Seattle mags--where to stay for short term work

[DJSapp]

So I have a 4-7 month jobsite that I'm getting posted to. Monday-Thursday I'm commuting to the grey north, and I need to get a decent place to stay that can balance the following:

Area office is in Gig Harbor, probably spend 20% of my time there
Job #1 is in West Seattle, probably spend 80% of my time there

Jobs #2 and #3 are still coming up to bid, but I think we have a real shot at picking one or both up and if so I'll be splitting my time between the West Seattle site and these. They are in North Beach and Salmon Bay, respectively. We'll know if we got these before I get a place, but I'd like to have my homework done before we know if we have the jobs, as it's all going to happen very quickly.

Looking for an area that isn't the slums, not too traffic filled (my day starts at 6:30am, done at 6pm) has good parking, a decent gym, grocery store, and restaurants nearby. Downtown or West Seattle seem like viable options, North Beach looks too pricey for the company to swallow. Looking to good bang for the buck here.

Annnnnd go!

[iceman]

A van, down by the river?

Err, canal?

[GeezerSteve]

Lots of good places to live in West Seattle, e.g., Alki, Junction, Admiral, Fauntleroy.

my day starts at 6:30am, done at 6pm

Traffic flows fine E-bound on the West Seattle Freeway and generally elsewhere in Seattle before 7AM so long as you avoid the Boeing plants, which have an early start time. I live in West Seattle and work downtown. If I leave my house by 7AM it's easy peasy. But if I don't get on the road until after 7:15, it takes me at least 2X as long to get to work.

West Seattle to Salmon Bay between 0600 and 0630 should be a smooth commute except when the viaduct will be closed for the tunnel construction. Salmon Bay to WS @ 1800 will be towards the end of rush hour, probably not too bad unless there's a baseball game, football game or soccer match. Add a few miles to figure the time to and from North Beach (north Ballard) to and from West Seattle.

Re the West Seattle to Gig Harbor commute, you'll want to compare the ferry vs. driving around. The Fauntleroy ferry goes from West Seattle to Southworth (Kitsap Peninsula), and you can drive from there to Gig Harbor. If you take the ferry you'll avoid some Boeing traffic, going through Tacoma and the toll on the Tacoma Narrows bridge fka Galloping Girdie.

[Hugh Conway]

Use your allowance to buy a motorboat and commute via water.

[userA]

apodaments are all the rage here.
b

[Chainsaw_Willie]

Gig Harbor to Seattle will be a hellish commute.

Given where you'll be working I'd also say West Seattle is probably the right choice.

I live in W. Seattle also and I like it here because it's easier to get from here to other places in and out of the city than just about anywhere else in the city. I-5 and I-90 are both close and easily accessible, 99 Northbound makes getting to the North side of downtown relatively easy, 599 and 99 southbound make getting South out of the city easy. There are plenty of amenities here in W. Seattle and access to downtown is easy also.

I take it the company is paying for your lodging?

[jfost]

If you're only there Mon-Thu why not get a place downtown? You can get to West Seattle pretty quickly and take the ferry to get to Gig. Also you will have fun Downtown nightly.

[DJSapp]

The job is paying for lodging, and the job profitability directly fuels my bonus and performance review. So no private island and powerboats, or downtown penthouses.

Having fun in downtown nightly sounds great on paper, but after a plane flight, 12 hour work day, hitting the gym and eating dinner, going out doesn't sound that great when you need to wake up at 5am for the next day. I'd imagine parking is also tough and/or expensive. Being within a $20 cab ride of downtown though, that could work.

[Buke]

I'd say you're on the right track. West Seattle is probably the perfect place to be. Beacon Hill is also an option and possibly cheaper. Georgetown could work too.

I'd recommend against living downtown. Traffic through downtown is constantly hellish for unexplainable reasons such as, "it's raining", "it's Tuesday", "there's a Sounders game", etc. There are plenty of nice pubs in West Seattle so unless you want to do the downtown bar scene then there's no reason to be there.

[The AD]

Given where you'll be working I'd also say West Seattle is probably the right choice.

Agreed. Since he's only going to be in Gig Harbor 20% of the time it wouldn't make sense to live around there. But the ability to avoid driving through downtown Seattle to get to Gig Harbor will be a big plus and West Seattle will allow that. West Seattle is a nice self-contained city within the city, too. Everything you want will be nearby.