If you were going to sell someone on the best parts about living in Seattle, what would you tell that person?
And, conversely, is the weather as bad as people make it out?
Thanks.
[quote]BostonBarrister wrote:
If you were going to sell someone on the best parts about living in Seattle, what would you tell that person?[/quote]
Beautiful and green; a very modern city (contemporary architecture, etc.) but near to a lot of outdoor activities like skiing, mountains, lakes, etc.; an endless supply of off-the-charts liberals for you to debate 
It can be, yes; it rains a lot. Although when it’s nice, it’s REALLY nice. There is nothing to compare with the view of Mt. Rainier on a clear summer day.
No problem. I grew up in eastern WA and have friends and relatives in Seattle, so have spent a bit of time there, although I lack the intimate knowledge a resident would have. I also hear the traffic is horrid. Are you thinking of moving there?
[quote]BostonBarrister wrote:
If you were going to sell someone on the best parts about living in Seattle, what would you tell that person?[/quote]
It’s not in New Jersey.
Yes, but it’s upwind from New Jersey, so no worry.
DON’T DO IT! I’m originally from Boston and moved to Seattle for a job back in '02. I could only take it for 18 mos!
The weather isn’t as bad as they say. It does rain, but it’s gray a lot which is why people bitch and moan, but if you’re from the east coast, I’m sure you’d rather deal with rain than shovel snow!
My husband and I found the people to be total asses there. In a job interview, I had some say to me “It’s transplants like you that are causing our traffic problems!”
BEFORE Microsoft, these people were just a bunch of farmers…we got a lot of “outsider” type grief from people. My husband has a very distinct NY accent and the people actually commented that he talked “funny”. My brother-in-law lives there and he agrees that he’s gotten his fair share of outsider crap, as well.
Anyway, the job bs aside the area is BEAUTIFUL. We went all over, Bellingham, Rainier, the pass,etc. It’s a great place for outdoor activities…I would just warn you with the job stuff-maybe you’ll fare better in your particular line of work.
Also, be prepared, unlike NYC or Boston where they actually DO something about the homeless, in Seattle, they don’t do jack shit and they’re freaking aggressive as all hell. I had a few dudes try to get into w/me after they begged for $$$. I carry mace so it wasn’t a prob, but just a heads up, this was around Pike’s Pier, their tourist attraction. You’d think they’d want to keep it clean for that, at least.
Good luck with it:-)
The weather is nothing next to Boston. (I lived in Boston for my first 30 yrs before moving to Seattle) I lived there for two years and after a jaunt in Vegas now reside in Portland OR.
Traffic while bad is not as bad as Boston’s during it’s Big Dig days.
People here are nicer than Boston but there are also many prozaced up fake people as well. (Due to seasonal affective disorder scripts for antidepressents is rampant and there are more than a few zombie women running around)
PM me if you would like some more details. I am going away on business trip Tues. so please allow me some time to answer.
[quote]BostonBarrister wrote:
If you were going to sell someone on the best parts about living in Seattle, what would you tell that person?
And, conversely, is the weather as bad as people make it out?
Thanks.[/quote]
Here’s my opinion from going to college in Washington. I lived in Oak Harbor, which is a shittly little island in Pudget Sound. Spent a lot of time in Seattle.
In short, it sucks. Cold and rainy all the time. The scenery is amazing. If you like the mountains and don’t mind driving a bit, it’s great. However, the winters are brutal.
THe biggest complaint I have against the “Great White North” is that it is by far the most racist place I have ever lived. I grew up in the south and have lived in Florida, Virginia, Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. I have NEVER heard the “N” word used in casual conversation more often thatn when I lived in Washington. In fact I NEVEr heard it in casual conversation until I moved up there.
Lots of neo-nazi’s and KKK folks up there. Part of their 10% plan. They want 10% of the nation (5 states) to be dedicated to only whites (Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and I think Wyoming is the other).
Just my observations. You couldn’t pay me enough to live up there again.
[quote]Fonebone wrote:
No problem. I grew up in eastern WA and have friends and relatives in Seattle, so have spent a bit of time there, although I lack the intimate knowledge a resident would have. I also hear the traffic is horrid. Are you thinking of moving there?[/quote]
I am. I’m in a hotel in downtown Seattle right now.
Actually got a nice, sunny day yesterday – heard they come more often than people let on, at least outside of November through February.
Seems like the eastern part of King County, from Issaquah up through Kirkland/Redmond, is very nice – good schools, affordable housing (at least as compared with D.C. and Boston), and a commute in off of the 90, which is supposedly the best way to come in to the city (as compared to the 5, the 405 and/or the 520).
Downtown seems like it’s going through a renaissance – reminds me of downtown San Diego back when I was just starting at UC San Diego in the early 90s, but with a lot more facilities dedicated to the arts. Still going through a gentrification though – there were pawn shops and strip clubs within a block of the new museum that is opening its doors in May.
As far as the people go, everyone I’ve met seems friendly – and I’m not only counting the hotel staff whom I’ve been tipping either. Supposedly there are quite a few transplants who have come in for tech jobs. Overall to me has the feel of the Bay Area about 25 years ago.
Any thoughts on my impressions?
Seattle is absolutely beautiful like others have said. For a top 15 biggest cities in the U.S. I think its one of the best to live in. Lots of stuff to do regardless of what your hobbies are. I live and grew up in eastern washington and Im not used to the heavy traffic so I dont know how it ranks with other big cities in that regard. The people in this state are great and I dont see alot of racist people especially in a very liberal city like Seattle. Like someone previously said, Ive never seen a view better then Mt. Rainer on a clear day. Hope this helps.
Austin
Watch out for the overly aggressive seagulls, and don’t order martini’s. Don’t forget to be impressed with the remarkable ability some have to throw fish. Stand and watch like its the most marvelous thing you’ve ever seen.
[quote]unearth wrote:
http://www.eljefe.net/seattlesucks.html
[/quote]
I hear buffalo still roam the streets. lol
Is it my imagination or do you ask for relocation advice every couple years?
[quote]Molotov_Coktease wrote:
unearth wrote:
http://www.eljefe.net/seattlesucks.html
I hear buffalo still roam the streets. lol[/quote]
Just this one.
Seattle has it’s pluses and minuses. I’ve been here for a year, and feel as if I’ve been exposed to a fair share of both sides, with a legitimate outsider’s perspective.
+Plus+
+nice summers
+lots of daylight (4am - 10pm, you can easily golf for 17 hours in a day)
+great asian food
+lots of jobs
+real estate market seems to be very strong
+Lots of nightlife
+fairly large downtown
+beautiful scenary/views
+job market
+if you like coffee, they have a lot of it out here
+some nice golf courses (albeit highly overpriced and a long way from the city)
+adult sports leagues (football, baseball, lots of’em!)
+carpool lanes
+large choice of unique microbrews
+smoking ban in public places (sure, some of you might see this as a negative, but I don’t mind saving MY lungs from that unneeded strain)
+80’s rock on the weekends from 8-8 on 99.9
-minus-
-cloudy every day in the winter
-really short daylight hours in winter
-an overabundant share of self righteous overly liberal dipshits seem to think their shit don’t stink. Sort’ve reminds me of the smug bastards in San Francisco.
-the conservatives are equally nasty self pretentious ass clowns.
-no good mexican food
-lots of bums/homeless/beggers
-lots of traffic
-real estate market was so strong, nobody can afford buying their first house now.
-hippies (I came from Boulder, CO, and there’s more hippies out here, or maybe they’re just more annoying)
-not a lot of city parks and trails, not enough lawn and grass.
-cost of living
-gas prices (way above national average)
-tv scheduling is an hour later than what I’m used to, get up freakin early in the morning every day and see why that sucks.
Wellp, there you have it. An incomplete list of +'s and -'s
[quote]BostonBarrister wrote:
Fonebone wrote:
No problem. I grew up in eastern WA and have friends and relatives in Seattle, so have spent a bit of time there, although I lack the intimate knowledge a resident would have. I also hear the traffic is horrid. Are you thinking of moving there?
I am. I’m in a hotel in downtown Seattle right now.
Actually got a nice, sunny day yesterday – heard they come more often than people let on, at least outside of November through February.
Seems like the eastern part of King County, from Issaquah up through Kirkland/Redmond, is very nice – good schools, affordable housing (at least as compared with D.C. and Boston), and a commute in off of the 90, which is supposedly the best way to come in to the city (as compared to the 5, the 405 and/or the 520).
Downtown seems like it’s going through a renaissance – reminds me of downtown San Diego back when I was just starting at UC San Diego in the early 90s, but with a lot more facilities dedicated to the arts. Still going through a gentrification though – there were pawn shops and strip clubs within a block of the new museum that is opening its doors in May.
As far as the people go, everyone I’ve met seems friendly – and I’m not only counting the hotel staff whom I’ve been tipping either. Supposedly there are quite a few transplants who have come in for tech jobs. Overall to me has the feel of the Bay Area about 25 years ago.
Any thoughts on my impressions?[/quote]
I could not agree with you more than coming in from the east (90) I lived on Mercer Island for a year and then lived in Bothell for a while. Kirkland is great and so is Redmond (aside from all the microsofties) and Bellvue rocks. Issaquah has the most bang for the buck.
2 observations the weather is not as bad as people make out paticularly since you have experienced real winters in Boston and downtown is pretty cool and quirky.
People will complain about the prices but you can still buy a nice home in Seattle cheaper than a crappy apt. style condo in Southie.
[quote]etaco wrote:
Is it my imagination or do you ask for relocation advice every couple years?[/quote]
At least for advice on locations I’m considering for possible relocations.
One of the nice things about being an associate at a big law firm is that recruiters are always calling with new job opportunities, and some of them even sound good… =-)
[quote]BostonBarrister wrote:
etaco wrote:
Is it my imagination or do you ask for relocation advice every couple years?
At least for advice on locations I’m considering for possible relocations.
One of the nice things about being an associate at a big law firm is that recruiters are always calling with new job opportunities, and some of them even sound good… =-)[/quote]
Plus it gives you the chance to try living somewhere, if you don’t like it, moving elsewhere should not be a problem. I think it would be great to try living in several different places, and getting to experience them from that perspective rather than as that of a tourist.
Well before I had kids anyway.
can’t believe how much hate there was from seattle. in regards to the guy commenting about it being the most racist area; that obviously depends on who you were interacting with and who you were hanging out with. sorry I don’t hang out w/ any neo-nazis/kkk members so I don’t experience the things you do.
I’d recommend looking at the areas outside of seattle though. the eastside (bellevue/kirkland/redmond/etc) are really nice. I find the ppl that live in seattle act like they are the center of the universe and can be really ‘uppity’. also north of the city there are a lot of nice areas. just do your research & use google map.
[quote]Jesse22 wrote:
can’t believe how much hate there was from seattle. in regards to the guy commenting about it being the most racist area; that obviously depends on who you were interacting with and who you were hanging out with. sorry I don’t hang out w/ any neo-nazis/kkk members so I don’t experience the things you do.
I’d recommend looking at the areas outside of seattle though. the eastside (bellevue/kirkland/redmond/etc) are really nice. I find the ppl that live in seattle act like they are the center of the universe and can be really ‘uppity’. also north of the city there are a lot of nice areas. just do your research & use google map.[/quote]
The racists I met were college students. Not like I was hanging out with the Klan. Just regular college kids, and the “n” word was used frequently. My greratest regret is not transfering to a southern college. It was really bad. Also, the “grunge” people are everywhere. It’s a culture.
[quote]tekgrl wrote:
I could not agree with you more than coming in from the east (90) I lived on Mercer Island for a year and then lived in Bothell for a while. Kirkland is great and so is Redmond (aside from all the microsofties) and Bellvue rocks. Issaquah has the most bang for the buck.
2 observations the weather is not as bad as people make out paticularly since you have experienced real winters in Boston and downtown is pretty cool and quirky.
People will complain about the prices but you can still buy a nice home in Seattle cheaper than a crappy apt. style condo in Southie.[/quote]
That was the impression that I got as well: more affordable than the big cities on the east coast, with more temperate weather – though definitely a bit cloudier than I might wish for in the winter time. Definitely not bitter, bitter cold like Boston… One of the reasons I moved from there was that I couldn’t handle those winters.
Liked Bellevue a lot – in fact, it reminds me a lot of Arlington, VA.
My commute to the possible job would be to the southern part of downtown Seattle, right where the 5 and the 90 come together, so if I could shoot in from the 90 it shouldn’t be too bad.
Seems like there is a whole lot one can do in the area – road trips to Oregon and Washington wine country; skiing up in Canada and in the Cascades; watersports on all the lakes and in the sound; other metro areas close by, including Vancouver, Victoria and Portland.
[quote]BostonBarrister wrote:
tekgrl wrote:
I could not agree with you more than coming in from the east (90) I lived on Mercer Island for a year and then lived in Bothell for a while. Kirkland is great and so is Redmond (aside from all the microsofties) and Bellvue rocks. Issaquah has the most bang for the buck.
2 observations the weather is not as bad as people make out paticularly since you have experienced real winters in Boston and downtown is pretty cool and quirky.
People will complain about the prices but you can still buy a nice home in Seattle cheaper than a crappy apt. style condo in Southie.
That was the impression that I got as well: more affordable than the big cities on the east coast, with more temperate weather – though definitely a bit cloudier than I might wish for in the winter time. Definitely not bitter, bitter cold like Boston… One of the reasons I moved from there was that I couldn’t handle those winters.
Liked Bellevue a lot – in fact, it reminds me a lot of Arlington, VA.
My commute to the possible job would be to the southern part of downtown Seattle, right where the 5 and the 90 come together, so if I could shoot in from the 90 it shouldn’t be too bad.
Seems like there is a whole lot one can do in the area – road trips to Oregon and Washington wine country; skiing up in Canada and in the Cascades; watersports on all the lakes and in the sound; other metro areas close by, including Vancouver, Victoria and Portland.
[/quote]
The proximity to BC is great…my husband and I spent a lot of time there-especially Victoria. If you like to travel (day trips, etc) it really is a great location.