Runner moving to Seattle - best place to live for running?

after reading this stuff, i'm about ready to move. Is it really that bad? If it is, i never noticed.

And the reason you just don't buy a car and drive is...?

Yeah, traffic sucks but if you can be a little flexible, it is possible to miss the brunt of the rush hours. I do, for the most part.

Every time i take a trip to CA, i come back and think our traffic and commutes are not so bad by comparison, and i mention that in the interest of keeping a little perspective on the issue.

seattle prattle wrote:

after reading this stuff, i'm about ready to move. Is it really that bad? If it is, i never noticed.

And the reason you just don't buy a car and drive is...?

Yeah, traffic sucks but if you can be a little flexible, it is possible to miss the brunt of the rush hours. I do, for the most part.

Every time i take a trip to CA, i come back and think our traffic and commutes are not so bad by comparison, and i mention that in the interest of keeping a little perspective on the issue.

I have a car. Rail commute is MUCH preferable, especially with parking hassle/cost. 40 minutes reading a book or writing vs 35 minutes fighting traffic and then searching for parking, .... no contest. Cost is close enough of a wash not to matter, but I think the train works out be less than parking plus gas. I only use my car on weekends to get out of the city, almost never for in-city travel/shopping...dining etc but I live in Canada, not sure how comparable Seattle transport network is.

According to Sound Transit the train is 44 minutes from Sumner to Seattle. I don't ride the thing, are you telling me that it is consistently 33% faster than they advertise / put on their official schedule? Of course it's not. Adding your 15 minute bus ride assuming no wait time between and assuming you literally walk out your front door and magically appear at the Sumner station, you're up to an hour. If we want to be realistic and buffer in drive to the Sumner Station and transfer time and walk time to office I would guess 80 minutes.

I'm not saying I wouldn't do it if I lived in Sumner, it sounds great, actually considering how far away it is. Just be realistic about transit times.

I am 50-55 minutes from BFE King County leaving my house to being at my desk. That includes driving, buses, transferring and walking. If I were going to SLU it would be more like 45-50.

Make your argument on the cost of living / home prices. You do have a point there. It is in no way a faster commute.

Another vote for Magnolia. I lived about a 1/2 up from fisherman's terminal and only had a bike. Rent small, ride your bike - it's pretty quick to get around to SLU or Belltown. Ideally, I'd live up in Magnolia bowl, but that would sacrifice commute time/access in place of nicer place to live and better walkability to grocery, coffee shops, etc. Either way, Discovery has good trails and you have quick access across the locks to run out golden gardens, burke, etc.

Shoreline is a good option too. Shoreview park runs like a smaller Discovery. Lots of hills and winding trails. You can also do runs down to the beach via Richmond Beach or Innis Arden trails. Ballinger, Jackson if you can sneak in. Upside: if you're in the 206 for the long term, you might have Light Rail in 5-6 years in Shoreline

Bainbridge is cool (in theory) but I think it would be hard to move there, straight-away, as a new person to Seattle. Not the most lively community and ferry hassles (when you want/need to drive) can become grating.

Sumner isn't bad if you don't care much about the City, for other than work, and you'd like to spend time in the mountains.

So what part of Seattle did you end up in?

Seattle. Big tech. Wouldn't get too attached to the city if I were you.

One incorrect pronoun, and you're done.

runfasta wrote:

Wallingford, Ravenna, Green Lake, anywhere north Seattle. Can get on burke-gilman, around green lake, arboretum, UW trails/waterfront. Lots of waterfront, not so much on "trails" in the city.

Issaquah for trail running at Cougar Mountain.

Redmond Watershed is still one of my favorite long run spots in the country.

Yeah, agree with this completely. North Seattle, Greenlake, or U district areas give you a TON of running options. Many training groups meet in this area at well (Super Jock 'n Jill, the Greenlake track, etc.). And it's just a short drive to Discovery Park, or a little longer drive to some of the more real trail systems on the East side. I would also check out Bridletrails park in Redmond for a good trail run.

And if you're working downtown this will give you a pretty easy commute (could even take transit or bike). Housing prices are not cheap though, so that is one of the biggest drawbacks.

I do miss running in Seattle, as it was always easy to link at least a few miles of trails into each of my runs (even if it was just the adjacent gravel path through one of the parks).

ohia wrote:

what is the big draw to seattle?

Jobs, milder (year round) weather, and culture. Also pretty good outdoor/nature access/beauty. It's not for everyone, but many in the PNW love it there.

FarNorth wrote:

So what part of Seattle did you end up in?

OP - first of all.. thanks again guys for the great feedback.

At this stage, I am leaning towards Magnolia / Green Lakes / Ballard area. All those areas seem really nice, good for running, and a reasonable commute to downtown

I like the idea of being close to the city (I'll be working in downtown), but I want to avoid the hustle/bustle of being right in the heart of it all. While those new high rises in downtown/SLU sure look nice, I hear there is very loud construction 24/7 in the city center.

jamin wrote:

Try Medina or Clyde Hill

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say do the opposite of this.

Ruppolini wrote:

Seattle. Big tech. Wouldn't get too attached to the city if I were you.

One incorrect pronoun, and you're done.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!

Go get 'em Bob!

You're killin' it!

RunnahInSeattle wrote:

FarNorth wrote:

So what part of Seattle did you end up in?

OP - first of all.. thanks again guys for the great feedback.

At this stage, I am leaning towards Magnolia / Green Lakes / Ballard area. All those areas seem really nice, good for running, and a reasonable commute to downtown

I like the idea of being close to the city (I'll be working in downtown), but I want to avoid the hustle/bustle of being right in the heart of it all. While those new high rises in downtown/SLU sure look nice, I hear there is very loud construction 24/7 in the city center.

Good choices. A lot will depend on your house purchase budget, assuming that's what you're intending. If it's a factor in any significant way, the neighborhoods a little further out are viable though perhaps a little less visually appealing. Those might include Wedgewood, Maple Leaf, Greenwood, NE Seattle, etc. Ravenna is really nice but probably expensive on the scale of Greenlake.

These are all gems, and a little drive around will give you a sense of the differences. Also, all are good access to Downtown. Ballard might be a little dicey on the east west part of the commute.

Best of luck and i hope you enjoy the area and the running community as much as I have!

Happy this thread got bumped only to see if jamin and/or hardloper will just admit how stupid wrong they were.

Hardloper claims a minimum 45 minute commute from Redmond or Totem Lake to Seattle via bus. Is met with multiple sources backing up 30 minutes.

Jamin claims a 45 minute door to door Sumner to Amazon train journey, but oops, the train itself is 45 minutes and there's another bus to wait for and ride to SLU.

Will you geniuses just put your big girl panties on on say you were wrong?

F wrote:

Happy this thread got bumped only to see if jamin and/or hardloper will just admit how stupid wrong they were.

Hardloper claims a minimum 45 minute commute from Redmond or Totem Lake to Seattle via bus. Is met with multiple sources backing up 30 minutes.

Jamin claims a 45 minute door to door Sumner to Amazon train journey, but oops, the train itself is 45 minutes and there's another bus to wait for and ride to SLU.

Will you geniuses just put your big girl panties on on say you were wrong?

Totem Lake is more like 1 hour, not counting the time it takes to walk to and from bus stops:

Except for the times it takes 30 minutes from Totem Lake

https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/transportation/metro/schedules-maps/252-257.aspx

Or the times it takes 20 minutes from Redmond.

https://www.soundtransit.org/sites/default/files/route_dir_pdf/545-westbound.pdf

But yes, you're gonna need to get to the bus. 'Cause people don't already understand that when you step out your front door you're not magically whisked away onto public transportation. Let's be super clear about that.

I'm talking about normal commute times, not the 4:50 AM or 10 PM bus.

You do realize that Overlake to Seattle is never more than 30 minutes regardless of the time of day? And RTC to Seattle remains under 30 minutes until the pretty reasonable departure times of around 6:30 to 7:00 AM, peaking at 45 minutes in the absolute worst of rush hour? Are these things that you understand? Do you need any help grasping these concepts?

Hardloper wrote:

Redmond TC to downtown Seattle is like 45 minutes and that's the BEST case scenario. Let's not pretend you can just live anywhere in "Redmond and thereabouts" and commute anywhere close to 30 minutes.

Cause it kinda seems like you need help understanding.

Yes, 45 minutes is the best cause scenario. Meaning you live close to one of the few major stops, avoid the worst of rush hour, the bus arrives actually stays on schedule and doesn't get backed up, you don't miss the bus and have to wait an extra 15 minutes, don't work too far from "downtown," etc. Then you might actually have a 45 minute total commute. For most people who live in Redmond or Totem Lake the bus commute downtown is longer than that and many of them drive a car instead.