Confused in Seattle (Vancouver, Pacific: neighbourhood, living in, restaurants)

[movingwiththewind]

Originally Posted by rmkiefer07

Movingwiththewind, just curious, are you getting out and walking it? I mean that leisurely, exploratory kind of walk? I could be wrong but it sounds like you're doing a lot of driving and not a lot of real exploring.

Trying to do both. But yes, you're right walking is the best way to explore and see things.

[movingwiththewind]

Thanks a lot, guys, for your feedback. Your posts are a great help, both positive and negative ones. I'm sure you understand I don't know the city well trying to figure things out. I really appreciate your help.

[Ira500]

I'll concur with those who were pinpointing the density. Generally west of Broadway. First Hill is pretty much anything east of I-5 , from about James St on the south, to Madison/Marion/East Union on the north, to as far east as 16th? depending where you are. SW Capitol Hill, going up Denny and including streets such as Summit, Olive Way, Belmont Pike, and Pine are pretty dense.

[eskercurve]

Originally Posted by movingwiththewind

And than, I found out... there is no grocery store nearby!

Um? What about the PCC whole natural food store? Granted it's more expensive and it's all organic, but there are stores. There's also little convenience stores which take up the slack from the large grocery stores. Did you check out 56th st? Cafe Zoka and the other little stores there, it's small, but unique. There's also little places like that outcropping from Green Lake.

Green Lake is awesome. There are, indeed, parks and stuff in there.

If you're looking elsewhere, I'd recommend a map?

As for Capitol Hill, and you didn't like Broadway, did you try 15th Ave?

How about near Leschi or that one neighborhood close to Broadmoor?

Did you try the upper University District near the U Village mall?

Seattle feels different because it's like a lot of really small towns within the city itself. So, the reason why so many people like it is because of its diversity. You can't really be an "outsider" and look in to see it though, as it will all sort of blend together. You have to go into the shops, talk to the people, and spend some quality time to notice the differences.

We're really reaching for what you're expecting. As before, this ain't NYC, and this ain't Chicago (I'm a Chicago native), and it feels different from any city I've been to. It's not for everyone. I just wish you the best of luck finding where you would like, and if Seattle isn't right for you, that's fine too, nobody should be forced to live where they would be unhappy. If all our advice and all our suggestions don't quite fit in, then that's all you man and that's OK. Your happiness is our desire

(Man that sounds like a horrible tourist guidebook deal, eh, whatever).

Have you thought of living downtown near Pike Place? You got all the uniqueness of Seattle compressed into like, a 3 block area. It's easily the epicenter of it all. Heck the first Starbucks is there. And since you'd live downtown, you got all the mass transit options you want to almost everywhere you want.

[iskray917]

Originally Posted by seattlenextyear

Its not Amazon.com. Its Amazon Fresh. And its a great service for Seattle area residents with children. Groceries delivered to your doorstep (the same veggies/fruit/meat you'd buy in the store). Free delivery over $80. Don't have to wrangle the kids into the grocery store every week.

There are grocery stores not far from Green Lake. I know there's a QFC around there somewhere.

Also, all the kids are inside because its balls cold out.

I know for sure of QFC's in Wallingford and the U Village.

[70Ford]

Originally Posted by movingwiththewind

I've been thinking about moving from NYC to Seattle for some time. I'm in Seattle right now exploring neighborhoods and looking for places to live and am not sure anymore I want to move. Where are kids, where are playgrounds? I have 2 playgrounds and a nice park 5 minutes walk from where I live. Some of my friends in Seattle saying NYC is not a good place to raise kids. Are they joking? Seattle is?

I'm driving like crazy all around the town trying to find something attractive, but other than natural setting... nothing. I have a couple of friends who live in Seattle with whom I'm staying and they say that it's not the city but natural setting. I do like some things like nature and climate, but freeways and single houses are killing me. Seattle looks to me not like a single city, but a collection of villages full of houses connected together by freeways. Is that not depressing? Now, instead of bringing my whole family, I'm planning to move alone and try it out for a month or two. I'll probably do it this January / February to "enjoy" the place during winter months.

Ballard, Capitol Hill... what is so special about them? Capitol Hill has Broadway, which is a bad version of Vancouver's Commercial Drive and 15th Ave and other than that houses... houses... houses. Even Belltown is dead after dark.

It's not the first time I'm in Seattle, but first time not as a tourist. Am I missing something? Other than nature, what else does Seattle offer? If nature is taken away, can it stand alone as a city? For now, it looks to me like a couple of skyscrapers in the downtown and the rest are houses and freeways. I'm really confused.

This post made me think of Tokyo, Japan. You can literally drive for hours, and all you see are roads and buildings. Sure, there are pockets of parks avaialble, but it's buried in between a lot of concrete.

Seattle. Good food, diversity of people, tolerance/acceptance of races and alternate lifestyles, green government, festivals.

I'm like you, except backwards. I could never imagine living in New York CIty. I've been there. I've worked there. Concrete jungle, great delis, people who curse you in traffic, people who curse you as part of the team, "Yo, Joey" Get the ******* patch cord and put it in the ******* patch panel you ******* ****. " "Yo Mitch, can I **** your sister?" I thought he hated Joey, at first....and that he took the comment about his sister, quite well. They went out for lunch and laughed the whole day. (I know, I'm being facetious...but they did cuss each other out all day long.) Surprising for IT engineers. I've seen in on construction crews and in the military, though. Just local culture, I suppose.

You want to see kids? Go to the children's museum. Go to Bellevue park on the 4th of July. You'll see bazillions of them. Seattle is sprinked with parks. It doesn't have one on every block, though. Neither did Atlanta. Atlanta had a lot of concrete and a lot of violence though. There's a lot of hate in that city.

I can see your point, but I don't think we can make you like it here. Sounds like you like New York. I couldn't wait to leave. To each, his own.

Incidently, it's wet 9 months out of the year, here. I've read many a post here from folks from the East Coast, and most of them seem to absolutely hate that. You can go weeks without seeing the sun.

***************
I lived in a hotel and worked in New York for two whole weeks. I saw el zilcho about what New york was really about. This gives me very little to stand on, if I wanted to spew forth great knowledge about it. There will be someone who will say, "What you saw was atypical! You don't know the REAL New York! I LOVE New York! and this XXX and this XXX and this XXX is why!" They would be perfectly correct. Two weeks was enough time for me to decide I didn't like it. It wasn't my cup of tea. But what if I'd given it more time? What was I comparing it to? If I was from war torn Iraq, I'm sure I would have perceived it as heaven. It's really a matter of perspective and personal feelings, in the end, isn't it?

However, the way I was raised, we don't use the F word every other sentence. It was something I didn't see myself getting used to. Or people pushing on sidewalks for that matter. A small glimpse becomes the big picture. I look back and wonder what I would think If I'd grown up there. To my wife, Japan is heaven. America is not. To me, Japan is crowded and over priced, but as a result, the people focus inward and on the infinitesimal until things becomes honed to perfection and truly remarkable. They have traditions that span 1000's of years and that date from the courts of the samurai, and have mated that with a culture of leading edge technology. They designed Hello Kitty, yet have a yearly *ahem* fertility festival that would make Dr. Ruth blush.

Simply amazing.


Good luck with your decision, what ever you decide.

[HuskyDawg]

This is the classic example of so many on this board who create a version of Seattle in their mind that is their perfect place, which in many cases doesn't exist. Seattle is all about the neighborhoods and each one has a healthy dose of single family homes. I think most of us who love Seattle like that it's a decent size city but has a smaller city feel in different areas.

[W & C]

Originally Posted by HuskyDawg

This is the classic example of so many on this board who create a version of Seattle in their mind that is their perfect place, which in many cases doesn't exist. Seattle is all about the neighborhoods and each one has a healthy dose of single family homes. I think most of us who love Seattle like that it's a decent size city but has a smaller city feel in different areas.

I still don't believe that's true for each neighborhood. Belltown, International District, First Hill, Lower Queen Anne, Downtown, South Lake Union, West Edge hardly have any single family homes.

[JustCallMeTC]

Zoning laws have certainly changed the city. I grew up on 44th and Phinney in the 50's and 60's. At the time there were a few apartment buildings and no condos. Now single family residences are becoming the minority in the Phinney Ridge area. The condos are everywhere. Street parking has become almost non existent.

The density has become a real problem for some neighborhoods.

[movingwiththewind]

Originally Posted by HuskyDawg

This is the classic example of so many on this board who create a version of Seattle in their mind that is their perfect place, which in many cases doesn't exist.

Husky, if you're referring to my original post, your post is the classic example that you don't know what you're talking about. I did not create any version of Seattle. I'm creating a picture of Seattle right now while I'm in Seattle, going from place to place and talking to people. There are things I like and there are things I don't. There are many things in Seattle I'm not used to or that are different from what I already know. However, I'm not fixed on NYC or on any other place. In fact, I'm not a New Yorker. I've been to NYC only for about 5.5 years. Well, I guess that qualifies me to be called a New Yorker (sigh). Before that, I spent 11 years in Germany and in some other countries, too. I've moved from place to place every couple of years. So, don't worry, I'm able to create a picture of a new place that is just fine for an average world traveler.

Just trying to find a place to settle down, especially after I got a child. I'll not settle anywhere in the US but at a coast, PNW being my favorite. I'm basically considering Seattle or Vancouver, BC. A couple of years ago, me and my spouse applied for Canadian permanent residence and received it. We're not sure we want to move yet to another country. However, I must say I love Vancouver.

One thing I'd like to add, though. I always wanted to get out of New York. Now, being in Seattle and picturing me and my family's life here, for the first time, I'm starting to appreciate what New York (I mean the city) offers. I'm getting the perspective. However, many things you guys have here are nowhere to find anywhere else in this country. PNW is a truly magic place!