Llandover by the Sound in Seattle

Llandover by the Sound is the kind of neighborhood you could drive by your whole life and never know it. This pocket of homes on the Northwest tip of Seattle is difficult to find, even for a local Seattle resident.

Just at Seattle's city limit, next to the Seattle Golf Club, a city park called Llandover Woods marks the Eastern end of this neighborhood - but you can only get in on foot from here. Take a drive South a few blocks and then West a few more (I could give you better directions, but that would take away the fun of the search). You'll reach a narrow, wooded road heading North. It doesn't look like the right road, but it is.

As you wind down into Llandover, you'll catch glimpses of homes on expansive lots - all over one acre. There are wooden street signs with routered-out names of the neighborhood and even the residents. It's easy to get lost. The homes vary from sunny hillside homes, to secluded, shady houses hidden in the trees, to Puget Sound view homes with panoramic views of the water. The privacy and tranquility are unmatched in Seattle.

You get the feeling that you're hundreds of miles away, in a very quiet and stress-free retreat. In reality, you're still within the city of Seattle and just a few minutes from downtown.