Dexter Ave North, Westlake

Dexter Ave. branches off of 7th Avenue downtown and runs parallel between Aurora Ave and Westlake Ave along the east side of Queen Anne before intersecting with Westlake at the Fremont Bridge. In the downtown area, it's just another typical northern downtown road with businesses, a few shops and condo buildings that continues that way until about the half way point of Queen Anne hill. Then the businesses become fewer and there are more homes interspersed along the street. Many have some nice, big trees in their backyards and, being off the beaten path of Aurora or Westlake, they see a degree of privacy that other surrounding arterials miss. However, the area isn't that great, although the proximity to downtown is nice. For the most part, the homes aren't that well cared for and some are in need of serious repair and overgrown. There are some exceptions, but one house on the block tends to ruin it for the rest of them. A few get a nice view of Lake Union from their back doors, but the elevation isn't quite adequate enough for a Seattle skyline view. There is still a bit of traffic, so it's not necessarily the best place to send your kids outside to play, but it never really gets congested like other commuter roads.