Seattle Neighborhoods |
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Seattle Neighborhoods Seattleites talk about everything in terms of neighborhoods. Though the city is in fact very compact, talking to locals might give you the impression that say, Capitol Hill and Fremont are days apart. And it's true that each neighborhood has its own distinct feel, most likely because of the disconnected terrain: before bridges and ferries made it easy to navigate the canal and lakes, most people just stayed close to home, resulting in the outlying neighborhoods being pretty isolated. Today, though, it's easy to get around the city and well worth the effort to explore the areas beyond the downtown core and Seattle Waterfront. Of course, you wouldn't want to neglect downtown, but the city's cheeky, quirky, youthful culture really blossoms in some of its outlying neighborhoods. You haven't fully experienced Seattle unless you spend part of a day in one of these islands of counterculture, whether it's exploring Capitol Hill - at once flamboyant and edgy - or Ballard, the sleepy Scandinavian village turned hipster hangout. Seattle's excellent public transit system makes it quick and easy to get almost anywhere from downtown. North of Seattle's downtown area is another freshwater lake, Lake Union. The lakes are linked to the Puget Sound by the canals and locks of the Lake Washington Ship Canal. Although Seattle is a major Pacific port, the ocean is 125 miles away, which seems a little confusing because there's water everywhere. It's a good idea to look at a map to get an understanding of how all the bodies of water connect, and trace the long route that ships must sail from Seattle to the open seas. The downtown area butts up against Elliott Bay and encompasses the financial and shopping areas, First Hill, Pioneer Square, Pike Place Market, the Waterfront and Belltown. Seattle Center, with many of Seattle's cultural and sports facilities and attractions, including the Space Needle, is just north of downtown. West of Seattle Center is funky Lower Queen Anne, which is connected to Upper Queen Anne by Seattle's steepest hill. East of Seattle Center is gritty Capitol Hill, the city's gay quarter and hub of youthful urban culture. The Central District, Madison Valley, Madison Park and Madrona are residential neighborhoods on the east side of the Seattle peninsula as it slopes down to Lake Washington. Lake Union and the Lake Washington Ship Canal divide the city into northern and southern halves. The northern neighborhoods include the University District, named for the University of Washington campus, Wallingford, Fremont and Ballard. Each of these areas has a lively commercial center filled with restaurants, shops and bars. lust north of Fremont and Wallingford is Green Lake, the focal point of a large park area that also contains the city zoo. To the west of Seattle, across Elliott Bay, is another peninsula, appropriately named West Seattle. This is where the original pioneer settlers founded Seattle. It's worth noting that four bridges (besides the freeway bridges) cross the ship canal. The University and Montlake Bridges connect neighborhoods south of the canal with the U District. West of Lake Union, the Fremont Bridge crosses from Queen Anne to Fremont. The western-most, Ballard Bridge, links the neighborhood of Magnolia, west of Queen Anne, with Ballard. |
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