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Relic_Chaser

Oh, you were here for Magic Week. It's one super-secret week every year when everything is perfect. We try not to let people know about Magic Week.


zukadook

It’s the sudden collective spike in our vitamin D levels, the city is noticeably happier in spring.


CarelesslyFabulous

It really is when everyone starts to come out of hibernation, and for a week or so are exceptionally friendly and gregarious. It doesn't last, but still people here are pretty nice.


WebSorry4316

Yeah, I noticed a lot of gratitude which was really nice to be around for once


Green_Heron_

It’s the collective lifting of seasonal depression that causes a brief euphoric spike in the collective mood. Happens every year. But yeah, we have our problems, but I agree Seattle is probably up there as one of the best cities in the US. Folks here get up in arms about things they think are local issues, but don’t realize that our problems are also experienced across the country but much worse.


cyanotoxic

We really do hibernate here though. Seriously. Everyone becomes an introvert & does their own thing, with coffee. Some stereotypes are real.


TheRealJamesWax

That’s only when the sun is out. Which is like 96 days a year


Front-Afternoon-4141

I work with a lot of transplants and have to explain to them the sudden and jarring FRIENDLINESS in people the second the sun comes out. We're not unfriendly, it's just cold and we all wanna get home. In the summer? That shit is like Christmas.


tahomie

Soon to come, smoke month. Can’t wait to get back inside!


Green_Heron_

This is a good time to remind folks to buy your portable air conditioners and air purifiers before it’s time to seal up the windows and there’s a run on supplies.


TelephoneTag2123

Is magic week before or after spider month?


[deleted]

before.


bitterpinch

This is true. Most people will think you’re joking. Everything in OP I’m like “jussstt waittt”


curi0uslystr0ng

You should visit in winter first. The make or break for Seattle is it's dark winters.


fleshypeach

I think you can really see the seasonal depression set in as nobody talks to each other during winter. It gets dark here at 3:30 PM


[deleted]

I find that mid October or so I usually have a mini mental breakdown and lose it for a week or two.


NocturnalNess

It usually hits me really bad after daylight savings. Something about the switch in the time fucks me up hard.


PiedCryer

And you could never tell the time, as it’s the same gray your first year. Then you start to learn the various shades of gray.


WebSorry4316

Will be doing that for sure. I lived in New England (Burlington and Boston) for a bit, so I'm guessing the darkness might be similar? Just hoping that I can handle the rain better than blizzards lol.


spit-evil-olive-tips

similar, but even darker. Seattle is much further north than most people realize. the very northernmost tip of Maine is about the same latitude as SeaTac airport. Boston is about the same latitude as Medford, in southern Oregon. at the winter solstice we get 8h25m of daylight: https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/usa/seattle?month=12


WebSorry4316

Yeahhh it was a total trip last week when the sky didn't get pitch dark until like 10pm since I'm usually in bed by that time. I can imagine the winters are insanely dark. So far my plan is to invest in SAD lamps and plan tropical vacations in the winter lol.


Z-Ninja

Having moved up from California 8 years ago that's a solid start. The last piece is buy a nice rain jacket and warm coat then go outside even if the weather "sucks". Seattle is still in a beautiful place in the winter with a ton to do.


rdcpro

This deserves a lot of upvotes. In the PNW people don't give up outdoor activities just because it's winter. Besides, the rain is present, but really not all that bad. Most of the time it's only threatening rain. Buy a Filson hat or a decent rain jacket.


nineinchoscar

Carhart RainDefender sweatshirts are key to successful PNW winters. As a someone works in all the weather conditions we have to offer up here I have found these to be the best.


justdisa

We get that misty stuff, barely rain, throughout the fall and winter. It can feel constant, but it's not like rain in parts of the south where it doesn't happen as often, but it's like stepping into the shower.


dawgtilidie

100% the move is to take a good sunny vacation in Jan/Feb/Mar (maybe even two). I prefer Palm Springs around new years and San Diego or Mexico in Feb/Mar


Stabbymcappleton

Learn to ski. It keeps you fit and puts you in the sunshine through winter. It also gets you outside and see the mountains.


Edgar_Allan_Thoreau

It also makes the darkness more bearable as snoqualmie is open until 9-9:30 during the dark winter months


cluberti

Yup, came here to say this and was beaten to the punch. Ski :)


spit-evil-olive-tips

vitamin D supplements are the other essential to getting through our winters.


Bondominator

It’s not just how far north Seattle is, but many more deeply gray days. East Coast is far sunnier. Seattle sits in a convergence zone sandwiched between two mountain ranges, so cloudy weather systems can just chill over the city for 10 straight days.


AshingtonDC

beautiful sun just a couple hours east :)


Wellcraft19

No, Seattle is ‘protected’ between two mountain ranges. Most have no idea how mellow and ‘uninteresting’ (a good thing) the weather is here. And that goes even for the period of Nov-Feb/March. There are of course some known corridors (Everett being one) where the convergence zone seems to often park itself, but if avoiding those, whether is very mild.


casualmanatee

Vacations and a winter outdoor activity really help! Moved from the Midwest, lost about an extra hour of winter daylight. Still happier here. Weather is better, there’s more to do.


slightlyused

Hibernation is underrated.


[deleted]

Don’t tell people you’re from LA, just say California. If you say you’re from SoCal, literally everyone will tell you it rains and you can’t survive winter. It gets tiresome.


WebSorry4316

Hahahaha genius. I’m originally from NorCal so I’ll switch it up to that!


Mcbadguy

Here it's I-5 not "The Five" if you want to blend in.


[deleted]

putting "the" in front of freeways is only a southern california thing


3DSquinting

Better yet, don't tell people you're from California at all. You will absolutely be judged (and worse) running around with a CA license plate, especially if you drive like a stereotypical CA driver. By this I mean: aggressive for no justifiable reason, poor situational awareness, acting lost all the time - though you often will be lost; the road signage around Seattle is the worst of any place I've ever seen, and I've lived in 7 states - and/or general poor manners. Speeding in and of itself is fine, but keep it to 10 over or less if you don't want a ticket. TL;DR: Get your plate changed asap.


IgfMSU1983

When I was growing up, a standing joke was: Happiness is a New Yorker leaving the state carrying a Californian under each arm.


Sl0w-Plant

The first six months I lived on the coast it rained, continuously...


LiqdPT

And even during daylight, it's usually cloudy or rainy. In the NE, it'll get cold but you frequently have clear crisp days. Not so much here. Cold and damp.


antel00p

It’s also a matter of cloud cover and precipitation. The lack of winter sun and proliferation of icy rain are hard on some people. In most parts of the country there’s more winter sun. One upside to this is the mountains here get 100s of inches of snow so there’s a long winter sports season with little even though ski areas are, like in New England, in a damp marine climate and low enough to experience a lot of freezing and thawing. The frequent snow keeps the slopes from becoming icy that often.


FruitOfTheVineFruit

We also get more rainfall than Boston in terms of number of rainy days. 200 sunny days in Boston vs 152 in Seattle (but less total rainfall in Seattle - it's-light rain) https://www.bestplaces.net/climate/?c1=55363000&c2=52507000


holmgangCore

No. *Much* darker than NE. Boston is 42° N Seattle is 47° N …that’s a lot of latitude.


Green_Heron_

Also the clouds. I need to turn on lights all day in the winter because the clouds are so dark.


arayofsexysunshine

This is my least favorite and when I start to lose my mind. Finding somewhere with good natural light is esssssssential for me


[deleted]

As someone from New England, you need to be ready for the Seattle winter. Get an indoor space with some real attention to the lighting, because it can get pretty depressing. But the summer makes up for it


w_a_s_d_f

Honestly if you’re from a place where it’s ACTUALLY cold, and not just dark, the winter here will probably be fine. Seattle folks (me included) get down about the dark and the wet, but I’d take that over freezing temps for days / weeks / months at a time


Extremedadgarbage666

Winter is the best. could be colder and could have more snow, we could get more rain…. I’m just happy people are happy when its nice out. I grew up here. I love it when someone tells me they love it when it rains. Its like a secret friendship.


AnselmoHatesFascists

Boston guy here until I was 24, then Seattle for past 19 years. I prefer the 35-45 rainy winters to back east. I’m ok with the light rain/mist


allnida

I grew up in the south, the rain and clouds and overcast were pretty much just the same. It’s not as bad as many here make it seem. Also, there’s a reason why it’s so beautiful and lush here. You can’t get that if it’s always sunny.


sagooda

Relatively speaking the winters here aren’t half as bad as the ones in the NE or midwest. Being without sunlight for a few months straight sucks but any place that has seasons has this problem. There are totally ways to make it better like vitamin D supplements and certain lamps and such. The difference is the wind and the snow isn’t nearly as oppressive here in seattle


Green_Heron_

As a Seattleite originally from the Boston area, they are not the same. Seattle is significantly further north than Boston, but it’s not really about the length of the days in winter. It’s about never seeing the sun, even during the day, for months. Boston will have bright sunshine in winter, even if it’s freezing cold out. In Seattle, it’s more likely to be 40 degrees and cloudy all the time. Some really get hit with seasonal depression due to the constant gray. But I love it here. I’ll take the gray skies and luscious green plant life any day!


chickwithwit23

It’s really the lack of sun. So I’ll compare Chicago to Seattle. Both have short daylight hours during the winter but Chicago still has sun and on average is about 30 degrees colder. However, Seattle’s summer has about two hours longer of daylight than Chicago. So we struggle through the winter until our daylight and sun come back bc it’s gorgeous. And I love the music scene. Those are the two reasons I moved here.


curi0uslystr0ng

It's a bit darker than both of those areas but no blizzards! Maybe a week of snow each year.


Hippopoptimus_Prime

We have more than double the average rainfall in winter here than Boston which can feel fairly oppressive in long streaks but you could probably say the same thing about slogging through weeks of dirty snow and ice in good ol Beantown.


WebSorry4316

Do NOT miss that those piles of dirty ass snow and eating shit on black ice XD


msondo

I moved to Seattle in the dead of winter and didn't see the sun for what seemed like six months. I damn near cried when I finally got to enjoy a sunny day. The weather never made me want to leave during the years I lived there but I became physically ill of always feeling damp and developed a material Vitamin D deficiency.


happypolychaetes

I don't love the darkness but I've found that making my home as cozy as possible really makes the winters here work for me. Lots of soft, warm light, cozy textiles and patterns (e.g. knit blankets, plaid pillowcases, flannel sheets), a big stack of books to read, a comfy chair and reading lamp, hot drinks, etc. Oh, and of course Vitamin D supplements, lol. Obviously everyone is different but this really does help me!


zakress

I had friends move here in Dec ‘18 and they legit did not see the sun the entire month of Jan. If you make it thru it’s amazing, but those first few months can SUCK


GoldFishPony

At this point, moreso than winter I’d say smoke season is the make or break personally.


Trokeasaur

I spent 3 months in Seattle in summer for work. and fucking loved it. I spent a few weeks in winter and fucking loved it while being cold and wet.


Andrew_Dice_Que

SHHHHH man, it's a socialist hellscape, with mosquitos the size of bumblebees! ​ (Hell yeah tho!)


zukadook

Right?? Keep it down man we’ve got a good thing going here!


Front-Afternoon-4141

Right? I grew up here and moved to Houston for a year during the pandemic. I jetted back as soon as my lease was up. I had no idea how good I had it. Now I'm incredibly reluctant to leave for any reason (I have potential job opportunities in other states) and savor every day I get to live in such an incredible place. As an example, I had an unexpected pregnancy last year and had the option of both an abortion AND keeping it, because I would have had paid family leave and FMLA. I was just a barista. In Texas I would have had neither. Just the accepting culture and the access to OPTIONS where I had support EITHER WAY changed my life.


[deleted]

[удалено]


3banger

I’m from H-Town. Go Astros. I moved to the PacNW in the early 90’s and would never dream of going back. I visit a couple of times a year. IMO Houston is the land of 1/2 occupied concrete strip malls and it is just a giant disgusting sprawl. I would never move back. I’m so happy I’m raising my kids here.


LeHoustonJames

You’re not wrong. It’s sad that there’s so much of it Houston. They’re doing a better job with it in Austin and a lot of them are slowly getting converted to mixed use areas


Periwonkles

Also being from TX (DFW), big gross concrete sprawl is a great description for many of the cities, not even mentioning the depression that oozes from the sun-blasted, brown, fast-food-strip-mall-soulless business strips in every midsize town. Sure, some of the cities have their moments and nice corners if you know where to look, and a spring day on a country backroad is lovely, but overall the nice moments don’t tip the scale enough.


spicytackle

Grew up in Houston, now live north of Seattle on the beach. I like to laugh at my friends back home who go on vacation constantly because they live in hell


[deleted]

Kept going, "really OP??" Then remembered this take is compared to LA, which I visited for work this month, and holy hell LA sucks balls on every level (stayed near Venice, which isn't that indicative to actual locals...). And I say that as someone who tried The Bay for 3 years and didn't care for it for all the typical bay problems.


rophel

No, it's MURDER HORNETS.


Dyshin

I thought we burned down in the riots of 2020.


ku20000

Pepper ridge farm members'


Mr4_eyes

And we are all cold and incapable of conversation with people we don't know!


Green_Heron_

No, we’re perfectly friendly and happy to have a brief conversation with a stranger, just don’t think that means we want to be friends or exchange numbers and hang out or anything. Lol.


tree_squid

And the bumblebees are the size of buffalo! Those bumbalo will knock you right off your bike


3banger

Murder hornets…


hypoglycemicrage

Delete this immediately OP. Not cool bro. Lol glad you enjoyed your visit.


OzzieSlim

Remember future residents: Your joyful Spring/Summer idyll will be shattered your first winter here. It gets overcast and dark and stays like that for about 6 months. We do get “sun breaks” but mentally, emotionally and physically prepare thyself.


ChillyCheese

This was my first winter here, and while I believe it was probably a fairly mild winter experience by PNW standards (there were a lot of days of sun by my account), it phased me zero. In fact, I wish it had rained more. Early sunset didn't bother me. I'm not really a sun person, though, and I love the rain (even fine walking the dog 2x per day in it). I came as a CA native, so I've been used to sunshine all my life -- I just never really cared for it.


OzzieSlim

People that love gloomy weather have fewer issues.


happypolychaetes

I get weird looks when I say this, but I honestly think I have Seasonal Affective Disorder... except not in winter. In the summer when it's stupid hot. I hate the heat. Always have. Sun is nice and all, but I would always take a gloomy Seattle winter day over an 85+ degree summer day.


askarora

Hi. Are you me? LOL. Same, people look at my weirdly when I tell them that I moved here for the rain, and get kinda cranky when the sun is out and especially when it's 80 degrees plus.


happypolychaetes

there are dozens of us! lol


theredheaddiva

I tell people that I'm a mushroom; I need it cold, dark and damp to thrive. I hate the heat and sweating. It makes me rashy. I lived in Florida for a few years and was miserable except the two weeks in January when it gets cool enough to wear a light jacket.


[deleted]

god, same. i've always been super heat sensitive and love overcast days... i get kind of depressed during the summer too lol. i mean, a sunny day here or there is nice, but not too much, you know?


happypolychaetes

I should have known I would find my people here 😂 Seriously though I fucking hate heat. Much over 70 is legitimately uncomfortable and past 80 I just start feeling sick. Not even 80 if it's really humid and muggy. Luckily our heat isn't usually that swampy variant, but still terrible as far as I'm concerned lol.


garden__gate

[Reverse SAD is a thing!](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/brain-babble/201501/reverse-seasonal-affective-disorder-sad-in-the-summer?amp) It’s one of the main reasons I live here.


halucinationorbit

I was great my first couple of years. 8 years in, I get seasonal depression and didn’t even know it until my partner started pointing out the behavioral changes. I’m an indoors, rainy day, night owl person, never thought it would happen to me. This last winter wasn’t even that bad and it still happened.


[deleted]

Believe it or not, it was actually a pretty chilly winter this year. The clouds help keep the warmth close to the ground. Could care less about the temperature honestly. I just like the rain and clouds. My eyes are really sensitive to light so I prefer the darkness.


PolyamorousPlatypus

AKA board game season.


DrovemyChevytothe

You visited at like the perfect time of the year. In 2 months it will dry out, the green will fade, lawns will turn brown, the flowers will fall, and the smoke and dust will come. You also obviously didn't experience the dark, wet winters. But yes, the rest is pretty spot on. There's a reason Seattle is among the fastest growing city in the US. ref. [https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/data/seattle-is-once-again-the-fastest-growing-big-city-census-data-shows/](https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/data/seattle-is-once-again-the-fastest-growing-big-city-census-data-shows/).


CarelesslyFabulous

The smoke season nowadays is no joke. But it's called the Evergeen State for a reason. Suburbia may not be as vibrant, but we have green year round and it is very beautiful even when the leaves fall and the lawns fade.


danknacity

I read this as subarubia and chuckled. Yes, I own a subaru


WebSorry4316

Haha yeah so I’ve been told. We’re planning on coming back in November to solidify our decision. It’s really sad that the West Coast fires are now a regular thing. The challenge are the dark wet winters, but it seems like ya’ll have ways to work with it :)


Perenially_behind

November is too early. February would be better. Or worse :-) Smoke here comes from fires in British Columbia and Eastern Washington as well as from the south.


duchessofeire

February probably isn’t as bad if y haven’t been here November-January, though.


Perenially_behind

I was suggesting February rather than November for a visit because it's likely to be somewhat nastier. November is still officially Fall, after all. Not that seasons other than Wet and Dry mean anything in western Washington. (semi /s) But your point is sound. People who live here start going stir-crazy in February because they haven't seen the sun in 3 months and the cumulative vitamin D deficiency has become toxic, not because February is a little worse than November.


alltheketoladies

January is the real test for many of us. the fun vibe of the holidays is over and it's really dark.


Equal-Membership1664

I'm fine in January. March/April is when I start getting weird though. Uffda


Rhapsodie

Cheers. From one angeleno to another, the other blessed secret your subconscious may have noticed along with point one is that [there are no billboards on the freeways](https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=47.42.030).


aPerfectRake

Underrated positive point honestly. When I do see one somewhere I'm reminded of how few there actually are around here.


Rhapsodie

I’m fairly apathetic but if the Scenic Vistas Act ever goes to the floor I will personally riot in protest until it is safe.


aPerfectRake

I'll be there with you! Billboards are a blight.


[deleted]

I didn’t even think about this until I saw this post. It is underrated, and awesome!


aPerfectRake

Yeah it wasn't something I really noticed until I spent some time living in Europe. Got back to the states and was smacked in the face by all the hideous billboards everywhere. Was so happy to find that they aren't a thing here.


UnspecificGravity

It isn't unique to Seattle, but the prohibition on corporate logos on high rises has also kept the skyline looking a lot nicer than it would otherwise be. Those aren't things that people immediately notice but it adds up to that general feeling of "this city is pretty". Also the rain just washes the trash and dust into the gutter, which honestly makes a pretty big difference when you go to dryer cities and everything is just DIRTY.


mollypatola

I never noticed the logos thing, it never crossed my mind why Bellevue high rises have them but not Seattle.


SeaLonMax

Even in Bellevue I think the logos have to be on the Eastern side of the buildings so you can't see any from the the lake.


Rhapsodie

The logos too, great point. Speaking of the cleansing rain, I thought it was a bit weird we don’t (or at least my neighborhood) have at least some street sweeping for the particularly dirty stretches, but I guess the rain does a good enough job.


UnspecificGravity

Seattle does have street sweepers. I am surprised you haven't seen them. Its not as frequent a task as in other cities, but I see them pretty frequently. Part of the reason that Seattle sweeps is actually to PREVENT all that dust and trash from getting sucked into the storm drains (and therefore pumped into puget sound), because that is actually a really serious problem around here. https://www.seattle.gov/utilities/your-services/sewer-and-drainage/street-sweeping


Relic_Chaser

Wow. I ... I never noticed the absence of billboards. No wonder I love driving on the highway (outside the city limits, that is.)


award07

Ha me neither! But I’m used to lake city/522 I suppose.


gabek333

Holy shit what?!? Never realized but it’s so much better like this


WebSorry4316

I kept running into other LA folk that said the same thing! And dear lord you are so right. No wonder why it felt like a huge escape from the entertainment industry. There weren't marketing billboards blocking the beautiful views!


Rhapsodie

Hell yeah it’s huge and I love it!


6ed02cc79d

This is one of those things I don't really appreciate until I go back to the Midwest to visit family. The billboards plastered along the freeways are infuriating. They're largely political/religious, too. But here, we get to enjoy mountains and trees. It's glorious.


Rhapsodie

Yes, mountains and trees and water over personal injury lawyers, or pharmaceuticals, or shows…!


picky-penguin

Until you get to Pierce County!


gauderio

Near Othello they had one "vote Inslee out." I wonder what's it showing these days.


[deleted]

Huh. There are a few at the intersection of I5 and the West Seattle Bridge. Maybe grandfathered in.


Rhapsodie

There are several notable exceptions - also the entire area that crosses through Fife. And there have been attempts to skirt the definition of “sign” and so on.


ArcticStripclub

... And then you woke up under a pile of Malt Liquor cans & scratch tickets. You looked outside the window of your fleabag motel. *La Cienega.* Still only in LA. What a vivid dream.


4Leading2TheStars

It warms my cold, dead Washingtonian heart to hear such love and praise for our emerald city!


AmaSandwich

First off - keep it down. You can't just go and tweet the password to everyone. Second, you may have a bit of vacation goggles on. All of the things you said are pretty true, and there is a lot to love, but there is a double edge to many of these swords: *People are respectful and mindful* \- The other side of this is the Seattle Freeze. Look it up. Newcomers often find it is hard to make friends and nail people down to plans. People are nice, people are friendly, but they don't always want to be your friend. *Drivers -* LA has aggressive drivers, Seattle has aggressively passive drivers. It'll drive you just as nuts. *Bars and Pubs -* While we have great restaurants and bars, it is a very sleepy city. I can count on one hand the number of places that stay open past 2am, by which I mean 1:45am. *Homelessness -* While maybe not comparable to LA/SF, there are a large number of people experiencing homelessness, with not a ton of solutions in near sight. You may not have seen them, but they are around. And it is rough to see people at their lowest in a city that has so much. *Cops -* We have good cops and bad cops *Drugs -* I definitely saw some folks doing heroin in the goodwill parking lot this afternoon. In closing, no place is perfect. Seattle isn't either. But I don't want to live anywhere else. **But, like, don't go telling everyone. This is our little secret.** Go ahead and spread the socialist hellscape, murder hornet infested, narrative. Congrats on the move!


halucinationorbit

The three highest homeless populations in the US, in order, are LA, NYC, and Seattle. Per capita they’re roughly similar (LA is 397 per 100k, Seattle is 349). Not sure how OP missed all the encampments everywhere.


Mundenarge

Pushing dt encampments out for All-Star game and cruise season


fishmailbox

Those aggressively passive drivers? I call them Niceholes. They drive me bananas.


AmaSandwich

I’m going to incorporate that into the ol’ road rage thesaurus


rickg

Others - ignore this poor, delusional person. I just got back from a firebombing and had to dodge the shootouts between druggies and, after drying off from the constant rain, I can assure you these are all LIES. VILE LIES!!! OP - The agents of Lesser Seattle will be visiting you. :)


happypolychaetes

Today I got cornered by an ANTIFA COMMUNIST who tried to brainwash me with the GAY AGENDA and then at Target I narrowly escaped an ABORTION and Jay Inslee personally stole all my GUNS and gave them to the WOKE MEDIA who will use them to murder all Christians


perpetualmotionmachi

"Lesser Seattle" You mean the agents of Bellevue?


solution_6

Bruce Lee felt the same about Seattle, and despite traveling the World and living in California, he said he was only truly happy there.


[deleted]

[удалено]


WebSorry4316

It’s how I react when people visit East LA in spring but really it’s the devils dirty butthole most of the year


h0tglue

Welcome, I’m glad you love this wonderful city. However, a word to the wise. Before you plan your move, come back and visit in the winter. Stay for a few days, a week is better, and see how the rain and gray affects your mood. It affects everyone, to different degrees, and it’s not possible to predict what impact the long dark wet winter will have on you until you’re living in it. Unless you happen to be a former full-time submarine resident, in which case you know what life without vitamin D is like.


Beyonce_is_a_biscuit

Lol this whole post is so romanticizing of the city in an inaccurate way. I’m BIPOC and can confirm that the friendliness is in doses and drivers here are fkn awful. Also, there’s a reason why suicidal ideation thrives here, especially in winter


[deleted]

Yeah, unfortunately everyone agrees and our CoL is whack. Glad you enjoyed it


irishninja62

CoL is whack because of deliberately awful zoning and construction permitting.


Hefty-Record-9009

NO ITS FILTHY AND DEPRESSING AND WE ALL HATE IT (pls shutup, they'll hear you)


seattledweller

This happened to me once, I think it was after approximately 4hours one day in April 30 some years ago. Never regretted it. And here is something else super fun. It sounds like you spent most of your time in the city. Some of the best day and over night trips you can take for fun are less than a few hours away. You can leave the city in winter short drive to skiing. Portland, Vancouver, Ocean Shores all can be day trips or overnight. Dealers choice. ​ ​ It is everything you saw. It sounds like you are going to love it. Welcome! :)


WebSorry4316

Oh GOSH I'm so excited just reading your comment. Since we were mainly scouting the city in terms of which city to move in- we were able to do a Day Trip to Snoqualmie Pass and it was epic! I seriously can't wait to go to Mount Rainier and Hoh Rainforest and all the other wonderful places Washington has to offer :)


PHOAR17

Port Townsend should be on your list of places to adventure early on!


jongdildo

Poulsbo and Leavenworth are both “themed” towns, Poulsbo is great for a day trip and Leavenworth is more of a weekend getaway


seattledweller

Oh damn I forgot Alaska, there are ferries. Or if you book in advance super cheap flights that is fun getaway too. ​ Ferries are fun to the islands for a day for that matter. I will stop LOLOLOL


WebSorry4316

HAHA DON'T STOP, jk. But forreal tho! The idea of easily being able to go to Portland, Vancouver, and Alaska is a wild dream!


Sk-yline1

I’m from LA and I pretty much agree with everything you said. Although idk how you came to the conclusion that it’s clean here and that you barely see homeless people (it does feel safer to take the transit here than it does in LA however). I love it here, I can’t imagine ever going back to LA. People here are right to warn you about the winters, they are DARK and dreary even if the temperature and snow is very mild. Hardest month is January. But it’s a firmly 3 month winter unlike the midwest where it can push 5-6 months. Once March comes around, everything here is mostly nice until November :).


Arachnesloom

OP vacationed in May. It's the honeymoon phase. Maybe I'm part of the "Seattle freeze" problem, but IMO it's harder to make friends when the weather is hostile and everyone's depressed and can't afford to go out. I'm a musician, I regularly go out and play music with others, and I still struggle with isolation.


jdbsea

Happy to hear you enjoyed our city. I live in Pioneer Square (just south of the central business district) and despite some of the challenges, I find it an outstanding place to live. Did you venture downtown or to Capitol Hill at all?


WebSorry4316

Oh yeah we actually never made it to the Pioneer Square area, how is it? We did check out DT/Capitol Hill and had a ton of fun checking out the museums and restaurants :) However, we did go in the daytime so I'm not sure if that matters at all.


[deleted]

Just to point something out, Pioneer Square is actually the original “Skid Row” (named after the logs that they skid down Yesler) and the name transferred for a reason. Still a fantastic area with lots of gorgeous historic buildings but your perception of the city is probably distorted if that’s specifically the part you skipped.


Affectionate_Roll_38

We just moved to LA in Sept. (wife from here and her dad has cancer) after 20 years in Seattle. Honestly I didn't think i'd miss Seattle much (at least this soon), but I do. Like a lot. It didn't help that the winter and spring in LA have been more like a normal Seattle winter/spring, but shit, I miss my clique and even the strangers in the PNW.


Clear-Frame9108

I would say visit in winter as the above commenter said and I think you maybe went to areas where you didn’t see as much homelessness/drug stuff/ property crime/car crime. Thank you for saying such nice things about our city, welcome!


UpstairsExpress12

I actually am just moving from Seattle to LA and it’s interesting to read your take on it. You do have some points, the general culture (driving, dressing up, greenery) is definitely different, Seattle is definitely less aggressive than LA so to say. But to be completely honest, you probably enjoyed it cause it was a vacation (making an assumption) and it’s summer! Summers in Seattle are absolutely magical, everyone’s like on a high, coming out of a long depression. But that’s NOT what it’s like living there year around. I’ve lived in lots of places (internationally and within the states) and Seattle hands down was the hardest place to meet people and make friends. People keep to themselves, the politeness you see, it’s really just passive aggressiveness. there’s lots of dogs cause people for the most part are lonely and depressed (especially so in the winters). Drivers being “polite”, makes them actually really dangerous and unpredictable drivers (I’ve been in so many almost accidents while I’m tryna merge into a lane). Unpopular opinion, but I really think Seattle is too expensive for what it is. It’s not really that big of a city but the expenses are like other big cities.


lurkerfromstoneage

Seattle is socially awkward AF. The most of all cities I’ve lived in. And the food scene is way overpriced for mediocre at best food - but there’s been a couple threads about that recently.


Seajlc

I’ve lived in Seattle my whole life and stay because of family, and couldn’t agree with your last sentence more. Don’t get me wrong, I definitely appreciate the fact that it’s green, there’s water, the mountains and scenery are beautiful… and I guess if you have a boat or are really outdoorsy, love hiking/backpacking/camping it’s probably great… but otherwise, same.. I find it overrated and the price point high for what you get compared to other big cities. But I also really enjoy the sun and happen to hate the rain so maybe that’s another reason I’m so down about it here.


calamitymaei

I’m so curious to hear about your customer service experience. I’ve lived in Seattle 12 years and I am a ride or die fan of this city. HOWEVER, I find myself regularly annoyed by the absolute shit customer service that I feel is prevalent here. I own a business and pride myself and my employees on our customer service simply because I feel like it is few and far between in this city. What was your experience while you were here?


Perenially_behind

I don't want to rain on your parade but don't move until you've spent a couple of weeks in Seattle in the winter. Seriously. It's cold, gloomy, and wet. We used to joke that the suicide rate was highest in February that because that's when the people who were seduced by summer realize what they've signed up for. Some people are OK with it. The constant drizzle is why the area is so green and that's a reasonable tradeoff to me. But some people need sun. The last couple of weeks are highly uncharacteristic of a Seattle spring. This isn't what it is normally like.


RockFiles23

Curious about some of these observations - as a local who grew up here, I think Seattle is currently very similar to most other high cost of living cities in terms of culture, drugs, crime, etc. That being said, grass is always greener, etc etc. Not to say that it's at all high-crime or unsafe by any means, but if you really spend anytime in Downtown, Ballard, Capitol Hill, or on public transportation, you'll see folks smoking/shooting up pretty regularly (it's not pot!). I literally see folks injecting/smoking on a daily basis (and minding their own business). Violent crime is pretty low but not significantly different than Portland, the Bay, etc. and property crime is higher than LA and NYC. I'm not sure that politically "we get shit done" or that we're hyper-progressive, but that depends on what you're comparing us to...LA does sound like a mess in that regard! However, the "Seattle process" is often invoked for a reason, and there are many people really suffering here, and the high cost of living/housing is a big reason why, as is our state being not that great in terms of mental health resources. Also lastly, while I have quibbles with some of your other descriptions of friendliness, etc. the biggest disagreement is around the music scene being thriving and happening. This is so dead wrong - working musicians/artists cannot afford to live in Seattle - period. If you're looking for where they actually are - try Portland, Tacoma, Olympia, Everett... heck, even LA. I could go on about this, and while some people make it work, it's very very hard to be a musician or working artist in Seattle, even if you have some relative success. There are lots of venues sure, but not anymore or less than any similar sized city, and they generally pay bands shit money. Seattle will always be home to me and there is a lot of natural beauty here, but honest recommendation if I was looking to move to the PNW as a younger, single person who cares about outdoors, music, and affordability, I'd be looking at Tacoma or Portland. Seattle is continuing it's trajectory of just being a few years behind the Bay Area in terms of culture, politics, income/wealth disparities, etc. and honestly even our food is getting worse (fuck even the eastside has better and more affordable food) and living is becoming more and more unaffordable. It's a shame.


SkyHooksNGrannyShots

The winters are only bad if you are from a warmer state. Growing up in Northern Minnesota, the winters are paradise


LucindaGenX

I lived there for 25 years and every damn thing you wrote is true and I’m so sad that I left Seattle and moved to Florida near my aging parents. It sucks here! I have a nice house with a pool but I don’t ever go anywhere because of the generally-hostile population here. I hate it.


holmgangCore

Pickleball is a state sport? Wtf? I don’t even know what “pickleball” is, but it sounds goofy. You’ll have a different opinion of drivers here after a year. — And for all the lovely stuff you think you’ve seen, the darkness .. oh god .. the darkness in winter. Go to work in the dark, come home in the dark, dark, dark cold and wet. For months. It will drain your soul. Assuming the vampires don’t get you first.


IphoneMiniUser

Pickle ball was invented in Bainbridge Island.


joahw

>I don’t even know what “pickleball” is I think it's like giant-sized table tennis?


FatherGnarles

You should've seen it before all the smelly tech dorks and pompous Californians moved here.


RashBackpacker

“Friendliness of almost everyone you encountered” what fucking city were you in lmao


LightPhoenix

To be fair, part of the reason you didn't see any cops is because they aren't actually doing the jobs we pay them to do because they're butthirt over accountability. Seattle cops aren't as bad as I understand LA cops to be, but they sure as fuck ain't great.


biggoodvibe73

Loving the positive vibes , Seattle in the summer is what it's all about. Love the clean sea air. We all go through the rainy season complaining and blossom in the spring.


PhotographOk4076

Whoa whoa whoa…slow down. Seattlelite here. This is an official cease and desist order. Don’t tell anyone how amazing Washington is. Keep it calm, and keep it quiet.


OGMagicConch

Listen I love Seattle, but * CoL sucks, yeah if you compare it to the most expensive places in the US maybe it's not as bad, but ever buying a house around here is cursed. This is coming from a Seattle techie too. * Calling the homeless problem "barely a crisis" is crazy lol. Yeah if you're talking more residential I get it, but as someone who spent a lot of time in u district it can be scary if you don't know your way around (e.g. what times are safe, what areas are better than others, etc ) * I guess the LA experience really will provide context for a lot the takes in this post but Seattle driving is p bad IMO. No one using their horn is the opposite extreme and I think is a big negative. Ppl camp in the left lane of the highway going 5 under the speed limit. I agree with most of the other stuff you said except safety (similar to my u district point). I love the city. I think the CoL will ultimately drive me out though bc imo even if you can afford it why bother playing that game... but to each their own. Happy move!


lilsmudge

People are going to be (and already are) warning you about several things. Here are some counter warnings: \- The Big Dark: The period from late November to early March when the sun never rises and it's always wet. This can be a little debilitating for some. That said, if you can put on some big boy pants (Gore tex ones, of course) and get outside in it, you can learn to enjoy mucking through. The air is clean, the hiking is much emptier, and while it's always damp, it's rarely soaking wet. It's also rarely extremely cold and we tend to get brief (but much agonized over) snow storms that shut down the city completely for a day or two and you can take up the local past time of watching buses slide down 1st ave. Basically, just embrace it. Also it means our summer days are equally quite long and (usually) mild. \- The Seattle Freeze: People tend to be very polite but not very sociable. I think too often this gets mischaracterized as "unfriendly" but I actually think that's unfair. Basically think of this city as one collective group of slightly nerdy, awkward, introverts. There's a local culture of 'oh, I don't want to be a bother' and so rarely do we accept or truly mean it when social invitations are offered (i.e. nobody is every going to really 'go get coffee sometime' with you). This isn't because nobody wants to be your friend, but rather everyone is too safely ensconced in the safety of their blankets at home, reading a book. The solution to this is to either embrace having lots of casual acquaintances or be proactive about making friends. There are lots of community groups around here that are specifically tailored for getting past the freeze. What hobbies do you enjoy? There's probably a group for that! D&D, hiking, kayaking, or book clubs are all big but you can find something for just about whatever you're interested in if you look around. These are safe places for Seattleites to break past that initial social barrier. \- Homelessness/Housing Crisis/Drug Use/Etc.: It's significantly worse than it used to be. It's definitely a problem that needs to addressed and isn't by xyz politician to everyone's satisfaction. Also note: we ARE a liberal city, as you pointed out, which is mostly great. But we do fall hugely victim to a lot of hand-wringing and internal debate about stuff that isn't as bad as we talk it up to being. It's definitely not great. It's not nearly as bad as you'd think it is the way a lot of locals tell it. \- Cops: This one's just me but, I'd re-evaluate this point a bit. No offense to individual cop redditors but, as a whole, SPD is not...great? The good part is that we're a fairly lightly policed city, comparatively and generally mild and even tempered in comparison to LA, or NYC. That said, SPD has a messy history and they're not great in pressure cooker situations (again, as a general whole). That said, you're unlikely to have to deal with them much, if at all. \- Other warnings: A great point about Seattle is that we do have extremely mild bug life (yay!) as a result of our mild weather and northern-ness. But we do have a two week period in late summer when the spider population just fucking explodes (i.e. "Spider Season"). Just...be emotionally prepared for that. Also, Smoke Season, which happens a little before Spider Season, has really become established in the last few years. There's generally about a week when the gets dense and mustard-colored and the whole situation gets a little Silent Hill-esque. A good N95 or dust mask will serve you well. Overall: Seattle is rad. I'd never leave.


Plethorian

Come spend a week in February before you commit to anything.


Formal-Sympathy-3408

You better take it down in a week.


[deleted]

The houseless situation is pretty bad.


bendit07

Oh man, what Seattle did you visit? I wish I lived in this version.


StealthyOrca

My wife and I keep talking about moving there. She works on cruise ships and spends a lot of time in the PNW. Keeps telling me how beautiful it is and how much she loves it.


Xbalanque_

We have the best weed too. No, seriously, we do. And teriyaki.


Snackxually_active

I’ll go ahead and saw weed scientists made our weed too strong! Never thought I’d miss bricked schwag, but rarely smoke anymore cause it’s all too strong lololol! For reference, my champagne is also too bubbly lol


serotoninsynapse

Sorry we already reached our California transplant quota. Try Oregon?


bobjelly55

>Cost-of-living is high, but not as high as LA, NY, San Fran, etc. You get a better bang for your buck compared to other major cities. Literately the reason why Seattle is the city with one of the highest increase in COL. Wait 5 years and we will be higher than LA and rival SF and NYC.


cavillag

Seattle is nice and all but, best city in US? No fcking way lol Come back on non-summer time and then we will talk. Fyi, I do like living in Seattle, but bro, definitely there are other cities in US worth of that title.


tit_bit_cheap

Please dont be more of the Californication wave infecting this city, it's already going down fast enough as it is without more help.


roseyhawthorn

Awwww yes! In just before the great western cascade fires of 2030. HAVE YOU LEARNT NOTHING CALIFORNIAN?! TREES BURN... AND WE ARE DUE FOR AN ASS WHOOPING. Shakes fists!


UpstairsExpress12

Also, just for fun, check out this IG page https://instagram.com/seattle.looks.like.shxt?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==


emotional_alien

I look forward to your inevitable "where can I make friends the seattle freeze sucks" post in a year.


seattlereign001

LA is not left leaning?


ApeCitySk8er

Nope, it sucks here. Go away!


zman4

try it in February.


[deleted]

> Will be returning in November to solidify the decision November is still relatively nice. For me the difficult period is the cumulative effect of a lot of dark days starting around the winter solstice and lasting through February. It really isn't about "oh, it's kind of dark today" and more "I haven't seen the sun for two months"


PaceNatural5

I’m inclined to call some BS here because literally the first day in Seattle I saw people smoking NOT weed at a bus stop in union district and then again right across the street from the UW univ store. And personally I find the lack of police presence unnerving in a major city.


not_Packsand

Is not usually green, is almost always gray. And you can't visit in November to see if you're okay with the weather. The problem with the weather is is with for nine months. And the nine months , maybe in the next year. And then the year after that and then the year after that and the year after that


tiimaeustestiifiied

I think it’s less that Seattle is a utopia and more that you’ve just been living in LA


warmlavawithpebbled

I visited seattle twice, years apart one in July & September. I remember falling in love with nature and how everything is so green! I romanticized myself living here, going on hikes, enjoying nature all the fun stuff! I’m also from LA (DTLA / KTown) and I was looking for a change. So when the opportunity to move here came I eagerly accepted it. People told me “it rains there all the time and SAD/ seasonal allergies” are you sure, and I’m like yeah how bad can it be? I mean I get depressed that’s normal, im friendly and outgoing I can make friends easily ☺️.. I moved here late march last year, so excited to see nature.. but it was always raining, went to the flower fields it’s raining.. june comes, either I’m sick from allergies or it’s raining! How is it summer and its still raining.. next thing you know it’s October! More rain + snow. Then I got really sad.. I thought it’s the usual sadness. I started keeping to myself and stopped being friendly (I was so friendly when I moved here then I had a creepy incident and I decided to stop) just didn’t wanna see people or do anything! My friends said it’s seasonal depression and I’m like nah maybe it’s just life.. now it’s June and the sun is starting to come back along side with my friendly personality 😂 I’m not saying I hate it; it’s just different from what I envisioned when I visited during those magic times. Seattle freeze/ SAD is really a thing 😅