Escala

Got a chance to go here for a private event. Let me just say off hand that the facilities are fantastic. Start with the reception area that feels like your standard 5 star hotel. Then up the spiral staircase with a beautiful chandelier (can anyone say Cinderella at the ball). Once upstairs you have a large seating area that would be perfect if people in the states actually had tea on Sunday. There is a full industrial sized kitchen, dining room , and a patio which would be perfect for a summer party with your closest friends. Only problem with this place is I don't live there (yet).

I've lived in downtown Seattle since 2003. First as a renter, now as an owner at Escala. In that time, I toured nearly every major condo development in Seattle looking for that perfect place to call home. And Escala is hands down the best value and one of the nicest places to live in Seattle. Aside from the common amenities and public parking for guests (very rare for downtown condos), each unit has private parking, a storage locker, and the largest exterior decks of any development in Seattle (150 sf. on a typical 2bd). The building's location is also terrific—centrally located between Belltown and downtown. The Seattle Center, Westlake Center, Pacific Place, and Pike Place Market are all close while Pioneer Square, SODO and the stadiums are reachable on foot. Buses and lightrail are plentiful. The South Lake Union Trolly stop and the Monrail are only one block away. It's also only four blocks to Victor Steinbrueck Park and a mile from Olympic Sculpture Park. Escala is literally in the middle of everything! Having lived in West Edge, Belltown, and lower Queen Anne, I would say its hard to find a better location anywhere. As far as noise is concerned, Escala's sound proofing is great. Much better than many places I've visited, but there's no getting around the fact that you will hear traffic, sirens, buses, the duck tours, and even the occasional protest. This isn't any different than anywhere else downtown where the noises of the city are ever-present. If you are concerned about such things then city living may not be for you. Bottom line. There are plenty of wonderful places to live in downtown Seattle, but Escala is easily among the very best with larger units and higher end finishes than Olive 8, The Cosmopolitan, or Insignia. Escala has a great location, fantastic design, terrific amenities, unique features, wonderful fixtures, nice finishes at all levels, and have proven to be an excellent value for they money. It's hard to see how you can go wrong with Escala.