markosis Posted September 13, 2007 Share Posted September 13, 2007 I'm seriously considering a move to Seattle in the next 6-12 months. I was curious about a some things that may influence my decision. 1. What's the public transit system like? As in, is it convenient and do buses and trains cover a wide area? 2. What's the music scene like? Are there cool record stores and indie venues? I suppose that's all for now. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Of course, any other info regarding Seattle is welcome. I know folks on the boards here are usually good at lending some advice on such topics. Thank you. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
anodyne Posted September 14, 2007 Share Posted September 14, 2007 it's a pretty town with expensive housing. be wary of methheads - spokane might be the meth-iest place on earth. as far as transit, i really don't have much experience with it. go seahawks! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
blindgonzo Posted September 14, 2007 Share Posted September 14, 2007 i have VERY limited experience with seattle (i was only there for about 23 hours), but i was pretty underwhelmed by it. i thought the transit was horrible compared to other big cities (i only have vancouver to compare it to, which has fantastic transit, me thinks), and i really wasn't digging the downtown area. i mean, there are definitely some interesting streets, events, attractions, etc. but I really didn't get good vibes there. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Basil II Posted September 14, 2007 Share Posted September 14, 2007 it's a pretty town with expensive housing. be wary of methheads - spokane might be the meth-iest place on earth. as far as transit, i really don't have much experience with it. go seahawks! I'll be there in under two months.......it is expensive,but some spots are still "reasonable, given the market. I haven't been keeping an eye on mass transit......I'll find out more.soon! Meth related crimes are down they all moved to Montana where I guess it's epidemic....... More later..... -Robert. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cryptique Posted September 14, 2007 Share Posted September 14, 2007 2. What's the music scene like? Are there cool record stores and indie venues?That's half the reason to go to Seattle in the first place. In short, the answers are "good" and "yes." Quote Link to post Share on other sites
redpillbox Posted September 15, 2007 Share Posted September 15, 2007 i have VERY limited experience with seattle (i was only there for about 23 hours), but i was pretty underwhelmed by it. i thought the transit was horrible compared to other big cities (i only have vancouver to compare it to, which has fantastic transit, me thinks), and i really wasn't digging the downtown area. i mean, there are definitely some interesting streets, events, attractions, etc. but I really didn't get good vibes there. This is one of the funniest posts I've read here in a while. 23 hours...wow...you really got a beat on the city. Seattle is a city of hidden jewels, a city of cool and quirky neighborhoods. You have to know where to go, if you just spend your time downtown (and god knows where this poster was downtown...it's like all major metro centers, it varies from boring financial hubs to old historic city blocks with unique charm) you'll absolutely NOT understand what Seattle is all about. The public transportation is good in a West Coast kind of way, meaning that the bus system will take you pretty much anywhere you want to go, but we do not have a slick subway or anything. Light Rail I believe is scheduled to open it's doors in a few years, with it's mainline linking downtown to the airport and places in between with several offshoots linking off of there (to the University District) in the coming years. What Seattle has going for it is its summers. We natives suffer through the fall/winter dreary months to reap the rewards of summer. The amount of rain is a myth (NY averages more rainfall a year), but the city is pretty gray for a lot of the fall/winter. This is one place in the country where indie record stores seem to thrive, Easy Street Records and Sonic Boom being two of the best. The venues are very solid. It is, however, becoming really expensive to live here. With relaxed condo conversion laws a ton of apartments are converting to condos which is driving up rents. This is one place where the Real Estate market hasn't slowed. There are places, nice places and neighborhoods, to still find deals. Hope this helps and if you need any other help or whatever, feel free to drop me a PM. p.s. The tales of Meth in Seattle are nothing you need to worry about. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
markosis Posted September 15, 2007 Author Share Posted September 15, 2007 Thanks for the great info. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
heile Posted September 15, 2007 Share Posted September 15, 2007 Seattle is pretty awsome. Fantastic music scene and great record shops. Also, I've never used (because I've always had a car when I've been there) but I've heard great things about the transportation system. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
blindgonzo Posted September 15, 2007 Share Posted September 15, 2007 This is one of the funniest posts I've read here in a while. 23 hours...wow...you really got a beat on the city. yeah i know i didn't have a chance to really sink in and take the time to find the interesting/quirky areas (that i'm sure are out there), but this was just my first impression of the city. i mean, just the vibes when you are walking downtown seem kind of stiffled. like i said, the only other big city that i have to compare Seattle to is Vancouver. the first time I was in Vancouver, I immediately felt ALIVE and like there was so much to do. that city just feels so vibrant and amazing to just BE in. i don't really do much of the touristy stuff in vancouver, and i don't have lots of money to shop, but just walking around and BEING there is enough. after being in seattle my brother and i decided that if you have Vancouver, then take away the beaches, the mountains, the great transportation system, the best coffee in north america (cafe artigiano: this isn't my opinion, apparently this really is the most critically acclaimed place in NA), the amazing vibes/atmosphere, and of course the canadians, well...then you get seattle. i don't mean to offend any residents or anything. it was a fun place and the harbourfront was beautiful too, but it just didn't seem as interesting to me as i thought it would. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TCP Posted September 16, 2007 Share Posted September 16, 2007 Fo' sho' blindgonzo, fo' sho'. Except as someone who rides Vancouver's transit system for three hours everyday, it does have it's flaws. Like the fact that skytrain stops running at 1 am (when the bars close at like 2 or 3).But yes, you are correct about everything else. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hindmj Posted September 16, 2007 Share Posted September 16, 2007 seattles great...i've been here for 3+ years, an east coast transplant.we tell everyone the weather sucks so people from CA stop coming north and jacking up the real estate market.just kidding - sort of. when comparing transit & indie music, it's got to be all relative to where you're coming from...better than springfield, anywhere - sure. better than NYC - probably not. traffic is funky - people live in the city and commute outwards and vice versa. mostly due to industry being separated from the city proper - microsoft, boeing & amazon. seattle pros-good public transportation systems (within themselves - bus, ferry & soon to be lightrail)coffeeweatherproximity to water, mountains & desert (you could hike at Mt. Rainier, paddle a sea kayak in Puget Sound and go wine tasting in Woodinville in a single day)easy street records, sonic boomcrocodile cafe, the showbox, neumo's, paramount theater, the moorebumbershoot seattle cons-public transportation links (although they are slowly working on it)mindset of consesus as best for everything (check out the monorail & viaduct debacle, seattle public schools, tim eyeman public initiatives, etc...)lack of ethnic diversitycost of real estateseahawks stadium Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mollyegan Posted September 17, 2007 Share Posted September 17, 2007 I second what fellow residents have written (the good and the bad) and would like to add excellent beer to the list! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Basil II Posted September 20, 2007 Share Posted September 20, 2007 I'm headed there next week for a round of interviews!! Already have a house rental lined up as well..... I'm feelin' real good .... -Robert. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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