Thinking about moving to Seattle from Iowa.

[nst101]

Hey. I currently live in Cedar Rapids Iowa. I've decided that I need to get out of the Mid West and see what else is out there. I've narrowed my search down to the Seattle area, but wanted to ask a few questions of people who live there before I move. What's Seattle like? Nice place? Expensive? Open minded? Rainy all the time?

I'd appreciate any advice/help anyone can give me. Thank you in advance!

[Gomezticator]

- Define 'nice' further and we'll take it further from there. People here are more polite, but more cliquish or withdrawn than your average crowd. Doesn't mean they don't mingle and aren't social (they certainly do and are), but... trust me, you'll notice. Passive aggression here is higher than average. People will say nice things but sometimes you can see the ulterior feelings boiling beneath. Lots to do, though. Nature is everywhere, many of the neighborhoods are loaded with restaurants, bars, parks and cafes, and the city's definitely still got that progressive slant.
- Definitely more expensive. Higher sales tax (nearly 10%), higher costs for apartments (add about $200-300 a month), gas and parking than most cities.
- Seattlites THINK they're open minded. They are open minded and accepting of the arts and alternative lifestyles. But we're also talking about a city that's 75% caucasian yet believes itself to be culturally diverse. Plus, there's some stubborn single-minded attitudes amongst the liberal populace. But then again, I'm not sure how open minded the populace of Cedar Rapids is; it could be a huge improvement anyway.
- Despite Seattle's rep and the recent 27 day rain streak, it only rains about 150 days a year. The cloud cover remains for much longer, though, which enhances Seattle's rainy rep. We do get sunny stretches, though, during the entire year. The temps never get above 90 in the summer, usually more like 85, and 35-40 degrees is the average temp around wintertime.

Ask away if you have any more questions. And I'm sure others will chime in with their PsOV on the same questions.

[Rain Monkey]

There are a few things a person from Cedar Rapids should know about Seattle.

First, Seattle is not a single place so much as a collection of neighborhoods that each function like a small town. So people who live on Capital Hill treat people from Ballard as tourists.

Second, when visiting Capital Hill the whole idea is not to look like a tourist. If you see a man walking another man at the end of a leash? Just another day, seen it all before.

Third, the vast majority of people in Seattle are from someplace else. Yet they act as if they are the only authentic Seattlites, that the ferries should only sail away from the city and the roads should be barricaded with burning tires.

People from elsewhere are ranked by where they are from. People from the midwest rank pretty high, with Chicagoans at the top. People from California are at the bottom, with Angelinos the scum on the bottom no matter how fabulous they look. People from New Orleans haven't had to buy their own drinks here since September, their momentary popularity enhanced by the knowledge that they won't be staying long.

[nst101]

Wanted to first say thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. I wanted to make a couple comments and ask a couple more questions. First, from all of the people I've talked to I have really noticed the "We Don't Want More People Here" attitude. Granted, I was surfing around trying to find Seattle chat rooms, so my sample group might not have been the best to form an opinion.

To define "nice"... In Cedar Rapids there is some culture (mostly in the yogurt at the store) but there is not really that much to do here. This is more of a family oriented place so most of the activities here are aimed towards families with kids. I guess I'm wondering what is there to do in Seattle beyond just bars and clubs. Also, is there much crime? Traffic?

Rain Monkey mentioned that Seattle is more a group of neighborhoods. Can anyone tell me more about these different areas?

And, as one last question, does anyone know of a Seattle area website that I can post my resume?

Thanks again for helping me with this. The more I talk to people from the Seattle area, the more I find them to be pretty nice and friendly!

[Mrt1212]

Third, the vast majority of people in Seattle are from someplace else. Yet they act as if they are the only authentic Seattlites, that the ferries should only sail away from the city and the roads should be barricaded with burning tires.

People from elsewhere are ranked by where they are from. People from the midwest rank pretty high, with Chicagoans at the top. People from California are at the bottom, with Angelinos the scum on the bottom no matter how fabulous they look. People from New Orleans haven't had to buy their own drinks here since September, their momentary popularity enhanced by the knowledge that they won't be staying long.

Classic and true.

Traffic is horrible here. And people dont know how to drive, or parallel park (i had never seen someone jump the curb until i moved to Seattle, and I lived in the Bay Area for 15 years.)

Neighborhoods: a breakdown

U District: Cheaper room shares, lots of younger people, lots of asians
Capitol Hill: Hipsters, Fags, Hipster Fags, The epicenter of music in Seattle
Belltown: Neo Yuppies and Heroin Junkies
Queen Anne: Nothing but a good view
Fremont: "Liberal Vaginas"
Ballard: Where punk rockers go to die
Central District: Bring a Gun
Beacon Hill: The part of Seattle that I never remember is a part of Seattle
West Seattle: Bring a bigger gun
Everywhere else: Shitty suburbs with bad traffic

as for resume seattle.craigslist.org

[Mrt1212]

- Seattlites THINK they're open minded. They are open minded and accepting of the arts and alternative lifestyles. But we're also talking about a city that's 75% caucasian yet believes itself to be culturally diverse. Plus, there's some stubborn single-minded attitudes amongst the liberal populace. But then again, I'm not sure how open minded the populace of Cedar Rapids is; it could be a huge improvement anyway.

Quoted for Truth. It bothers me how many white people live here and yet claim to be diverse and whatever. I grew up in a bubble I guess.

[Gomezticator]

First, from all of the people I've talked to I have really noticed the "We Don't Want More People Here" attitude.

I talked with a friend about this. I thought of a possible reason why:

Before the 90's, Seattle was Just Another Big City, comfortable with its limits. Then the dot-com boom led to this massive influx of people that distended not just the city's population and traffic, but also caused a spike in the cost of living. When the dot-com crash happened and those people left, the high prices, sprawl and traffic remained, leaving the city high and dry. Natives, understandably, are thus bitter about newcomers to this day, whether or not that's rational, as the last time they opened the gates, the result kinda ruined the city for them. Metaphor time: The sprawl and inflation are the stretch marks, on the stomach of the lady that is Seattle, caused by the miscarried pregnancy that was the dot-com boom.

So yeah, native Seattlites are a bit exclusive-minded and territorial. Every immigrant is a part of the problem to many.

This is more of a family oriented place so most of the activities here are aimed towards families with kids. I guess I'm wondering what is there to do in Seattle beyond just bars and clubs. Also, is there much crime? Traffic?

- Cafes, bookstores galore. It;s not just Starbucks, Borders and Barnes and Noble. In fact, in most neighborhoods there is no mainstream bookstore and you could drink coffee at a dozen places without setting foot in a Starbucks.
- The Burke Gilman Trail in North Seattle is great for biking, jogging and rollerblading.
- Parks galore, with plenty of walking space. There aren't rinky dink corner parks with a playground and ball court either.
- Just take a morning and walk around a neighborhood like Queen Anne, Capitol Hill, Ravenna, Green Lake. The houses and the scenery are great.

- Festivals. All sorts of various festivals block off the streets once a year, with food, parades, booths, music and so on. Bumbershoot (overrated and overpriced, but you may as well experience it at least once), the Capitol Hill Block Party, Seafair, and neighborhoods have festivals of their own. The U District and Fremont have some good ones. Film festivals also come around a few times a year, and they're usually small time and low-key with good cinema, rather than Sundance-like.

I went into way too much detail about my POV on certain neighborhoods here (http://gomezticator.livejournal.com/424467.html) and here (http://gomezticator.livejournal.com/424936.html). MRT's post below also gives a good rundown. The price of an apartment is basically directly proportional to the proximity to all the action. For example: You'll pay less to live in Renton, more like what you'd pay in Cedar rapids, but Renton is far from everything. You'll be right next to everything living in Capitol Hill, but you'll also pay $800-900 for a 1-bed. Paying the extra $200 a month may be worth not having to take a long drive (and sit in heavy traffic, heavier than what you've ever seen in Iowa) to go to work or to have fun.

Also, you have to pay for parking here, and there's little of it. Most park on the street, and just finding a place to park in most neighborhoods can be an adventure. Some complexes will give you a parking space if they have it, and charge you around $40 a month for it. Parking is an amenity in Seattle, not a given. This is one city where it's often more prudent to take the bus if you can help it.

As for your resume question... Monster and craigslist, then unless you want to scan craigslist and other job sites for openings... if you don't have a specific job in mind, you may want to give employment agencies a shot. They do a pretty good job here of placing qualified and capable people in decent positions than pan out into permanent jobs. The pay here is better but again, that's because the cost of living is higher.

[nst101]

After reading the replies to my original post, and doing some more research, I'm pretty sure I'm going to be one of those people the native complain about because I'm pretty sure I'd like to move to Seattle.

Now comes the looking and waiting part. I also need to start looking into how I am going to get out there for interviews, getting an apartment, etc. Then, if all goes well, I'll have to plan an 1880 mile move... I'm strangely excited and scared at the same time.

Thank you all, again, for all your help.

[nst101]

I actually have one more quick question. How often to earthquakes happen? I know that the area is seismically active. Can you feel them?

[CynicalGuy]

I actually have one more quick question. How often to earthquakes happen? I know that the area is seismically active. Can you feel them?

We had a bit of a feeler back in 2001. 6 point something on the richter. Heavy enough to knock a lot of food from my shelfs in the kitchen and knock the power out for a few hours.

The next one is supposed to be big--8 point something, but they don't know when it will happen. Could be tommorow or 300 years from now. It's supposed to be able to wreck most of the city. The best recommendation would be to avoid living near water.

A few words about west seattle--one of the few neighborhoods with a great deal of on the street parking and easy public transportation access to downtown, however you pretty much have to drive to get anywhere else in the city otherwise for it is isolated physically and limited in its public transporation options-similar to ballard in those respects. If the big one hits, and damages the viaduct and west seattle bridge, we are really fucked since those roads are pretty our only convenient entry and exit options to our neighborhood.

[Gomezticator]

West Seattle... there's only ONE direct road to the city proper and that's the West Seattle Bridge. For its merits as a burg, I wouldn't advise West Seattle as living quarters for that reason alone. The aforementioned Nisqually quake crippled the commute between West Seattle and Downtown, because the closure of the Downtown Viaduct backed up traffic on the Bridge to a standstill. The situation is similar to the Eastside suburbs, where the only access to Seattle from there is via the I-90 and SR 520 floating bridges. Both are packed and one single accident or closure from making the commute a nightmare. Don't put yourself in that sort of position if you can help it.

And nearly every city on the West Coast has the '8.0 quake that will annihilate the city' waiting to happen, as every city is situating over some sort of dormant fault line. Vegas has it, Phoenix has it, and of course the California cities have spent 20 years waiting for the proverbial big one. If and when it happens, it happens, and there really isn't much you can do. Of course, seismic events are glacial in occurence, and as stated, they could happen tomorrow or in 200 years. Just like meteors striking the Earth. Just like World War III. You can spend your life afraid or go on and hope your city's prepared enough to handle it.

[CynicalGuy]

Fortunately, I was living in Capital Hill at the time of the Nisqually Quake, so my transportation wasn't fucked. Nice place to live if only for the convenient public transportation options to the U district, and downtown as well being within walking distance to some of the rock and roll clubs. The drawbacks living there were always feeling like you had to look like you were with it lest you be looked down upon whether you were in a restaurant or a shop. Also the crappy parking situation for friends visiting from outside the neighborhood.

[pgreyy]

Hey Nst...

I moved out here from Wisconsin back in 1992--a bunch of us crazy cheeseheads just carted all of our stuff and decided to restart our lives in what was then Grunge City. It can be done...in fact, every one of us who was part of that original caravan is still living out here. (A few who followed turned tail and headed back...)

Let's see if I can add anything...

What's Seattle like?

Seattle has hills. Seattle builds roads straight up hills, puts stoplights at the very top of those hills. Nobody told me that when I moved out here with my manual transmission Toyota with no working emergency brake. Burned out my clutch in a month--and switched to automatic transmission vehicles from then on.

Seattle has no weather. It doesn't get cold here--I don't think the temperature has ever been "zero" in Seattle, much less below zero. Typically winters temps are in the 40's...and the locals complain like it's the ice age. It doesn't get hot here--I don't think the temperature has ever been 100 in Seattle, much less more... Locals start complaining about heat when it hits 80...and remember, they don't get the super humid heat that the Midwest gets... You won't be sticky in Seattle summers.

During the summer, we get often get drought warnings, so don't worry about the rain...and people actually skip work when its sunny. Of course, it does rain here when it isn't summer--but it doesn't often "pour" the way that Midwest storms do... It just drizzles...constantly...for weeks at a time. It might snow once a year--and that snow disappears in a day or two (with a few exceptions...) Note that if there's ANY snow, the city simply stops. People don't go to work, no one knows how to drive...it'll amuse your Iowa sensibilities.

Note that whatever weather we get causes traffic accidents. If it's sunny, people can't drive. If it rains, people can't drive... And, of course, if it snows...prepare to die on the roads... Either cars go two miles an hour in the fast lane of a highway due to a dusting of flurries...or SUV drivers maintain 80mph driving over roadways made up of black ice and with two inches of standing water on top of it...

The nice thing about Seattle not having weather--you only need one set of clothes. You don't need summer clothes, you don't need winter wear... Pretty much, a good coat, jeans, t-shirts and a hoodie will do you all year.

One thing--if the sun is out...if the mountain is out... Seattle is one of the most beautiful cities you will ever see. Take every advantage to notice how close you are to everything--water, forests, big buildings, snow covered mountains, landmarks, boats, planes...all sorts of things absent from Cedar Rapids.

Is Seattle nice?

Trust me, as a Midwestern native--it isn't "nice" the way that Midwesterners are... It is "nice" in a "well, at least we're not bitchy like people from California" style... It's "nice" in a "please don't bother me" kind of way. It's "nice" in a "road rage is caused when I let someone into my traffic lane and they don't wave to acknowledge me, so now they must die" kind of way.

We heard all about how "nice" Seattle is when we moved here...and if we'd have moved from New York, I think we'd think that Seattle is very nice. But we moved here from Wisconsin...and Seattle isn't as nice as they'd like to think--and, in fact, people here will get mad and very rude for pointing out that they're not as nice as they think they are...

Seattle is all about irony...the ironic thing being, they often don't see it in themselves.

Is Seattle expensive?

It sure is now. When we moved here, housing was cheap...power was nearly free...gas was decent...meals were reasonable... That was 13 going on 14 years ago...it's harder to find a cheap place to live, power costs more, gas prices are high and you'll find more restaurants catering to those willing to spend more...

When I moved out here, I excitedly told all of my friends who were interested in finding somewhere great to move to that Seattle would be a great choice. I'm not so certain that I'd make that same recommendation now.

Now, it's not getting SO expensive that it's making me think of moving. It's just that it's easier to remain here...than it is to move here.

Is Seattle open minded?

More so than Cedar Rapids, Iowa? Certainly.

You might not feel that way, though, if you're a Bush supporter...

On the other hand, you might not feel that way if you're black...

Seattle is a white, liberal city. Being liberal, it feels guilty about how often it feels threatened by African Americans (and trust me, this city does feel threatened by African Americans...you'll see that as you see every hip hop club that opens up being closed down for being "a public nuisance.") Being liberal, as explained here, creates a weird sense of "tolerant orthodoxy."

I can best explain it this way--this city is not the ACLU-type of open minded. Where as the ACLU would champion the rights of everyone by fighting even for the rights of Nazis to exercise their freedom of speech, Seattle's tolerant orthodoxy would work very hard to make certain that Nazi groups are shut down and not allowed to speak. "Because Nazi's are bad and shouldn't be allowed to speak."

Another way of explaining this would be to know that you can go into any restaurant in Seattle in jeans and a t-shirt...any kind of color hair you want...any piercings you want to drill into your skin...cool with everyone. But, if you sit on the sidewalk in front of a business...or if you try to light up a cigarette in a bar...you're breaking the law.

Open minded? Depends on if you agree, generally, with everyone else here...then, it'll seem amazingly open minded. (I mean, I like it...because I don't want to listen to Nazis, don't want street kids sitting outside the record stores, don't want to come home smelling like smoke just to enjoy a band...)

Place to post resume?

I think it's much harder to find work here now...and it wasn't all that easy to find work in 1992 (before the dot com bubble really grew.) Two years ago, in desperation to leave a bad situation, I applied at Target...to be a clerk... (I used to be in midlevel management in both the broadcasting and hospitality industries) I didn't even get interviewed because, since they had so many applicants for the job, they could require a college degree as a first screening. A college degree...to be a clerk...at a Target.

There are an awful lot of very talented, very creative people in this area of the country who don't work at what they love...and don't make what they should be making...in this town...so, be prepared to be disappointed...and be prepared to take any available McJob until other opportunities present themselves.

How to get there

When we moved out here, we bought a big GMC Suburban...intending to drive it out here and then sell it--figuring that would be cheaper (might even MAKE money) than renting a vehicle.

One thing I didn't know...cars out here have no rust. They don't salt the roads here...so, cars last forever. That big old Wisconsin-born and bred GMC Suburban was like a diseased tractor...and we were lucky to unload it at all, much less make our money back from it...

If you don't come out here with a car (and parking is at a premium out here, so that's not a bad idea)--recognize that the public transportation options here are poor. I don't know what they're like in Cedar Rapids...but when I lived in Minneapolis, I remember there being a bus coming to a bus stop every seven minutes...and it was going somewhere...you could almost always get on a bus and get to where you were going, sometimes, you might need to transfer somewhere, but you'd be able to work it out. Here, all of the buses seem to come at the exact same time--meaning, if you miss one bus...you miss them all...and it's another half hour before you'll see another bus. And then, they really don't go all the places you'd want to go...

People in Seattle DO walk places. In fact, after living here for a few months, you'll astound your visiting friends with your willingness to walk further than they'd ever be...and you'll think its perfectly natural. (Perhaps its the coffee?)

Certainly, bikes, scooters and motorcycles are better options here than they'd be in Cedar Rapids...but, then there's the rain that makes them somewhat depressing options. And, bikes and scooters can limit your travel options--since so many destinations are along Interstate highways.

(continued next reply)

[pgreyy]

...continued from previous reply.

Earthquakes?

Since I've moved here in 1992, I've been through four noticeable earthquakes. The first one, I was taking a shower and wouldn't have noticed if my then-girlfriend hadn't knocked on the door to tell me. The second one happened while watching a Mariners game on tv--back when the M's were still in the dome. It felt like the floor was rolling. Very fun--not very scary. A third one was a sharp jolt--like the building I was in was hit by a truck. The fourth one was the Nisqually quake...I was sleeping off the Mardi Gras riots from the previous night, and when I felt the quake, I thought I'd sleep through it. It then got too violent to sleep through--and I ran from bed to get into a doorway... I remember my sliding glass doors looking like the building the helicopter crashes into in the first Matrix movie. We suffered some damage in that one...and, of all the quakes, that's the only one really worth mentioning.

Is it weird? Sure--but so are tornadoes, my Midwestern friend... Its the same thing--except tornadoes give you SOME warning. (Speaking of tornadoes--we really don't get things like that here...)


Bottom line...here's the deal with Seattle. Living in Seattle gives you access to EVERYTHING... All of the benefits of a big city...close enough to every conceivable option that nature has to offer...in a town that really ISN'T as big as an LA, New York, Chicago or elsewhere... It isn't as cool as it thinks it is...and it isn't exactly inexpensive...but, as someone who loves living here, I can say that there's nowhere that I'd rather live in the US than here. (My kid brother said, after visiting me, that he'd pick Vancouver BC over Seattle...but he lives in Norfolk, VA now...so take his opinion with a grain of salt...)

Hope that helps,
pg

[Ladibug]

I have a former roommate who moved here from Iowa as a young adult (23) and all he has done ever since is complain, complain, complain about the weather. I've never been to Iowa, so I don't really know what the weather is like there.
I know the excessive gray is a really rough adjustment for a lot of people moving here from out of state. I've lived here my entire life and so therefore the weather to me is perfect. A lot of people say that Seattle has no seasons and I disagree. I think it's a matter of perspective. There's a sharp difference between August in Seattle and January in Seattle. Just be prepare yourself for A LOT of gray days. If you think that is going to make you feel sad in anyway, I wouldn't move here.

[Molotov]

I say "Welcome to Seattle!"

I like growth. I just wish our city handled it a little better. (Traffic, taller buildings, etc.)

[nst101]

I didn't really think I'd get this much of a response to my initial question. To respond to a couple:

pgrevy, thank you for the informative posts! I got a mix of excitement (that people actually do get out of the mid west) and fear (earthquakes, prices, parking, etc.). Yes, I guess I'd be giving up one natural disaster for another (tornadoes for earthquakes) but hey, every where has them.

I do think I'd like to trade in my view of cornfields for a view of mountains, though. Iowa is beautiful, don't get me wrong, I think that I need to get away from it a while so I can enjoy it when I come back to visit. Maybe I'll have to plan my visits back home during the yearly snow fall. LOL, there's no snow here right now (we just had the third warmest Jan ever, it averaged just about 32 F) but we had a couple feet of it in Dec. Even though we get snow from Nov - April(ish), there are still people here that don't know how to drive in snow.

Ladibug, I am surprised that you ex roomate complained about the weather so much. From Dec - April, we have more cloudy/foggy days here than sunny ones. Usually February in Iowa means cold, cloudy, and usually snowy (this is the rare snow-free year). I'm sure I might think differently after living there for a while, but I don't know if the cloudy/rainy weather would really be that different than what I am used to now during the winter. Heck, if it stays above 0, I think I can deal with that.

Molotov, thank you for the welcome. As I said before, I am in the looking and waiting phase right now. I have a phone interview at a place in Everett (anyone know what Everett is like?) tomorrow. No other hits on my reusme yet. It'll probably be a few months before I can move out there. I guess I'll have to just chat with more people and maybe make some friends before I move.

Thanks again all!

[Shady_B_206]

I didn't really think I'd get this much of a response to my initial question. To respond to a couple:

(anyone know what Everett is like?)



Everett= white trash, casinos, alcohol and is the only city where my wife has been shot at.

[CynicalGuy]

Place to post resume?

I think it's much harder to find work here now...and it wasn't all that easy to find work in 1992 (before the dot com bubble really grew.) Two years ago, in desperation to leave a bad situation, I applied at Target...to be a clerk... (I used to be in midlevel management in both the broadcasting and hospitality industries) I didn't even get interviewed because, since they had so many applicants for the job, they could require a college degree as a first screening. A college degree...to be a clerk...at a Target.

There are an awful lot of very talented, very creative people in this area of the country who don't work at what they love...and don't make what they should be making...in this town...so, be prepared to be disappointed...and be prepared to take any available McJob until other opportunities present themselves.

I second that on finding work. I've lived here since the late 80's and seems that unless one is a software engineer/programmer or espresso barista, it is a struggle finding work even if one is college educated.

[Dr. Cortez, PhD]

When you move here, make sure to spell it CapitOl Hill. It is belived to be named Capitol Hill because at one time it was to be the location of the state Capitol. Capitol Hill has nothing to do with capital for investing, or uppercase letters, but if you consider the rent, it might.

[Molotov]

I grew up in a town next to Everett. (Oh crap, I've been exposed.) Everett is very much a sort of blue collar town (pop. 97,500), but I must say they have done a wonderful job prepping their downtown to be a density-friendly area for the distant future. But I wouldn't recommend living there. I can't imagine there is anything fun to do as a 20-something. It's not really big-city.

Whatever you do, don't live in South Everett. Also, the commute from Everett to Seattle is a TOTAL, TOTAL bitch. Do NOT do it. Unless you're down with riding the train, which is cooler than driving on the highway but not much faster.

Here's the local paper... most days you'll see the biggest news has something to do with: Boeing hiring/layoffs, Naval Base business (boats coming and going), local sports, Everett's poorest people getting fucked by the Republicans they vote for, and crime on Casino Road. zzzzz...

http://www.heraldnet.com

[Betty Fjord]

As much as I hate to contribute to a wildly popular post...

I think you're fine living anywhere within a 20 minute drive of Seattle. If you're going to commute there for work, it's not too hairy (even if it doubles the time it would normally take you to drive there, it's still only 40 minutes. Keep in mind commuting distance is relative; there are plenty of people round here who commute to Seattle, daily and round trip, from far-flung places like North Bend and Mount Vernon). And if you want nightlife, a 20-minute drive is close enough to not fall asleep driving home after a show.

Plus, if you live at least 20 minutes from any of the Seattle neighborhoods, you won't pay $700 and up for a 1-bedroom apartment. Unless you pick Bellevue. I'd recommend Shoreline and Edmonds in the north, Kent in the south. Not fashionable, but close and with lots of bus lines to the city.

[poochiekafelnikov]

Welcome....the vistas will intoxicate you and I encourage you to drive and explore....upon arrival outfit at either buffalo exchange or value village....slave to the needle or some such for initiative ink and piercings...consider changing your name from mark to tobias or monte or something that incorporates a number....cultivate malkmus hair....let fluevog set your pace...alter your lexicon accordingly and you will find an anonymous solution to whatever ails ya....moving here from eastern kentucky in 90 these and other bits have served me well....suss and find yer truth

[CynicalGuy]

Welcome....the vistas will intoxicate you and I encourage you to drive and explore....upon arrival outfit at either buffalo exchange or value village....slave to the needle or some such for initiative ink and piercings...consider changing your name from mark to tobias or monte or something that incorporates a number....cultivate malkmus hair....let fluevog set your pace...alter your lexicon accordingly and you will find an anonymous solution to whatever ails ya....moving here from eastern kentucky in 90 these and other bits have served me well....suss and find yer truth

This is assuming he lands in capital hill or ballard.

[Mr Sparkly Pants]

Metaphor time: The sprawl and inflation are the stretch marks, on the stomach of the lady that is Seattle, caused by the miscarried pregnancy that was the dot-com boom.

Mr Sparkly Pants proclaims the above statement to be an Extra-Fancy specimen of metaphorical deftness.

This is a great thread. Got me melancholy over my own arrival here in the fall of 1988.

Me, Girly-o-friend (now wife), and two Cats (one of which still lives!) rode here in a black '79 Granada. Had never been west of Chicago. Used cash for everything. There were Sinclair gas stations in N Dakota that still had the green and white signs featuring the old brontosaurus logo. I hadn't seen this since I was probably seven. Too cool. Butte looked like Whoville. Independence Pass at the Idaho/Montana border was stunning and scary to drive over.

Knew exactly no one in Seattle, a town that struck me as mostly comfortable and down to earth. Not too big and stinky, nor too plain and small. Few traffic jams unless there was a wreck. Endless hiking and naked swimming opportunities. But the place was kinda dorky with a great number of hippies and heavy metalists. In all not too unlike Anywhere, Midwest, but without the weather extremes and flat, deciduous landscape. Despite the fact most bars did not serve liquor and you had to practically make an appointment to buy a fifth of vodka, we decided Seattle was our kind of place.

Found a brand new 2 bdrm apartment (okay, lived in by one guy for six months prior) in Wallingford the day after we arrived. Moved in within three hours of looking the place over; no references, no request for ID, cats OK. We were in with nothing but our word and a handshake. The place came with a king-size heated waterbed that the previous renter did not want to move. We retrieved our 1,999 lbs of stuff from the Amtrak station, moved in with just first month's rent ($540), which the landlord allowed us to give him the next morning. He even helped us carry in our crap! Both of us had decently paying jobs with like-minded, cool people within two weeks. For the most part these co-workers were friendly, supportive, all that, but never really 'friends.' It was very difficult to make friends with locals or others who'd been here a while. Like almost impossible. But friends from whence we emigrated soon followed us here, one or two after the next, sleeping on our couch or pThe Rocket was the only game in town for music reviews, and compared to where we came from, it seemed to be on the clueless side of quaint. I remember clipping Rocket articles and photos and mailing them to friends in the midwest, who I knew would get a laugh. Besides the Fellows, Walkabouts, or Fastbacks, most everything else music-wise here was LA-style hairmetal or buttrock. Then there were those who wore leather jackets and checkered flannel shirts with sweatpants. Ball caps and scraggly hair, Mudhoney, Tad, Nirvana, Cat Butt, etc. I remember thinking every one of these bands sounded like a slightly differing variation of Iggy and the Stooges. And how could a band like Soundgarden or (choke) Queensryche get major league record deals? I was impressed with Beat Happening and K Records, and remember wishing they were in Seattle.

You had your Scott Vanderpool Wednesday nights on KCMU. You had your Dog House restaurant, 1950s cornball Americanna ambiance intact. The Rendezvous by day hosted cheap lunches featuring gray peas and lumpy mashed potatoes to chainsmoking seniors. By night, shoplifters breezed through the main bar area selling 50-cent lighters and $1 packs of smokes, as one new and unknown (and too often, terrible) band after another played the tiny Jewell Box Theater. Dealers trolled the alleys hoping to unload the black tar heroin that seemed to be in every band practice space. No El Gauchos, no Flying Fish to be seen anywhere. The Aurora Ave whores back then actually wore skirts and heels and strutted down the sidewalks for all to see.
Somehow this was all fun.

I no longer love Seattle, but it's home, it's familiar, and I'm too old to run off anywhere else. If I ever do live another place it probalby won't be in the contiguous United States.

[mjcrites]

Good lord don't do it!
The whole Puget Sound region is a wonderful place, but it costs way more then it's worth right now. I'd look else where and vacation here.

[raymondrna]

it costs way more then it's worth right now.

please explain.

[Gomezticator]

Good lord don't do it!
The whole Puget Sound region is a wonderful place, but it costs way more then it's worth right now. I'd look else where and vacation here.

I'd say the same thing about San Francisco and New York, actually.

Seattle... eh, you guys really take for granted the type of urban environment you have here. The neighborhoods are a unique mixture and there's tons of cafes, events, festivals, parks and places. It really is one of a kind, and mixes very well with the region's nature. You get what you pay for in terms of housing costs (unless you're in Belltown or you buy a house at market value).

It's not for everyone, and if low cost housing and goods, free, available parking and long, wide streets are your thing, you might not like it here.

[mjcrites]

I can't seem to Google up what I'm looking for and my internet connection is being wonky so I'm going to stop trying. But simply put, if you look at other cities with the same cost of living as Seattle (which is what I was googling for) Seattle is getting up there with some really nice places that have better amenities for the same price or less. Minneapolis comes to mind, (I really wish I could have found a website...) but I ‘spose someone from Cedar Rapids would have already have been to Minne... and may want to try living somewhere where you can pee outside in the winter without worrying about a frost bitten willy.

[nst101]

Seattle... eh, you guys really take for granted the type of urban environment you have here. The neighborhoods are a unique mixture and there's tons of cafes, events, festivals, parks and places. It really is one of a kind, and mixes very well with the region's nature. You get what you pay for in terms of housing costs (unless you're in Belltown or you buy a house at market value).


I fully agree with this! Rent is pretty cheap here (I currently pay $430 a month for a large 1 br apt with a real fireplace and balcony). Down the road from Cedar Rapids is Iowa City. The U of I is there, there are more entertainment options, etc. It's more like Seattle. Thus, you pay more (a friend pays $450 for an efficency apt, 1 br runs from $550 - $800ish). Yes, I know, even that's cheap compared to Seattle area.

I've been looking into prices and I haven't seen prices that are THAT outrageous when you look at what you can see, do, etc.

[mjcrites]

Seattle... eh, you guys really take for granted...

Actually those things you talked about exist because people DON'T take them for granted and they existed before Seattle (Portland too!) got all spendy and on the national map. Folklife has been around since '72. I think Bumbershoot started in 70. The Parks came to life because of Boeing mechanists and Todd Ship Yard workers (and a couple of pork-barreling US Senators) , not the software making cultural effete that have over run Seattle lately. Come to think of it we've actually lost stuff, the lit fest is gone (?) and Bummbershoot is cutting back by a day.

My posts here are fueled by 3 things really.

1. A feeling that what we have in the Puget Sound region could be created just about anywhere and the idea that that it’s much better to build your own cool thing then to live in a cool thing that someone else built. I’m looking at moving elsewhere. Not because of anything bad around here (it’s really nice around here!), but because I see a lot of places with a lot of drive to become something better or newer and I want to be a part of that energy. Things in the Puget Sound region are pretty well established the energy is starting to flow to other places. It’s a natural process, nothing bad.

2. Sticker shock. I’m a local and can remember not too long ago when there were vacant building all over the place and rents were cheap. Real city rents and mortgages are what happen when you become a real city. I guess I just have to get use to that.

3. A love for the old Seattle/ Puget Sound. My dad was a commercial fisherman so I got a good taste of the “Back in the day” stuff. I remember when welding shops and places in where you could buy 1/2 wire rope far out numbered the places where you could get a fancy cup of coffee. Seattle and Tacoma were shitty, seedy and dangerous and I liked it. It’s changed around here and to be honest changed for the better. But, there’s still enough of the old school stuff around to make me wistful for back in the day.


Michael

PS The mark of a true Mossback: parallel parked with one wheel on the curb. It’s a point of pride.

[jin]

I like to turn to the best place to find out what Seattle's really like--craigslist.

Here's a post called Seattlites = Entitled = SHUT UP
http://seattle.craigslist.org/rnr/134598382.html

and here's one that's on the "best of" craigslist about the Magic Nine Factors that Make the Seattle Chill
http://seattle.craigslist.org/about/best/sea/128483320.html

haha, funny, but sadly true

[nst101]

I like to turn to the best place to find out what Seattle's really like--craigslist.

Here's a post called Seattlites = Entitled = SHUT UP
http://seattle.craigslist.org/rnr/134598382.html

and here's one that's on the "best of" craigslist about the Magic Nine Factors that Make the Seattle Chill
http://seattle.craigslist.org/about/best/sea/128483320.html

haha, funny, but sadly true

I read the posts you pointed me to. From all the people I've spoken with, and all I've read, I've heard that yeah, that's the truth for a lot of Seattle residents, but, it's like that here as well (and everywhere I'd bet).

Here, I can't tell you how many people will argue that the right is the only way. That you need to be Christian (Protestant mostly), straight, and republican. If you try to show them that there are other points of view, they just shut down and close their ears and minds... That might be what's making me want to move to Seattle the most, people are pushing the opposite point of view than the people here are pushing.

I don't want to move just to be in the majority, though... I'd just like to go somewhere that I can meet new people, see new sites, and just, in general, do stuff that I can't here. I guess I can see myself moving to Seattle and just listening and watching all that goes on and just enjoying it. I'd join in on the conversations and share my opinion. But, if no one listened, oh well, I'd still be able to see the sights, meet the people, and do the things I can't do here.

I'm very excited about the possibility of moving. I'm sure after a year or so, it'll all become mundane to me, but it'd be a fun year until then (:

[nst101]

After a few phone interviews and emails, the replies to my resume in the Seattle area have stopped. Also, my current job here in Iowa offered me a raise, so I guess I'm going to stay in Iowa for a while.

While I was happy to be offered a raise, I was also sad because I knew that would keep me here.

I wanted to say thank you to all who have read and replied to my posting. I'm going to keep up on the Seattle news through the Stranger and other means. I'm still planning on moving, I guess I just need to stick around here and save up for a while before I do.

Again, thanks all! I've found that Seattle people are VERY friendly and helpful. I look forward to the day that I can live there. (: