Seattle myths dispelled after first visit. (Tacoma, Bellevue: houses, living in, costs)

[pnwguy2]

On the subject of traffic myths...

It kind of all boils down to this:

Seattle was anti-freeway way back in the 60's. Once I-5 came through, the thought-process was no more!

So what did Seattle do to alleviate the situation? They voted down rapid transit in the late 60's.

How did we become what we are today? Two major points...no new freeways, no rapid transit. Yes, bus service but look how much that has accomplished?

So today we are catching up with Light Rail...but that is not the ultimate answer either. There needs to be a combination of better road infrastructure COMBINED with expanded light rail. Right now, Seattle leaders are intent on making it almost impossible to park downtown. Great Idea, if you had a regional transportation system, but guess what? It doesn't. Just horrendous, and the current and recent past city leaders are to blame.

[west seattle gal]

The Freeze -- it refers to forming deeper, long-term relationships beyond the initial, more brief interactions. People here can be very friendly in the summer or in bars, but try living here for a few years to see if you can build a network of meaningful friendships (apart frim the bars).

The Homeless -- huge problem, read about "the jungle" and our camps. You won't be assaulted by homeless families with kids on any street corner, but at certain times of day you can see familiar meth heads occupying/working different corners of the multiple intersections one drives through on a commute.

The traffic -- variable based on weather, day and time of day. Some commutes are hell, others are more doable. A traffic accident can stop traffic for hours. Read about a recent one on 99/the viaduct that held up traffic for 7 hours when a fish truck turned over. Traffic flow is impacted on the major highways any time a bridge is undergoing repairs or has an accident. And don't get me started on football games!

[Mini-apple-less]

Originally Posted by drshang

I think the thing to always keep in mind about Seattle re: the freeze is that it doesn't mean people stare at you with a rock face and don't want to talk to you - in fact they are generally quite friendly on a superficial way. But it's just that, it's polite chit chat, but outsiders often misconstrue it as genuine friendliness or some kind of invitation to be your friend. It is not.

That said, it's not really difficult to make friends here if you come from other big cities, it's easier I'd say. People live closer together and there are tons of noobs to the city so if you are remotely decent at socializing it's not really all that hard to make friends. You will experience the freeze in the process though, but like anything it's a numbers game. If you've lived in other cold, big cities it's nothing you haven't experienced before. But Seattle attracts the sheltered - the "freeze" is not unique - but it is not a myth.

Traffic is no joke, it's just as bad as LA and SF. But things are closer together which is good, and the traffic doesn't "look" as bad since there aren't as many roads, but it is on par with cities that have a much worse reputation for traffic. It's also comparatively easy to navigate so tourists or newcomers don't feel it's as bad. But gridlock is a real problem here, and the road system and traffic lights/navigation feel like they were designed by amateurs. It's also pretty easy to live close to everything in Seattle since it's a tiny city, which also helps with the traffic issue.

The homeless problem is no better or worse than any other west coast city I'd say. People here seem comparatively more sympathetic to them than in LA or SF, based on my experience. How you view this issue is a pretty good indicator as to your "sheltered index" prior to moving to Seattle.

I think the Freeze is actually most relevant to dating. If you're a male especially, the culture in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest is sort of misandrist. Sometimes it almost seems taboo to talk to the opposite sex here.

[ender554]

I think the point many many people are missing is that Seattle isn't really special in these aspects. Certainly it isn't perfect but it sure gets complained about a lot more than deserved.

[evilcart]

Originally Posted by ender554

so I just returned home after my first visit to Seattle and I have to say the urban legends I heard to be true, simply weren't.

1. The so called Seattle freeze. Our first night there sitting in a bar, about twenty minutes into our evening we were joined by three Seattle locals and hung out talking until close. The second night, within five minutes I was engaged by a man who lived on a boat in Ballard and we talked for a couple hours until I had to leave. Night three another table of locals insisted on befriending us. I don't know if I'm just immune but the Seattle freeze seems to be very much a myth.

2. Hoards of homeless people.
what are you guys talking about? Sure there are homeless but no more than any other major city. I certainly wasn't dodging them all day.

3. Traffic.
traffic is fine. Of anyone has ever driven in a large city Seattle may even be a welcome change. You want traffic try san Fran, Oakland, Los Angeles, or even san Diego.. Your roads are schizophrenic at best buy traffic was no big deal.


all in all I had a great time and I think these myths are all perpetuated by those who moved here from small town America right after college and have their own poor social skills

OP you are completely correct.

I my view people just like to make stuff up and tie to a race, city, culture.

In the case of seattle, the people are normal, the traffic is bad at times, but along the lines of other large denser cities with large suburbs.

And there are not that many homeless, but what we do have are mostly shoved into the city. Much of the suburbs move the homeless on when the cops see them.

[sunburned_in_seattle]

wait, wait, wait, wait...I may need to renege on the traffic thing. I drove past the 405 last night at around 11:30p.m. & traffic was practically at a standstill going North. W.T.H.?

[evilcart]

Originally Posted by sunburned_in_seattle

wait, wait, wait, wait...I may need to renege on the traffic thing. I drove past the 405 last night at around 11:30p.m. & traffic was practically at a standstill going North. W.T.H.?

405 has exits closed on and off while they continue expanding the lanes etc. So most likely that was the cause. I know some north bound ones were being closed over the last week and more to come.

[RustinginSeattle]

Traffic doesn't have to be a problem here, just buy an $800,000 house and live close to downtown. No problem.

Difference is if you have a family and a job and want an "affordable" house with a backyard and still need to get to work on time. Then you have a problem. And pray to god it doesn't rain - one accident will shut down roads for hours. And if you get stuck in that - where are you going to go? Jump off of the bridge and swim to work?

Try hanging out near Pioneer Square, Pike Place Market, or 3rd and Pike. Then tell me there's no homeless problem. And it just keeps getting worse....

Good news is - when it's dark out at 3:30pm and the clouds have been hanging so low all day that you swear it's going to set at noon - there is lot's of good beer around for you to drink while you're meeting loads of best buddies!

[FrankSpencer]

Originally Posted by RustinginSeattle

Traffic doesn't have to be a problem here, just buy an $800,000 house and live close to downtown. No problem.

That's what we did, but didn't pay anywhere near $800K in the First Hill/Central District area. I ride my bike to work in South Lake Union and my wife walks. What traffic

But yep, it does suck. By definition. It's a big city. Can you name one that doesn't have bad traffic?

[Exlamatir]

Originally Posted by ender554

so I just returned home after my first visit to Seattle and I have to say the urban legends I heard to be true, simply weren't.

1. The so called Seattle freeze. Our first night there sitting in a bar, about twenty minutes into our evening we were joined by three Seattle locals and hung out talking until close. The second night, within five minutes I was engaged by a man who lived on a boat in Ballard and we talked for a couple hours until I had to leave. Night three another table of locals insisted on befriending us. I don't know if I'm just immune but the Seattle freeze seems to be very much a myth.

2. Hoards of homeless people.
what are you guys talking about? Sure there are homeless but no more than any other major city. I certainly wasn't dodging them all day.

3. Traffic.
traffic is fine. Of anyone has ever driven in a large city Seattle may even be a welcome change. You want traffic try san Fran, Oakland, Los Angeles, or even san Diego.. Your roads are schizophrenic at best buy traffic was no big deal.


all in all I had a great time and I think these myths are all perpetuated by those who moved here from small town America right after college and have their own poor social skills

I agree with all your points except the traffic. It really is that bad, and I say this as a former Bay Area resident.

In all the traffic studies, Seattle usually gets listed in the top 5 worst in the country (5th this year, 4th last year, etc.):

Seattle traffic congestion: We’re No. 5 | The Seattle Times