University District

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Infomation

Bordered by Lake Union on the south side and Ravenna-Cowen Park on the north, it is easy to find relief from college life, whether you’re living it, or yelling at it to be quiet. Go Dawgs![/vc_column_text][vc_separator color="mulled_wine"][vc_column_text]University District, Seattle Data : Neighborhoods & Travel - Score out of 100[/vc_column_text][vc_progress_bar values="%5B%7B%22label%22%3A%22Public%20Transportation%2084%22%2C%22value%22%3A%2284%22%7D%2C%7B%22label%22%3A%22Pet%20friendly%2083%22%2C%22value%22%3A%2283%22%7D%2C%7B%22label%22%3A%22Students%2082%22%2C%22value%22%3A%2282%22%7D%2C%7B%22label%22%3A%22Singles%2079%22%2C%22value%22%3A%2279%22%7D%2C%7B%22label%22%3A%22Dining%2077%22%2C%22value%22%3A%2277%22%7D%5D" bgcolor="sky" options="striped,animated" title="TOP ATTRIBUTES"][vc_progress_bar values="%5B%7B%22label%22%3A%22Quiet%2029%22%2C%22value%22%3A%2229%22%7D%2C%7B%22label%22%3A%22Empty%20nesters%2026%22%2C%22value%22%3A%2226%22%7D%2C%7B%22label%22%3A%22Parking%2025%22%2C%22value%22%3A%2225%22%7D%2C%7B%22label%22%3A%22Seniors%2020%22%2C%22value%22%3A%2220%22%7D%2C%7B%22label%22%3A%22Income%207%22%2C%22value%22%3A%227%22%7D%5D" bgcolor="bar_turquoise" options="striped,animated" title="LOWEST ATTRIBUTES"][vc_separator color="mulled_wine"][vc_column_text]University District, Seattle Reviews

Finally, A Neighborhood for College Students

The U-District is a bunch of student housing packed around the University of Washington. The heart of this autonomous college community is The Ave (or University Way). The Ave is a stretch of, well, establishments you’d expect to be the heart of a neighborhood devoted to college students.

Walking the entire Ave will result in multiple opportunities to buy beefy burgers, authentic Pho, cheap pizza, every imaginable flavor of bubble tea, amazing Thai food, and coffee (lots and lots of coffee). The downside?

It’s hectic and sketchy. Which isn’t a downside for most college students. Expensive versions of all these dishes as well as high end shopping are available in U-Village which is a reasonable walk away.

If F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote a novel about Seattle, it would probably be set in the juxtaposing spires and dives of the U-District.

What's awesome

It’s a neighborhood for college students.

What's not so awesome

It’s a neighborhood for college students. Bowen S.

Not Your Average University District...

I came to Seattle from Dallas to write my thesis and hopefully to find some inspiration while finishing my MA in anthropology. Naturally, reviews about the unique cultural nuances of the University District in north Seattle piqued my curiosity, so there I found myself in explore mode soon after.

The University District is quite diverse and distinct next to the other major neighborhoods of Seattle. Unlike the quirky neighborhood of Fremont, The U-district’s counter-culture is not necessarily cultivated and contrived, but rather a natural, rare gem.

With the university just around the corner, you might expect to find sorority garb and sports references adorning he neighborhood, but not here. The university always seems miles away in the University District of Seattle.

Walking down “The Ave” (as the locals call it) you’ll find various ethnic foods, unique vintage shops, a store filled with gargoyle paraphernalia, a punk rock Irish pub, a few historic small theatres, cozy (non-elitist) coffee shops, and even an American Apparel. On top of the diverse attractions, you are likely to see a 21st century Beatnik, a bit of très chic, and a soccer mom within 10 feet of each other.

You literally can’t escape the oddities! Also, if you are Lebanese (or simply a lover of the cuisine), you won’t find much in Seattle, but Samir’s is about as authentic and delicious as it gets.

If you drive in, then try to find parking OFF of University Way (unless your greatest virtue is patience), but bear in mind that the buses are abundant and can even provide a nice, easy, scenic journey from downtown. So, those are a few of my favorite things, but there’s a chink in any armor.

It can be quite dangerous at night and unfortunately, like other neighborhoods in Seattle, many of the people in the neighborhood do not have homes. The sights and sounds of soup kitchens and requests for change can be dismal.

The upside to that situation is that of the cities I have dwelled, Seattle has the courage and the drive to solve the homeless problem. It’s quite remarkable how dedicated various organizations and the city itself are to the cause.

I finished my thesis and moved to Fremont, but the anthropologist in me still misses the area and regularly hops on a bus to get my feel of the cultural sundries that enrich the U-district. Brianne M.

The University District: A Giant Funhouse Mirror

It’s odd to name a neighborhood after its primary institution. The University of Washington already has a campus, a library, student housing, and various halls (with alumni pictures!), so why is an entire neighborhood additionally necessary?

Because students, in the heyday of their life, need a carnival-like atmosphere to pretend they are adults. Imagine a hipster Disneyworld, where instead of tokens, they take your student card.

The University District has all the staples necessary to student life: bars, cafes, cheap terrible pizza, and a gargoyle statuary. At its center is University Way, which locals call “The Ave,” and which foreigners properly call University Way.

It is a highly concentrated strip of various shops and restaurants, frequented mainly by three types of people: students, panhandlers, and those trying to recapture their youth. None of these demographics acknowledge the fourth demographic, the ubiquitous flyer/clipboard people, who solicit your attention with pity and eye contact.

Among the various cheap eats are teriyaki, Hawaiian barbeque, substances resembling pizza (I will not leave this issue alone), Mexican food, burgers, and a plethora of cafes. You can also get a seven dollar hot dog at Po Dog.

Once you have eaten, you will likely browse but not buy anything at the various used bookstores, vintage clothing shops, tattoo parlors, and music dispensaries. You can try to merely browse at the tanning salon, but it’s tough.

As you make your way north on the street, the activity and bustle seem to peter out, almost as a metaphor for aging. The shops become less concentrated, and the foot traffic negligible, and this, if anything, seems to be the slight problem with the area.

That beyond the prime real estate, the University District is a fairly uneven neighborhood, sometimes rundown, occasionally unsafe, and often not quite fulfilling greater needs. That is not to say it lacks highlights.

On Roosevelt, a few blocks off the main strip, is Scarecrow video, which with its great selection, cute little staff picks, and proximity to a takeout wing place, is a bastion of procrastination. A little south of 45th is Northlake Tavern, whose deep dish pizza is a marvel of density and physics.

If you have legs or a car, you may head to Ravenna Park, which feels like a miniature forest, and if you want to see what adulthood is like, you may head to University Village, a shopping complex which has absolutely no connection to villages. One of the first questions people often ask about a neighborhood is how easy it is to get out of it (at least this is what I ask).

Here there is no worry, as there are various buses leaving for every major part of the city, not to mention the adjacent highway 5, which echoes throughout the neighborhood like a giant on a treadmill. Among the various neighborhoods to live in, this is hardly the worst of them (though it is the cheapest).

The question is this: are you a student? No, no, I realize we are all students of the world, but I am asking if you are enrolled at an accredited institution. If this is the case I would recommend it, as you will not inherently notice what is lacking.

When you are older you can move somewhere else, and overly romanticize the years spent here. Until then, get your hand stamped at the door, and ignore the world beyond the fence. monthtomonth

Universe-ity

By the title, I mean that the U District is less a neighborhood and more a vibrant and extensive ecosystem of the University of Washington and the countless restaurants, bookstores, and gargoyle shops (yes, seriously) that support it. The U District is a neighborhood with a very distinct demographic: the vast majority of the population attends, graduated from, or works for the university.

The hipster collegiate scene runs deep here. This common ground makes the district a very communal place, but it’s also tough to fit in as an outsider. The Ave (really University Way NE, but don’t let anyone catch you calling it that) is the main North-South thoroughfare here, and 45th its East-West opposite.

The intersection of the two marks the heart of the district, and the northwest corner of UW’s campus. It’s also home to some of the more iconic establishments of the area, including some truly remarkable coffee and a secondhand bookstore to lose yourself in, complete with a cadre of cats slinking along the shelves.

Of course, a trip down the hill on 45th also leads to the bastion of high-end retail, University Village. This outdoor mall caters to as many young urban couples and families as it does students, so there is a more mixed demographic here, albeit with a steep price tag.

Housing in the district is primarily apartments and shared rental houses that cater to the impoverished student aesthetic. Most living space is in the area north of 45th Street or to the west of the Ave.

Beware, directly above 45th lies Greek Row. However, traveling a bit further north leads into the more relaxed suburban bungalows of Ravenna. West of the Ave is a more urban feel, with large apartment blocks extending all the way to the fringes of I-5. The buildings closer to campus are convenient for students, and thus are both more expensive and better maintained.

Parking in the district is more a joke than a viable method of transit, but the bus system works well enough, with most other parts of the city within a 20 minute ride. And don’t forget, the Rainier Vista light rail station is coming in 2014 to alleviate the commuting traffic once and for all!

Kelly G.

The U-District: Young, Unique, and Vibrant