If you're a college student in Seattle, you'll spend most of your time in the U-District, or on Capitol Hill. To help you learn your way around the rest of the city, we offer this short primer on Seattle neighborhoods. Text by Amy Jenniges
NORTH
Bitter Lake and Haller Lake
These two small, obscure neighborhoods are squeezed between Greenwood Avenue and I-5, and both surround small, obscure lakes.
Crown Hill and Whittier Heights
Centered around 15th Avenue and 85th Street, these two neighborhoods are firmly established middle-class havens.
Laurelhurst
A quiet neighborhood near University Village, Laurelhurst is an affluent area, with some of the most expensive homes in the city on its hills.
Shilshole
This waterfront neighborhood is mostly condos, seafood restaurants, and boats, plus Golden Gardens park (great for a beach cookout).
U-District
A tarnished treasury of hangouts and cheap housing. UW students will soon know it by heart. Others will avoid it like the plague. Home of the city's best movie theaters, secondhand stores, and people-watching opportunities.
EAST
Capitol Hill
Residents ranging from bohemian twentysomething gay men to homeowning fortysomething gay men inhabit this bastion of queer and boho community, foot-traffic commerce, cafes, bookstores, restaurants, and clubs.
Leschi
A laid-back neighborhood on Lake Washington, Leschi is a sleepy residential area, with a mix of homeowners and renters.
Madison Park
An affluent village within the city, Madison Park is home to some of Seattle's rich and famous, like Starbucks and Sonics bigwig Howard Schultz. It's also got a great Lake Washington public beach and public tennis courts.
Madrona
A residential nook between Madison Park and the Central Area, Madrona bridges the social gap with modest-to-nice homes, a quaint corner of restaurants and shops, and diverse residents.
Miller Park
At the edge of Capitol Hill sits Miller Park, which threatens to slide downhill into Madison Valley. Currently, Miller Park's unfortunate claim to fame is the brisk drug trade along Madison Street.
WEST
Ballard
Ah, Ballard--the Brooklyn of Seattle, the other Seattle, the better Seattle. Everything you need is here: movies, records, books, clothes, art, food, and Swedes by the busload.
Belltown
Ridiculously expensive condos and dirt-cheap halfway houses flank this artery between downtown and Queen Anne. It also has great bars, rock clubs, retail outlets, and restaurants.
Cascade
A neighborhood that used to be full of industrial and maritime businesses, it's becoming more residential.
Denny Regrade
The long strip of Denny Way, from Capitol Hill to Belltown and Lower Queen Anne, is a mixed bag. There's everything here from the famed Pink Elephant car wash and a popular Aurora Avenue spare changing site to a handful of gas stations and the entrance to Seattle Center.
Magnolia
Magnolia is an island in the city: You can only get to the upscale residential area via a few bridges; it's mostly surrounded by Elliott Bay. That geographic quirk might explain why the center of the neighborhood is like its own small town, sheltered from the rest of Seattle.
SOUTH
Georgetown
Supposedly on its way up, G-town is still a very industrial area, but retail businesses and restaurants keep popping up amid the romantic loft living spaces. Low-flying planes may spook folks with bad cases of post-9/11 nerves.
Harbor Island
Formed by the land that was dug out of what became the Denny Regrade, Harbor Island sits in the shadow of the West Seattle bridge, a sandy oasis of shipping and building industry.
Admiral
Admiral is at the very top of West Seattle, and you can see both downtown Seattle and much of Puget Sound from the center of the neighborhood, on Admiral Way.
Beacon Hill
Beacon Hill is crowned by the Amazon.com headquarters (a huge old brick hospital that overlooks the city), but the real Beacon Hill is much more down-to-earth. Local activists are constantly trying to improve the diverse and lively neighborhood, which is grounded by El Centro de la Raza, a Hispanic community center.
Columbia City
Saddling Rainier Avenue, just south of the actual Rainier Valley, Columbia City found its niche recently in trendy restaurants, a bustling farmers' market, and an arty scene that's complemented by the diversity of its residents.
Fauntleroy
Fauntleroy, scenery-wise, is about as close as you can get to a vacation in Seattle. The waterfront neighborhood offers plenty of forest, and sweeping views of the islands across Puget Sound. If you get the urge to visit them, you can hop on Fauntleroy's busy ferry to Vashon Island.
Seward Park
A more affluent pocket of the south end, Seward Park is right on the lake, and boasts a large Jewish population (about 90 percent of the city's Orthodox Jews live there). It's diverse in other ways too: The Asian- and African-American populations are twice the city average.
South Park
There's a large Hispanic population in South Park, so it's got some of the best Mexican restaurants in town. It's also one of the cheapest places to live in the city, if you can handle the surrounding industrial zones.
White Center
At the south edge of West Seattle, White Center is the second cheapest place to own property in town (after the South Park/Georgetown area). It's also rumored to have some of the best undiscovered cheap restaurants in town.
useful phone numbers
Here's a list of useful phone numbers for you to hang on the wall in your dorm. From abortion services to late-night pizza, every phone number you'll need over the next four years is right here. Compiled by Brook Adam.
House Parties
American Music (sound-system rentals) 633-1774
Archie McPhee
and Co. (party supplies, from tiki torches to those little plastic cocktail umbrellas) 297-0240
Dawgpound ("Your One-Stop Cold Keg Shop") 517-4331
Pyramid Breweries Inc. (more kegs) 682-8322
K's Deli & Grocery (and still more) 789-7339
Getting Out and About
Ticket/Ticket (half priced day-of-show tickets for theater, concerts, etc.) 324-2744
Ticketmaster Northwest 628-0888
Ticketweb (www.ticketweb.com)
Moviefone (movie previews, locations, and tickets) 333-FILM
Sex
The Erotic Bakery 545-6969
Castle Superstore (24-hour warehouse-sized porn and sex-toy emporium) 621-7236
Centerfolds (male strip club--sorry, for girls only) 783-8534
Deja Vu Showgirls 342-9160
Lusty Lady (female strippers) 624-5161
Toys in Babeland (Woman-owned sex toys store.) 328-2914
Fantasy Unlimited (Sex toys, fetish- and club-wear) 682-0167
Sands West (strippers) 782-1225
The Crypt (Sex toys, videos) 325-3882
X-otic Tan (Women, tans, hard to explain.) 323-8964
The Rejection Line (politely tells callers that the person who gave them this number wants nothing further to due with them, ever) 781-3928
Planned Parenthood 328-7700
Rape Relief (800) 986-1202
Seattle HIV/STD Hotline 205-7837
Very Cheap Medicine
Aradia Women's Health Center 323-9388
Aurora Medical Center 527-8773
Community Careline (Nurses available 24 hours to consult on medical symptoms and suggest appropriate responses, free) 731-2500
Country Doctor 299-1600
The Mental Health Crisis Line 461-3222
Travel Immunization Clinic Appointments 296-4960
Bastyr Natural Health Clinic 834-4100
Dental Clinics (all offer general dentist services and sliding fees)
Central Area Dental Clinic 461-7801
Georgetown Dental Clinic 461-6943
Holly Park Dental Clinic 461-4948
Medical Clinics
(The following clinics offer a similar variety of services, including free contraception, primary care, and immunizations. For a sample list of services, go to www.metrokc.gov/health/sts_svs/downtown.htm.All clinics offer sliding-scale payment structures and several different types of low-cost health insurance)
Downtown Public Health Center 296-4755
North Seattle Public Health Center 296-4990
High Point Medical Clinic 461-6950
45th St. Clinic 633-3350
Greenwood Medical Clinic 782-8660
Â
Seattle Radio Station Studio Call-in Lines
99.9 KISW 421-ROCK
C89.5 421-8989
90.3 KEXP 903-KEXP
103.7 KMTT The Mountain 233-8984
107.7 KNDD The End 421-1077
93.3 KUBE 421-9393
101.5 KPLZ 421-1015
92.5 KLSY 866-MIX-9250
Local Movie Theaters
Admiral 938-3456
Cinerama 441-3080
Crest 363-6338
Egyptian 323-4978
Grand
Alderwood 425-774-3536
Grand
Illusion 523-3935
Guild
45th 633-3353
Harvard
Exit 323-8986
Lewis
&
Clark 244-2900
Little
Theatre 675-2055
Majestic
Bay 781-2229
Meridian 16 223-9600
Metro 633-0055
Neptune 633-5545
Pacific
Place
11 652-2404
Seven
Gables 632-8820
Uptown 285-1022
Varsity 632-3131
Venues and Clubs See the Stranger's weekly Club Directory in our Calendar section.
Late, Late Night
Sunset Bowl (all ages, 24-hour bowling hall and bar) 782-7310
The Hurricane Cafe (all ages w/ bar, 24 hours, Seattle's best dive diner) 682-5858
Beth's Cafe (all-night diner, very dive-ish) 782-5588
Cafe Minnie's (24 hours, good food) 448-6263
Stella's Trattoria (24 hours, surprisingly good food) 633-1100
13 Coins (24 hours, upscale chow) 682-2513
Mix Ice Cream Bar (ice cream!) 547-3436
Some Dive Bars
Blue Moon Tavern 712 NE 45th St, no phone
Comet Tavern 323-9853
Dante's Steak & Grog 525-1300
Earl's on the Ave 525-4493
Eastlake Zoo Tavern 329-3277
Jade Pagoda Restaurant 322-5900
Nite Lite 443-0899
The Buckeroo Tavern 634-3161
Studying
Seattle Public Library Quick Information 386-4636
Moving
Big $ Discount Carpet Cleaning 425-402-9326
Monarch Cleaning Services 782-2994
Reliable Man Carpet Cleaning (since 1974) 322-1890
Public Storage (on Capitol Hill) 329-6271
Shurgard Storage To Go 364-9989
Ryder Truck Rental 762-9391
U-Haul 800-468-4285
Games and Gaming
American Games 441-4495
Cardhaus Games 632-3991
Game Wizard 781-4933
Gameworks 521-0952
Gary's Games & Hobbies 789-8891
Getting Around
Metro Rider Information Line 553-3000
Orange Cab 522-8800
Yellow Cabs 622-6500
Graytop Cab 282-8222
Music STORES
Bedazzled Discs 985-2990
Cellophane Square
634-2280 (U-District) 329-2202 (Capitol Hill)
Concepts 517-5449
Easy Street Records 938-3279 (West Seattle)
691-3279 (Queen Anne)
Fallout Records Books & Comics 323-2662
Frequency 8 Records (also, tickets to many Raves) 861-1488
GrĂźv 328-6321
J.A.M. Records 548-8199
Orpheum 322-6370
Second Time Around Music, Stereo, & Video 632-1698
Silver Platters
524-3472 (Northgate)
575-3472 (Southcenter)
Singles Going Steady 441-7396
Sonic Boom Records
547-2666 (Fremont)
297-2666 (Ballard)
Tower Records (three locations) 1-800-ASK-TOWER
Traveling
STA Travel (student-priced tickets) 633-5000
Seattle Passport Information Hotline 808-5700
Amtrak Reservations 800-872-7245
Greyhound Reservations 800-231-2222
Car Rentals with Low Minimum Rental Ages
A Auto Rental & Sales (in Tacoma, but 18 and up) 870-1811
Advantage Rent-a-Car (Downtown, 21 and up) 343-5508
Enterprise Rent-a-Car (University District, 21 and up) 729-4580
Rent-a-Wreck (Burien, 21 and up) 800-876-4670
Nearly Free Legal Advice and Services
Property Owner & Tenant Assistance Line (general Seattle landlord/tenant law questions) 684-7979
Tenants Union (advocates for tenants' rights and provides legal advice) 723-0500
King County Bar Association Neighborhood Legal Clinics (free legal advice from volunteer attorneys) 340-2593
King County Bar Association Immigration Legal Clinic 587-4009
Asian Counseling and Referral Service (free legal advice, specializing in immigration and visa issues, fluent in most Asian languages) 695-7600
Seattle Office for Civil Rights 684-4500
King County Office of Public Defense (to request a public defender) 296-7662
American Civil Liberties Union 624-2180
Late-Night Pizza DELIVERY
Pizza Eleni (deliveries till 3:00 a.m.) 545-0252
Pagliacci Pizza (deliveries until 11:00 p.m. Sun-Thurs, until midnight Fri-Sat) 726-1717
Pizza Ragazzi (deliveries till 4:00 a.m.) 525-1700
Pudge Bros. Pizza (deliveries until midnight) 545-9355
Zeeks Pizza (deliveries until 10:00 p.m.) 285-TOGO
Reading
Bailey/Coy Books 323-8842
Edge of the Circle Books 726-1999
Elliott Bay Book Company 624-6600
Half Price Books 547-7859
Kinokuniya Book Stores (Japanese and English books, CDs, and anime) 587-2477
Magus Scholarly & General Used Books 633-1800
Marco Polo (specializing in travel literature) 860-3736
Seattle Mystery Bookshop 587-5737
Twice Sold Tales 324-2421
University Bookstore 634-3400
University Used & Rare Books 632-3738
And Bitching
Mayor Gregory J. Nickels 684-4000
Seattle City Council 684-8888
Governor Gary Locke (360) 753-6780
White House Comment Line (202) 456-1111
