Which one leads to less hectic life ? Living in Bellevue (close to family) and taking public transport to Seattle downtown daily Vs. Living close to office and driving in weekend to meet the family ?? Not much of an early riser, and new to the area, hence the question :)
If you like to walk or take the bus every time you need to run an errand, then Seattle. If you like casually driving to places with free parking when you need to run an errand, then Bellevue. Eventually, there will be a train between Bellevue and Seattle.
If you’re single Seattle is more fun. But with the new bridge and light rail commute shouldn’t be too bad
Seattle if you like living with homeless. Bellevue if you like living with rich folks.
This is an important point. You have to be “okay” with stepping over homeless people to get to the grocery store in Seattle. Not a problem in most of Bellevue.
Lol you can spot the people who have never lived in cities before so easily.
Do seattle. Find a place close to work. Maybe 10 mins max if you can afford. Best decision i ever made. Made it easy to get in office at 9:30-10 am as well as stay late when i needed. FYI..seattle is pretty much dead after 9 pm.
Safety concerns for a girl ??
Just use typical street smarts. If you are out late drinking or partying and walking hone try to stay in a group. Otherwise youll be fine. Streets are well lit. Front desk Security guards in just about every building.
Bellevue is yawn-inducing. Go there only if you want to mingle with Microsoft folks, or raise kids. For younger people/younger families Seattle (Magnolia, Ballard, Wallingford, Capitol Hill, Queen Anne) wins.
The east side is underrated by many people who haven’t spent much time there. It’s much more “cosmopolitan” than most suburban areas. Also, unless you want to live downtown (gross), commuting from most Seattle neighborhoods isn’t much easier than commuting from the east side.
Still, the need to cross the big bridge kills the motivation to do anything. Many people from Bellevue don’t go for concerts and museums in Seattle. They just come back home and spend time there.
“Many people from Bellevue don’t go for concerts...”... What sample size is this taken from?
I think the answer will depend on how comfortable you are with homeless people roaming around && if you'd like to be within walking distance to the Amazon bananas stand.
Lived in Seattle and Bellevue while working in microsoft.. If you plan to stay in Bellevue and want to drive / take public transportation.. As long as you leave before 5pm or after 6:15ish.. You're fine.. Game days are terrible, I was stuck in the bus once for 2 hours.. Seattle is an amazing place to stay and just a 20min drive to Bellevue on weekends or at night (after work).. Public transit options on weekends are very limited though.. Also ubers are more expensive and take longer on the Eastside.. I would recommend Seattle (try first hill - not too many homeless).. But either is doable..
Seattle is a dump.
I would say seattle if you want to have more stuff to do close by.