The Neighborhood: Capitol Hill

Capitol Hill is lively, friendly and convenient. Its very pedestrian friendly, full of restaurants, shops, museums, galleries and nightlife. Capitol hill also has some of the city's most beautiful parks, and is a short walk/drive/busride to downtown malls, movie theaters, and tourist stuff.

Though there are way too many great businesses to truly do justice to the neighborhood, here are some of my favorite spots on Capitol Hill:

Restaurants

• Saley - The best crepes and baguette sandwiches, owned by the sweetest woman in Seattle. Hands down.
  
• Siam on Broadway - There are a million Thai restaurants on Capitol Hill, but this one is my favorite. Others might disagree.
  
• Via Tribunali - Gourmet brick oven pizzas, calzones, and carafes of wine. This is a great place for a slow, relaxed dinner in a cozy loft space.
  

Cafes

• Faire Gallery Cafe - The best cafe. Beautiful space, also doubles as an art gallery. Often has live jazz and other events at night. Great espresso, sandwiches, wine and beer. Awesome owners make this place a real fixture in the community.
  
• Top Pot Doughnuts - Yummy doughnuts, friendly staff, and a cozy, comfortable space for working with a laptop. Also has some outdoor tables on the sidewalk for summer afternoons.
  

Grocery Stores

• Hillcrest Market - The Hillcrest is an awesome convenience store that's barely a block from our building. Perfect for grabbing a quick 6-pack, or a quart of milk in a pinch.
• QFC - A brand new, huge, supermarket + drugstore + hardware store. QFC has everything you would want in a grocery store, and it's only 5 short blocks away.
  

Pubs and Nightlife

• Summit Public House - Laid back, reasonably priced, close by, and they have a pool table.
  
• Linda's Tavern - Capitol Hill Hipsters' epicenter. Good beers on tap, and a great patio for happy hour.
  
• The Stumbling Monk - Only Belgian beers served. Relaxed owners, and plentiful old board games available. Insanely close to home.
  

Music Venues

• Chop Suey - Intimate venue that attracts some great DJ's, hip-hop and indie music. Also have some comedy nights and other stuff.
  
• Neumo's - Mid-sized venue that attracts national tours as well as local acts.
  
• The War Room - Club with a great rooftop deck. DJ's spin different stuff on different nights. Sometimes it's really crowded and sweaty, other times it's more relaxed. Good happy hour in the summer.
  

Movie Theatres

• Harvard Exit - Shows great independent movies.
  
• Egyptian Landmark - Beautiful old theater, and sometimes they do midnight showings of movies from the 80's.
  

Retail Shops

• Edie's - They've got some pretty sweet shoes
• Aprie - Pretty good women's clothing boutique, but the sales staff is very disinterested in helping, so go when you're feel like browsing independently...
  
• Gary Manuel Aveda Institute - Great place to get affordable salon and spa services!

Parks and Libraries

• Cal Anderson Park - Relatively new urban park. Fountain with reflecting pool, sports fields, playground, and people watching.
  
• Volunteer Park - Gorgeous park with lots of great flowers and trees, a greenhouse, a reservoir + water tower, tennis courts, and the Seattle Asian Art Museum
• Seattle Public Library: Capitol Hill Branch - Brand new, beautiful, and convenient - just like all the public library branches in Seattle!
  

Check out Yelp for more suggestions and reviews on neighborhood establishments.

Lastly, here's a great resource for neighborhood statistics and demographics.

As with any neighborhood, the best way to get to know Capitol Hill is to see it for yourself - with some great sunny days coming up, take an afternoon to get to know the area!