Moving To Seattle
 

I have a really good job offer to join Starbucks (Corporate) in Seattle.

I have only been to Seattle on vacations (and for the 2 job interview trips with Starbucks, of course) so I am not all that familiar with the commute situation in that area. Here are my questions to locals or folks in the know:

(1) any recommendation for Seattle neighborhoods/apartment complexes within 5 miles of Starbucks' Corporate offices in SODO?

(2) Which good suburbs are convenient to south of Downtown Seattle? And how do I commute from there (bus? ferry? drive?)

(3) if you work for Starbucks or know of one, how's the corporate culture over there?

Thanks.

There are quite a few neighborhoods with easy commutes to Starbucks, including an increasing number of apts/condos in the SODO area itself, plus emerging areas like Georgetown (still on the funk side of funkadelic, but improving.) SODO is also convenient to the West Seattle bridge, so that opens tons of possible accommodations in West Seattle and Alki (our own little beach enclave.) Queen Anne, Beacon Hill, and pretty much anything on the SR 99 corridor (including downtown, Belltown etc.) is quite accessible.

Starbucks' location is convenient to SR 99 for airport-area suburbs like Burien or Normandy Park, but there's no need to go to the 'burbs if you don't want to. You can also use I-90 pretty easily, so Mercer Island, Bellevue and Issaquah are also within commute range. Private car or carpool would probably be the best solution; I suspect bus trips would require a change and backhaul from downtown, slowing things down.

Don't; can't comment.

Hi Blind, I went to law school in Seattle and had a few frends who worked at Starbucks in the GC office.

First, I lived on 12th Avenue near Seattle University when I was out there. It is very close to Starbucks Corporate and even walked to the stadium a few times from there. Downtown Seattle has a ton of great apartment complexes in both low rises and high rises. I lived on 12th and Olive in a complex called the Oliver. I loved it great. Very modern and very Seattle with a gym and great rooftop deck. It is a great rental to get started in Seattle.

If you want to head out of downtown it matters on what you are looking for... for older homes and older neighborhoods, I recommend Green Lake, Queen Anne, Ballard just to the North of Downtown. All very nice areas. If you want to venture out west but not all the way, Mercer Island is very nice and is the place to be if you are Jewish.

If you want something "newer" and more "suburban" then head out over the I-90 or evergreen floating bridges... Redmond and Woodinville are my favorites but the longest commute (about an hour or so). Bellevue and Kirkland, both fantastic areas are closer and just as nice. And then there is Issaquah, straight out on I-90 which is also another perfect area. You really cannot go wrong in any one of these suberbs.

As to the corporate culture... all my friends who worked there loved it and all wanted to go back and work there after school. Everyone works hard, but the environment is very employee friendly and considerate. Very happy workers with apparently phenomenol benefits. I think you will find most corporate culture in Seattle, at any company, far exceeds that anywhere else. The quality of life is just so far and beyond that elsewhere. Good people, clean air and a the best place in America to raise a family IMHO.

Enjoy Seattle. Especially Sunday mornings getting fresh fish, vegetable and fruit at Pike Place Market.

I really have nothing pertinent to say except...

Welcome to the 'hood!

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.

West Seattle is probably the nicest close option, but very expensive and your only real commuting route is the West Seattle Bridge; one accident on there and you'll be an hour late to work. The Mt. Baker neighborhood is coming back and is near Lake Washington, which is nice. Mercer Island has a few upscale apartment complexes, and is considered a posh zip code, but I-90 is the only way on and off. (In good traffic it's 10 or 15 minutes from there to Starbucks HQ; in bad traffic it's an hour.) There are pockets of Renton that are OK. Stay away from Tukwila, South Park, White Center.

How much did you want to spend? You can look at the Sea-Tac area or a little further south to Federal Way -- lots of OK apartment complexes around there -- but some iffy areas too. As for commuting, you're going to end up driving. The bus service is thin and sclerotic. People who live on the islands and commute via ferry pay through the nose and spend their lives clutching ferry schedules; also, Colman Dock, where the Bainbridge / Bremerton ferries pull up, is a long way from Starbucks HQ -- not walkable.

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 brought up some very good points. I don't think they're negative at all. But there were a few things I had to comment on.

1) Hideous growth...what city doesn't have sprawl problems. Especially Atlanta where the OP is from.

Transportation from the suburbs to downtown is poor. However, within downtown/SODO is excellent. Busses are full of professionals, suit and ties. That's why I would suggest you find a condo/apt in downtown. Probably can live with one car if your married.

2) Culture is very different...minor differences from Atlanta, but it's still in the United States. People like to point out differences, but we all have Starbucks, strip malls, and cell phones wherever you go. Just takes a minor adjustment.

Co-workers took me out to a sportsbar and went skiing with me after my first week on the job. My wife was out shopping with co-workers on hers. Morale might not have been good at your workplace?

Fierce weather? The Pacific Northwest has the most benign weather in the country!

I would move back in a heartbeat if given the chance!

duplicate

Thanks, guys, for the feedback. All very informative.

Like one poster above mentioned, I live in Atlanta now, in the Buckhead area, where traffic is a ...... Prior to that, I was in Chicago, in the Wrigleyville area, which is just as bad as Buckhead during rush hours. Therefore, if I live within 10 miles of Starbucks, I think I'll be okay.

My wife and I are looking for at least a 2 bedroom apartment (preferably 3, to turn one as a guest room and another as a home office). Could I get something like this under $2k a month within a short distant of the office?

Many do, of course, but the difference here is Seattle's patent refusal to cope with them. In rainy weather it now takes up to two hours to drive I-5 from Everett to Seattle, a 20-mile trip whose "normal travel time" is 25 minutes, but there is no plan to do anything about it. We have a crucial downtown elevated highway, the "viaduct," that has been teetering on the verge of collapse since our last big earthquake in 2001. Everyone has known it for nearly seven years, but there is no repair or replacement plan. That's quintessential Seattle.

I'm glad it worked out for you. I've found my experience very common. Google the term "Seattle Freeze," or read this:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/pac...213/cover.html

I and many others found it incredibly accurate -- it broke the "letters to the editor" volume record at the Seattle Times -- but the poor reporter who wrote it was practically tarred and feathered by the locals.

Three or four winters ago it rained every day for one hundred days. Last December we had a ferocious December windstorm that uprooted thousands of trees, knocked out utilities in my entire county, and left some in the dark for literally weeks. Two weeks ago we had a record rainstorm (six inches in one day measured out on Bainbridge) that caused multi-billion-dollar flood damage in Thurston / Lewis counties, derailing trains, drowning thousands of cattle and destroying hundreds of homes; it was on the national news. Seems like lately we have one of those "hundred-year storms" every 12 months or so. Weather patterns in general are getting more severe and we are very vulnerable to more violent Pacific weather systems.

Let's not even get into earthquake vulnerability and the tsunami warning system.

In about nine years, when my kid is through school, I'll make you a deal on my house. ;) For the OP, however, I would agree that it would be best to take a downtown apartment, perhaps in Belltown, rather than camping in the suburbs.

It is said that New York City is a community where your superficial exchanges are gruff or aggressive (with the deli counterman, building super, etc.) but you soon make friends who remain friends for life. Seattle is a city where your superficial exchanges (with the barista, dry cleaner, etc.) are warm and friendly, but you spend one New Year's Eve after the next at home by yourself.

Sprawl is not Seattle's problem. It's the suburbs' problem.

I would definitely suggest you start looking at craigslist.com for rentals. You can definitely find a 2BR apartment for $2K or less. Neighborhoods I like:

Madison Park, Leschi, Laurelhurst, Upper Queen Anne (away from the Seattle Center), Greenlake, Wallingford, Columbia City (still undergoing gentrification but areas are nice and it's definitely up and coming). I have lived in the city until 2 years ago when I moved to Bainbridge. I love living on the island when I'm on the island but the commute (I work downtown Seattle) has gotten old and I'll be moving back to the city next year.

The bus system is fine imo. You might have to wait a bit but it works and is easy to get within walking distance of where you need to be.

As far as *$ is concerned, well. . .I personally know of 5 people that have recently left since they're not finding it "enjoyable" anymore (and 3 of them moved to Microsoft!). But I also know 2 people who have worked there for awhile and like the company a lot. So it depends.

As far as Seattle not being friendly. I'd have to agree with that. I've lived here for most of my adult life and although people are superficially nice; getting "deeper" friendships is difficult at best. If you have kids though that will help a lot. There are many outlets for meeting people too e.g., political groups, volunteer organizations, sports.

Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions or if I can assist in any way. I think you'll enjoy Seattle quite a bit. Four friends of mine moved from Marietta GA two years ago and said that they wish they had done this a lot sooner! :)

If your budget is in the 2K range then definitely look at West Seattle! You have the best of all options in that the community is relatively isolated and on the water with a huge beach to access, restaurants, views of Seattle across the bay or Olympic mountains and the sunset to the west. Unlike other areas of Seattle, this area feels like a resort community with many upscale condos and apts. that would fit within your price range; you might even score a waterfront place.

The only "caveat" about West Seattle is that the only way in/out is through the Viaduct which will probably be coming down in the next year or so (plus an e-quake would bring it down faster!). Not to be a negative Nelly; just being realistic. I love West Seattle but keep that in mind when searching.

Ditto on West Seattle; possibly the Admiral area. A friend lives there and loves being able to walk to Metropolitan Market, Starbucks, the library, etc. Alki Beach area is a great place to go running/eat at cafes and restaurants -- not yet overwhelmed by chain restaurants like some of the burbs.

There are three different ways to get into downtown Seattle besides the Viaduct (which wouldn't be taken anyway if SODO is the destination). The West Seattle bridge could be the choke point.......school is not out regarding the fate of the Viaduct. Earthquake threat is always a possibility but not to be paranoid about.

Alki beach and Harbor Avenue offer some 5 miles of flat biking, roller blading, walking, running, etc., all along the water's edge!

I would believe that bargains could be found in rents since the community is primarily an older neighborhood and not as "yuppie" as others across the lake.

Good luck in your search......:)^

I understand you have some problems with the area, but you don’t need to invent facts. There were 32 days of measurable rain not 100.

After spending 24 years here, and living all over the country, IMO you could do a lot worse.

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.

Two years ago it was 67 days straight. Not a "made up" fact. It does rain here quite a bit and to think otherwise just is not correct (after spending 19 years here). I personally know of 6 people who had moved up here from CA the previous year and left due to the "gray and rain." It is definitely an acquired taste :)

I personally think it's better than snow and ice!

I'm not sure where you are getting your info from:

"The Record Is 33 Days For Seattle -- Really!

We're still getting a lot of curious or skeptical e-mail from people who remember the rainy winter of 1998-1999 and swear we had 90 straight days of rain then.

But that record that gained so much fame then was that we had 90 days of rain in the 120-day period from Nov. 1, 1998-Feb. 28, 1999. But the 90 days were not consecutive. There were full on sunny days in mid November, early January and in early March. The longest stretch of consecutive days of rain in that period was a paltry 18 days.

The official record is still 33 days, set in early 1953."

http://www.komotv.com/news/archive/4174431.html

2 years ago we only got 31 straight days of rain! It may may seem like 100 or 67, but Seattle has never come close to that many days of consecutive rain.

I would suggest looking at areas around Queen Anne/Ballard or West Seattle for housing. But only 3 major metro areas showed price gains in the housing market for latest housing data, and Seattle was one of them, so it ain't cheap, and Starbucks doesn't pay top dollar but has a decent benefits package, not great IMO.
The culture is one of consensus and meetings up the wahzoo. How anything gets done at Starbucks when all the partners do is have meetings is beyond me. Must be the little people who get no appreciation that make the coffee roast and get the common people their caffeine buzz in the morning! There's no parking around corporate so best to commutte by bus or bike or take one of the Starbucks shuttles from downtown area.
If you like the outdoors, there's very few places that can match Seattle. Kayaking out your back door, skiing out your front door, and hiking, biking both road and mountain every which way.

Thee are so many other things? Do you want a yard? do you need to be in walking distance from things?

If you go West Seattle, as mentioned, shoot for the Admiral District (California AVE & Admiral) or the "Junction" (California Ave & Alaska) areas.

This place is $1650... in a quiet and damn nice area while being 6-8 blocks from supermarkets, restaurants, etc.

IMHO I'd opt for Alki or Harbor Avenue and be on the beach!^

Noise. Noise. Noise.

Make sure to add http://www.starbucksgossip.com/ to your RSS feeds. :cool:

Is there anything you do NOT know?! ^

Bloglines tells me:

No feeds were found. Please verify that the website publishes an RSS feed.

Try...
http://starbucksgossip.typepad.com/_/index.rdf

http://starbucksgossip.typepad.com worked :)

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.

Please post a link that verifies this FACT. :confused:

Good luck with your trip. I live on the eastside so I cannot help you with apartments and such.

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.

I read the story pointed to by the link you posted and I cannot see where you are getting 93 straight days of rain? The story says 90 days of rain since November (and the story was published in March), but does not say anything about them being consecutive.

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 :)]

I would like to see this as well. 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)

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

Take the "Harbor Avenue" exit off the West Seattle bridge - it will become "Alki Avenue" a few miles down the road - plenty of apartments along the way. If you don't find anything suitable along Harbor/Alki Avenue, continue south past the light house and you will find "Beach Drive" where there are more apartments. If you see some place that appeals to you, my suggestion would be to knock on the manager's apt and ask if anything's available or coming up. Lots of stuff is not posted but listed only with realtors. Good luck and welcome to Seattle.

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.

The record is 33 days. You may have been thinking of "cloudy" days. From the article:

"...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/

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.