Wallingford: Best Seattle Neighborhoods 2013

Home to a kicked-back community spirit.

By Melody Datz April 3, 2013

wallingford

From Lake Union to NW 60th Street, sturdy old houses with large, friendly evergreens stand guard against grey skies. Yards and parking strips are dotted with carefully tended gardens, where kale stalks and rose bushes live in lush harmony. While the primary business district lining N 45th Street between Stone Way N and Interstate 5 is nearly always packed with traffic, Wallingford’s primary directive is the opposite of chaotic: Stay warm and chill out.

Don’t miss: Sushi, enviable cocktails and evening jazz at Seamonster Lounge. Wallingford Center draws fair-trade stylistas, aficionados of wee toy trains and lovers of fine cupcakes. And the pizza at Irwin’s Neighborhood Bakery & Cafe is always temptingly accessible, with the café cozied halfway between the Burke-Gilman Trail and 45th.

Go-to for out-of-town guests: Take a stroll through the grounds of the Good Shepherd Center, an Italianate-style former Catholic home and school for young women in the heart of the ’hood. Now home to nonprofit organizations, dwelling/work spaces for artists, a farmers’ market, playground and eclectic music venue Chapel Performance Space, it’s the epitome of the Wallingford existence—richly cultured, quietly urban and simply awesome.

Famous for: Runaway chickens, musical superstar Dave Matthews laden with groceries.

Melody Datz writes for the Wallyhood blog and has lived in Wallingford for three years.

 

Follow Us

A Light-Filled  Oasis

A Light-Filled Oasis

Mercer Island residence embraces natural beauty by drawing it inside

When Kent and Lisa Sacia decided to put a bow on their latest remodeling triumph, they turned to a trusted collaborator, Sander Groves Landscaping President Dan Groves. He was more than happy to take on the project, a reimagining of a 1972 Northwest contemporary by a noted Mercer Island architect. “I am in a position to…

Living: The Lightness of Seeing

Living: The Lightness of Seeing

Challenging ‘Lopez Lookout’ project places a premium on spectacular scenery

The regulators and nesting eagles weren’t the only ones peering on with interest. The third largest of the San Juan Islands at 30 square miles, Lopez is home to about 3,000 year-round residents known for friendly waves at about anything that moves. Islanders are also known for their intense interest in protecting their remarkable environment….

A History Museum at Home | Sponsored

A History Museum at Home | Sponsored

Creating your own mini galleries with art, photos, and objects you love

  Everywhere you turn in Brendan’s home is a piece of history with a compelling story. A small delicate piece of metal stamped with a man and lion sits inset against a vibrant red matboard. “This is a gladiator fight ticket from the Colosseum in Thracian during the slave uprising in Rome. The time of…

A Poetic Quality of Light

A Poetic Quality of Light

Portage Bay floating home embodies a feeling of spaciousness

Suzanne Stefan rides a housing bubble that bursts many times each day. Stefan, a cofounder of Seattle architecture firm Studio DIAA, combined light, sound, and materials to create a bright, 650-square-foot floating home on Portage Bay (the eastern arm of Lake Union) that reverentially reflects its idyllic surroundings. Bright, but not dazzling, as glare, contrast,…