Lakeview Tacoma - Lakewood, WA

The Lakeview neighborhood holds the point around which Kirkland was centered when it was formed: the Houghton Post Office, established on June 20, 1881. Kirkland was named by its founder, a British industrialist named Peter Kirk who originally intended for the area to become a steel town to rival Pittsburgh to the east. Hit hard by a national financial collapse in 1893, Kirk found his investors fleeing. Kirkland did not incorporate until 1905, when a group of 400 residents filed a petition after growing tired of dealing with unchecked development and bad sanitary conditions.

Kirkland eventually became a popular bedroom community for Seattle, its popularity making it a center of activity and a favorite home for "gentleman farmers," who worked in the office and then took a 30-minute ferry ride home to tend their chickens. Kirkland annexed neighboring Houghton in 1968 and Juanita and Rose Hill in 1988.

Most of the restaurants in the area are casual to slightly formal American. The closer you get to a water view, the more the menu items will generally cost. One local favorite is Le Grand Bistro Americain, a French-American restaurant. Try the ice cream, which is made in-house. Go for the daily 3-6 p.m. happy hour to enjoy plenty of small nibbles, such as the charcuterie plate, oysters on the half shell and giant prawns, accompanied by hand-made cocktails.

BeachHouse Bar and Grill features a waterfront view and a weekend buffet. The beachhouse burrito and cucumber mojitos will leave you sated for the rest of the day. While in the Carillon Point area, stop in for a quick lunch or breakfast at Poppinjay's Cafe and Catering (named for business owner Gertrude Popp). Regulars swear by the fresh turkey-cran sandwich.

Most nights aren't that busy in the Lakeview area. If you just want a glass of wine by the lake, try the Woodmark Hotel's bar, which features an impressive wine selection. The historic building's atmosphere and water view make this a great place to bring a date.

Pedestrians will find that walking is both easy and safe throughout most of the Lakeview area. Use the crosswalk flags provided at most crossings to stop cars and get your party across safely. This area is bike-friendly as well, and cyclists will find that designed bike lanes appear frequently on the larger streets.

Bus service is reliable, though not as frequent as one might like. You'll find a stop for the 234 and 235 (running between Kirkland and Bellevue) located along Lake Washington Boulevard, and there's a park and ride toward the southern end with access to plenty of bus lines. Cabs, Uber and Zip cars are all available. Free parking is sometimes difficult in the areas close to downtown Kirkland, such as Carillion Point, but the latter does offer a paid parking garage that is rarely full.

Parks in the Lakeview neighborhood include Marsh Park, Yarrow Bay Park and Wetlands, and Houghbon Beach toward the center. Yarrow Bay works great for solitary walks, but you'll find most of the bustle in Houghton Beach, which holds much more than just docks, including a sand area, a beach volleyball area, a snack shop, a grassy sward for sprawling on to enjoy the Seattle area's sporadic sunlight and a sizable and pleasantly appointed children's area. Sit by the water in the summer and watch the kayaks and paddle boats, or go early in the morning to catch a glimpse of a practicing dragon boat or sculling team. Marsh Park, up toward the neighborhood's northern edge, holds picnic tables and offers a pleasant spot to eat lunch by the lake.

All parks are kid-friendly, but less so to dogs, who must be kept on leashes. If you're looking to walk with your canine chum, though, you'll find that walking trails abound in the area, such as the Yarrow Bay Wetlands walk, the Villagio Apartments Waterfront walk and the Houghton Beach Park walk. Walk early in the mornings for the best bird spotting and you may be rewarded with the sight of bald eagles, trumpeter swans or merganser ducks.

The Carillon area, which combines park and outdoor art with offices, restaurants and high-end shopping, also hosts some can't miss annual events, such as the Christmas Ship Celebration at the Woodmark Hotel, where you can see a fleet of ships ranging from large to small sailing past bearing a multitude of Christmas lights and decorations.

Lakeview provides a lower cost of living than in Seattle itself, and it's relatively easy to hop a $2.50 bus into the city center. The average rent for a one-bedroom is $702.80, and a beer will run $4-6 dollars at most local pubs. The neighborhood gas prices hover around 19 percentage higher than that of the national average.

You'll find plenty of shopping opportunities in the Carillion Point area along Lake Washington, such as high fashion and wedding dresses at Drea K Designs or the shop of Hannigan-Adams Design, where artists and goldsmiths Beth Adams and Frank Hannigan have been displaying their creations since 1992.

For grocery shopping, both a PCC and a Metropolitan Market are located within a block of each other on the northern edge of Lakeview on 68th Ave. There is no farmers' market in the neighborhood itself, but there are several in surrounding areas.