So far I’ve checked out a number of neighborhoods in Seattle. The winners of “awesome” so far are Ballard and Capital Hill. I’ll admit there are a few others that I haven’t been able to check out thoroughly yet. One of those is Alki Beach area. Another is some of the northern neighborhoods, even some of the southern or other western neighborhoods. My questions is, what other neighborhoods should I check out Seattleites? I know there have to be more hidden gems, but I don’t know exactly where to look and the “end of lease” time on the apartment is coming up. I do like the close proximity to downtown that Belltown provides, BUT, it’s not exactly what I’m looking for. I want my preferred mix of art, culture, music, ease of access (re: transit without nasty Interstates/major highways nearby making a racket).
Any ideas out there? Madrona? Other?
Transit Sleuth 
Definitely checkout the Junction and Admiral/North Admiral in West Seattle.
Noted: Both are on the list, I’ve got half a write up done for Admiral, waiting for one more trip out to do a round of drinks or something in the area and maybe catch a movie at the Admiral Theater. I also want to get down to Alki and check that out again. I drove by about 7 months ago, but haven’t been back since. 😦
Columbia City, Upper Queen Anne, and Fremont are excellent choices. The area north of the UW along the Burke Gilman trail is currently a long way from Downtown via transit but soon will be an extremely convenient bike+light rail commute. Take a bike up there and explore the area. My favorite bike shop, Counterbalance Bicycles, is right next to U Village on the BG trail.
I’ll definitely check out that area. I’ve been up there once, but want to take another trip up that way and check it out. As for “bike + light rail” being soon, I’m not looking at 2016 or 2018 as being soon. 😛
ID has some new condos and apartments. Might also follow light rail line going south.
Ballard and Alki can be tough on transportation.
Queen Anne and Fremont and Wallingford and Greenlake have some charm too.
As a West Seattle resident, I wouldn’t recommend Admiral or Alki for urban/transit fans. The only places in West Seattle with a decent span of 15 minute frequency transit are the West Seattle Junction and the Delridge corridor. The WSJ has a great collection of shops and mid-rise residences, and is becoming more like downtown Ballard every day. The Delridge corridor has even better transit offerings but is lacking in walkability, except for White Center. I moved to Delridge due to the combination of low housing prices and great transit, and the White Center asian markets are a definite plus. But if you are renting in West Seattle, I’d recommend the Junction.
Renting is the option right now. What’s a good cross street area to aim for when travelling to the West Seattle Junction area?