Neighborhood: The Elliott Bay Book Company

The Elliott Bay Book Company is Seattle’s most famous bookstore.  The store features a classic creaking wooden floor and a certain random maze-like quality that encourages browsing.  The folks at Elliott Bay have a great recommendations shelf, and they also keep a robust schedule of in-store author readings and events.

The local tour guides say that the cafe on the TV show Frasier was inspired by the cafe located in the basement of the store.  I’m not sure if that’s true or not, but it seems plausible.  Oh, and you can add the cafe to the (very long) list of places to get a bite to eat within a three block radius of the condo.

If you enjoy books, you’ll enjoy living a couple blocks away from Elliot Bay Books.

(A view of the bookstore, looking south.  The condo is about two blocks south of here.)

FAQ: Is there anything new in this place?

Yes — the carpets in the entry way and bedroom are new. The unit just got a fresh coat of paint — all low- or no-VOC paint. We replaced the water heater last spring (the old one was original to the unit!). And, we installed a new over-the-range microwave.

About a year ago, the fifth floor of the building (which acts as the roof, in part) was completely re-done. As an added bonus–to you–we paid for it, so you don’t have to! Also, in there are plans to re-surface the deck spaces on floors 2-4 (as a part of the normal maintenance program). I’m not sure exactly when this work will be done, but you’ll get the benefit of a brand new deck surface.

FAQ: Where do you grocery shop?

We get asked this question a lot.  The funny thing is that most people don’t realize that there are actually a number of close-by grocery options.

We do most of our shopping at Uwajimaya — just a short walk across the stadium parking lot.  And yes, they do have more than just Asian foods.  You can get all the staples there, including a really great assortment of produce.  And, if you’re too tired to cook, grab some food from their food court.

If you’re looking for ingredients you can’t find at Uwajimaya, run up to the West Seattle Metropolitan Market or PCC.  It take about 5 minutes in the car to get there, and both are great stores.  (There is a Safeway up there, too.)

Also, don’t forget that the Pike Place Market is only a twenty minute walk up 1st Ave!

Neighborhood: Elysian Fields

The year-old Elysian Fields restaurant and brew pub quickly became our default “not sure what to have for dinner” option.  Great atmosphere and good food and drinks make this a fun place for a quick bite or a game-day drink.

I was talking to a friend recently and he pointed out a nice feature of the Elysian Fields: the variety of seating it has. That sounds odd at first, but they have outdoor seating, booths, a bar, and room for large groups.  So, you can have all sorts of dining experiences there.  Anyway, it sounded more profound when he said it.  Still, I can’t overstate how nice it is to have a decent, not-so-expensive restaurant within a few feet of your home.

Office Space

This unit has something that is, to my knowledge, unique to the Florentine: a custom-built office. The office features a desk with two workspaces, as well as built-in cabinets that go up to the ceiling. There are even a bunch of file drawers built in, too. This is perfect for anyone who is looking for a serious home office. If you work from home, even on occasion, you’ll really enjoy this space.

And, the entire entryway is storage heaven, as there two large built-in cabinets in addition to a number of smaller storage spaces and file drawers.

I’ve included a bunch of photos that should give you a better idea about what the office space looks like. Or, you can grab the nearest real estate agent and come on by to take a look for yourself!

(One half of the office space.)

(The other half.  No, we don’t use the typewriter on a regular basis.)

(A view looking up to give you an idea of what the storage looks like.)

(A shot of some of the built-in storage in the hallway.  There is more just out of view on the right of the picture.)

The Neighborhood: Grand Central Bakery

For my money, Grand Central is easily one of the best bakeries in town. They’ve been in Pioneer Square since the 70s, in a wonderful open space adjoining Occidental Park.

Grand Central is about a two or two-and-a-half block walk from the condo. It is a walk I’ve taken many times, as Grand Central turned into our standard Saturday morning breakfast spot. I highly recommend the cinnamon rolls, although I also enjoy a good scone or jammer on occasion. I hear the sticky buns are also pretty good.

They do a brisk lunch trade, focusing on sandwiches and soups. You may want to show up early or late, as the noon-time rush can get busy on weekdays.

In short, I’d say easy access to Grand Central is worth the price of the condo!

Everyone will think you’re cool

One of the great things about living in Pioneer Square is telling people you live in Pioneer Square. Without fail, people think this is really, well, cool. Now, I’m not saying that buying this condo will *make* you cool — you’re on your own there — but it sure could help. I remember when we first bought this place we would get comments from all our friends about what a neat spot this was. And, even people who lived in great houses (think: 7 figures) seemed jealous of the location! And, really, they were right. This is a great spot, and we’ve really enjoyed our time here.

Go Green

If you’re looking to help the environment a bit (and really, who isn’t these days?), buying this condo would be a good place to start!

First of all, the location means you can drive less. You should be able to either walk or take the bus to pretty much anywhere you need to go. When we moved in, we both regularly drove to work. But, we were quickly able to cut down to driving just one car. I was able to ride the bus, and my wife was able to walk to work.

This location is:

• A short walk to the downtown bus tunnel (soon to feature light rail, too!)
• Really close to the waterfront streetcar (currently in bus format, but it still makes for an easy way to get up and down the waterfront).
• About 15-20 minute walk from the downtown business and retail district.

(Oh, and if you do drive, the access to I-90, I-5, and 99 is insanely easy. Hard to get much better, really.)

Finally, the whole place got a fresh coat of paint using low-VOC and no-VOC paint. No off-gassing here! So, get your green on and make an offer!

What’s this site all about?

Those blurbs you see when searching for homes on the internet are limited to 500 characters and that just isn’t enough space to tell you why you should buy this place. So, we thought we’d use this little blog to go into a bit more depth about the great features. We’ll include lots of detail about what we know about the neighborhood, extra photos, and links to useful Pioneer Square stuff. If you have any questions, just leave a comment!