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This city has always held a special place in my heart. The entertainment, low key atmosphere, overcast weather and liberal tone made it to my top 5 cities in the US. However, now it's SO EXPENSIVE and many areas have been gentrified so the authentic Seattle feel has greatly diminished. I guess Portland is the next best thing unless it to becomes as expensive and then no one would want to live there. Your thoughts on this?
I agree. My extended family and sister live in Seattle. I visit on a regular basis. Argh. I am always so relieved to get home. The parking is atrocious and expensive, people are so pretentiously non-pretentious, IKEA is the closest thing I've ever experienced to being in a human gerbil maze, etc. The cost of living is insane. I just got back from there this weekend and am so glad I don't live there. It seems like no one is from there anymore. Everyone is an import.
Plus, we get it. You're environmentalists. Must we all suffer from your desire to keep us all stuck on the same existing freeway lanes that don't accommodate all the traffic because it would be a sin to build more? Well, of course, you're all waiting for a monorail or something. Didn't they make a movie about that in 1992 called Singles where they were complaining about waiting for it back then? That was 1992! Plus, recycling--I love it, usually. But, when I can't even figure out how to throw anything away without having gasps and stares, well, wow! That's a bit much.
I used to go there a great deal growing up and loved it. Now it's just too overdone. It's too into itself but in self-righteous way that allows folks to put up with outrageous costs for drinking the "in" beers or going to some crappy music shows with music that really lacks, well, any musicality.
I have given Seattle some high marks in some of my other posts. I do think it is better than a lot of cities. I just wouldn't want to live there.
And, what is the deal with everyone being paranoid about Californians? Apparently I was wearing too much color and perhaps had a slight tan. I am from the inland northwest. I was asked on several occasions if I was from California. HA! What in the world would give someone the idea that I was from California? Was it that I was wearing make-up and had visibly seen a hair dresser in the last two years? Is that what made me seem different from the locals?
Last edited by lorelei2873; 06-04-2007 at 06:27 PM..
I generally agree. I've been in the PNW for about 20 years now, lived in Seattle about 10 years. While I do think Seattle is still a good city, much if it's distinctiveness has been lost and it's really starting to feel like just another large city.
More than anything I think the problem has been a lack of planning and political ineffectiveness. Seattle politicians/leaders just didn't seem to have enough foresight in to plan the city's transportation and urban development for the eventual population boom.
That said, I've met many people who've moved here recently that love it, so I guess much of it depends on your perspective (long-time residents vs recent arrivals).
As for scricco's comment about doing injustice to Seattle by comparing it to Portland, I think the opposite is true. While I've never lived there, to me Portland has much the feel of Seattle 15 years ago before all the malignant growth. Portland has more effectual politics, hence better transportation and urban planning. While Portland is growing as well, I'm more optimistic about it's future than Seattle's because Portland's growth is more well-planned.
I meant to delete that last sentence but forgot. Unfair to Portland. I personally have never liked Portland so it's strictly a personal thing.
But I agree completely with your comments, Apathizer. Yes, Seattle is infamous for poor planning of its infrastructure ...extremely poor highway and transportation planning. Portland far outshines Seattle in that respect. Good comments.
This city has always held a special place in my heart. The entertainment, low key atmosphere, overcast weather and liberal tone made it to my top 5 cities in the US. However, now it's SO EXPENSIVE and many areas have been gentrified so the authentic Seattle feel has greatly diminished. I guess Portland is the next best thing unless it to becomes as expensive and then no one would want to live there. Your thoughts on this?
Seattle DWARFS Portland in prestige, importance, and all of the qualities you listed above. Gentrification may have mellowed it out a bit--but it's still the same old Seattle. I'm curious, though, what your other top 5 cities are.
It really cracks me up how native Seattleites and western washingtonians always and constantly blame newcomers & californians for 'messing up' Seattle. Most big metropolitan areas grew through the years and many far faster than the Puget Sound region. Do other big cities blame newcomers?
Also I'll say it again, Seattle was not that great of a city for minorities. And as a minority in this town, I'll take todays Seattle anyday.
Seattle bashing seems to be en vogue these days: there is a plethora of websites chastising the Seattle of today. There are things I like about Seattle to this day and regionally speaking, it is a terrific place to visit, perhaps live. But what struck me the last time I spent there was how badly downtown has decayed and zero vibrancy after dark. It isn't safe, even right by Pike Place Market. And what has become of Pioneer Square dear god? The downtown area has become a morgue after dark with crackheads wandering the middle of the streets at every turn. This isn't the Seattle I recall ten years ago. On a side note, downtown Portland isn't anything noteworthy in itself either: I too love the surrounding region, but the heart of Portland is lacking vitality.
Someone Said: "To compare it (Seattle) with Portland is not doing it justice, IMO."
I live in Portland, but I have been to Seattle many times. As far as the 2 cities go, I actually like Portland much better than Seattle. In my humble opinion, we in PDX have more, and better pubs/bars, more independent microbreweries, a stronger music scene, a "greener" urban core, and a generally more relaxed pace. Though smaller, I think our downtown area is much nicer, more walk able, and has more interesting, more independent, stores/shops than Seattle's. While Seattle caters more to tourists as evident by all the crappy bootleg t-shirt shops, Portland caters more to its residents. We don't have a lot of "bling" to make out of towners awe struck, but those who live here know that there is always something fun & interesting going on, you just have to know where to look.
Who the hell would pay like $10.00 to take an elevator up to the top of the space needle anyway? Not me.
On the flip side, I would trade being located between the Willamette & the Columbia rivers for being located at the edge of the Puget Sound in a heartbeat. That is the one thing that I envy about Seattle.
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