From NYC to Seattle - Culture Shock?!? (Bellevue, Renton: 2015, home)

[xmavrekx]

homesinseattle,

Haha thanks Vinnie "bag o donuts!!" (My Cousin Vinny qoute). We figure we probably would get a NY fix at least once or twice a year (Holidays & Visit family). It's great to hear that there are good Italian restaurants. Don't get me wrong, we are very open to trying all different kinds of cuisines. We just love a good Italian meal. I appreciate the recommendations and am building a list! I hear Canada is gorgeous and heard about the 'Rocky Mountain Trail' (Train ride from Oregon to BC). We are excited to do that also. I've never been to Canada but I was told my Great Grandfather moved to Nova Scotia when he retired and loved it. I love snowboarding and am hoping to get my wife into it as well since I hear that west coast skiing/boarding are unparalleled. I wouldn't miss the diner scene too much since I rarely go to one but a good deli sandwich would be missed. I can live without bagels very easily; As long as you can still get some Boar's Head cold cuts then once again we can make our own heros.

Thank you VERY MUCH for the beach suggestions. I know I'll miss the beaches here but I'm sure I'll learn to love them out in Washington. I love being at the beach more than in the ocean. I love the ocean but as long as I can see it I will feel better lol. I am not afraid of cold water (not that I want to go in 50ºF water) but I'm not expecting 85ºF. I heard clamming is big there and I remember going crabbing with my Grandfather. Would be nice to do something similar but different. We have friends that moved for Richland, WA and talk about the Columbia river all the time.

I appreciate all the information. The slight worries and concerns I was having are subsiding much more. My wife seems really excited and so am I. We are looking forward to a new lifestyle and excursion. I hope you enjoy your trip to London and if you have anymore information, comments, tips, please feel free to share.

P.S. I'd love to hear about getting to and from London. We wanted to visit either London or Ireland to see the country-side and Castles. We also would love to see Germany, Italy and the Mediterranean.

[xmavrekx]

Gardyloo,

I remember having an easy time getting to our departing flight out of SEA but I wasn't sure if that was just because it was during off-peak hours. A taxi for $40 to $50 to the airport is great. Since I'm in the suburbs of NYC it is much more expensive than that to get to any of the NYC airports.

It's good to know flights are expanding and that it is relatively cheap and quick to visit SF and Cal. I'm excited that Hawai'i is only 5-6 hour flight opposed to 10-13 hours from NYC. I've been to Hawai'i but my wife hasn't and she's always been discouraged because of the long flight. I've also never been to Alaska but she has, so we're excited to be able to see these places together finally.

When you say puddle jumper are you referring to sea-planes? We took one to Friday Harbor and had such a good time. It was great to experience a different sort of flying. The place we left out of (San Juan Island Tours) mentioned that they also do flights to BC. Have you ever taken that trip?

[homesinseattle]

xmavrekx, here's my crazy Cousin Vinnie off the grid world travel blog, maybe a few more ideas in here for you:
Vinceinseattle's Traveler Profile - TravelPod. Hope the transition to Seattle goes well, it really is nice out here. By the way, Eltana Bagels aren't bad at all, good shmears too: http://eltana.com/

[BATCAT]

Originally Posted by xmavrekx

The biggest thing I would miss in NY is the easy trips (in our eyes) to the beaches...

We have the Hawaiian islands right there... non-stop (mostly) and less than five hours away. To me at least, that one of the PNW's big "pluses".

[Gardyloo]

Originally Posted by xmavrekx

When you say puddle jumper are you referring to sea-planes? We took one to Friday Harbor and had such a good time. It was great to experience a different sort of flying. The place we left out of (San Juan Island Tours) mentioned that they also do flights to BC. Have you ever taken that trip?

No, I'm referring to Q400s like this -



I've ridden on float planes plenty, mainly while living for years in Alaska, where I had to take float planes and/or amphibious planes (like the old Grumman Goose) for work. I haven't taken a float plane to the San Juans but have to Victoria.

[DevanXL]

For European Travel, Fly out of Vancouver. Prices are alot cheaper sometimes close to half the price of roundtrip that would be out of Seattle. Yes We aren't close to the Caribbean but have many other destinations. There is Tahiti, Bora Bora, West coast of Mexico, and Guam. Also Cruises to Alaska are absolutely beautiful for a nature vacation, surprisingly fun as well. We also have better proximity to Australia and New Zealand if that's better for you!

[CrazyDonkey]

Originally Posted by xmavrekx

I'm hoping Seattle offers some great swimming beaches (within 1.5-2.0 hours drive) and that my family actually goes with their desire to leave NY and come to Seattle =). As far as history, I don't mind taking flights or trips to NY to see all the museums and culture and be done with it in a week or so.

The beaches on the Sound and at the Ocean can be cold - they're okay for wading, but good for swimming only on a really hot day. There's surfing at Westport, but you'll need a wetsuit. At the ocean, you've got to watch for undertows and riptides. Many of the southern beaches are officially state highways - you can drive on them - but there are also sections without cars. The northern beaches, such as those around La Push, are wilder, with tide pools, sea stacks, eagles, sea otters, etc.

The best swimming beaches are probably in Seattle, along Lake Washington.

[RotseCherut]

From New Yawk to See-ahttoollll.. I am from the state of Ory-Gun or Ora-Gone (to East Coast people).. The accent alone is a shock..

How could a New Yorker survive in Seattle with the lack of good, cheap Italian restaurants and pizza places? I always have wondered about that.

Yeah, we have great seafood if you don't mind ingesting Fukushima radiation.

The only prop I can give to the Seattle food scene is that there are some decent Indian, Thai and Mexican joints on the Eastside. Within the city of Seattle, I have just been disappointed with most of the food. The U-District has a few decent Shawarma dives I frequent, but the rest of the food scene is overpriced and underwhelming.

I actually plan on taking a trip out to New Yawk (sorry know a lot of New Yorkers, cannot resist the accent ) , just so I can experience the food and maybe a little bit of Jewish culture. My mother and many relatives were born in Brooklyn.

[xmavrekx]

Originally Posted by RotseCherut

How could a New Yorker survive in Seattle with the lack of good, cheap Italian restaurants and pizza places? I always have wondered about that.

I'm not sure if you're trying to make an insult here. Just so you know... New YAWK... has many cheap AND expensive Italian and Pizza restaurants but that doesn't mean they're all good. I'm sure you can believe that there are many very expensive restaurants in NY. Some great, some terrible. Money isn't the factor here. With that said, I'm sure you'll experience that when you go to Brooklyn.

[xmavrekx]

BATCAT - I understand that and having been to Hawai'i, I'm pretty stoked to get to go back without the 12 hour non-stop flight. However, what I was referring to were beaches within driving distance as homesinseattle suggested. For a few years it was nice to finish the work week and head down to the shore to enjoy the ocean-town life for a few days. (Sometimes even just a day trip) Thank you for the input though!

Gardyloo - That would definitely be an experience to fly on a plane of that size haha. Looks like fun.

DevanXL - Have you ever been to any of those islands? I've heard Bora Bora is great to visit and I'm sure there's tons of culture too. New Zealand seems like it would be beautiful but Australia is home to an awful lot of "The World's Deadliest Animals" lol. An Alaskan cruise or trip would definitely be in the future since my wife has already been and she loved it. (Even got to mush snow dogs)

CrazyDonkey - Are there any tips to the beaches along Lake Washington? I once came across a chart on google that said closed for bacteria or something like that. Does that happen a lot? Do people have to check for that kind of stuff before swimming? In NYC metro area, swimming in the Hudson or along the boroughs isn't as popular as beaches in Long Island or the shore points. There's a beach in NJ that you can drive your car on and we liked that. That's definitely a plus for us.

Thanks again everyone for the input. It's all greatly appreciated.