I'm moving to Beacon Hill in Seattle -- need assistance getting adjusted.

September 8, 2009 5:42 PM

I'm moving to Beacon Hill in Seattle -- need assistance getting adjusted.

Been living in Queen Anne for my 3 years in Seattle. I'll be about 2 blocks south of Amazon's building. Quite the different neighborhood.

Looking for insight and suggestions from others who've made the transition into this neighborhood that everyone keeps claiming is the "next big thing!". I'm not quite convinced, though my rent is $650 less, and I've tripled in rooms and storage.

- Who are the cable/Internet options in the area? (Your reviews of said service.)
- Bars/restaurant suggestions.
- General "things you should know" before moving to Beacon Hill.

posted by anonymous to society & culture (6 comments total)

Beacon Hill has a Light Rail stop right across from the Red Apple, on Beacon and McClellan.

There is also Delite Bakery a block away, which is a Filipino bakery with some of the most awesome food in the city.
posted by spinifex23 at 6:03 PM on September 8

I live in North Seattle, so I don't know anything about cable/internet, but I envy your proximity to El Quetzal, one of my favorite Mexican restaurants in the city.

I agree with Sublimity about SE Seattle. MLK Way has a ton of interesting little ethnic restuarants, including Huarachitos, another one of my favorite restaurants. There's also a lot of interesting Vietnamese restaurants in the area.
posted by creepygirl at 6:59 PM on September 8

The Beacon Hill Pub is awesome.
posted by tristeza at 7:54 PM on September 8

I work on Beacon Hill and live close by. I've been waiting for Beacon Hill to transform itself into the next Fremont for over 10 years, and now that Amazon's reducing their presence I'm about ready to figure that ain't happening any time soon.

But here's the thing- BH is very very close to some of the best parts of Seattle, and is tied to most of them via light rail. Think: the ID and Columbia City (yum!) are <1>
But on the Hill- good library, nice little bike shop by the BH pub. The aforementioned Quetzal. Some folks like the 2 filipino restaurants.
posted by carterk at 9:08 PM on September 8

Oops, sorry: the ID and Columbia City are under 10 minutes away by rail. Also real close: Capitol Hill, Seward Park, Georgetown.
posted by carterk at 9:10 PM on September 8

I recommend the neighborhood blog, Beacon Hill Blog. (Disclaimer -- I'm the co-editor.)

"Who are the cable/Internet options in the area?"

Oh, dear. Well, this is the worst part about Beacon Hill right now, though it depends on where you are. If you can get good DSL where you live, get it. Do not get Broadstripe cable internet. A search on the BHB for "broadstripe", then reading the comments, will make the reasons why abundantly clear. We are supposed to have 15 Mbit service but during prime time speeds can be lower than 1 Mbit -- see this spreadsheet of download speeds my spouse put together a week or so ago (click the days at the top of the page to get something more user-friendly).

I am not sure who the providers are where you are going to live -- it's possible your situation will be better.

"Bars/restaurant suggestions."

There are limited bar choices. Beacon Pub is divey but supposedly has an awesome Friday karaoke. There is a new food cart outside the Pub on weekends. Baja Bistro is newer. I haven't been there since the bar part of the place opened, but I read on Yelp or somewhere that it is a hangout for restaurant workers -- I don't know if that is true.

Restaurants -- El Quetzal is fab. Baja Bistro had good food last time I was there, but it was a while ago. La Cabaña is pretty good Tex-Mex type Mexican. Inay's is mostly Filipino food, pretty good. Victrola is a fine coffee house, and I hear good things about Java Love too. Delite Bakery is great. I agree with creepygirl that Huarachito's -- though not on Beacon Hill -- is excellent.

There is no pizza on the Hill. We go to Stellar in Georgetown or Tutta Bella in Columbia City (semi-conveniently accessible via light rail -- it's about 4 blocks from the CC station) or Vince's in Rainier Beach (one block from the Rainier Beach station). For Thai, there is Thai Recipe on McClellan, just west of Rainier (so barely on the edge of Beacon Hill), and steps away from the Mount Baker rail station. I think "a pizza joint" is one of the most-wanted amenities here on the Hill, so if anyone knows a potential restauranteur...

General "things you should know" before moving to Beacon Hill.

Such a broad topic... hard to answer. Beacon Hill is a pretty amazing place -- a bargain, for sure. Even before the light rail it was outrageously conveniently located, and yet it's as if most people don't know it exists. Minutes away from downtown, from the restaurants of the International District, even from the East Side via I-90 if you must go there. It has always amazed me that more folks didn't flock to Beacon Hill to take advantage of the location. There are even views to enjoy. Now that the light rail is here, getting anywhere downtown or to Othello or Columbia City is dead easy, so I expect the crowds might start arriving soon... perhaps.

The blog is currently surveying readers about a variety of Beacon Hill issues, so when the results are out you'll probably want to check that out, I guess.

I used to live on Queen Anne for a while (around 14th and Crockett) and I would say that Beacon Hill is definitely lower-rent, and not as active in its business district as Upper QA. (You can see there aren't as many businesses on BH, and not as much sidewalk life. And Queen Anne houses are crazy-expensive, so a one-time middle class neighborhood there has become decidedly yuppified, which BH hasn't -- yet.) But there are more and more pedestrians since the light rail opened, and a very strong pent-up demand for retail and services -- I think the retail and services will come once the economy picks up.
posted by litlnemo at 4:15 AM on September 9