Restaurants near you

While we’re on the subject of walkability, check out Urban Eat’s “restaurants near you” feature.  Here’s the map for the Florentine.  Not a bad selection, eh?  And, they even managed to miss most of the places in the International District, not to mention a few south of the stadiums.  (via Sweet Digs.)

Walkability

Do you know your Walk Score?  This is a fun little site that rates your neighborhood based on proximity to stores, restaurants, coffee shops, schools, libraries, and more.  The Walk Score for the Florentine building is 94, or according to the site, a “Walkers’ Paradise.”  So, if your current place isn’t cutting it, move on in!

The Neighborhood: Art!

As you might know, Pioneer Square is Seattle’s art gallery “district”. The monthly “First Thursday” artwalks are the best-known example of this, and art galleries abound in the area. The Pioneer Square association even has a handy map listing all the galleries.

There is one gallery that I’d like to call out: ArtXchange. The reason I mention it is because the gallery is located in the Florentine building. (Like many condo buildings in the downtown and Pioneer Square area, the Florentine features first-floor retail.) From their website:

“ArtXchange has evolved from online gallery to private showroom and finally to our current gallery in Pioneer Square. Our expanded gallery allows us to mount exhibitions on a larger scale, as well as being a community asset for unique events such as art auctions, book-signings and tea-tastings.”

Oh, and they even rent artwork. There are a bunch of great spots to hang art in the building, should you be the lucky buyer! (Click the links under “Blogroll” to view the listing.)
Even if you’re not in the market for art, it can be fun to walk around during the exhibit openings on First Thursday, or at other times. It is just one more reason why Pioneer Square is a great place to live!

Neighborhood: Salumi

Salumi is a not-so-well kept secret of the Pioneer Square food scene.  Salumi makes the best cured meats you’re likely to find this side of Italy, and the operate a small storefront about four blocks away from the Florentine.  They’re only open Tuesday through Friday for lunch, meaning that those of us who don’t work in the neighborhood only get to visit every once in a while.  But, if you happen to be down here on a weekday and are looking for lunch, I highly recommend it.  The place is easy to find…head over to Third and Jackson, turn north, and look for the long line of people waiting to get inside.  Oh, yeah, that’s the other thing — you’ll need to devote some time to this lunch, as the lines can get long.  Like I said, it is well worth the effort.

Salumi is run by celebrity chef Mario Batali’s family, and has been featured all over the place.  Check out their press page for more.

Plenty of places to work

Pioneer Square features plenty of places to work.  Maybe you already work for one of these organizations, and you’d like to walk to work, or maybe you’re in the market for a job change.  Here’s a list of notable places:

• King County’s King Street Center.
• Microsoft is moving into Pioneer Square, in a couple of locations.
• The office buildings adjacent to Union Station are home to a number of companies, including Amazon.com.
• Starbucks is putting up a new office building across the street from the Florentine, and their main headquarters is a mile or so south.
• The Hawks and the Mariners are next door!
• All of the shops and restaurants in Pioneer Square.
• All of downtown is just a short walk away.

Neighborhood: Zeitgeist

One of the conventions in real estate is that the owners clear out when a potential buyer wants to view the property.  Fortunately for us, we have tons of great places to hang out in.  Last time someone came to visit when I was home, I headed over to Elliott Bay Books and picked up some reading material.  Then I walked a block or so to Zietgeist to have a cup of coffee and read.

Zietgeist is probably the best coffee shop in the area, and that’s saying something given the number of good coffee shops in a four or five block radius.  They make great drinks, and have a decent-sized selection of snacks (but if you’re in the mood for a more serious food, head over to Grand Central instead). The place always seems packed no matter what time of day!

Neighborhood: First Thursday

Today is the first Thursday of the month, and that means it is time for the First Thursday art walk.  This is the night when all the art galleries open their shows, and the whole neighborhood is alive with people.  It is a great opportunity to mix and mingle and see some great art.

Oh, and if you’re an arty type, let me just point out that this condo has some spaces that are just perfect for displaying artwork.  There are four “niches” along the main wall of the condo that would work well to showcase paintings, in addition to the space in the living room and bedrooms.  You could really have fun with it!

Most romantic spot

RedFin has a series of questions that they use to feature homes for sale on their blog.  One of these is to name the “most romantic spot”.  While some may think that is Safeco Field or Qwest Field, we ended up picking the stretch of Occidental between Jackson and Main.  I think our choice was driven mostly by these pictures, taken in 2004 (back when the trolley was really a trolley!).

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.)

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.

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!