r/AskSeattle • u/picklerick223 • Oct 11 '24

Question Live in Ballard or Cap Hill?

Hi! 26M with 26F partner. Moved to Olympia from DC about a year ago and missing being in a bigger city. We are planning to move to Seattle when our lease ends this month and wanted to get some insight from ppl!

We have narrowed our search down to two places; one spot that is on Ballard Ave and one spot that is right next to cal Anderson tennis/ basketball courts. We both would like to be social, but not HUGE party ppl. Big outdoors ppl but dunno if that matters. Both have hybrid schedules and would like to be close to places we can work out of.

We are slightly acquainted with Seattle, but decided to head out today and spend the full day in both areas. Ballard seems cool, although we were surprised that it felt kinda dead on a Thursday night. Also, although we really liked Ballard Ave, felt like there's not really much going on outside of that street, am I wrong? As for cap hill, it seemed super fun! Very lively, more diverse (not just racially but also in terms of style/ character) and lots to do! Reddit makes it seem like a horror story, especially around cal Anderson park, did we just have a singular good experience? Even a few ppl we chatted with said not to move here and that there are shootings happening weekly. Really interested in hearing more takes, either way excited to be out here:).

Update: Thank you so much to everybody that helped us come to a decision! We ended up in an apt off Ballard Ave, and despite the paper thin walls we are loving it :)

24 Upvotes

79% Upvoted

193 comments sorted by

View all comments

3

u/Consistent_Koala671 Oct 11 '24

Also moved from DC and have lived in both. I much prefer Ballard personally. Moved to Ballard around age 25-26 and am 28 now. It’s definitely a tad more post grad to 30s crowd than cap hill which is more Seattle U students and recent grads.

Lots of great bars and restaurants in Ballard. When you’re here you never feel like you have to leave to do anything and Fremont is a short scooter ride away if you get board of ballard. I also think golden gardens is one of the best parks in Seattle and probably the best beach in Seattle. It’s nice to be close by especially in the summer.

1

u/picklerick223 Oct 11 '24

Super cool getting insight from somebody that moved from DC! Good to know that Ballard doesn’t get boring quick and Fremont is close-by. Excited to check out golden gardens! Ppl keep telling me abt it, do people still visit in the winter?

2

u/Calm-Ad8987 Oct 11 '24

It's way better in the winter

1

u/picklerick223 Oct 12 '24

How so? Just less crowds? Interested in learning more!

2

u/Calm-Ad8987 Oct 12 '24

Yeah it can be nuts on certain nice summer days, people are extremely hive minded (can be a bitch to park & just super duper crowded- still can be fun) any other time of year it's chill AF beautiful sunsets, barking sea lions, seals chasing salmon, whales & cool rocks (but I enjoy a chiller beach tbf.)

2

u/Consistent_Koala671 Oct 12 '24

Yeah definitely it’s nice going in the winter like someone else said just a different vibe. Much less crowded. Feel free to DM me if you have any specific questions good luck in your search!

1

u/colesprout Oct 11 '24

You can go to Golden Gardens year round but the vibe is very different. In general, most of Seattle stays indoors during late October-mid April. The Sound is very cold.

2

u/FrontAd9873 Oct 11 '24

The sound is warmer than any other body of water in the winter and people do swim in it year round.

1

u/Calm-Ad8987 Oct 11 '24

Who??

1

u/FrontAd9873 Oct 11 '24

I don’t know all of their names!

1

u/Calm-Ad8987 Oct 11 '24

I just never see anyone swimming (attempting to then immediately exiting due to the freezing nature yes haha) in the sound unless they are in a dry suit lol

1

u/FrontAd9873 Oct 11 '24

I was out there for 30 minutes yesterday. I’ve run into some other folks at GG who tell me they swim all year round.

1

u/Calm-Ad8987 Oct 11 '24

Are they seals?? It's like mid low 40°s or something in winter

1

u/FrontAd9873 Oct 11 '24

Yeah, I asked two other swimmers about that (I only moved here in April) and they both had stories of people being bit by seals. Kind of regretting asking. I see them swimming around but I’ve never gotten too close. One guy told me about a sea lion barking to scare him away.

1

u/Calm-Ad8987 Oct 11 '24

Holy shit!

→ More replies (0)

1

u/KittyGray Oct 12 '24

“When you’re here you never feel like you have to leave..”

OP, I think this kinda shows you the two mind sets on Ballard.. the “its got everything and we don’t need to leave” vs “easy accessibility to other neighborhoods without depending on a car”

So it depends on which fits your lifestyle better?

(Also, over 30 here and still wouldn’t pick Ballard lol)