Tell me about the Seattle area

smeet · #1 10-10-2010, 03:57 PM

I'm looking at the possibility of a move to the Seattle area (Bellevue probably), and I could use some info.

I'm currently in Woodland Hills (LA valley area). I like LA a lot, but the schools, the air quality, and the traffic gridlock are not great. I'm married with two kids.

What's life like in Seattle as far as overall feel, open-mindedness of people, etc?
How about the weather, is it depressing?
Taxes, income, cost of living... ?
What's the music scene like? Is it easy to find good bands to play with and to hear? Is it easy to get paying gigs? Are eclectic and interesting bands accepted, or do you have to play a particular style to get gigs?

Any other information you can give me would be great...

BassesForTheWin · #2 10-10-2010, 03:59 PM

Im wondering the same thing right now.

rickdog · #3 10-10-2010, 04:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smeet

I'm looking at the possibility of a move to the Seattle area (Bellevue probably), and I could use some info.

Seattle and Bellevue are two very different places. I'm not much of a city person, but I like Seattle. Bellevue... if it has a soul, it sure hides it well.

b4nny · #4 10-10-2010, 04:39 PM

I live in Bellevue, and I agree with rickdog. Bellevue doesn't have much of a spirit. For culture and liveliness you must cross Lake Washington. But I would say that living in Bellevue is much more convenient and slightly cheaper than Seattle itself - for example, in Bellevue, you may actually have a front yard, and a driveway - and Seattle isn't that far at all.

I go to high school in Bellevue. The schools are good here in terms of education, my particular school has very high expectations compared to many in the area though, which isn't really compatible with all students...

Weather - during Summer it is comfortable and occasionally hot. It is either rainy and/or overcast much of the rest of the year with sometimes a couple of inches of snow. I wouldn't say it's depressing, if only because I'm so used to it.

Music culture is quite embraced, I would say. This is evidenced by the yearly Bumbershoot festival and the EMP in Seattle Center. I've seen many good bands in local clubs. I don't consider myself an expert on this subject, though...

smeet · #5 10-10-2010, 04:47 PM

Spirit is nice, but with especially a family I would rather not live in most big cities anyway.
Open spaces for home, easy access to the city sounds ideal.
How is access to the outdoors/woods in Bellevue?

How long does it take to get from Bellevue to Seattle, and how is the traffic?

Any comments on the music scene?

OmnitzGarima · #6 10-10-2010, 05:01 PM

I don't think that you can get a true feel for any place until you live there. I live about an hour north of Seattle, and I love it here, but it's not for everybody. Winter is generally dark and wet, a lot of people don't care for it. I've met people from Florida who couldn't handle the summer here, much less the winter. Seattle is a cool place, I get in there every month or so. Nice variety of things to do. There's lots of music going on if you know where to look.

Have you been to Seattle before?

OmnitzGarima · #7 10-10-2010, 05:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rickdog

Bellevue... if it has a soul, it sure hides it well.

+1

Aspidites · #8 10-10-2010, 05:06 PM

I am in Seattle about 1/3 of my time and I can say that summertime is very nice but the rest of the year sucks. The weather is awful, food is expensive, the restaurant scene is mediocre at best with higher than normal prices. Just my .02 cents.

OmnitzGarima · #9 10-10-2010, 05:08 PM

Oh, yeah, the traffic sucks.

Try crossing the 520 floating bridge at 5pm on a Friday.

Aspidites · #10 10-10-2010, 05:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OmnitzGarima

Oh, yeah, the traffic sucks.

Try crossing the 520 floating bridge at 5pm on a Friday.

That is a fact.

smeet · #11 10-10-2010, 05:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OmnitzGarima

I don't think that you can get a true feel for any place until you live there. There's lots of music going on if you know where to look.

Have you been to Seattle before?

I agree about not knowing a place until you live there. I am faced with the dilemma of uprooting a wife and two daughters who have good lives and friends. My job and commute might be better there, but I hate to think of them being unhappy... I just want to get as much data as I can. Maybe that combined with a few days' visit will help.

I haven't been there, the closest I got was Portland. I'll probably be going up for an interview in a couple of weeks, if all goes well they might might fly my family out to check out the area.

I know real estate is cheaper there than in LA. You can get a LOT more land for the money. Looks like 20% cheaper in Bellevue. If I didn't have kids, it's even cheaper in areas with less good schools.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aspidites

I am in Seattle about 1/3 of my time and I can say that summertime is very nice but the rest of the year sucks. The weather is awful, food is expensive, the restaurant scene is mediocre at best with higher than normal prices. Just my .02 cents.

Harsh! So it doesn't compare well to Berkeley I guess. Is the weather very wet? I was hoping it was gray but dry like San Francisco.

Quote:

Originally Posted by OmnitzGarima

Oh, yeah, the traffic sucks.

Try crossing the 520 floating bridge at 5pm on a Friday.

Is it bad even compared to LA traffic???
If I work in Bellevue and have an evening gig in Seattle, is the traffic so bad it's not practical to do?

OmnitzGarima · #12 10-10-2010, 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smeet

Is it bad even compared to LA traffic???
If I work in Bellevue and have an evening gig in Seattle, is the traffic so bad it's not practical to do?

I don't know LA at all, really, so I can't say. Bellevue to Seattle traffic varies by time of day. I avoid it during rush hour. And rush hour is generally about 3 hours long.

dannster · #13 10-10-2010, 05:32 PM

Traffic sucks and it's going to get a lot worse once they tear down the viaduct. Rush hour usually starts around 5am and goes to about 11pm. It's mainly the drivers not the traffic. People don't know how to drive here. It can be downright scary...all the time.haha!
The weather can get to people as we have a lot of gray days over many months. It rains more in Chicago(example) but it rains all at once there, Kasploosh! Here it just drizzles endlessly for weeks on end. But when the sun does come out it can be spectacular. It is really green here. You don't realize it until you leave or see it for the first time. Lots of hills and twists and turns unlike say, Chicago which is a flat boring grid.

Music wise there is a little bit of everything. It is constantly morphing as clubs come and go and the constant push/pull over nightlife with the city.

Bellevue is where Mike Lull's shop is. Big Bonus!!
Seattle area is where LDS cabs is moving to. Big Bonus!!
Bass NW in Pioneer Square. Tough parking but worth it!!

Don't come here without an Ironclad set in stone job.
There is good food to be had here. Just need to know where to look.
The new Mayor likes bicycles and is vigorously working towards making driving as miserable as possible. There are plans to raise parking downtown by $1.50 an hour. and adding Sundays and expanding until 8pm.

You are going to be 40 minutes away from fabulous skiing. and lots of beautiful hiking and mountain lakes.

Seattle is a great place if you have money. Not so much if you are struggling to make ends meet.

OmnitzGarima · #14 10-10-2010, 05:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dannster

Bellevue is where Mike Lull's shop is. Big Bonus!!
Seattle area is where LDS cabs is moving to. Big Bonus!!
Bass NW in Pioneer Square. Tough parking but worth it!!

Hammond Ashley is in Issaquah.

KTFunkAlive · #15 10-10-2010, 05:42 PM

Other than Bass Northwest, the other great thing about Seattle Is it's very close to Vancouver/Whistler.

BassesForTheWin · #16 10-10-2010, 05:55 PM

What about Tacoma?

Caca de Kick · #17 10-10-2010, 06:22 PM

Well the traffic does suck here. The freeways were never made wide enough to begin with, especially 405 between Renton to Bellevue, that has got to be the worst of them all. I've always had better luck staying on side streets when over in that area. Crossing either bridge from Seattle to the eastside as a commute is going to suck. Find a place close(er) to where you live.
But Bellevue and Seattle are two very different places, separated by a big lake so about 10 miles apart. Seattle is everything you've probably seen on TV; old cool buildings downtown, the old craftmen style homes, narrow streets, Puget sound and great sites everywhere, tourists everywhere too downtown everyday of the week. Nightlife used to be more active, but still alot of clubs with live music playing mostly original bands. It's actually pretty though finding clubs where cover bands are playing as cover tunes seem to be more of a casino thing, and the bars really still embrace the original music scene.
Bellevue is, well seemingly predominantly asian and middle east, and more upscale looking than Seattle...total suburbia in appearance, and no nightlife, everyone is gone.

The weather pattern is different north of Seattle than from Downtown and south...it is much wetter and snows more in the northend on up. I've lived in several different areas before buying a home, and Mill Creek to Monroe is miserble to me. I can drive from Federal Way to Lynnwood and it would seem like two different climates!
Yeah during the winter months it's constantly cloudier and rains more, and overall gloomy, but it really doesn't rain everyday like people think (again depending on where you live). The new england states get more rain and downpours than we do. Rain is usually a drizzle to heavy drizzle usually, not like a downpour all the time. But don't be suprized that it warms up to like 40-45 degrees during the day in december. Snow lasts maybe a few days to a week.
I've lived in the Bay area (San Leandro), and the weather patterns seem much the same, just a little bit wetter, and during the winter just colder. Oh, and it's dark by like 4:30 in the winter, but summer doesn't hit dusk until like 10.
Yeah outdoor life is just 45 minutes away for most.
My wife and I grew up on the coast between Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo, and we like it here waaaaaayyyyyy better.

6jase5 · #18 10-11-2010, 11:29 AM

I lived in Woodland Hills/Encino for awhile myself. Moving just south to San Diego was like entering a new world and by that I mean that much better - people (actual locals), music, traffic, etc.

I've always been intrigued about living in the Pacific Northwest so I'd be really curious to see how an ex CA/LA person views the change.

Also, when Dannster stated "Seattle is great if you have money" I'm just curious in relative terms what salary would you consider "having money" for that town?