Moving to Seattle-Seattleites, do you really hate non-natives?

[am_monkee]

Well, it looks like I will be moving to Seattle at the end of August, beginning of September. While this is a few months away, it is a major move, as I've lived in Chicago and NY all my life. I believe there are a few BYOAC members in the area...perhaps you could offer up some advice, suggestions of neighborhoods, things to avoid, etc.

A few questions/concerns I had:
* Would it be possible for me to bike year-round? Yes, I know it rains, but I'm used to that. I mean in terms of ice/sleet, snow, etc. How's public transportation?
* Also, is this thing about 'the Seattle Freeze' really real? Do people ignore non-natives?
* I am moving for my job (sort of-my doctorate research) and will need to be in Seattle-not the surrounding area or suburbs. Therefore, what is the cost like? Can I afford an apt. studio for around 700 or less in a decent neighborhood?
* How does the apt. search go? Any brokers? If I plan on moving in Sept. 1st, what is the best time to visit Seattle to lock an apt.?
*Any thoughts/suggestions/comments about the city would be much appreciated. I'm a little nervous because the Northwest is unchartered territory for me-I've never even visited.
Thanks in advance!

[Chris G]

From the windy city to the rainy city, eh?    Welcome.

I'm a non-native, but have lived here about 12 years, so I can give you a "little of both" perspective.  I also don't live in the city, so you should know that.  You will get much different answers from folks who've lived here all their lives and/or who live/have lived in the city.

I have lots of friends who bike (bicycle and motorcycle, not sure which you mean) year-round.  On average, it snows about once or twice in the winter and the snow doesn't stick around for very long.  This year was an exception.

The public transportation is ok.  Compared to other cities (SF, for example, where I'm originally from) I personally find it lacking.  My wife takes the bus downtown every day and the buses are fairly hit-and-miss schedule-wise.  But you can get pretty much anywhere with a transfer or two.

I have never heard of, nor experienced, the Seattle Freeze.  People in Seattle are very nice (too nice sometimes - try getting someone to go first at a 4-way stop sign).  Maybe this is a little different in the city?  I doubt it though.

You might be able to find a decent studio for around that price.  Not sure about the location, though.  Again, I'm not in the city and haven't rented for years.  I'm sure someone else can help more with that.  Here's a link to the Craigslist apt section to get an idea.

I would strongly urge you to move earlier in the summer, if possible, or at least visit.  Summer is the only time of year it doesn't suck here weather-wise, and the summer is absolutely beautiful and wonderful to be here.  Then it rains for like the next 8 months.   

Good luck and feel free to let me know if there's anything else I can do to help you out.

 
Chris

[Chris G]

Also: Perhaps a reputation of attitude toward non-natives may be related to some contempt toward Californians in particular.  Some people around here blame them for moving to the area and driving up housing prices (which can be perceived negatively or positively depending on one's perspective) and for making it a "meaner" place, in terms of their driving habits.

But this could be said of Californians moving to any state (I can get away with saying that, being a former Californian).   

[am_monkee]

Chris,

Thanks for the tips man. I had actually never heard of the supposed 'freeze' until I started checking out articles about Seattle. There seem to be a number of theories explaining 'why they are the way they are,' but none seemed too plausible. Good to know about biking (and unfortunately, I did mean bicycle. I wish I had a motorcycle, but that is on a long list of 'wants' that never seem to happen).

I don't think I've ever been in a city that transportation wasn't 'hit or miss,' so I'm cool with that. Every system has its flaws, and as long as there is transportation, I'm cool with that.

I'm definitely going to try to make it out for a bit in the summer, but I have to finish some research here in NYC, so I can't leave before that. 
I haven't decided when exactly because I'm not sure about the apt. market. I know you're no longer a renter (lucky bastard), so I don't expect you to have an answer, but that's one thing I have to figure out soon.

Thanks for the info and if anything comes to my head (or yours), I'll post up. Anyone else--advice, etc. much appreciated.

[btp2k2]

Yes.....we hate Californians....Everyone else is cool.

Oh....we do hate Bears fans and Stealers fans (yes, I did spell it like that on purpose).....

Being born and raised here, I can say yeah...there is the "Seattle Freeze"....but mostly to the down southers....Californians moved up here in droves in the 80's and turned most of the eastside to a mini southern california. They even have black and white cop cars.

Public transportation sucks....we have been trying to get a light rail system for years and the politicians can't pull their heads out long enough to see how badly it is needed.

Your best bet for a place is to look in the early summer. You might try the University District. It is close to downtown and has a lot of apartments for the college kids. Greenwood or Ballard wouldn't be bad either. Finding a place is mostly just show up and talk to the property management. One thing to be aware of though....the big new craze in real estate around here is buying apartment buildings and converting them to condos. A friend moved into a new apartment a few months ago and found a notice on his door the other week that they are kicking everyone out because they are going to be converted in the next few months....weak!

The thing about this city is simple.....we are too busy sticking our noses into a cup of Starbucks to notice anyone else. Everyone has to drive the same Subaru Outback wagon, sip the same Starbucks, wear the same REI jacket. There really isn't an original person in the entire city. If you can get past that, the scenery is amazing, the city really is beautiful, with the Cascades in the background and the water. The greatest part about Washington is the environment. From Seattle, you drive 2 hours to the west, some of the most beautiful coastline you have ever seen, an hour to the east and you have mountains and skiing , an hour past the mountains you have desert, a couple hours to the north, lush fields and farms, drive to the south....well....there really isn't any need to go south....Except Portland...you can go down there for the weekend and shop without sales tax....pretty cool.

A friend on vacation once said "Every where you go here is a new postcard waiting to be snapped"....it really is that beautiful

[Apollo]

we will kill you and eat your children

[am_monkee]

Great. I'm officially scared, both about the freeze and the uniformity.

Thanks for the rec's on neighborhoods. I don't know if I'd want to live in a college area, given that I am a bit older and am going there for research for my doctorate (those boozy, hazy days have unfortunately passed), but I'll definitely check all of them out and prices.

Don't know if you'd know this, but what's the normal time to look for an apt.? That is, if I want to move in on Sept. 1st, when should I take a flight out to check out apartments and sign a lease? Before August? A few weeks before move-in?

A little sad to hear hatred for the Bears, as they're my hometown team, but I guess I'll have to adjust (or be a closet fan).

Thanks for the tip on converted condos-I'll try to be aware of that. I am looking forward to the scenery, like you said. I'm definitely an outdoors person, so it'll be nice to be around nature. I really appreciate the info and again, if you know about the time thing, that'd be great. Also-is it true that you can haggle prices of apts. by agreeing to stay there for a 1 year lease?

[am_monkee]

apollo-yum. good thing i have no kids.

[btp2k2]

Great. I'm officially scared, both about the freeze and the uniformity.

Thanks for the rec's on neighborhoods. I don't know if I'd want to live in a college area, given that I am a bit older and am going there for research for my doctorate (those boozy, hazy days have unfortunately passed), but I'll definitely check all of them out and prices.

Don't know if you'd know this, but what's the normal time to look for an apt.? That is, if I want to move in on Sept. 1st, when should I take a flight out to check out apartments and sign a lease? Before August? A few weeks before move-in?

A little sad to hear hatred for the Bears, as they're my hometown team, but I guess I'll have to adjust (or be a closet fan).

Thanks for the tip on converted condos-I'll try to be aware of that. I am looking forward to the scenery, like you said. I'm definitely an outdoors person, so it'll be nice to be around nature. I really appreciate the info and again, if you know about the time thing, that'd be great. Also-is it true that you can haggle prices of apts. by agreeing to stay there for a 1 year lease?

Ah, don't sweat it...as long as you haven't had an address in California before, you will be fine.

I would say come out pre august, maybe middle to end of July. Most of the good apartments are property management, so they tend to have longer processes than "I'll take it, when can I move in?"

Until last year, I was an apartment dweller and I have never heard of the haggling thing.

[boykster]

Yep, we mostly hate californians.  The rest of the country is ok, so you should be ok. 

I have no idea how much you can expect to pay for rent, but you probably will be able to find something in your price range.  What part of the city is your job/research going to be located?  Other neighborhoods (other than the u district) you should be able to find an apt near the city are capital hill, queen anne, eastlake, fremont, ballard....

For a sept apartment, I'd suggest a trip out in july/august at the latest.  There are several colleges here and you want to make sure you don't get blocked out by all of the students.

[am_monkee]

Thanks guys. The research I'll be doing will put me in different neighborhoods approximately each month, so for me, as long as I'm in the city and in a decent neighborhood, that's cool.

I didn't realize about college kids coming in and taking apts.--so I guess July is a better time to secure one. Thanks for the tip.

I don't have an ounce of California in me, nor do I look it, so I guess that's my saving grace from being tarred and feathered! I never knew there was so much hate, but your reasoning makes sense (though a generalization). Thanks again for the help guys. 

[am_monkee]

Btp2k2:  Too bad about the no-haggling on apt. prices. My colleague told me about it and we were both so pumped about it (b/c in nyc, there's no way in hell that would ever happen). Must be an urban legend....

Oh, one more thing: do you know if there are intramural sports teams to play on? Particularly baseball? Thanks.

[Chris G]

Too bad about the no-haggling on apt. prices. My colleague told me about it and we were both so pumped about it (b/c in nyc, there's no way in hell that would ever happen). Must be an urban legend....

Everything is negotiable - it just depends on the rental market at the time.  If it's a tight market, landlords will jack the rates and turn people away if they don't like the color shirt they're wearing.  If the market's soft, then they offer incentives.  The only "rule" is basic supply and demand.

Oh, one more thing: do you know if there are intramural sports teams to play on? Particularly baseball? Thanks.

Intramural = school-related.  Is that what you mean?  If so, then it depends which school you're talking about.  If you're just talking about organized teams you can join, then yes - I have some friends who play on various levels and could get you some info if you like.

 
Chris

[btp2k2]

with the apartment to condo craze going on, the market is such that there is not alot of apartments going around. Expect to pay some $$$

I don't have an ounce of California in me, nor do I look it, so I guess that's my saving grace from being tarred and feathered! I never knew there was so much hate, but your reasoning makes sense (though a generalization). Thanks again for the help guys. 

Hey, in that case...Welcome to the Emerald City!!!!!

And.....I was being completely serious about the Starbucks....I used to work downtown, and there was 6 Starbucks in a 3 block radius....and....they were all packed! I think they put mind control chemicals in it or something

[FrizzleFried]

Hell...most every state hates Californians...as a Californian myself (now residing in Idaho), I HATE Californians.   I moved here for a REASON...to escape 80%+ of the people that now call California their home.

[am_monkee]

Hell...most every state hates Californians...as a Californian myself (now residing in Idaho), I HATE Californians.   I moved here for a REASON...to escape 80%+ of the people that now call California their home.

I think most New Yorkers have a love-hate relationship with themselves...maybe it's a coastal thing.

Chris: sorry for not being clear enough. I didn't mean school sports, but rather just coed teams that are not affiliated with school. I used to belong to a coed softball team in Chicago in the summer and it was the best-just people in their 20,30, and 40s playing. If you have any info on that, I'd really appreciate it.

Good to know about the market...hopefully, it will be nice and soft when I get there . The condo craze is not just happening in Seattle-NY and Chicago are both getting hit hard.

This info is great! I really appreciate all the comments. 

[ChadTower]

Bah, NY is only very barely a coastal state.  If you can't look from your border directly out over the ocean, at nothing, you're not a coastal state.   

[CCM]

Bah, NY is only very barely a coastal state.  If you can't look from your border directly out over the ocean, at nothing, you're not a coastal state.   

Have you ever been to the beach on the south side of Long Island??  Nothing but water....

[ChadTower]

Right, and that's about 0.5% of NY's eastern border.

I live in MA and work in RI.  That's the coast.  NY just has a random island that could just as easily be in a state other than NY.

[CCM]

Right, and that's about 0.5% of NY's eastern border.

I live in MA and work in RI.  That's the coast.  NY just has a random island that could just as easily be in a state other than NY.

But it's not in any other state, it's part of New York state....  What other state could it be in?  Florida?  California?

[Chris G]

He wrote: "very barely a coastal state", which seems an accurate description.  And he even used a smiley face.  Now can we get back to our regularly scheduled discussion of the WEST coast...   

[CCM]

He wrote: "very barely a coastal state", which seems an accurate description.  And he even used a smiley face.  Now can we get back to our regularly scheduled discussion of the WEST coast...   

Oh, the west coast... I don't know anything about that....   

[am_monkee]

Yes, please. The west coast, my soon to be home that I am clueless (though less so thanks to you guys!) on.

So yes, Chris, the sports stuff if you know of websites/info I should check out....also, I do understand gripes about buses and public transportation, but I just want to make certain that I will be able to get around Seattle w/o a car. That is, just pt and my bike? Because the expense of buying a car is something I'd like to avoid at all costs.

For the record, I must agree with you ChadT that my referencing NY as a coastal city is slightly off-base. Though, I'm in Astoria and literally next to the water...oh crap, that's just a little river...never mind

[am_monkee]

edit

[FrizzleFried]

Once you move West you will wonder why in the hell ANYONE lives East.  Say good bye to nasty sticky disgustingly humid weather 99% of the time!  W00H00!  Having visited Jersey ONCE during July,  I wonder why in the hell ANYONE would want to reside in that weather.

My GOD...I took a shower and I didn't fully dry off AT ALL until the next shower...and the bugs...Jesus H Christ almighty the bugs...WHEW...damn those bugs.

[am_monkee]

Yea, I was out in Vegas a couple years back in August and couldn't believe how great it was-dry heat rules.

The bugs here are horrible, I'll admit, but considering nyc has been hit with a bed bug epidemic, little gnats are really the least of our problems...

[Chris G]

So yes, Chris, the sports stuff if you know of websites/info I should check out

According to my friend who's heavy into softball here, this is the place to start.  I guess there's a message board you can post on to outline your interest, etc.  And if you're any good, he says his team may be looking for someone. 

http://usssawa.com/

I just want to make certain that I will be able to get around Seattle w/o a car

Yes, especially if you're living AND working in the city.  In fact, having a car would be a negative with parking and traffic as it is.  Lots of companies even pay for bus passes these days.  Here's the place to go:

http://www.metrokc.gov/tran.htm

 
Chris

[am_monkee]

Awesome! Thanks Chris. I just realized that I might be too gung-ho in the sports area, as I won't be getting there til Sept. 1st, which is usually the wind-up of the season . But, the contact info is good to have for next summer and, yes, I think I'm a pretty decent player, though I can certainly be bad (particularly when I've had a few...man, those bases get far apart then! ).

Thanks for the reasurrance on the car issue. My moving expenses are being paid for, so I'm really grateful I don't have to worry about that. My top priority now (besides finishing all my stuff here) is booking a couple days when I could go out to Seattle and look for apts. Does anyone have thoughts about going through a realtor vs. something like Craigslist?

Thanks again for all the help. 

[CCM]

I did visit Seattle once, the Sci Fi museum is cool, and you gotta check out the Underground Tour, very neat stuff.  Oh yeah, it rained when I was there.

[btp2k2]

Hey...speaking about the intramural sports stuff....there are a ton of "beer leagues" around for everything....I play in a co-ed soccer league, have some friends that play softball....and all the hippies with their frisby golf....

[bfauska]

HEY!!!!!! I ain't no freakin hippie but I do like me some Frisbee golf.

I wouldn't compare our dry heat to Vegas, even moving back from 4 years in Sacramento I can tell it's actually fairly humid here.  NOWHERE near east coast or Midwest humid, but western washington is a fairly humid place.

I have never used an agency to find an apartment, just use the classifieds and craigslist. 

You may not realize it, but the Pacific Northwest is also a mecca of micro and craft breweries.  

I'm sure you will enjoy it here.

See you around,
Brian

[am_monkee]

Cool. Those beer leagues sound intriguing...I'll have to check them out.

Thanks Brian for the info on the apt. searching. When I picture the West Coast, I do envision many frisbee golfers, but also hacky sack hippies. The latter really scare me. 

CCM, I'll look up the underground tour, as I have no idea what it is. I've decided to accept the rain situation and am now looking at it like this: I will expect it to rain every freaking day. That way, when it doesn't rain, I can say 'wow, Seattle has great weather.' Ahhh...those undergrad courses in psych have done me well

I'm actually starting to get psyched to move. Thanks guys for quelling most of my fears. Hopefully, I'll have a bigger apt. and more space=more cabs!

[CCM]

http://www.undergroundtour.com/

[Chris G]

I would consider waiting on the Underground tour, Space Needle, etc.  They are very cool, but if you ever host out-of-town guests, you will have to do those touristy things over and over again.  Gets boring (and expensive).  If I had it to do over again, I would focus my time on learning the city.

I'm no hippie either, but I've been meaning to try frisbee golf.  Now that it's warming up finally, I may have to do that.  And I had no idea there's a sci-fi museum... hmmmm....

 
Chris

[am_monkee]

Good point about the space needle. Growing up in Chicago, whenever people would come to visit, the first thing they'd want to see was the sears tower. It's a building. That's it. Riding an elevator a hundred plus floors does not ten dollars make. 

Glad to see even locals are learning new things about the city

[shmokes]

How could anybody be scared by hackey sack hippies?  I can hardly imagine a more docile, harmless creature.


I'm really surprised at this whole Seattle Freeze business.  I've always heard that Seattlites are the friendliest people in the world.  Obnoxiously friendly, even.  I had a friend who lived there and she said that the second you turn on your turn signal on the freeway people will hit the brakes to let you in.  She said whenever she sees them smiling and waving to her in her rear view mirror she feels homicidal.  She's mostly kidding, of course, but she says that it's sometimes annoying, like that obnoxious coworker who's always smiling and talking to everyone like they're in kindergarten.

[am_monkee]

Shmokes, I too was surprised by this, but if you google it, there are quite a few articles on the subject. The head of the sociology dept. at UW has discussed this at length.

Coming from Chicago and NY, docile creatures like hacky sack hippies are a foreign, strange people. Their friendly ways and nonviolent protests confuse us. That patchuli smell that wafts from their bodies makes us wonder...
 

[bfauska]

The Sci-fi meuseum is in the EMP blob.. er.. I mean building. 


< >
Turn signals?   There are eough Californians up here now that turn signals can neither be expected or trusted ( I lived in CA for 4 years and speak from experiance.)

Oddly the more hippie-like a place is lately the ruder the people are.  It is totally counter-intuitive, but it is because now the cool thing for rich people to do is be hippies.  The big natural grocery store around here is Whole Foods and the customers in that place are obnoxious.  The employees are friendly, but the people shopping have no manners what-so-ever.  Trader Joes too, which sucks, because Trader Joes has good stuff for good prices.

</  >

Now the hippies bouncing bean-bags off of their feet on the other hand are plenty nice, especially if you share their mellow non-buzz-kill lifestyle.

[shmokes]

God I love Trader Joes.  They would never exist in Utah cos only the state can sell liquor/wine/real beer.  I guess I don't care at this point since I'm moving in a few months (wonder if Miami has Trader Joe's), but whenever my brothers from San Francisco, or my friends from Las Vegas visit they always bring me loads of Trader Joe's dried mango.  SO.  ---smurfing---.  GOOD.

[am_monkee]

The also have a mango chutney that makes me actually question my atheism...

Trader Joe's just opened up in nyc a few months ago. Coming from Chicago where there are a couple TJs, I didn't find it to be a big deal, but man was I wrong. There was a ridiculous line down and around the block. It was kind of funny seeing bourgeoise Manhattanites wanting to be front and center of something new, even if it was a grocery store.