TomH

Fremont is on the north end of South Lake Union and is a really awesome little neighborhood with great outdoor spaces and cool bars & restaurants. The area is also a little tech hub onto itself, with the likes of Google and Tableau having offices in the neighborhood.

There are amazing places to eat in Fremont! Revel, The Whale Wins, Joule, Roux, and Paseo are all really really good. How good? Well Paseo has been the #1 restaurant on Seattle’s Yelp for years. Joule and The Whale Wins were named two of the best restaurants according to Bon Appetite Magazine. I can’t forget Westward, the patio is one, if not the best in the city. There is also Art of Table and Canlis, both out of my budget but highly acclaimed.

Besides food I come to Fremont for beer, and Fremont Brewing has a great outdoor space to chill at in the summer. One of my favorite coffee/beer/bike spots is Miir which has super clean/modern vibe with a huge selection of beverages.

Fremont is also a pretty good place to go out at night, especially on the weekends. I think a good portion of the crowd is from nearby Seattle Pacific University so some places can have a slightly younger crowd than I’m used to. The neighborhood has a little bit of everything from hipster bars (Add-a-Ball), bro bars (Red Door), dancing (Ballroom), Irish Pub (George and the Dragon), and even a ski bar (Woodsky’s).

Fremont is also home to Gas Works Park, probably one of the best parks in Seattle. It has an amazing view of the Seattle skyline and of lake; a great spot to watch the seaplanes and boats!

With lots of new apartment buildings popping up in the area I think Fremont could be a great place to live, plus it’s super close to downtown.

Ballard is an awesome neighborhood on the northwest end of Seattle. It’s a really great spot for 20 to 30 somethings to hang out, eat, and drink.

I think there are probably more than 10 breweries in this neighborhood alone! So obviously drinking is a great pastime in Ballard. I feel that Ballard is mellower than Capitol Hill (think less hipsters and more professionals). A friend once said that Ballard is where you hang out once you get a real job.

The main drags are Market Street and Ballard Avenue. They intersect and both have lots of bars, restaurants, and coffee shops; it’s very walkable.

Ballard is also home to Golden Gardens, an amazing park with an actual sand beach and fire pits.

I have a couple friends that live in Ballard and they seem to really like it. The only downside is the distance from downtown. The Ballard Bridge can be a pain if you drive and there is really only a couple bus routes that head downtown, the D-Line and the 15. I know from experience the D-Line is packed in the mornings, so be prepared for that. Also be prepared for a serious lack of parking!

I don’t think Ballard is much cheaper than where I live in South Lake Union. The biggest pros is its walkability – everything you need is so close.

Capitol Hill to me is where my friends and I go out – great food and fun bars are everywhere.

I live just down the hill in South Lake Union so Cap Hill is very close and I probably go out here every weekend. When I first moved to Seattle everyone told me Capitol Hill is where all the hipsters are at, and while that is true, it’s also where all the cool bars are at – I’m not sure who/what came first ;)

The neighborhood is grimier than South Lake Union, there are homeless people out at night, and it’s not as clean as other neighborhoods. But I still think it's safe. Cap Hill is also the home to Seattle’s LGBT community and the neighborhood has a lot of pride around that. The neighborhood even has rainbow crosswalks, which is really cool!

My favorite thing about Capitol Hill is its food and drink scene. A quick search on Yelp will highlight the sheer amount of awesome bars and restaurants. I love going out to Unicorn, Linda’s, and Neumos for a show. I really like how there's street food sold at night.

Most of the people in the neighborhood are in their 20s or maybe early 30s. The neighborhood has 3 colleges, which adds to it's younger vibe, they include: Seattle Central, Cornish, and Seattle Community College

Would I want to live in Cap Hill? I’m not sure. If I enjoyed being in the middle Seattle’s nightlife, then probably yes. There seems to be a mix of new and old apartments, but it looks like a lot of the older buildings are being torn down in order for new bigger buildings to come. I'd also say the neighborhood is pretty loud, especially on weekends.

I’m a Seattle transplant, like most people, and I live, work, and play in South Lake Union. SLU has everything I need and everything else is REALLY close by.

I recently moved to Seattle and living in SLU is great. My office is walkable and that was a huge priority for me moving to a new city. A big plus is the South Lake Union Trolley, its super convenient. The trolley takes me to Whole Foods and Downtown. From Downtown I can jump on the light rail and head to the airport, and after March 2016 the light rail will take me up to Cap Hill and UW.

Nearly everything in SLU is new and clean, which is a HUGE change from where I lived in San Francisco. My building is less than a year old, is filled with amenities, really safe, and is cheaper compared to SF. The neighborhood is quiet at night, which I like, but nightlife is just a short Uber ride away.

The lake itself is awesome to run around and I love going SUPing on the weekends. I heard the city is about to put a bike path to Fremont, which is big plus. I really like how close SLU is to the highway because I can get out of town to go hiking, snowboarding, and camping. And love that the flagship REI is in my neighborhood.

I would say the biggest downside to living in South Lake Union is all the construction. The neighborhood changing, but I would say for the better. New bars and restaurants are opening all the time.

I fully recommend that anyone new to Seattle and who will work in South Lake Union or Downtown check out this neighborhood.