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Hey, thanks for replies everyone! Yeah I'll definitely do some job applying in about a year from now (can't do now for some legal reasons) but for now I am trying to do some research. I am not really worried about competition - my work history and resume are solid and as long as jobs are there, that's all I need!
I do expect some level of jams, homeless people, etc, just trying to compare it to the current conditions I have. Even when I lived in upstate NY, driving to Adirondacks on a nice summer day involves jams and parking pain. But in NJ/NYC it's basically mission impossible. By the time you get to jersey shore and find parking spot, it's almost going to be time to head back and you will be very stressed after having to survive on NJ highways (either that or you set alarm and wake up really early). I did see that Seattle rates high on jams and homeless issues but before I made this post, I kept wondering whether it's really that bad or just an exaggeration (like they adjust it to population of the place or use some other statistics trick).
Is it really that bad with house and car break ins? I probably won't be living in Seattoe itself, I strongly prefer having my own house with piece of land in a nice suburb neighborhood as opposed to living inside the city.
I do love outdoor activities very much and it's one of the big criteria for me. How are weekends and work day evenings usually? Is it realistic to go kayaking/biking/hiking somewhere local on a work day or is it all jammed? And on the weekends do you usually end up having to plan outdoor activities ahead of time (wake up early so that you can beat traffic and win parking lot) or is it realistic to sleep in and then drive 1-2 hours to some very scenic place.
We have some great in-city lakes, parks, and trails. You can kayak, paddleboard, or sail on Lake Union, which is very close to Downtown.
Parks close to Downtown with trails for hiking or biking include Discovery Park and Myrtle Edwards Park/Elliott Bay Park.
North of Lake Union, there is the Burke-Gilman bike trail:
Even at rush hour, it shouldn't take more than an hour to get to a trailhead in the Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park (Issaquah Alps), and an hour and a half to two hours to get to trailheads in the Cascades, although the closer in, the more crowded the trails.
Thanks a lot for replies, that helps a lot! I think for the homeless people, if they are at least not aggressive, I can live with that. My NYC experience has been that many of them are nuts and I am feeling very uncomfortable when for instance some homeless guy comes into metro car and starts doing random things and screaming. That's for good and ok neighborhoods of course, God forbid you end up in a bad one somehow.
Saying they're homeless is often a bit of a misnomer, the problems are mostly with addicts homeless or not. There isn't much law enforcement oversight on their activities and they're mostly free to do as they please. Sometimes they get aggressive because they know their behavior isn't an enforcement priority for the police.
There was a case this week where a man was threatening to kill some children and their parents at a park. The initial dispatcher told the parent what the man was doing wasn't illegal and they weren't going to file a report. Later they back tracked and did take a report and arrest the man. However that's the sort of inconsistent enforcement that leads to more people thinking it's ok to behave aggressively.
Thanks a lot for replies, that helps a lot! I think for the homeless people, if they are at least not aggressive, I can live with that. My NYC experience has been that many of them are nuts and I am feeling very uncomfortable when for instance some homeless guy comes into metro car and starts doing random things and screaming.
I do love outdoor activities very much and it's one of the big criteria for me. How are weekends and work day evenings usually? Is it realistic to go kayaking/biking/hiking somewhere local on a work day or is it all jammed? And on the weekends do you usually end up having to plan outdoor activities ahead of time (wake up early so that you can beat traffic and win parking lot) or is it realistic to sleep in and then drive 1-2 hours to some very scenic place.
Also would be curious to hear about software engineer jobs. I can research this more or less online but if someone has info if opinion, I would be very curious to know whether there is a healthy mix of big and small businesses there with good compensations or whether I'll have to fight for a position at one of the few large corps such as Amazon.
Software engineer jobs are another topic. Microsoft, Amazon, and Google usually find you, not the other way around (not saying it's impossible, though). Been-there/done-that/got the t-shirt. Yes, there is a more-than healthy mix of startups to mid-size consultancies and other firms to mega companies like the above.
Any trailheads I found that were "busy" about Puget Sound area...or more properly, out in Snohomish County...were the typical/common hikes. Mt. Pilchuck and Ice Caves come to mind. Don't get me wrong; both are spectacular, but in the '04 and '05 season I researched trails in Verlot District (in particular) thoroughly and found hikes that were little or seldom traveled. Forest Service had a website, I haven't been in so long I can only assume that's still up. Had relatively recent trail conditions at most, too.
The wilder hikes can be dangerous, which I though added some cool factor. The abandoned rail line through Robe Canyon is quite trippy, for example. Nature wipes that out every decade or so, plus there are slides, floods, tree falls, other wild stuff.
When I lived in Mill Creek, after work it was something like a half hour or 45 min on the nose to make it to my favorite trail, never mind which one (near Granite Falls). When I was training to run it was my favorite mountain trail-run. I did that 4 days/week most of summer of 2005.
From Kirkland, forget it. From Seattle, city-of, double forget it (though there are many great recreation opportunities within the city proper, like the waterfront hike north of up to the commercial fishing terminals in Ballard, and probably beyond into Magnolia (I've not gone that far). Point being, to remainder of question: closer you are to job centers harder it is to get in and out of them. It would follow that any area with booming job opportunities will be expensive to rent and buy, with more traffic, thus difficult to get into the wild. Right?
No wonder upstate NY was so appealing, I've been to Plattsburgh and the Adirondacks, and went to grad school at Cornell adjacent to Cayuga Lake. Also in Ithaca, you can't help but be close to nature by-default but there isn't a lot there other than the Uni.
Can't have it all, here or Boston or NY NY. Eastside is way easier to deal with, if you're into suburbia. Some are, some aren't, cost of entry is pretty high and the rent vs. buy argument is fierce.
Aggressive bums, the very few I've encountered (vast majority are harmless, IME) can be legally dealt with since WA does NOT have mamby-pamby legal self defense laws like NY and MA. I means self defense that involves no one being permanently injured either, btw, that can be deployed by anyone if legally authorized to carry such item(s). I've only had to go there just a few times in almost two decades, but pointing out that living in fear is no way to be. "Very actively asking for money" gets a "huh uh" or "not now" from me, dissuading 99.9% Is it different elsewhere? If accosted physically, or you have a reasonable believe of serious bodily injury or death, you can defend yourself, right?
Right?
I'd never for a minute live anywhere the answer to the previous is "no," btw. WA is pretty good on personal liberties.
Yeah I know what you mean about Google-like companies and agree, to a degree. I currently work for one of similar mega corps in NYC and do receive repeated offers to come for an interview from Google, Amazon, etc.. However having worked in a big corp for some time, I think I might want to return to work for small or mid companies again,so was wondering if there is a good selection of those in Seattle.
So far things I hear about Seattle sound really awesome. I'll definitely give it a try next year.
Yeah I know what you mean about Google-like companies and agree, to a degree. I currently work for one of similar mega corps in NYC and do receive repeated offers to come for an interview from Google, Amazon, etc.. However having worked in a big corp for some time, I think I might want to return to work for small or mid companies again,so was wondering if there is a good selection of those in Seattle.
Take the relo, establish a local presence, then knock yourself out applying to smaller companies. There are plenty, and more all the time. Every frikken company and entrepreneur in Silicon Valley is coming to Seattle for the pool of talent and the (relatively) better COL.
Quote:
When I lived in Mill Creek, after work it was something like a half hour or 45 min on the nose to make it to my favorite trail, never mind which one (near Granite Falls). When I was training to run it was my favorite mountain trail-run. I did that 4 days/week most of summer of 2005.
From Kirkland, forget it. From Seattle, city-of, double forget it (though there are many great recreation opportunities within the city proper, like the waterfront hike north of up to the commercial fishing terminals in Ballard, and probably beyond into Magnolia (I've not gone that far). Point being, to remainder of question: closer you are to job centers harder it is to get in and out of them. It would follow that any area with booming job opportunities will be expensive to rent and buy, with more traffic, thus difficult to get into the wild. Right?
I would argue that freeway access is a better determinant. I used to live in DT Seattle, currently reside in Capitol Hill, and yet I find it faster/easier to get on the trail from both of those places than when I lived in parts of Bellevue or Redmond. I go nearly every weekend and I am pathologically obsessed with time, so I take note. The difference? Both my DT residence and my current Cap Hill residence offer very quick freeway access. The less traffic lights you have between you and the freeway, the better (there are, of course, exceptions to everything). Would living close the freeway on the Eastside be better? Only by ~10 minutes, and only for trails along that route - which isn't enough to make moving interesting as a form of quicker trail access. I could easily make it to Tiger in <30 minutes for a trail run (I can usually make it to North Bend in ~30 minutes). Now going into Seattle can be a little more challenging at times, but getting out of it (and onto a trail) isn't generally that hard.
Quote:
Any trailheads I found that were "busy" about Puget Sound area...or more properly, out in Snohomish County...were the typical/common hikes. Mt. Pilchuck and Ice Caves come to mind. Don't get me wrong; both are spectacular, but in the '04 and '05 season I researched trails in Verlot District (in particular) thoroughly and found hikes that were little or seldom traveled. Forest Service had a website, I haven't been in so long I can only assume that's still up. Had relatively recent trail conditions at most, too.
Exactly, do a little research and you can have some spectacular trails to yourself. I've been hiking here for over a decade, and I don't really find it that hard to avoid the masses at peak season. Then after it rains a few drops you can do the popular trails too. It might involve driving an extra 20 minutes or finding an unmarked trailhead, and voila! Peace 'n quiet. Sometimes popular trails have undiscovered portions as well - for example take the back way up Wallace Falls and you'll have an amazing vista mostly to yourself, then hike down the falls and note how many people don't make it to the upper falls.
Location: Was Midvalley Oregon; Now Eastside Seattle area
13,073 posts, read 7,511,991 times
Reputation: 9798
Quote:
Originally Posted by eugene_b
Yeah I know what you mean about Google-like companies and agree, to a degree. I currently work for one of similar mega corps in NYC and do receive repeated offers to come for an interview from Google, Amazon, etc.. However having worked in a big corp for some time, I think I might want to return to work for small or mid companies again,so was wondering if there is a good selection of those in Seattle.
So far things I hear about Seattle sound really awesome. I'll definitely give it a try next year.
Take a long weekend to visit. Flying out of Newark to Seattle with advance purchase and an Airbnb isn't that expensive. mid-Sept thru Oct is really nice. By Nov it gets more chancy for overcast/drizzle days.
Location: Was Midvalley Oregon; Now Eastside Seattle area
13,073 posts, read 7,511,991 times
Reputation: 9798
Quote:
Originally Posted by eugene_b
Yeah I know what you mean about Google-like companies and agree, to a degree. I currently work for one of similar mega corps in NYC and do receive repeated offers to come for an interview from Google, Amazon, etc.. However having worked in a big corp for some time, I think I might want to return to work for small or mid companies again,so was wondering if there is a good selection of those in Seattle.
So far things I hear about Seattle sound really awesome. I'll definitely give it a try next year.
You really need to explore.
Lots of well-know cos in Seattle & environs:
REI, DATA, Redfin, Z, Expedita, SBUX, PCS & many others with main offices or satellite tech offices in Seattle area.
Commute times vary to where you are and where you want to get to. Our son has his own place, along #14/#27 bus line and can get to KingStreet in 15 minutes, Pike Place in 25, easily. His best time is 15 minutes coming home, hitting Link, Streetcar, bus, walk.
He Airbnb's his spare bedroom and "wholehouse", which pays for his extra curricular activities and ours (parents, we live in Oregon and mostly Amtrak to Seattle).
Us, parents, also must reservations to visit son, because of the popularity of his Airbnb.
Hey, thanks for replies everyone! Yeah I'll definitely do some job applying in about a year from now (can't do now for some legal reasons) but for now I am trying to do some research. I am not really worried about competition - my work history and resume are solid and as long as jobs are there, that's all I need!
I do expect some level of jams, homeless people, etc, just trying to compare it to the current conditions I have. Even when I lived in upstate NY, driving to Adirondacks on a nice summer day involves jams and parking pain. But in NJ/NYC it's basically mission impossible. By the time you get to jersey shore and find parking spot, it's almost going to be time to head back and you will be very stressed after having to survive on NJ highways (either that or you set alarm and wake up really early). I did see that Seattle rates high on jams and homeless issues but before I made this post, I kept wondering whether it's really that bad or just an exaggeration (like they adjust it to population of the place or use some other statistics trick).
Is it really that bad with house and car break ins? I probably won't be living in Seattoe itself, I strongly prefer having my own house with piece of land in a nice suburb neighborhood as opposed to living inside the city.
I live in a pleasant residential neighborhood in Seattle with a fairly low crime rate as far as burglaries, etc go, but I've had my mailbox messed with so many times that i had my husband turn it into a locking one and if I forget to lock my car doors, if I'm parking in front of the house instead of in the driveway, there's a really good chance someone will go through it.
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