Anybody from Seattle?

[Ellsworth Toohey]

So I may be moving to Seattle this spring. Just curious about people's thoughts on the city and the people who live there (I've liked the city from when I've visited my family out there).  I just want to make sure I'm not going to end up in a city full of hipster douchebags or aging hippie rejects from the TV show Portlandia.

[J.T.]

I've been TDY to Joint Base Lewis-McChord dozens of times and I have always found Washington state to be beautiful country, if a bit damp and grey.

 

Seattle is about as cosmopolitan and touristy as you might imagine but the people are nice folks. 

 

Hit the high spots like tthe Sci-Fi & Pop Culture Museum, The Space Needle, Pike's Place Market where the first Starbuck's is located just to say that you've been there.  I went to all of those places and also went to Lake View Cemetery in Capitol Hill to pay my respects to Bruce Lee.

 

Both Mt. Ranier and Mt. St. Helen's national parks are fucking awesome.

 

Don't forget your passport.  Vancouver is only a couple hours drive away.

[BrianS81177]

The traffic is shitty, but other than that this is a beautiful place to live (I live about 30-45 minutes north of Seattle). There's a ton of great places for hiking if that's your thing. The eastern part of washington actually has a different climate from the western part. Eastern Washington typically gets 300 days of sunshine a year (though summers in western washington are still pretty nice - it usually gets into the high 80s). As J.T. said, Vancouver isn't that far away and is an easy day trip. If you're into sports, there's the Seahawks and Mariners as well as a couple minor league baseball teams and a minor league hockey team. WWE typically comes here a couple times a year and TNA usually once a year but other than that the wrestling scene is terrible. UFC has been here a few times too. There's a big outlet mall in the city I live in, which as I said is 30-45 minutes north of seattle. Seattle's got a nice zoo and aquarium, and you'll fall in love with Pike Place Market when you go there. We also have a yearly comic-con which is pretty popular and getting bigger each year (this year's had Patrick Stewart as the marquee name). There's no shortage of stuff to do around here, and if you can live with shitty traffic it's a great place to live. As far as the rain, yeah it rains a lot but it's rarely so bad it gets in your way.

 

And yeah there's lots of hipsters but they're tolerable. 

[Justin877]

The Sounders (MLS) have "Captain America" Clint Dempsey , that's a pretty big in the futbol world for MLS at least

[Ellsworth Toohey]

 if you can live with shitty traffic it's a great place to live. As far as the rain, yeah it rains a lot but it's rarely so bad it gets in your way.

 

 

My cousin has told me to just sell my car and use the bus to get everywhere.

[BrianS81177]

 

 if you can live with shitty traffic it's a great place to live. As far as the rain, yeah it rains a lot but it's rarely so bad it gets in your way.

 

 

My cousin has told me to just sell my car and use the bus to get everywhere.

 

That's actually a good idea. I have a friend who lives in Seattle and neither he nor his wife has a car. He's quite happy with taking the bus or walking.

[Tabe]

I'm from the eastern half of Washington (Spokane, to be specific).  Personally, I don't like Seattle.  It's overcrowded, not particularly clean (though not awful), and the traffic is just a mess.  You're not going to find a city full of hipster douchebags though.  You're at least as likely to run into a yuppie/techie douchebag.

[OSJ]

 

 if you can live with shitty traffic it's a great place to live. As far as the rain, yeah it rains a lot but it's rarely so bad it gets in your way.

 

 

My cousin has told me to just sell my car and use the bus to get everywhere.

 

Sorry, didn't see this until just now. I lived in Seattle from birth until 2007. Your cousin is right, I've never driven and never needed to. (Although buying and transporting groceries on the bus is not a great deal of fun). You can get anywhere in the city by bus without having to wait more than 20 minutes. Avoid the over-priced tourist traps like the Space Needle. (I'm proud to say that I watched the thing get built when I was a toddler and have never been up in the sonofabitch).

If you want great fresh seafood, go to the Wong Tung Seafood Market in the International District. You can actually select live crab, clams, etc. (even live frogs and soft-shell turtles if your tastes run that way). There is a great Asian market that takes up a full city block at the base of the ID. The Pike Market is fun for people watching, but the fish and produce is MUCH more expensive than what you can find up the hill in the ID. However, don't miss the fried chicken gizzards and World Class Chili at the Pike Market. If you're lucky, you might visit WCC when they are trying out a batch of something new and exotic such as venison chili...

The Belltown pub crawl is fun if you're into that sort of thing, me, I preferred my dive bar in the University District, the Knarr Tavern...

 

Let me know how you're enjoying the city thus far. I would have never left if it wasn't for financial reasons. (I can live in Gallup very well indeed on $3000 a month. In Seattle $3000 a month barely covered my rent.) In Gallup, I have a two bedroom triplex for $600 a month. You can't rent a broom closet in Seattle for $600 a month.