

Lake City Way is a very typically American street, full of used car lots, strip-clubs, and places you'd never want to go. A major hub to get to the East-side of the area, the whole street is seedy and scary. Recently, there was a prostitution scandal involving one of the strip-clubs along the street, and it came as no surprise to Seattle residents. Every once in a while, a newer place opens up and tries to establish a somewhat decent retail or food establishment, but they never last and are soon replaced with another car lot, bar, or dive. It's quite icky, so just avoid it if you can.

In the middle of an otherwise unassuming residential neighborhood, Barton Street is home to a very suburban looking strip mall in a very un-suburban town. Ten years ago, the area was an eye-sore of closed shops and a seedy hangout for local teens, but a gentrification as of late has made Westwood Village the shopping spot in West Seattle. There are plenty of stores that are usually found on the periphery of major malls, but the convenience of them being in a neighborhood is a rare treat in Seattle. You can find Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, Marshalls, and Barnes & Noble in Westwood along with local eateries and other stores. Not quite as posh as U Village, it does provide an excellent all-in-one errand center for West Seattleites. It's also on a bus line!

While many other cities have bustling waterfronts where locals go to get away for an evening, Seattle has made a colossal blunder in cramming the waterfront with wasted potential. Along the strip of piers, everything is geared toward tourists, from the aquarium to Ye Olde Curiosity Shop. There is not one business that does not scream "Buy a t-shirt and salt water taffy here." Add that to the fact that so much of the area is dominated by a very ugly and utilitarian ferry terminal, and there is literally no reason for a local to want to hang out on the waterfront. It should also be mentioned that the Alaskan Way Viaduct (a double-decker highway) floats above the waterfront in all of its loud and dirty glory, as it provides one of two major N/S highways in the city. Due to instability from previous earthquake damage, it is being torn down and replaced by a tunnel, so maybe it will improve the area.

California Avenue stretches from one end of West Seattle to the other, and provides shops and services of every ilk along the way. Walking from one end to the other, you'll thrill to amazing coffee, cute shops, every major service you can think of (post office, dentists, salons, etc.,) a comic book shop, and one of the best independent record stores in the country. There are plenty of restaurants of every type, and a veritable buffet of Sushi places along the strip. Of note, Husky Deli makes its own ice cream, which can be a real treat in the summer months.

From Fremont Place, one can get a sense for the wacky blend of people that embody Seattle. At the heart of the street lies a statue of Lenin, yes, from the Soviet Union! Right next door is a fantastic gelato place, and kitchy little boutiques/clothing stores. The nightlife on the street is great, with acts of all kinds playing music at places like The High Dive, Tost, and Nectar Lounge. Just up the street, every Sunday sees an outdoor market, full of crafters and junk peddlers.

Ballard Avenue has a very East Coast feel to it, which is exceedingly rare in Seattle. The street still has brick/cobblestone visible, and all of the buildings are displaced from another century. Along the strip, one can find great places to shop, eat, and the nightlife is superb. There is a wonderful herb/apothecary shop, which hearkens back to shops more than 100 years ago. Their restorative tea blends are not to be missed! Also, the street comes alive at night, with many places offering live music such as The Sunset and The Tractor. Parking can be a bit rough, but head a street over to Shilshole Avenue to find more parking.

45th Street in Wallingford is the quintessential Seattle neighborhood thoroughfare. Along its path one can find everything from coffee, eclectic shops, locally-owned restaurants, and small town flavored businesses. The food scene along 45th ranges from Dick's Drive In, a Seattle legend for hamburgers, to May, one of the best Thai restaurants in a city chock-full of Thai places. There is an outstanding beer store, which views beer about as seriously as a wine snob would view wine. There is a great dingy little comic book store rightly called Comics Dungeon, as well as a wonderful stained glass supply store. Tucked just a few houses of the street is a hidden Seattle recording studio, Electrokitty, which has served bands such as U2, Nas, and Carrie Underwood. As is typical of recording studios in Seattle, it is located unassumingly in the lower level of a house in the middle of a residential neighborhood.

If you are looking to avoid the hectic pace and crowds of the University District, a short jaunt up to NE 55th Street is a great quiet reprieve from the mayhem. Housing great little restaurants, it can be a welcoming place to stop and enjoy a bit of quiet peace in the area. Of particular note is Nan's Soup House, which serves a huge variety of homemade soups, micro-brews, and hosts music regularly. The winter hours can be frustrating at times (not being open on Sundays!,) but nothing beats back Seattle's cover of gray quite like a bowl of soup with a cornbread muffin. Also, the nightlife at The Duchess will bring you back to your college days. If you are looking for a better place to catch a Huskies game, you will not beat the place. Also of note is the Sandpoint Metropolitan Market at the base of 55th. It is a great grocery store with made-to-order food available all day.

Admiral Way stretches from the West Seattle bridge to Alki Beach. From the base of the hill, you will see Luna Park, once a waterfront amusement park in the early days of Seattle. Cruising up the hill, the dense tree cover opens up to reveal an unparalleled and breathtaking panoramic view of both the harbors of West Seattle, and the sweeping skyline of downtown Seattle as it rises majestically out of Puget Sound. On a clear day, Mt. Rainier can be seen in your rear view mirror as you climb the hill. Heading up the hill reveals a great neighborhood at the Junction of California Avenue and Admiral Way, full of shops, restaurants, bars, and a theater. Cresting the hill and heading down, you'll catch a great mix of eclectic homes (typical of Seattle,) and end up at the hub of Alki Beach in less than ten minutes. Along the way, you'll marvel at the panoramic view of the Sound and surrounding islands such as Vashon.

North Admiral, or as it's known locally, The Admiral District, is a wonderful neighborhood tucked in between the beauty of Alki Beach and the hub of West Seattle, the Alaska Junction. The intersection of California Avenue and Admiral Way is host to great local restaurants, catering to neighborhood regulars. Living in this neighborhood is akin to living in a small town in the 1950s, as sooner or later, you will get to know nearly everyone in the area if you start hanging out at places like Circa or Mission. There is a wonderful theater which hosts movies, music, comedy, a monthly midnight showing of 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show (costumes mandatory,) and even an occasional burlesque show. The theater itself is an historic site, which is experiencing a rebirth as of late. The retail environment is quirky, leaning more toward gift/boutique type shops, of which there are plenty of lovable local family-owned businesses. One of the newer additions if Atomic Boys, a retro-themed candy/gift shop, which caters to toys and candy from the 1950s and '60s. The nightlife of the area is well-contained and runs the gamut from the sporty atmosphere of the Admiral Pub, to the classier digs of the aforementioned Mission or Circa. Heading down California toward the Alaska Junction, there are plenty of retail spaces from independent coffee shops to the newest West Seattle addition, Arcane Comics. Let's not forget the Metropolitan Market, host to cheeses, wines, olives, baked goods, and exotic grocery fare from all over the world. If you cannot find it at the "Met", it simply does not exist! Seriously, the place is a gourmet chef's dream come true. Locals often claim proud ownership of the fact that their neighborhood is so self-contained, that there is no need to "cross the bridge" and head out of West Seattle. Perhaps it is the plentiful and stunning views of Seattle's skyline, access to Alki Beach, or the small-town feel of all of West Seattle that is contributing to so many people falling in love with the neighborhoods across said bridge.

If you are looking to move here, there are some slight negatives. Traffic on Admiral can get pretty thick at commute times, and living along Admiral itself can be noisy. Also, as with anywhere else in Seattle, property values are outrageously high. You will be paying close to San Fransisco or New York prices for property.