Seattle- what to do, see and eat? (1 Viewer)

[Michael D. Bunting]

Chazz...nice pics!

My wife and I visited the Space needle this past week as well:



All the pics here: Space Needle

We also went to Mt. Rainier (Paradise):



All the pics here:Mt. Rainier

 

[Patrick Sun]

Back in the late 1990's, I remember going to REI (outdoors store), and it was huge! I also remember venturing into GameWorks, but I don't know if it's still open now.

I remember the highway system to be multi-level at certain spots in the city, it was very confusing to me at the time.

 

[Chazz_S]

I know, it's funny really, I've heard that now from a couple people.

Well, I see it like this, the freeways there are TWO lanes(people drive slow there too), which is somewhat amazing for a metroplitan area. I have read from others that traffic can get bad, but I experienced ZERO traffic the 3, 4 days I was up there driving around- which was what made commuting around so easy.

Still a visit is not the same as living there, maybe I was just lucky. What also made it feel small is you can get to one area on the road map to another very quickly, it's just not on the same scale with the Los Angeles road maps hehe.

At any rate, LA is going to make most places feel more relaxed, however I used to live in Northern Virginia and it felt more busy even over there- and that was before the internet boom hit the area.


Darren- I'm thinking of putting the rest up in an album, I'll post a link if I do, thanks.

Michael- Nice shots! Shame I didn't get to do rainier, but it was just too much to fit in on a small trip. Definitely next time!

 

[Daren Welsh]

You must've been lucky or at the least planned your ventures away from the city during rush hour I went to school at UW and one summer I worked in Redmond. So every day I had to commute across the 520 bridge. It was hell ... until I started going in early and leaving early.

Just curious ... how was the weather?

I took my girlfriend up there in early August. She's never been and believes the rumor that it's always raining and people are shooting themselves because of the dreary weather. It didn't rain on us the entire week we were there Take that, Seattle haters!

 

[Chazz_S]

Indeed, I did not experience any heavy amount of traffic congestion the whole time, and we drove across the 520 a few times (our hotel on the first day was in bellevue)

Granted, on the weekends I expect it will be more reasonable. That's how it is in LA anyway.

Weather was excellent, was cloudy with mists of rain in the mornings "typical Seattle" stuff, but cleared up each day in the afternoons, skies were blue. It was good, getting both sides of the coin so to speak. I like clouds/overcast(not rain so much) anyway, so it was all just perfect.

In regards to the 'it always rains in seattle' perception, actually I read a factoid on the seattle site that the D.C. area (where I used to live) receives more rainfall annually. Myth busted!

 

[Joe D]

Is it me, or do Rainer photos look better when there is more snow in the shots?

I went to Mt. Hood in the late spring and my photos all were boring, why? There wasn't enough snow in the frame, plus the sky was clear blue.

It looks like you went on a beatiful day. Mountains are cool.

 

[Michael Warner]

I'm currently trying to decide whether I can afford to accept a job offer in Seattle. I really want to move there but I'm not sure if I can afford to support a family of four on what's being offered. Housing is the real deal killer. We'll see.

As for the size issue, Seattle is quite small for a "big" city. My current drive from the 'burbs to downtown Detroit is the same distance as that from Everett to Seattle which most locals would consider to be quite a haul. And I don't even live in the outer 'burbs of Detroit.

Thanks for posting the pics, they're making my decision that much harder.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I thought the state of Washington was noted for some of the lowest cost-of-living in the nation? Or was that before the real estate boom?

 

[Chazz_S]

Washington perhaps, but I think the greater Seattle area is a different story.

 

[Joe D]

Real Estate is not cheap on the I-5 corridor near any of the major cities. But the scenery is nice.

 

[Michael D. Bunting]

Bingo!

Even as far south as the Olympia/Lacey area and even as far East as the Puyallup/Yelm area is just crazy.

I purchased a new (4 BR) home in Puyallup for ~$180,000 in 2003...sold it in 2004 (long story) and even made a small profit (after realtor fees.comission) and wished to goodness that I wouldn't have sold it until now...robably would have made $180,000 :frowning: But I'm not bitter...

Mark me down as one of the few who do not really like living in the Seattle/Tacoma area though. I can't really put my finger on one thing to cite a specific reason really, it's just a combination of quite a few things I don't like about this area.

One of the reasons is indeed the weather, it is a big factor for me though, especially since it's my job (Weather Forecaster for the USAF) and so I deal with it day in and day out. Now, the weather isn't that bad at all here alot of the time, but for aviation purposes it's a pain in the you know what!

I'm moving to Southern Cal in a month...and I cannot wait. Seattle is okay, just not for me I guess.

Of course, my favorite city is Indianapolis, IN - but that is my hometown

 

[Jordan_E]

They came out with a report on the news today that in King County (the greater Seattle area) the average price for a home is $380K! But I've lived here my whole life and would never think of moving!

 

[ShelbyB]

Yes, Seattle is most definitly a small big city. Compared to LA and Chicago, its just plain tiny. My friend and I were talking recently about how much we loved subways and how effective they were, but sadly, one just would not work in Seattle.

Housing is very expensive. You pretty much have to leave the county to find affordable housing. I really don't understand how a new family making a reasonable salary can afford to live in the area.

Glad to hear traffic didn't bug you. It usually sucks.

 

[Chazz_S]

Yeah it all seemed pretty alright- housing didn't look cheap to me, but if you've ever looked at prices in Southern California, you'd know that it's a nice breath of fresh air.

BTW, put up a bunch more Seattle trip photos in a little photo blog if anyone wants to take a peek:

http://chucks888.freeservers.com/gallery/Seattle/1.html

Laters!

 

[alan halvorson]

One place I forgot to mention was the Boeing Air Museum (or is the Seattle Air Museum?). Too late now, but if you're at all interested in airplanes, this is the place to go.

 

[Citizen87645]

I caught the tail end of a show - on I think HGTV - last night and it was talking about homes on a $400,000 budget and Seattle was included. I didn't see enough of the segment to know what neighborhood it was in, but it was a 1300 sq. ft. home in the hills for a modest (cough) 400K. Of course I thought of this thread immediately .

And yes, the Seattle Air Museum is a nice one. If you're in Oregon the Evergreen Aviation Museum is also good - home to the Spruce Goose. Once I saw that thing there was no doubt in my mind that Hughes was a nut.

 

[Joe D]

I also recommend the Spruce Goose, when I walked into that building my jaw dropped.

What a cool airplane.

 

[Michael Warner]

Well, I've decided to make the move so Seattle here I come. Housing will be a pain in the keister -- the inflated prices will just about eat up the pay raise but what the heck. At least I'm not starting from scratch as my house here in Michigan has gained a bit of value in the three years I've owned it. So does anyone care to chime in with some reasonably priced neighborhoods with decent schools?

 

[Chazz_S]

Congrats Michael- check out Bellevue and surrounds, that's where I would live should I move up there (to work in Redmond) Kirkland may be out of your price range but it's a stunner of an area. Redmond was ok too and Issaquah(sp) was very pleasant.

Seattle downtown itself is very close too, 10 - 15 min drive the days I was there.


Guo- I caught that yesterday too, the house featured on the show was in Capitol Hill area. Anyone catch the square footage of the New York apartment? I think it was like 400 square feet?

 

[Citizen87645]

Ah, that makes sense. It's actually the only area of Seattle I know by reputation.