Bellevue, Washington

The esteemed Tony Bennet claims to have left his heart in San Francisco.  He should have gone to Bellevue cause I gotta tell you, Bellevue grabbed us by the heartstrings and just wouldn’t let go!  

We chose Bellevue because it was the more affordable of the options available when we decided at the last minute to head to Seattle for September.  We did not realize that September is typically a glorious month from a weather point of view and a big tourist season, which made finding a place to stay that much more difficult.  We really had no idea what to expect in Bellevue - but it was utter delight!

We landed an apartment in what they call “Old Bellevue”.  Talk about location - WOW!

Right outside our door was a French bakery (very dangerous) and a multitude of cross cultural restaurants, along with the ubiquitous and handy CVS and Seven-11.   Less than a half a mile away was a Safeway which made food shopping a nearly daily event and so very easy - just like the Europeans do.

We were only a block away from the Bellevue Downtown Park - perhaps one of my most favorite parks ever!   An oasis of green in the heart of Bellevue, the park measures 21 acres and has a half mile circular promenade bordered by a double row of shade trees and plenty of benches to stop and gaze, a stepped canal (with plenty of ducks to amuse the children and dogs) and a 240 foot wide waterfall cascading down to a reflecting pool.  The center lawn area is perfect for picnics, badmiton games and musical interludes.  The park also includes a perfectly marvelous children’s playground.  Nearly every day, I would head out for a walk around the promenade, listening to the light crunch of the gravel beneath my shoes and watching others making their way around the circle.  There were always the elder oriental couple, the 30 something men talking animatedly about a work problem, the jogger, the couple leisurely walking around eating their ice creams, and more.  It was heavenly!

The Bellevue Square Mall was situated at the north end of the park.  We are not typically mall lovers, but this one was da bomb!  Sure it had a Nordstroms and Macys, Apple and Crate & Barrel - the usual big names, but it had lots and lots of smaller, non-big name stores, many of which were all about clothing for the outdoors.  It was a LOT of fun!

The adjacent downtown area is chock full of high rises (with more on the horizon), some of which are office buildings and some of which are residential buildings.  The area ia hopping!  Major software and technology companies - think Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Expedia, Salesforce, Oracle etc. etc have a large presence in the area.  And that’s not to mention Eddie Bauer, T-Mobile and more.

All of which explains why, by my estimate, one out of every 8 cars I saw was a Tesla.  It was amazing!  I have never ever seen so many.  And there was even a Tesla showroom in the Bellevue Mall.  It also explains why 3 out of the remaining 7 cars were all upscale cars - Mercades, Lexus, etc.  There is a LOT of money there and it definitely shows.

Anecdotal Stories and Observations

Some of the things I particularly loved include:

• Drivers obey the speed limits - really! And I love it! (Mostly)

• Pedestrian crossings are numerous, well marked on the pavement and with bright neon flashing signs on the sidewalks drawing the driver’s attention to the crossing. They are taken very seriously by drivers who are consistently gracious and patient (no horn honking) when stopping for a pedestrian. I watched pedestrians step out with utter faith that the oncoming car would stop - something I would simply never do. It took my breath away! And I loved it!

• Service providers are consistently pleasant, patient and cheerful. At first I thought there was some underlying snarkiness, but no….they really are nice! And I loved it!

• The streets are clean and well maintained. And I loved it!

• There is a “user friendliness” to the area - parks all have clean restrooms and the city employs a team of volunteers to monitor the conditions of trails and wildlife to fix things and clean up as needed. And I loved that thoughtfulness!

• It always felt very inclusive to me during the time we were there - very collaborative and community oriented. The respect for mask wearing substantiated my sense of communal concern for the safety of the citizens. And I loved it!

• Parks are a priority for the city and they were always well used, and by people of all ages and races. And I loved it!

• Everywhere you looked, it was pretty on the eye. And I loved it!

• The access to Lake Washington was splendid. And I loved it!

• Plenty of cool air flows through the open windows at night making sleep delightful.

Scenes of Meydenbauer Bay Park, Bellevue Downtown Park and More!