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Originally Posted by BlindPilot
(Post 8968088)
Good suggestions, guys.
I'll be flying in to Seattle to have lunch with the Sr. VP next Friday. I plan on driving around within 5 miles of the corporate office that morning and see what housing is available there. After lunch, I'll make the trip to West Seattle and check out the suggestions on this thread. If you guys have any particular apartment complexes for suggestions, please post away. Thanks again, guys. Don't let these guys scare you with the talk about the coldness/distance of Seattle people. Making friends here is no problem - I have been here 20 years and over those 20 years I have made plenty (and continue to make plenty) of deep, lasting friendships. Traffic sucks here, but we are no different than any other major city. As long as you can live with not seeing the sun for days and days at a time, you'll be fine. If you are into outdoor activities, this is a great place to live. |
Originally Posted by BearX220
(Post 8956150)
Having looked it up, I was a little off, but not much. In the La Nina winter of 1998-99, we had 93 straight days of measurable rain, November through March, and set new monthly rainfall records in November and January.
http://northcoastjournal.com/031199/...l#anchor401489 In our December storm a couple of weeks ago we had either the second or third wettest 24-hour period ever recorded, with Bremerton seeing about six inches of rain in one day. Like the rest of the country we are clearly seeing more extreme "spikes" in weather around here. As posted by 787 we had 31 consecutive days in the 2004/2005 winter. That many consecutive days is not the norm around here. In fact that year was so bad that even natives and long-time residents were b-i-t-c-hing about the rain :) [Edit - added the hyphens because the forum SW did not like the word I used that starts with a "B", even though it is a perfectly legitimate work found in the dictionary :)] |
Originally Posted by IK in Seattle
(Post 8968368)
Please post a link that verifies this FACT. :confused:
Rainfall: Most Consecutive Days: With Rain: 33 (1/6 - 2/7/53) Wiith Rain (May-Sep): 11 (5/9 - 5/19/45) With No Rain: 51 (7/7 - 8/26/51) With No Rain (Nov-Feb): 21 (12/8 - 12/28/85) You can see the website here: http://www.komotv.com/weather/faq/4310942.html |
Look, as from any forum you are going to get views from people who hate this place and others whoe love it.
For my 2 cents since I moved here 3 years ago having lived in nyc and both northern and southern California along with various southern and mid west cities. 1. Seattle is a great place to live if you are looking for the benefits of a bit city that still can have a small city feel. I feel people are as friendly as any other place. People make stereotypes all the times, but ultimately, the friend you will have depend on the type of person you are... not the place you live. 2. Cost is expensive, but having lived in SF, LA and NY, I find Seattle a lot easier to navigate, espcially since there is no state income tax. Sales and property tax can be high, but you will be renting initially. 3. Location.... skiing is not too far. Vancouver along with the Winter Olympic are a quick skip and a hop away. Victoria, Portland, the lakes, islands are all easy to go to. 4. Weather.. this will be the biggest problem. If you want relative mild weather without minus 10 degress in the winter or 110 degress in the summer, this is your place. Summer is amazing in Seattle. The problem with winter is that you do not see much sun light. We rain less than New York City, but it can be quite dark in the winter which does take some time to get use to. With regards to Starbucks, my friends who works there love it. There is a feeling of pride in working there. Finally, if you can afford it, rent an apartment at Harbor Steps in downtown. It is a litle pricey, but it gives you a great view and a place to learn about the city. I later moved to Queen Anne, but you will learn the area after a while. Good Luck |
Originally Posted by BlindPilot
(Post 8968088)
Good suggestions, guys.
I'll be flying in to Seattle to have lunch with the Sr. VP next Friday. I plan on driving around within 5 miles of the corporate office that morning and see what housing is available there. After lunch, I'll make the trip to West Seattle and check out the suggestions on this thread. If you guys have any particular apartment complexes for suggestions, please post away. Thanks again, guys. |
For those who are rude and need to know the FACTS re: rain for 67 days straight - I'll find that in a bit. Guess living here and living through it it may have felt like 67 days but I'll locate the information for those who feel they need to "jump" all over people (which, btw, I find is VERY rare for those who live in Seattle - most people in this city are very polite).
To help the OP out - you may want to head the opposite way to look for an apartment initially (than West Seattle). You may want to look at the Belltown area since there are many apartment complexes in the area. There are also other complexes in the downtown (upper) area as well. Renting in both of those areas will enable you to take the bus to work too saving on transportation costs. I would also STRONGLY suggest craigslist -->Seattle as well since that will help you out too. |
The weather is not getting any worse in Seattle. My father grew up in Centralia and it floods there all the time. Lewis County is poor and lacks resources to equip homes in the flood plane. The same flood plane that was recognized 100 years ago. The problem is, when it floods in an area with three times the population than 40 years ago, it affects more people and costs more money. Wind and rain have been occurring in Seattle for a long time, occasionally in excess. King5 must have people thinking the world will end!
Regarding north sound traffic...When a place is fully developed like the north Seattle corridor, it costs a ridiculous amount of $ to raze homes and widen the freeway or build rail lines. Seattle has a unique geography that makes small projects tough. Add environmental regulations and multiple bureaucracies equals snails pace legislation. The communist Chinese have one up on us in this regard. Some of the comments seem a bit irrational. If your constantly alone on New Years, you need to look at yourself. Convert sums it up well. |
Originally Posted by ldsant
(Post 8972023)
For those who are rude and need to know the FACTS re: rain for 67 days straight - I'll find that in a bit. Guess living here and living through it it may have felt like 67 days but I'll locate the information for those who feel they need to "jump" all over people (which, btw, I find is VERY rare for those who live in Seattle - most people in this city are very polite).
To help the OP out - you may want to head the opposite way to look for an apartment initially (than West Seattle). You may want to look at the Belltown area since there are many apartment complexes in the area. There are also other complexes in the downtown (upper) area as well. Renting in both of those areas will enable you to take the bus to work too saving on transportation costs. I would also STRONGLY suggest craigslist -->Seattle as well since that will help you out too. "...Seattle could break a record set in 1953. The city saw 33 days in a row of measurable precipitation then—the most since the National Weather Service office started tracking rainfall here in 1931." " Though Seattle is famous for its rain, the city's average annual rainfall from 1970 to 2000 was 37.07 inches, compared with 49.71 inches for New York City." Link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10787447/ |
Originally Posted by BearX220
(Post 8935576)
Ummm... the difference between vacationing in Seattle and moving here is the difference between admiring a Ferrari brochure and actually trying to own and operate one. Have you been out here in the middle of a dark winter? Have you tried the I-5 commute on a rainy evening? Have you seen how lame and limited our mass-transit options really are? Think VERY carefully about this move. Seattle is beautiful in the warmer / lighter months and has a small, attractive downtown core (where you will not be working; Starbucks in SODO is a sort of desolate warehouse district). Seattle also has hideous growth / congestion problems, off-the-chart cost of living, timid and dissolute political leadership, increasingly fierce and destructive weather, and -- some say -- a culture that is very difficult for outsiders to penetrate. To the latter point, I have lived here 13+ years... when I moved to Washington DC in my mid-twenties, I had a bar table full of new friends by the end of my first week; when I moved to Seattle it was six months before anyone at my new workplace asked what I was doing for lunch. It's a far from uncommon experience.
I've done some projects there over the years. It's healthier than some Seattle work-cultures. (I really disagree with what GoCanes said about corporate cultures in Seattle "far exceeding" that found anywhere else... it's widely variable. A certain very large online bookstore based here, for example, is known for its psychotic/toxic culture.) It's self-consciously frenetic, quasi-disorganized, desperately seeking hipness... basically posing as an agile, fun workplace when it's as huge and humorless as McDonald's. Since sales stalled, accent on the "humorless" part. Anyway, the Starbucks Era has just about peaked, at least around here... Hope that helps a little... don't mean to sound overly negative... it's just that Seattle is a pretty challenging place to live these days from cost / cultural / logistic standpoints. Not sure I'd move here again given the chance to relive my 1994 decision, and I'm absolutely certain I won't be here permanently. Good luck. You are so totally right on...I lived in Seattle for 7 years (1999-2006) and can count on one hand how many "friends" I made in Seattle. They are nice people BUT do not like or want any diversity outside of their NW insulated culture (i.e. no east coast/mid-west transplants and god forbid anyone from the SW). A beautiful city but the most challenging place I have ever lived....and I've been around the country. The weather and vast swings in darkness and light is a seasional affective disorder's nightmare. Most residents will say they "love" Seattle but I don't buy it. I am now in Florida (and while challenging too, the weather and my life is great!) and travel to SEA monthly I have never second guessed my decision to leave. Best wishes to the new transplant. |
I'd suggest posting somewhere like the rant and raves section of craigslist for seattle. Ask a Starbucks employee to rant about the best places to live and you might find an actual employee.
As for SODO, what exactly is SODO? I take it you've been talking to a realtor or something. I've never heard a native use the term. The bus system here is quite good and you'll avoid the hassle of driving. Some neighborhoods close to downtown that are cool and fun are Wallingford, Fremont and Ballard. I'd avoid living in south Seattle. There are some seedy neighborhoods around there. Granted, I'm talking blue state shady not red state shady, so it's not that bad. |
OK, this comes from all of 8 days of "living" in SEA this month (so take it for what you paid for it), but this city lives under darkness- at least in the Wintertime. I'd set the alarm in my hotel room for 7AM. Alarm goes off, I look out thru the windows (slept with the curtains open), see pitch blackness and figure I'd misset my clock. Nope. Sun didn't start to hit over the horizon 'till nearly 7:45. By what?- 4:45, it was dark again. I'd heard rumors SEA was the suicide capital of the US; I can believe this.
... and the clouds? There was a section of blue sky one Thursday for about 15 mins and people were pointing and staring like they'd never seen it before. :D |
Originally Posted by kennycrudup
(Post 8980172)
...this city lives under darkness- at least in the Wintertime. I'd set the alarm in my hotel room for 7AM. Alarm goes off, I look out thru the windows (slept with the curtains open), see pitch blackness and figure I'd misset my clock. Nope...I'd heard rumors SEA was the suicide capital of the US; I can believe this.
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Originally Posted by kennycrudup
(Post 8980172)
Sun didn't start to hit over the horizon 'till nearly 7:45. By what?- 4:45, it was dark again. I'd heard rumors SEA was the suicide capital of the US; I can believe this.
... and the clouds? There was a section of blue sky one Thursday for about 15 mins and people were pointing and staring like they'd never seen it before. :D |
Originally Posted by kennycrudup
(Post 8980172)
... and the clouds? There was a section of blue sky one Thursday for about 15 mins and people were pointing and staring like they'd never seen it before. :D
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Originally Posted by woodway
(Post 8969079)
According to the KOMOTV website, which cites weather records kept at Seatac airport, the consecutive days of rain records are:
Rainfall: Most Consecutive Days: With Rain: 33 (1/6 - 2/7/53) Wiith Rain (May-Sep): 11 (5/9 - 5/19/45) |
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