SO YOU’RE MOVING TO SEATTLE

A GENERAL GUIDE FOR NEW AMAZONIANS

Above: Locations of most Amazon offices in Seattle.

Introduction
Congrats on getting an offer to work at Amazon! In this document, we will be focusing on
finding your place, things to do here, and what to expect living in Seattle. Before we start, I
must make a few things abundantly clear.

1. This guide is focused on those moving for full-time positions. Interns can definitely
take insights from this document, but just know it is addressed for full-time
employees.
2. If your job offer is set to be “Seattle/Bellevue”, know you may be placed in Bellevue
and this document will not be as helpful in suggesting neighborhoods as it will focus
on neighborhoods in Seattle proper.

Enough of that, let’s get into it.

Finding Your Place

Living in Seattle
You will notice, when you speak to coworkers and other tech workers in Seattle, that most
homeowners live quite far from their work. I find that most tech homeowners live at least a
45 minute commute to work due to housing prices in the area. I won’t lie to you, living in
Seattle is not cheap, but, if you’re only renting, you can live much closer. Most renters live
within a 30 minute commute to work, which makes it easy to live near friends who also
work in tech.

Apartment Hunting
Apartment hunting in Seattle can be tricky, especially if you need to sign papers before ever
touring your prospective apartment. Here are some general tips to doing it right:

1. Using apartments.com is one of our personal favorite sites for finding apartments. It
will let you draw polygonal areas on maps and only show you results in that area.
You may find this more helpful once you find which neighborhoods/areas you are
most interested in. This site will generally only show managed apartments though,
so you may be missing out on some cheaper landlord/lease takeover situations.
2. Be aware of the normal prices for different kinds of apartments in Seattle. As you
would expect, smaller apartments in farther away places are cheaper. As you are
hunting, keep in mind these helpful links that will give more context to your choice:
SeattleCrime, Cheap Street Parking Program, Amazon Shuttles, and Sound Transit
(you get a free Orca card through Amazon!).
3. Sun is important in Seattle! Keep in mind which direction your apartment will be
facing. You will never get sun if your apartment faces north since Seattle sun is in
the south. If you’re from somewhere sunny and think this won’t be an issue… please
think twice and ask someone who has lived here for a while before you go all in on a
north-facing apartment. Sun is rare. You must enjoy it while you can.

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Neighborhoods
Now for the Juicy part. There is most likely at least one person on the discord living in each
neighborhood, so, if you want more information about a certain area, ask for someone in
#seattle and you will most likely be pointed in the right direction.

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South Lake Union (SLU)

SLU is the neighborhood where most of the Amazon offices are located. SLU is constantly
under development, being one of the newer parts of Seattle to be developed commercially.
This is a mostly techie neighborhood.

Pros: SLU is near most Amazon offices, which also means there is a lot of good food around
to feed Amazonians. It also has some of the newest high-rise and low-rise apartments in
Seattle due to this influx which include many luxury amenities like hot tubs that other
apartments in Seattle won’t have. Many Amazonians live here for a very short, walkable
commute. This area also includes many gyms and boutiques. This area is quite safe for
Seattle-standards.

Cons: Being one of the newest developments in Seattle, the apartments here are definitely
not on the cheap side. On top of this, being in a commercial area, the area is mostly dead
after about 7pm and on weekends. This also sometimes includes restaurants that close
early since they won’t make as much money once Amazonians move out of the
neighborhood for the day. Having a car in this neighborhood is a pain point- no long term
street parking is available and parking in apartment garages can be $225-300/month.

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Westlake

Westlake is the neighborhood to the west of Lake Union and to the east of SR-99. It is a very
skinny neighborhood as it consists of only two main streets, Dexter and Westlake Ave. This
is a mostly techie neighborhood.

Pros: The biggest pro to this neighborhood is that, if you have an address on Westlake Ave,
you can be a part of the RPZ program. This allows you to acquire street parking for about
$65 every two years. Given that apartment parking in this area is about $200/month, it can
save a big chunk of your paycheck. This area is quite close to Amazon offices, about a 10-20
minute commute if you use the buses. This area is home to a lot of newer apartments with
nice amenities and are a little cheaper than the apartments in SLU. This is one of the safest
neighborhoods so close to Amazon’s campus.

Cons: Without a car, this area can be a little far from grocery stores. Unless you enjoy
shopping at Whole Foods after work in SLU and bringing your groceries home on the bus,
you will most likely be trekking to Lower Queen Anne for groceries. There is also little
restaurant/take out food in this area, exacerbating the grocery store issue.

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Eastlake

Eastlake is the neighborhood to the east of Lake Union (Shocker). It’s mostly residential
apartments and quiet.

Pros: Very quiet and not very trafficked by tourists like the neighborhoods closer to
downtown. It’s the most suburb-y feel you can get so close to Amazon’s campus. Like
Westlake, there is also a lot of RPZ areas for cheap street parking. It’s rent is similar to
Westlake’s but a little cheaper. You can also find more landlord rentals here (read:
cheaper), since many apartments are a bit older.

Cons: A bit far from where other Amazonians will be living. A little bit longer of a commute
than other closer areas which means you can’t feasibly walk to work. Very highly trafficked
bus route so it could take you anywhere from 20-45 minutes to get to work via bus. Given
that people see suburbia as a plus and a minus, we’ll throw that in here as well. Given that
it’s so close to UW’s stadium, you will see a drastic increase in traffic, tourists, and general
noise on game days, so keep that in mind.

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Fremont

Fremont is across the Fremont bridge from Westlake and is centered in more of a historic
district. Here is where you will find the Seattle staples like the Fremont Troll and a statue of
Lenin.

Pros: A very lively neighborhood. It’s full of good food, bars, and friendly people. It’s right on
the crossing of main roads, so, if you don’t have a car, there are lots of buses here that can
bring you to most places in Seattle. This is where Google has a couple of buildings and also
where Tableau’s headquarters are so you will be surrounded by other techies. Not many
newer apartments, so most apartments here aren’t under management (take that as a plus
or a minus as you will).

Cons: This place can get loud. Being so lively and full of Seattle staples means that you have
many out-of-towners walking about as well as lots of Seattlites from other neighborhoods
dropping by. It actually isn’t that cheap being so far from downtown and your commute
time can be 30-40+ minutes depending on traffic and whether the Fremont bridge is open
at that time of day or not.

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Ballard

Ballard is a neighborhood north of Salmon Bay. This is a larger neighborhood with lots of
history. It also technically includes Golden Gardens Park.

Pros: Ballard is another history-heavy neighborhood. It has a very lively

restaurants/shopping area that is frequented by Seattle locals. These are usually small local
shops and restaurants and not giant chain stores. There are quite a couple grocery stores
in this area because it is more of a suburban neighborhood. It is far from downtown, but
that means that apartments here can be cheaper than some of the closer neighborhoods.
Golden Gardens is also within reach, it is a “beach” & park that is very popular in the
summertime. Quieter and has a lower crime rate than some of the other neighborhoods.

Cons: Commuting during peak hour can be about one hour via bus. This also means that
you have a long commute to other more popular neighborhoods that your friends may be
living in. No RPZ parking in this neighborhood so you’ll have to pay your apartment for
monthly parking if you plan on having a vehicle.

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Belltown

Belltown (sometimes referred to as the Denny triangle) is a neighborhood in northern

Downtown filled with lots of new development, as well as some Amazon buildings like
Doppler and the Spheres.

Pros: Very central to Downtown and SLU, it’s an easy 10-30 minute walk to SLU, Downtown,
Cap Hill, and other landmarks like the Seattle Center and Pike Place. There are also a ton of
great restaurants packed into this area. Most apartments in this area are very modern and
come with all sorts of amenities. Whatever amenities you don’t have are likely nearby, like
gyms and a number of stores.

Cons: Loud and busy, if you’re anywhere near ground level expect to hear people and
vehicles even late into the night. Apartments can be prohibitively expensive (most are
2000+), and good luck parking if you don’t have parking inside your building. Certain areas
also have more issues with safety/the homeless, so be sure to look at the reviews for your
building to see. Outside of Whole Foods, there are no real groceries, so you’ll likely either
rely on Prime Now or walking/driving to somewhere else.

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Downtown

The above map is not very accurate. Mentally remove Lower Queen Anne, Belltown, and
International District from this map. Downtown is basically compromised by all of the
high-rise buildings in Seattle.

Pros: If you like that “city feel”, you’ve got it. If you’re above floor 5 in about any building,
you will feel very “New York City”. Pretty much every apartment will have a view of the city
(unless you’re right against a brick wall). Lots of bus routes here that go pretty much
anywhere and everywhere you want. Lots of boutique shopping and restaurants as well as
a Target. There are also museums, piers, opera halls, and markets about. Commute ~10-20
minutes

Cons: High crime and high homeless population, specifically near Pioneer Square and
between the waterfront and 3rd Ave. Also no street long term street parking, so you’ll need
to rent apartment garage parking (read: expensive). Depending on the building/floor you’re
on, you might not get direct light in your apartment due to the skyspace density of high-rise
buildings. Also lots of tourists around visiting the ferries, space needle, pike place market,
Seattle Public Library, etc.

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Lower Queen Anne

Lower Queen Anne is a neighborhood that sits right at the base of Queen Anne Hill and
refers to the areas north and west of Seattle Center.

Pros: This is a relatively quiet and moderately safe neighborhood with newer apartments.
Within this area you’re within a good walkable distance to a Safeway, QFC, and
Metropolitan Market (if you’re looking for some bougie ingredients). Being close to Seattle
Center, you can also get a pretty good rooftop view of the Space Needle and if you live on
the west side, a pretty good view of Elliot Bay and the mountains. There’s also a lot of
seasonal events held at Seattle Center so it’s nice to be so close to it. Also relatively easier
to find street parking here when you have people visiting.

Cons: Not a lot of nightlife here and in my opinion not the best selection of restaurants so
you might find yourself busing often to the more lively neighborhoods. There’s a lot of
construction being done at KeyArena right now in Seattle Center so it can be kinda loud at
night if you live right next to it.

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Capitol Hill (Cap Hill)

Capitol Hill is the center of Seattilies’ playground. It is a very LGBTQ+ positive area and
includes parks, residential areas, and more lively bars/restaurants/clubs.

Pros: Lots of RPZ parking! Also if you like to go out on the weekend, you’re likely within
walking distance of a great bar/club. On top of this, there are some really good restaurants
and boutique shopping in this neighborhood. Very LGBTQ+ positive (it has rainbow
crosswalks for pete’s sake) and many gay bars/clubs. Lots of people come here on
weekdays to do trivia at one of the many bars that offer it. Mix of older/newer apartments,
but generally a little bit cheaper than living in SLU/Downtown. Depending on where you live
in this neighborhood, you might be close to the link station, offering you light rail all the
way down to SeaTac. Commute 15-25 minutes depending on where you live/work.

Cons: Center of not liking Amazonians/techies in general. Probably take off your badge
after work if you live here if you want to avoid being yelled at. It’s not likely, but if you want
to avoid confrontation, I’d suggest it. You’ll see things like “Fuck Off Techie” written on the
sides of buildings/on street signs here. Other than that, it’s a bit loud here. Given its where
all of Seattle goes to party on the weekend, you can expect noise from clubs and general
drunk people on the streets. This also isn’t one of the safest neighborhoods. It has a pretty
moderate homeless population due to the park space and can be somewhat unclean.

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International District (Chinatown)

Also called Seattle Chinatown-International District, this neighborhood is a bustling hub for
Seattle’s Asian-American communities. It also borders CenturyLink Field
(soccer/football/concerts) and T-mobile Park (baseball).

Pros: Lots of history here as well as lots of diverse Asian food, karaoke bars, bubble tea,
and markets around. Most notably would be Uwajimaya, an Asian specialty supermarket
providing literally anything you’d need to cook Asian food (it’s huge). It also has a link light
rail station (the blue bus square) that allows you to get to SLU quickly without needing to
worry about traffic. Commute is probably ~20-30 minutes peak-time if you time it right. You
are also very close to sports fields and also not too far from the Seattle Ferry Terminal if
you like to explore. Cheap housing.

Cons: Being close to Pioneer Square and South of downtown means that this area has a
rather bad crime rating. It can also get very loud during sporting/music events. No cheap
parking and no new modern apartments.

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University District (U-District)

Aptly named, this area surrounds the University of Washington and is generally where
students live once they leave the dorms.

Pros: Cheaper living than other neighborhoods, especially if you’re renting in the Summer
when most students leave and apartments are desperate to rent out their rooms. Lots of
food and things to do. Lots of bus connections that go basically everywhere in the city.
Right next to University Village which is a higher-class outdoor mall. In the northern part of
University District, you can get RPZ parking, but that area is mostly residential. There are
two theatres in this neighborhood, a 21+ AMC and an indie theatre that has showings
about three times a week. Commute on an express bus is 25-35 minutes.

Cons: Very bad crime rating with a high homeless population. This is mostly centered
around the main food street called “The Ave” and around the general southern area of this
neighborhood. Can be very loud due to college house parties, frat parties, generally drunk
college students etc. Generally a very dirty neighborhood for the preceding statements.
There is a mix of very old falling apart apartments and new modern apartments.

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Things To Do

Hiking is a very popular outdoor activity in Washington due to the two mountain ranges
(Cascade & Olympic) here. Hiking is most popular here in the summer (duh) because it’s
warm, but also because many hikes or roads to hikes are closed during the winter due to
snow & other adverse weather conditions. The Washington Trails Association’s Hike Finder
Map is a good way to easily find the hike that’s right for you. It will also tell you what kind of
park pass you’ll need to enter the grounds. Once I find a couple I’m interested in, I’ll look up
posts on Instagram to see what the payoff is from a lot of people’s perspectives. The most
popular hikes around here are Tiger Mountain, Green Mountain, and Rattlesnake Ridge. If
you’re willing to venture a little further, we can’t help but suggest doing a hike up/around
Mount Rainier.

If you’re looking for things to do in the summer, great! Most big events in Seattle are in
summer due to the absolutely gorgeous weather. There are neighborhood block parties to
go to (most notably the Capitol Hill Block Party), Seattle Street Food Festivals (Sponsored by
Amazon), SeaFair/Fourth of July, and pretty much everything else that you’d ever want (just
look up events on Facebook).

For those of us that likes to stay indoors instead or if you’re bored out of your mind in
winter, Mox Boarding House is a great place for you. These types of table-top gaming shops
are popular in Seattle. Mox in particular has a cafe attached to it where you can order food
and drinks while playing any table-top games. They have a wide selection of board games
available for you to check out. Additionally, they host MTG tournaments and other events
throughout the year. Be sure to check them out if you like any form of table-top. There are
many other gaming/food places in Seattle. Check out Art Marble 21, Flatstick Pub, and The
Garage as well! Optimism Brewing Company in Capitol Hill is also a pretty popular board
game bar; there’s always people there down to play although I would advise bringing your
own games as the ones there are pretty unkempt.

In terms of a more “lively” night out, we would definitely recommend some Capitol Hill
bars/clubs. Rhino Room is a bar on the top and a club in the basement. It doesn’t really do
live music, but there’s a LOT of dancing. Neighbors is probably the most popular LGBTQ+
nightclub in the area, they do a lot of events, but it can get a little dirty/skeezy. If you’re

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looking for a little more low-key LGBTQ+ bar, we’d have to recommend Unicorn as it’s more
of a bar situation plus they throw fun events like a “Geeks Who Drink” Thursday trivia night!
If you’re looking for live music, the go-to would be Nuemos. It can also get a little
dirty/skeezy here, but you’ll find your niche once you’ve been here a while.

Things To Eat

You have to pay attention to the little teriyaki places around Seattle. Why? Midori Teriyaki is
a good spot near the offices. You can place your lunch order ahead of time and pick it up
when it’s ready. These meals aren’t exactly the most health conscious meals you can have,
but they are fast, inexpensive, and filling.

Viet food in Seattle is great. There are tons of options for either lunch or dinner options.
Pho Bac in Denny’s Triangle is a good lunch option. Ba Bar is another great option for SLU.

For Thai food, highly recommend Manao Thai Street Eats and Kedai Makan for Malaysian.

During work days, food trucks will show up around lunch time, and they offer many
different types of cuisines at an affordable price. The trucks move around from day to day,
you can check their schedule on seattlefoodtruck.com. There’s also a mobile app called
LoudBeacon that does the same thing. Some recommended ones are Chicken Fix, Yumbit,
and Tats.

In terms of dim sum options, Washington is one of the three states in the US that have Din
Tai Fung. There are two locations in Seattle. One of them is downtown, and the other in
U-district. Go with a group of friends, so you can try different things. You can also hit up
#seattle, people are always down for some Din Tai Fung. Dough Zone is also a good
alternative. If you’re looking for some real authentic dim sum (where they actually cart
around the food to the tables), Jade Garden in International District is a must. Place is
packed on the weekends so be sure to reserve a table in advance.

Sushi Kashiba

For boba lovers, Young Tea in International District is a must go. They have tons of
selections and they use real tea. For those that like a chain boba spot, Sharetea has a
location in U-District.

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Ramen options are great too. Arashi and Kizuku are my personal favorites. They have
numerous locations in the Seattle area.

Nana’s Green Tea. One stop shop for all your matcha dessert needs. They also have a pretty
nice seasonal menu. Highly recommend their hojicha flavors!

Asadero in Ballard has A5 Wagyu beef. It’s a once in a lifetime experience.

Lunchbox Lab is a great burger spot in SLU. They have weekly experiments and boozy
shakes.

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