How do you deal with the commercialism?? (Seattle, Lynnwood: condos, good credit)

[mkarch]

Originally Posted by nF88

Much of this information is very help, so thanks everyone! I guess I hadn't considered what a newer city Seattle is, but isn't the ambulatory of a city what's meant to define it? You know, separating it from a suburb.

A lot of Seattle was developed after cars were common, and it wasn't big enough to have a mass transit system before that time - aside from some street cars. So it's not going to look like the dense east coast neighborhoods with row homes and rail lines built prior to the 1920's.

Comparing to Portland - especially the hipster trendy area in SE - it's a lot more hilly, so biking and walking is not nearly as quick as it is in that area. Downtown Portland is a lot flatter as well.

Most of the outlying Seattle neighborhoods WERE the suburbs when they were built so that's why they look like suburbs. The main difference is people living there generally do accept that the design should change, whereas that kind of thinking is less common in the 'real' suburbs.

[TRS_151]

Originally Posted by Ira500

But if you're sure you're not going to like Seattle, maybe you're making a mistake. Maybe the job offer should be refused. Not everyone likes it here. It's a different kind of place. My thinking is that you might have been in a particular mood when you were here, or it was a stressful time, and that didn't allow you to enjoy it. But if you're pretty sure you're going to hate it, it's not worth it, even for the money. You don't want to be some mercenary, somebody who just moves here for a job to make as much money as possible as quickly as possible, and then splits to greener pastures.

I second this. I am (er, was) such a mercenary. I came to Seattle to make good money (which I did), lived in a tiny 750sq. ft. apt in Shoreline for $935/month, and worked as much OT as I could.

Seven years later, I regret coming here. There are a lot of nice things abut Seattle, but this place isn't for everyone. I wish I had left years ago - I may have made less money, but I would have paid less for everything too. And I would have been a lot happier, which you can't put a pricetag on.

If your fiance founda job in Seattle, he could probably find something similar in other cities. Don't move somewhere just because "hey, I found a job here". Move somewhere because you REALLY enjoy living there. I learned that lesson the hard way.

[nF88]

Since many of you are saying things along the lines of, "find a job in another area" I'm guessing many of you assume finding a government job is simple, and it's not. They're highly competitive, offer great benefits and allow him to take days off at a time with little notice. He's been putting in applications for almost everywhere for about six to eight months, he had a few phone interviews for other areas like Denver, Portland and an offer in Hawaii, but this is what we landed on and we plan to make the best of it. Like I said, we're in it for two years and then we'll decide on whether to stay or not. I was/am upset about not falling in love with the city, but I'm staying positive and we're both open to possibilities.

[Hemlock140]

Originally Posted by Botev1912

the waterfront in Seattle is so ugly, nothing like Portland, Vancouver, San Francisco or even Baltimore. Hope, it gets better after the demolition of the 99 bridge.

I like it as is, edgy, and industrial, but then if you want the gentrified park-like look it's coming if the city can come up with the money for their plans. It won't be in the next two years, though, probably 5-10 by the time they get the tunnel finished and the seawall replaced and find the funds. I walk through the market and along Alaskan Way every morning about 6:30 and love the lights of the ships and cranes, and Seattle Skyline lit up.

[BATCAT]

Originally Posted by benleis

In point of fact, the core of Seattle is very walkable, you can take a look at walkscore maps to get a feel for it. What makes this different from the east coast are the geographical realities of living on an isthmus with lots of hills. We don't have a lot of connecting streets that go the length of the city because they tend to hit a lake/bay/cliff/river etc. So the various neighborhoods are a bit less connected to each other and sometimes when they are its along a single route. Portland is basically flat on its east side and doesn't have this issue. On the other hand, this gives a lot of our neighborhoods really cool views and they have relatively strong individual identities. You just have to understand where the commercial axes are in each place. For example: Ballard revolves around Market St./Ballard Ave or Queen Anne around Queen Anne Blvd etc. Then structure your housing search to reflect that.

Its also important to realize that Seattle is growing very quickly and that means construction and transition especially around the urban villages and downtown...

This is a really well-said post and I think it bears repeating.

[Seacove]

Originally Posted by nF88

Since many of you are saying things along the lines of, "find a job in another area" I'm guessing many of you assume finding a government job is simple, and it's not. They're highly competitive, offer great benefits and allow him to take days off at a time with little notice. He's been putting in applications for almost everywhere for about six to eight months, he had a few phone interviews for other areas like Denver, Portland and an offer in Hawaii, but this is what we landed on and we plan to make the best of it. Like I said, we're in it for two years and then we'll decide on whether to stay or not. I was/am upset about not falling in love with the city, but I'm staying positive and we're both open to possibilities.

I'm bothered by any newcomer who complains about Seattle after being fortunate enough to get a job here when others, stuck in places like Texas, post their dreams of moving here and still haven't been able to. There's not many who do this but there's been a couple and yes, my knee-jerk reaction is "then don't move here". You come to a city vibrant enough to bring you across country and you complain it's not to your liking? Seattle? You have no idea how many would happily take your place.

The Seattle metro region is beautiful. Yet I can predict you're going to be the new (poster who shall not be named). Guess what? It's going to rain all winter. The clouds will be so low you'll feel claustrophobic. Your hair will be frizzy and you still won't have a car and the bus will be late and it will be dark at 4:00 p.m. in December because we are wayyy up north. Think London weather. And it's expensive here, especially if you choose to live right in downtown Seattle. Seattleites can be standoffish until they get to know you, it's liberal and provincial.

You didn't take a liking to it and that is a good thing. We have a ton of growth going on right now Census: Seattle is the fastest-growing big city in the U.S. | FYI Guy | Seattle Times so if a few choose to move on, that's a bonus.

https://www.google.com/search?q=view...F%3B1500%3B982

[BATCAT]

One thing the OP hasn't done (unless I've just missed it) is spelled out clearly her list of criteria for a desirable neighborhood. I hear a lot of concern and disappointment but... what is the rent ceiling in question and what kind of place do you need? Where does her fiance work? There is probably a neighborhood that fits- or at least represents a good compromise- but we're short on specifics.

[kyled]

Originally Posted by nF88

We were very excited about the news and change of scenery until we visited Seattle over the summer...we were greatly disappointed with Seattle. It's basically one big cluster f*ck of condos, town homes, commercial buildings, commercial lots and condos in the process. we couldn't differentiate the good from the bad. I always heard generally wonderful things about Seattle, but I have no idea what people are referring to.

Originally Posted by nF88

I'm staying positive and we're both open to possibilities.

...Hmm...

[JBVirtuoso]

OP, while I agree with many of your complaints, I'm here to testify that there's plenty to like about the city. I also moved here for a job without having any sentimental attachment to Seattle, but the place has really grown on me in the year that I've been here. Seattle is lacking in urban charm, but definitely makes up for it in natural beauty. The city also has a great culture - lots of forward-thinking and well-educated people. I think you'll come to appreciate these things.

Seattle is indeed light years behind most East Coast cities in terms of being walkable. You will meet very few Seattleites who don't drive. This influences popular opinions about the city in a major way. While you'll hear some people wax poetic about the hills and parks and bodies of water, the ones who are walking uphill for a mile with their groceries see the city much differently. Seattle has very underdeveloped pedestrian infrastructure (non-existent or closed off sidewalks, dangerous or inconvenient crossings, and few other pedestrians to provide safety in numbers). This, combined with gappy and unreliable transit, can make it seem like human beings were an afterthought in Seattle's development.

As for how I deal with the challenges you described - one big solution to the lack of walkability is to start biking. I thought most parts of Seattle were hopelessly inaccessible during my first few months here when I didn't have a bike. But this city is made for biking. The city is made up of urban villages, or commercial areas tucked away in the neighborhoods. The best way to get between them is on a bike. Everything in Seattle is very spread out, but the distances become quite manageable with two wheels.

When looking for apartments, you really need to put a lot of thought into where exactly the apartment is and what amenities are nearby. I love my current location, but would be much less happy just two blocks away. There are large parts of Seattle that you can ignore without missing much, but the city also has hidden gems all over.

[nF88]

Originally Posted by BATCAT

One thing the OP hasn't done (unless I've just missed it) is spelled out clearly her list of criteria for a desirable neighborhood. I hear a lot of concern and disappointment but... what is the rent ceiling in question and what kind of place do you need? Where does her fiance work? There is probably a neighborhood that fits- or at least represents a good compromise- but we're short on specifics.

We're not looking for much, but near transportation is the only must I/we can't afford to budge on. I mentioned he's working in the heart of downtown, but would rather not pinpoint his exact locale. As for our budget, I also mentioned he'll be making considerably less than he's used too (he's doing it for additional tech experience) and since I don't have a job lined up at this moment, our max rent cannot exceed $1200. We found a beautiful place along Nickerson St. with a view, but the landlord pulled a somewhat shady move on us and gave the apartment to someone else, despite our good credit, references and willing to pay months of rent in advance.

So those are our two main criteria: transportation and no more than $1200. Everything else is relatively negotiable, however, we'd ideally like to stay within 30 mins of downtown. Columbia City near the light rail (the true CC area, not what realtors try to pass for CC) would be almost perfect or Queen Anne/lower Queen Anne. Of course, Capitol Hill is gorgeous and has the vibe we're used to in Philadelphia, but we won't hold our breathe finding an apartment within our budget there lol