Everyone Loves Queen Anne

August 2, 2009 by Edy Kizaki · Comments

The City’s Favorite Neighborhood and the Reasons Why

You might say that any sentence that starts out with “everyone” has to be an exageration. And I suppose it’s true that if you were to ask 20 Seattleites what their favortie neighborhood is, they would not all immediately blurt out “Queen Anne.” In fact we are blessed with a number of wonderful, quirky, downright fantastic places to live in this laid-back, high speed Pacific Rim city, not to mention some equally popular and beloved Eastside and Northside areas. But Queen Anne is special to the heart of Seattle, even for those who might choose to live elsewhere. In one of the eleven parallel universes that exist according to String Theory, everyone lives in Queen Anne at least once.

Why is it so beloved?

Paragon Restaurant

Well, perhaps it’s the winding streets lined with flowering trees, or the gorgeous restored vintage houses, or the walkability with some of the city’s best restaurants and shops. Or could it be the proximity to Seattle Center with all it’s offerings, and the every-so-easy commute (only 2 miles but as much as 20 minutes in rush hour traffic) to downtown? The laid back atmosphere infused with vibrant lifestyle? The neighbors who care? The trendy and ever changing dynamics (like newcomer restaurant How To Cook A Wolf, Ethan Stowell’s 3rd restaurant which has been called “a cross between a cigar box and a sauna!? or like the top-rated Macrina Bakery, “fresh hot breads and pastries in a quaint, light-filled place in Queen Anne”) or the family freindly atmosphere (a great community center, parks, and shops like Lily’s Pampering Salon & Party Boutique kids’ salon and Urban Kids Play or Queen Anne Books which has a Summer Read Program and wonderful kids events.)

: Lovely Craftsman on Queen Anne Hill

: a street in Queen Anne

: another street

: Tree Lined Street on the north side looking toward Aurora Bridge

: Queen Anne Community Park

: West Queen Anne Field House

: Queen Anne Acquatic Center

: Bethany Presbyterian Church

: Queen Anne Frame Shop

: Queen Anne Books

: Queen Anne Books Seattle Section

: El Diablo Coffee House

: Julia’s Restaurant is beloved by locals.

: Once Upon A Time in Queen Anne

: Urban Kids Play Toy Store

: Outside a Coffee House

: Peet’s Coffee on the Boulevard

: Noah’s Bagles

: Blue Highway Game and Coffee Shop

: Blue Highway Games 1

: Blue Highway Games

: Stuhlburg’s Home and Gift

: Paragon Restaurant, a polular spot

: Paragon Restaurant

: Metropolitan Market

: Metropolitan Market has everything yummy

: Shopping at Metropolitan Market

: Queen Anne Style

: Sorrentino 1

: Sorrentino

: Caffe Ladro, one of the many coffee houses on the Boulevard

: Caffe Ladro Cherry Tarts

: Space Needle seen from Lower Queen Anne

Maybe it’s just the views, views of the city, the Sound, the Space Needle, the old craftsmen homes, the quaint streets, the tempting shop windows, the friends having coffee at little sidewalk tables, the quaint atmosphere of the shops and high-ceilinged old buildings that house restaurants and bring a sense of the past of the city into our everyday lives.