It is because some folks live there and are familiar with the area. Also, decent public transport commute to the city - unless one works odd hours. I would not, however, recommend this for someone in the OP’s D’s situation: odd work hours, short internship duration, no intent to stay in the area. For the same reason, Bellevue and Redmond which are both easily accessible by bus and are homes to many young professionals working in tech, are out.
Seattle U area is another area I would check. Bus service to Lake Union is decent, and it is close to everything in the city.
Craigslist is not a bad place to start the search. You can PM her potential choices to me or other willing Seattle area parents so we can give you our opinion on whether they are ok or not.
Yes, I’m talking about Renton because I live within sight of the boundary between Seattle and Renton and am often at the Landing. I will say that before her move 2 years ago, D looked all over Seattle for some place affordable and safe and available, and did not find what she was looking for. I don’t know the OP’s price point, but Renton has tons of apartment complexes and the prices are much better than in Seattle proper (for the most part). The Renton transit center can get you on a bus to downtown, which will get you to pretty much anywhere in Seattle. People do it all the time.
Kiddie-you didn’t need to make an account to look at Craigs. But I agree that you will find a good selection of options on it. Ask here of via PM for help on where places are relative to where your D will be working. If no one has mentioned it yet, the cost of living here is HIGH. I’m a penny pincher from way back and can offer suggestions of places where she can save a buck, if she needs to.
Cost of living here is high, but still much lower than in NYC, Boston, Baltimore, Bay Area, and Southern California. If one knows where to shop and eat for less $$, an Amazon internship pay can go a long way.
For the OP’s daughter, finding a neighborhood in Seattle near where she’ll be working and can also make the most of her free time enjoying all Seattle has to offer makes sense. Others may be reading for whom affordability is a higher concern. They may find information about outlying areas helpful.
I would definitely stay close in a this age and for this period of time. One would want to maximize the urban fun quotient. She will also likely want to go out after work with fellow interns and that would more likely be Pike/Pine and Belltown than anything else. You would lose a lot of money in Uber and cab fares. For me Renton would be a non-starter in this case. There is lots of shopping now but it is more chain stuff. The beauty of The Landing for Renton was to get way from quirky and get to predictable “nicer” stores. I would look Lower Queen Anne, Fremont, Eastlake and Capitol Hill.
Saintfan, Deborah T and bunsen have some good suggestions. Wallingford would be another option. OP, please do let us know what you’re considering so we locals can chime in (ding!).
Yep - a possible bicycle commute would be ideal or bus by surface streets at the outside. Also, there are many “you can’t get there from here” neighborhoods in Seattle depending on where your destination is because of the hills and water. Some places are closer then they seem and some are farther away than they seem because there’s no good route.
OK - how do these locations look - criteria is safe neighborhood, walk or easy public transportation to amazon HQ for commute, and public transportation to get to shops, sights, etc:
2721 Fourth Ave, 526 Yale Ave N, fifth ave north and Garfield
Checking . . . 2721 4th ave = easy access to everything and totally safe in the day - don’t walk the alleys when clubs get out. We walk around there in the mid-evening but be careful late at night. Looks like good option. On to next . . .
526 Yale = roll out of bed and go to work, but newly gentrified formerly light industrial area with not as much after work action yet. It is likely to be more of almost an Amazon dorm feeling with lunch places but less easy quirky places and night life as everything is new. Also likely more construction around.
5th ave N and Garfield = great regular neighborhood with views and pleasant walkability. Less close to amenities than the first. A bit harder to access job as not on main routes. safe - I would walk around here at any time of day or night
I was going back to your original post and based on that I’m leaning towards the 4th Ave choice. If she likes “museums and city sights” that is the most accessible to everything in all directions. The 5th and Garfield would give her a quiet, neighborhood feel but for short term I would lean towards the spot in the midst of the action. The spot on Yale wouldn’t be bad but it is less accessible to everything but Amazon. The place on 4th is great walking or bus transportation away from everywhere.
She would be front row for PRIDE, walking distance for the festivals, concerts and attractions at the Seattle Center, buses run on 3rd so a block from the bus that would take her further downtown to the art museum, market etc.
If the 4th Ave place you are considering is the Vermont Inn, I would avoid it. It would be OK for a month but for a 6 month assignment she would want a better place. I lived in a place with a kitchenette and it got old real fast.
Is Yale St. a regular apartment? Location is pretty good, it’s not so far from Westlake Ave. where a lot of the area techies hang out after work. What about 5th and Garfield? A little quieter, but one of the issues with that one is that it is probably faster to walk to work than to wait for a bus.
Some of the things that makes summer in Seattle unique (leaving out Hempfest, never been, see plenty of public pot smoking these days):
May 22-25 Seattle Folklife Festival
June 19-21 Fremont Solstice Festival, on the 20th is the parade
June 28 Seattle Pride Parade
July 24-26 Capitol Hill Block Party
July 31 - Aug 2 Seafair, Air show and hydroplane races
Sept 4 - 7 Bumbershoot
If it is anything like other big company internships, she will quickly hook up with other interns eager to explore.
Good tips - I was looking at location but know nothing about the inside of the unit - now that I read some reviews it looks like she might want something less extended stay motel like if possible
