Board 8 > Looking for insight from Pacific Northwest people, specifically Seattle

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My wife and I may be taking a multi-month "vacation" of sorts to the Pacific Northwest, and right now Seattle is getting the hardest look. Without diving into the back story, we will be in the position where she can keep working remotely at her well-paying job while also getting a retention bonus which should make the finances manageable. We want this to serve as a transitional period for us to do something we've never done before we move and "settle down", as they say.

Without really knowing anything about the city as of this point, I guess the insight I'm looking for is as follows:
--What's the cost of living like? We aren't too worried about finances, but it's worth knowing if I should be prepared to get a part-time job for the 2-3 months we would be there or if we should be very mindful of our budget.
--Where should we consider looking for housing? This is still in the preliminary phases, but as far as a general area to set up shop, what should we consider? Is living in the city proper worth it? Is it easy to get into the city from the suburbs, preferably without having to drive a vehicle very far? Are there any "destination" living spots that we could consider looking into?
--Are there any culture shocks that a couple of lifetime Midwesterners should be aware of?

I dunno. I'm just looking for any information on a part of the country I've always wanted to go to, however am nervous now that I'm being presented with the reality that it may be possible and for an extended period of time. I think there are a number of people in this community that inhabit the Seattle area, or the PNW in general that I thought I could gain some knowledge here.

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Washington is an amazing place but Seattle is low key one of the most boring major cities in America.

Seattle is also one of the hardest places to meet new people, which isn't too bad if you're young, but if you're post 30 its going to be a lonely time for you.

Cost of living is pretty darn high, not quite San Francisco level but it's working on it.

If you're coming here from the midwest prepare to be looked at like a monster whenever you try to act warm or good natured.

SAD wont affect you right away but likely it will get to you, so make sure to be taking vitamin d the second october strikes every year.

Everything I'm saying is hyperbolic but its genuinely how I feel after years of living here.


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Hey, I'm not super well-informed on housing or costs in the area but things I can say:

Cost of living goes up the closer you are to the city, especially as far as rent is concerned - Seattle is unfortunately well known for being pretty costly to live in. Don't know for sure how hard it'll be to find a place.

It does get cheaper the further out into the suburbs you go, but do keep in mind that this is a very car-necessary region. Seattle itself is a very walkable city (mind the hills though) and has really solid public transit (great busses) but the further out of the city you go the harder it is to get anywhere without a car. Options exist, but the vast majority of people who live here own a car. We are trying to build light rail and expand bus services to help with this but we're not there yet.

I think the region is pretty un-culture shocky, I don't know the midwest but probably the most notable thing here is the "Seattle freeze", people are polite but very quiet and don't approach each other as often - expect people to not greet you on the street too much, and friends are known to be sort of hard to make. It's not hostility, it's just social anxiety, mostly. People are nice.

That's really all of my vague advice, I'm really bad on the specifics, maybe others know more. I don't have any particular opinions on which areas are particularly bad or good to go. Aside from the caveats of being a bit costly and not super easy to get around I like the region a lot, can recommend it as a nice place to live.

MawiIe posted...

Washington is an amazing place but Seattle is low key one of the most boring major cities in America.

If you're coming here from the midwest prepare to be looked at like a monster whenever you try to act warm or good natured.

Will dissent on these two points, Seattle is plenty interesting enough (I mean, it probably doesn't compare to New York or Chicago, but what are you gonna do) and I think people are mostly just distant rather than allergic to social contact at all.

What time of the year were you planning on doing this? Do you like rain?
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Also yeah watch out for seasonal affective disorder here between the months of november and february, it's no joke. We do not get a lot of sunlight during those months.

The weather here between may and september is absolutely gorgeous though - one of the best places on earth to be.

The time we would be there is most likely around the February to May window. I guess I should've mentioned that. I'm not too worried about meeting new people. If it happens, great, but pandemic concerns maybe possibly probably still being a thing at that time I wasn't expecting anything like. And smiling at strangers but not engaging with them is right up my alley and my preferred interaction, so there would be no adjustment for me on that respect.

Seattle does have a reputation for weather, so I've been curious of that. I don't mind the rain too much, but I do appreciate the sun. Cloudy days can leave me melancholy, and it sounds like that could be problematic.

I think my ideal would be to live in the city but have easy access to my car to go exploring the landscapes around the area. The main reason I've always wanted to visit the Pacific Northwest is because of the reports of stunning visuals. Not sure what the parking situation is like in Seattle. I assume it's like most big cities in which it's difficult the closer to downtown you get. I've always felt out of my element driving in the heart of cities, so that's also a spot of anxiety for me, but it can't really be avoided too much.

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February to May probably won't be too bad - March and April can be very rainy but the weather will get cheerier compared to December and January which are slogs. Rain here, by the way, tends to be light and cold, and persistent. It tends to rain for the whole day when it rains, but it doesn't rain like it does in the eastern half of the US where it just pours down on you like a bucket, it's much more drizzly. It's not really as bad as it sounds and I think it can be quite pretty, but it does have a reputation for frequency and duration.

Parking in Seattle is not great, I share your anxiety about parking downtown. A possible option is to park at any number of park and rides on the outskirts of the city and take the bus - for instance, if I am going to Seattle, I will often park at Northgate and then take the bus to where I want to go. It's not cheap, but neither is parking in Seattle unless you're lucky and find good street parking, and it avoids the stress of driving around downtown. It's a possibility you may want to consider - the bus system in Seattle is pretty robust.

I spend like 4 months in Seattle a couple of years ago, I was there in summer so I guess not the usual Seattle experience, it was pretty sunny most of the time.
I lived on the eastside which was super boring, but the city itself was great. Dunno how it is during a pandemic, but I liked downtown and the Fremont/Ballard area is nice if you are ok with more hipster-y stuff. Best part of Washington was the nature though. Mt Rainier and Olympic National Park were great, although it's probably best to do those in summer, April/May might be ok?


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Paratroopa1 posted...

I think people are mostly just distant rather than allergic to social contact at all.

I've been here long enough to now be a freezer instead of a freezie. Its treating warm people shitty, no matter what the internal reason is.

That said if its just for a short time, Washington is great. The visuals, the weather, the edible plants are all top notch. There's enough mountains on the olympic peninsula alone to last a lifetime

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If you could go anywhere why would you pick an area with high taxes and cost of living.

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We don't have state taxes so get recked nerd

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MawiIe posted...

We don't have state taxes so get recked nerd

We do have notoriously high sales tax and car registration fees though, which are inherently regressive taxes, so maybe you are the one who is wrecked? I would rather have Oregons arrangement with state income tax but no sales tax imo.

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ugh we really need an income tax

Paratroopa1 posted...

ugh we really need an income tax

i mean it really needs to come with a cut to other taxes

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redrocket posted...

i mean it really needs to come with a cut to other taxes

oh yes of course, but we need an income tax to be able to cut other taxes

Man argue what you want with whatever tax works better but I have to fill out one less form every year.

Plus Ive been around from state to state and lots have worse taxes with state on top.

And the cost of living is only high in the pudget sound area. Aka the worst part. Live in rural washington and get paid a dope living wage and live like a king.

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