AlejandroJ

Woodinville is a town about 20 minutes north of Bellevue. Its more of a family place, not as great for young single people. They do have some live music, but most of its at the wineries so its more where I take my parents when they visit.

Like last summer for their anniversary I got them tickets to a show at the Chateau St. Michelle summer concert series. They definitely cater to the older crowd, bringing in artists like Paul Simon and Bob Dylan. My parents loved it last summer so I guess I have to take them again this summer lol. The winery has an amphitheater outside so its pretty nice. Unless its raining. But if you havent heard, it barely rains in the summer in Seattle, at least the last 2 summers. My friends down south dont believe me but its true!

A few of the other wineries do live music as well, but usually inside their tasting rooms. For singer/songwriter acoustic music, Village Wines does decent local shows. They do rotate some house musicians a lot, but also bring in special performances. Its not bad, good for a date. Actually theyre not technically a winery, because they dont make any wine, but more of a bar and wineseller.

Ive also been to Columbia Winerys foodie Friday, which has live music or a pub quiz. It also is a happy hour. This was probably one of my favorites, because its the most chill. I have a friend who lives in Everett and weve met up here a couple of times since its in the middle of Bellevue and Everett and its not full of people our parents age lol.

Honestly, Woodinville is totally not a destination for me personally, but more of a place to take other people who are more into the wine tasting scene. Its definitely cool that something like that exists in Washington though. Apparently the wine scenes been getting bigger and bigger.

The U-district has some decent concert venues and nightlife, I head over there once in a while. Parking can be tough when theres a show on but just plan to walk for 10 minutes and youre all good.

The Neptune is a pretty sweet venue. It used to be an old movie theater but they converted it into a mid sized live music venue, and they did a decent job with the acoustics. The only downside is the bar. Theres only ONE bar in the whole place, and the line is usually like 30 minutes long. Ive been to a few shows there, like ZZ Ward last year, who did an awesome performance. They tend to bring in medium sized names, not just the locals, and a few that youd hear on the pop radio stations. Names like Santigold, PVRIS and Caspar Babypants. Its one of the many places run by STG (Seattle Theater group).

The Blue Moon is another classic U-District venue. Apparently theyve been around for like more than 80 years. They have something on pretty much every night so its a good fall back if your plans get cancelled. Mondays and weds are free, with stand up comedy and open mic. I cant really recommend the comedy, but the open mic has been decent the 2 times Ive gone. Other than that, they have small names and cover is always $5. Not bad. Check out the bands on soundcloud before you go though so you know what youre getting yourself into haha. Some of their stuff is pretty hard.

Drinks and food before and after the shows arent exactly cheap in the U District, but maybe a little bit less than other Seattle neighborhoods. But you obviously have to be happy being in a swarm of students haha.

Besides shows at venues, there are always tons of events happening at UW or in the neighborhood. I have a few friends who are in school there and it seems like every other weekend theres something going on that involves music, food, and sports.

I like chilling in the Stevens part of Cap Hill before I go out for a show. Its a lot more laid back than the rest of the hill, and there are a ton of good restaurants, especially on 15th and on Madison.

You should check these ones out:

Luc is pretty low key, just have pizza and burgers, nothing too fancy. Good for a quick meal with some buddies.

Anchovies and Olives is probably my fave around here. They have seafood and tapas. The oyster happy hour is awesome. Its another Ethan Stowell restaurant so no surprise that its goodhes pretty much got the best reputation in Seattle. This one isnt too overpriced like some of his other places. Bonus!

Ernest Loves Agnus is a new restaurant opened by some of the Guild Seattle people. There was a lot of hype surrounding it when it opened last summer, and its not bad. But they only do dinner, plus brunch on the weekends. The happy hour is definitely worth it. The reason for the name is that apparently Ernest Hemmingway fell in love with a nurse called Agnus in Italy during WWI. Thats why its Italian food. The only sad part about this restaurant is that its in the old Kingfish caf building, which was SO GOOD. It closed last year.

Coastal Kitchen is where I go when I want breakfast for dinner. Or for Tuesday happy hour because they have $1 oysters from Taylor Shellfish Farms. Get your noms on.

Pioneer Square is not somewhere I spend a ton of time, because there aren’t any good music venues here, unless you count Wamu Theater where a lot of huge names end up. They’re usually too pop music-y for me though (like One Direction).

But the neighborhood can be chill for a happy hour or pre-show drink. I like Good Bar for happy hour, they have really good food and the drinks are consistent. I went to Cowgirls Inc one time and it was horrible. Only acceptable to people who are too drunk to notice how sleazy the place is. It’s basically a strip club pretending to be a sports bar.

For clubbing, there’s Trinity Nightclub which does house music with live DJs. There’s definitely a different crowd here than the people going out on Capitol Hill. I’m not a fan but I think people go here for the huge dance floor in the main room, and the fact that this part of town is more laid back than Cap Hill. There's also a bigger variety of ages. Cap Hill is all 20-somethings, Trinity has people in their 30s and 40s too. There used to be another dance club next door, Volume, but they just closed.

The Pioneer Square scene is definitely changing to be more sports and classy restaurants, and it doesn’t seem like dance clubs fit in that well.

Also, I play guitar, and it can be hard to find a good guitar shop with people you trust working there. But I’ve been to Emerald City Guitars in Pioneer Square a few times and I’ve been really happy with them. They definitely know their stuff and they’re fair with prices.

I’ve driven past Mercer Islands so many times on my way between Seattle and Bellevue, I figured I’d stop once in a while to see what it was all about.

So sometimes if I have a few minutes on a weekend morning on the way to Seattle I’ll go to the Mercer Island Einstein Bros Bagels for a bagel and coffee. Nothing different about them than at their other locations, but it’s just a more chill vibe than the city locations and you don’t have to stress about parking. I’ve also tried The Islander, which is a pub. The beer is decent, but I can’t really recommend the food.

Honestly though I don’t know anyone who actually lives on Mercer Island. It seems to be just for families. Rich families. Haha. Not exactly the hottest place for young professional. But hey whatever works for you.

Oh yeah I’ve also played tennis at the courts at Luther Burbank Park. They keep them in good shape, especially in the summer. And you can run down to the beach and jump in afterwards if you want! There’s no lights at these courts though, so you can’t play at night. Also they get super crowded on nice weekends so arrive early or late.

I’ve been to the International District a few times to eat, because they have a bunch of Asian restaurants that are the bomb. I dunno if I’d want to live here, there doesn’t seem to be very much housing. But it’s a cool place to eat out. I only wish ‘international’ included Mexican food!

Twice I braved the line at Tsukushinbo Ramen, which is notoriously difficult to get in because it’s one of the top ramen places in the country. Going there means a serious time commitment, because they sell out of ramen, so you have to wait in a brutal line before they open. They only sell a limited amount because when they make the ramen broth, it takes them…. not 4 minutes like a prepared broth…not 4 hours like a specialty chef…but 4 DAYS because they are ramen ninja masters. It’s worth the wait.

I also have to admit I’ve done karaoke at Bush Garden. The food’s not worth mentioning, but the karaoke energy is awesome. People obvs. practice a ton, because they belt it out! Now they just need to update their music, because it’s seriously outdated.

Fort St. George isn’t bad as far as fusion food goes. It’s supposed to be American-Japanese fusion (Yoshuko), but they also have Italian meals. It’s kinda a weird combo, but decent flavor, and I really liked the Doria. It’s like risotto, but Japanese style. Basically cheese and rice. Trust me, it’s better than it sounds.

The only reason I go to downtown Seattle is to catch a specific show. Otherwise the nightlife isn’t great here, so I’ll head to the other neighborhoods for a more casual night out.

*Showbox: The Showbox is the heavy hitter music venue of downtown. They bring in the medium to big names, mostly in rock and alternative music. The venue is built to last, with thick, soundproof walls, sticky black painted walls and floors, and sturdy bars. It’s not where you go to feel classy and sip champagne. It’s where you go to rock out! You’ll also get some hip hop, pop, folk, and dance music here, like Ellie Goulding and Miike Snow. But the majority is stuff like Killswitch Engage, Fall Out Boy, The Used, Modest Mouse, and Flogging Molly.

*Triple Door: This is one of my regular haunts. They bring in a tons of different styles of musicians from hip hop to jazz, even dance sometimes. I really like how they have multiple shows per night, including happy hour at 5. This is nice so that you can still catch a show depending on what time works for you. Cover is generally pretty decent, usually under 20 bucks.

*Highway 99 Blues Club: Is a very R&B, Jazz, and Blues style music venue. It has a down-south feel, a bit like New Orleans… but Seattle version. I’m not a huge fan of this place because of the set up. It’s kinda grimy, there are poles that block your view and their sound system is too huge for the space. But it can be a fun place if you can put up with your ears being blasted and the band is good.

Ok I had to write a review for Ballard just so I could mention on of my favorite live music venues: the Tractor Tavern. They always have a good monthly lineup, with quality musicians from a ton of different genres. I’ve seen awesome punk, country, hip hop, and even reggae here. The vibe of the place is always good—just feels like a bunch of friends having a good time listening to some good tunes! Sometimes there’s dancing depending on the band and the crowd.

Conor Byrne (an Irish pub) is another one that’s decent, but nothing in this neighborhood beats the Tractor. The area for the crowd is super small at this place, so you get UP close and personal with the musicians. This is usually good, except for the one time the band just sucked and I ended up leaving. The drinks are fine. They do a mean Irish coffee with fresh whipped cream if you need some caffeine!

Sunset Tavern: Another small and cozy venue. It’s probably my third choice, but still a solid option depending on who’s playing. The only other thing I’ll say about this place is that they’re musicians are super white…. Like I’ve never seen a person of color performing there, or even on their calendar. But I guess that fits with Ballard, the whitest neighborhood in the city! :D

I thought about moving here for the easy access to the 520 bridge across Lake Washington to commute over to Microsoft while still getting to live in Seattle. I think there was a nearby Connector stop (the Connector is the Microsoft employee bus). But even with that, the commute is still slow because they’ve been doing construction on the 520 highway FOREVER. And there just aren’t enough lanes, even for buses.

But to be honest the neighborhood was too boring for me. There’s zero nightlife, and only 2 restaurants. Music venues? Don’t think so. The closest is probably in the U-district, full of college students. Capitol Hill isn’t that far, but still. I’d have to take an Uber every time and that kind of defeats the purpose of living in Seattle instead of Bellevue.

It’s mostly big houses and families in Montlake so I wasn’t that into it. Probably better for families than young single guys. Or UW students that share a house might like it too, since it’s literally right across the canal.

Capitol Hill has a sweet music scene. There’s always a lot happening. Here’s what’s up:

Neumos: plays up and coming indie rock, and also hosts some DJS (like DJ Bootie mashup nights). They have a great website, which seems trivial but it’s not when you’re trying to get tickets to a show at a small venue that might sell out and you’re making a trip from Bellevue. I’m looking forward to seeing Deep Sea Diver and Ra Ra Riot later this month. Good stuff.

Chop Suey: this place used to be pretty gross, it seemed like the walls and the floor had just been absorbing sweat, vomit, and who knows what else for the past 20 years and they never really cleaned it off. Luckily they did a renovation and cleaned it up somewhat. Every Saturday is usually just dance music, but Fridays and other nights they bring in musicians and sometimes comedians. You can find some awesome shows here.

Comet Tavern: Divey rock bar (not live music though), apparently used to be a big punk scene but it’s pretty tame now. One cool thing is they don’t just screen football games but also some of the presidential debates. Makes for good drinking games. :D

Highline: a place that could ONLY exist in Seattle. First it’s a vegan restaurant, and as a meat-eater, they make really good food. The reuben is SO good. But it’s also a metal music venue. If that’s your scene, this place gets LOUD and PACKED on weekends. Their cover can be kinda high, like $20, but it’s not bad for show tickets. Oh yeah and they have “Eff yeah bingo” on Mondays.

Cap Hill Block Party is like the culmination of the hill’s music scene. A packed weekend of back to back outdoor shows. I’ve gone every year since I moved here. Try and get Monday off work because you’ll need to recover ;)

I’ve lived in Bellevue for awhile now and it’s pretty good. There’s plenty to do, places to eat out, shopping, etc. The buildings are generally pretty nice and new.

What I am not happy with though is that there aren’t as many live music venues as I’d like. There are a couple of jazz places, Eastside Jazz Club and Bake’s Place. Bake’s Place is definitely more reliable, but honestly, it’s still a jazz club and I feel super young when I go. Resonance is a concert venue for the older crowd, with lots of classical music and sometimes even (gag) magic shows. Not exactly my scene.

Honestly the best music in Bellevue are the shows that come to Marymoor Park. And that’s technically in Redmond.

You can see some comedy at The Parlor, but their seating is uncomfortable and they pressure you to buy drinks.

For just going out for drinks, the main place is at the mall. There’s some bars and restaurants like Paddy Coyne’s and Black Bottle, but everyone in their 20s ultimately ends up at Lucky Strike—the dance club/bowling venue in the mall. It’s kind of strange that for such a cool city, right next to Seattle which is known for music, this is some of the best nightlife in town.

The good things about Bellevue are that it’s close to work, it’s clean, there’s all the usual things you might need close by like shopping and coffee and groceries and restaurants. But I end up driving over to Seattle to hear music every week because there’s hardly any here. Seriously considering moving to Seattle and just dealing with the horrible commute to Redmond.

Usually the only reason I head to this part of town is The Crocodile. It’s definitely one of my favorite venues in Seattle. Even though it’s no secret how good it is, which can make tickets hard to get, I always love coming to this place. They curate the shows really well, the sound system is good, and it’s small enough to always get a good view close to the musicians.

Tula’s Jazz Café is probably worth a mention, though I don’t think I’d spend the entire night here (jazz isn’t my top choice). But they do put on some high quality shows. They could improve the ambience, sometimes having a restaurant also be a music venue is hard to do.

There are also lots of good places to grab a meal around here, it’s overall a fun place for an evening.

I haven’t spent too much time in Issaquah yet, even though it’s close by. Mostly it’s just families that live there and people who like going into the mountains. I have a friend who is married with a small kid that lives in the Issaquah Highlands, that area seems pretty nice. There’s a lot of restaurants and stores. It’s all really new too. The rest of Issaquah seems kinda just like a suburb or small family town, with a few stores, lots of houses, and older buildings. The scenery is nice though being right next to the mountains.

I wouldn’t live there right now as a young single guy because there’s not much happening. Sure there’s a few pubs and restaurants, but nothing good for nightlife and no concert venues worth going to.

I’ve been here to go swimming though! Lake Sammamish State Park is AWESOME for how close it is. And my buddy has a couple of jet skis so that’s fun too. Only problem is getting there early enough to set up, launch, find parking, and get on the lake before it gets crazy on a weekend in the summer. The launch is pretty decent though. Then there’s a ton of BBQ stands for after jet skiing. Awesome spot for a summer day with friends.

Right next to the State Park there are some restaurants. I really like Isushi, it’s one of those sushi places where there’s a giant conveyor belt where the sushi goes by and you choose whatever looks good. For when we’re too lazy to BBQ haha. Actually Microsoft even has a building down here so some of my lucky colleagues get to work literally right next to the park. Maybe I should request a transfer!

So Fremont’s one of my top places to go out, especially in the summer. The bars are fun, there’s music, and lots of summer patios. Not so many tourists (at night) as other places, and less clubby than Cap Hill.

You should check out the Solstice Music Festival if you can. You can either get a pass for the main stage where there are the bigger names (but no one super big. Biggest name this year is the Presidents of the United States of America) or go to the free stage to discover a new band.

The rest of the summer (or whenever) you can go to a show at Nectar Lounge. The shows are usually $15 or under, but just listen to the music online before you go because it’s hit and miss. But since it’s half outside it’s super fun in the summer. They do alternative and dance music. Dive Bar right across the street does shows too, usually no cover, or only $5. They do rock and punk.

There’s acoustic shows and quieter music at the Fremont Abbey up the road. Their calendar is usually pretty packed, and they bring in some high quality musicians.

So lots of music options. Good neighborhood if you’re not sure what music mood you’re in yet.

Other places I like going out for a drink:

-Brouwers: tons of beer choices! I think they have like 50 beers on tap. Plus they do tons of beer specialty events. Like events just for hoppy beers, or for barleywine. Oh and when hops are in season they have fresh hops beers. It tastes TOTALLY different from regular beer, you just have to try it.

-Fremont Brewing: a huge brewpub with lots of outdoor tables in the summer

-Schilling Cider: Lots of cider. You have to like cider to go here. But it’s not all sweet luckily.

Seattle’s a fun place. There’s a lot happening, and besides rent, it’s pretty affordable overall. Shows aren’t too much, and going out is the same cost as any city.

The music scene is awesome, obviously. And I like how you can go to different parts of the city to find a different vibe. Capitol Hill for DJs and clubs. Fremont for funky smaller shows. Ballard for a more hipster scene.

Some of my overall favorite music venues:

The Tractor Tavern in Ballard. This is a locals place, and their shows often get sold out. They have good taste in who they show.

Columbia City Theater. Columbia City is really unique as a neighborhood, and you can see that in this venue. They have a ton of shows, with up and coming local artists.

The Crocodile Café in Belltown. They have had a lot of moderately famous bands here, even though it’s a small place. So you can see people up close, which is awesome. Hard to get tickets sometimes though.

If I didn’t work at Microsoft, I would definitely rather live here than Bellevue. But the commute would be brutal. That’s the worst part to Seattle—traffic is HORRIBLE. So if you move here, try to find a place to live that’s close to where you work or you’ll spend half your life in your car. Better yet, try to get a job with flexibility and work from home sometimes.

The only other reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because of the internet situation. Basically, the only options are Comcast and Frontier in most places. Both terrible options. Seattle talked about installing fiber optics, but it didn't happen. Pretty weird set up for a tech city.

Other than that, this city is awesome!

One of my favorite music venues in the city is the Columbia City Theater. It’s a nice break from some of the places downtown that are too focused on status. This place is all about the music. It’s hard to imagine how one place can have so many shows. Seriously, it’s like 5-10 shows a week, every single week. Lots of smaller bands and local groups just getting started play here, so it can be hit and miss, but it’s also good to find new bands you would have never heard of. I’ve been to Thursday open mic night once, which was actually not bad. You never know with open mic nights.

They also have a recording studio, “The Bani Love,” with decent rates, which makes it (kind of) affordable for new artists. You can do a 10 hour day for $600 or $70 an hour. That’s pretty good.

Before a show, I like to have a drink at Columbia City Ale House. It’s just your typical pub. They brew their own beer, like a lot of places in Seattle.

The Royal Room down the street also does some shows, but definitely not as many as CCT. And they do a lot of jazz, which isn’t really my style.

The only downside is that getting here from any direction you have to go through a bunch of stop lights. It's not that bad though as long as it's not rush hour.

When I first moved to the area, I checked out Kirkland to maybe live there. It’s super close to Microsoft and Redmond, and nice being on the lake. The downtown is also nice, with some good restaurants. But after I asked around, I realized that it wasn’t the best place for a young single professional. Seems like more of a family or couples place. Also, there’s no good live music venues here. There are a few that have house bands, but nothing that amazing.

I do have one friend that lives in Kirkland who has a boat at the marina. It’s a sweet place to launch and spend a day on Lake Washington. Then when you come back, you’re within a half a block of bars and restaurants.

Recommendations:

Wilde Rover: it’s an Irish pub that has live music. The music is pretty standard (it’s a rotation of house bands), but good for a night out with a group of friends that cares more about hanging out and having a good time than the music.

The Central Club: Pretty much just a dive bar, but more variety in music than the Wilde Rover.

Milagro Cantina: I can only recommend happy hour, it’s overpriced otherwise. But they have decent tequilas. The orange-tequila carnitas tacos are good, but the rest of the menu is hit and miss.

Redmond is Microsoft Headquarters, and that’s the only reason I spend time here. HQ is south of downtown Redmond, not far from Bellevue.

Microsoft really is the giant here. They have so many buildings, and even a museum. I’d say that many, or even most, of the people who live in Redmond work for Microsoft. It’s by far the biggest employer around.

I chose to live in Bellevue instead, which is more my style, and better for a young single person. The reason I don’t live or spend time in Redmond is because it’s mainly for families. It’s not a great place for a single person, because it’s so quiet.

The public transportation is great, probably because so many thousands of Microsoft employees use it. I can easily get to work from Bellevue in 20 minutes, depending on traffic.

I do eat out a lot in Redmond though, The area around Redmond Town Center is really nice. Here are some good ones:

--Tipsy Cow Burger Bar: The meat in the burgers is WAY better than the average hamburger. Also really good milkshakes.
--Taqueria El Gallo: the only authentic-ish (for Washington) Mexican restaurant in Redmond.
--The Stone House: good local food, quiet. Good to catch up with a friend.

Lower Queen Anne is where most of the big music names come to town. They usually play at key Arena, next to the Space Needle. I saw Macklemore here a couple years ago, and have tickets for The Who in May. There’s also all the pop stars like Selena and Janet Jackson. Sports games are here too, mostly basketball.

The bars in this neighborhood don’t really do live music (Tin Lizzie’s has some regular musicians, but it’s nothing special). Lots of options to grab a few drinks beforehand though. Just walk around Mercer Street and you'll find something.

There are also tons of festivals at the Seattle Center. The Seattle Center is all the things around the Space Needle (Ballet, theater, Key Arena etc), and the grass in between the buildings with a giant fountain you can go in.

I go to Bumbershoot every year—it’s a crazy 3 days of nonstop music over Labor Day weekend. It’s one of the biggest music festivals in North America, with some huge names. Not bad for a $150 ticket. Folklife Festival is another good one. It’s free, and has bands on 5 or 6 stages. Not just folk music, every kind of music. There's also a decent dia de muertos festival here on Nov 1.

Oh and of course there’s the Experience Music Project EMP that you have to see at least once. Jimi Hendrix and Nirvana guitars!! They change the temporary exhibits and it’s hit and miss. Right now it’s Hello Kitty. Miss.

Alki’s a pretty decent place for a hot Saturday. Yes, it does actually get hot-ish in Seattle. Getting there can be a pain if you don’t have a car though. What I do is take the water taxi then walk the path until you get to the good beach and all the restaurants. But watch out for tourists on those annoying giant bicycles. Even though I like going here once in a while for a break, I wouldn’t live here, because it’s too isolated.

To eat out, I like going to Sunfish for fresh seafood. It’s a nice view too. Phoenicia is probably my second choice here, when I feel like pizza. It has a good wine selection. I’ve been to Cactus too but the only thing I’d get there is the margaritas. How do they call that Mexican food?