Goodbye Spokane (fit in, sales, car insurance)

[vesperbelle]

I'm writing this post to bid farewell to Spokane, a lovely city with very friendly people. My family moved here last Spring and we will be moving back to California because I miss my family to much. I left my whole family and moved up here to start a new life with my husband and young child. In the time that I've spent here, these are the things I've come to learn about this city...the pros and the cons. I hope this information might be helpful to others considering the move. It's my honest opinion about my experience living here.

First with the pros: The people here, for the most part are super super nice and friendly. They are generally always pleasant, caring and happy. They take their time and don't have that rush, rush mentality.

The weather in the summer and fall are gorgeous! Summer days are long and warm but the evenings cool down as soon as the sun sets and it feels perfect outside.

Customer service at most retail stores and restaurants are uncomparable, extremely curteous and helpful and they really take their time to assist you. Go to a Home Depot and you won't have to scurry around looking for help, they will usually find you.

The lakes are gorgeous here, clean, beautiful and not crowded. If you're lucky to have a lake house or a relative that has a lake house...you will enjoy the summers here a lot because there's nothing like spending some wholesome fun time playing and bbq'ing at the lake.

Now the cons: The winters are harsh, especially this year when we were faced with record snowfall in November which seemed to dragged the winter season out longer than usual. We moved here from California and I have never experienced a snowy winter in my life. I can tell you that it was hard to not be able to enjoy the outdoors all winter long like I was able to in California. On days when the temps were below 30 degrees, it would be to uncomfortable to be outside. Walking the dog was difficult because it was to cold and the frozen slippery ice on the ground made it challenging. Add a toddler to the mix and it made it impossible to do anything but be stuck in the house most winter days. The grayness in the sky, day after day was quite depressing and the sun did peep out every few days but quickly dissappeared after 20 minutes or so. Shoveling snow after work in the dark was not fun either and I came to feel that snow, although beautiful to look at when it first falls...became a pain to live with day after day. Also, driving in the snow was a headache. The city streets became slushy, frozen or dirty from the sanding and our cars look like trash. Slipping on the road was a common occurance. Smaller streets would be difficult to travel through because the snow would not get plowed as quickly so you have to take main streets, which caused traffic jams.

The restaurant selections in Spokane is very limited compared to the restaurants in California. We lived in the bay area before and had cities like San Francisco, Santa Cruz, San Jose, and Monterey all around us, so the variety of foods was pretty amazing. Also, if you enjoy Vietnamese food, the selections are pretty bad. The best advice I can give is go to Vina for Pho. Go to Lee's Terriyaki on the weekends for the weekend specials...it changes every weekend and sometimes you might get something good. For Italian we enjoyed Luigi's in downtown Spokane.

Division Street, it seems like everything is on Division street. It's an ugly street that's crowded with cars. It seemed like we were always on this street.

With that, I just want to say goodbye to Spokane. It's been a great experience with the good and the bad. I'm looking forward to coming back to California to be with my family again. There's nothing like California weather and I've developed a greater appreciation for it. There's nothing like being able to wear a t-shirt in January and taking my toddler out to the park so he can play. There are good and bad to every city and what works for one person may not work for another. For those considering moving, I hope you find this helpful. Good luck and God bless you, wherever you live!

[vesperbelle]

Oh, I forgot to add on last thing. Over the summer, I was completely shocked to drive down Frances by Division street and seeing girls in sexy lingerie selling coffee. They were not just inside the booth, but walked up and down the sidewalk in very skimpy lingerie trying to attrack customers to buy coffee. It blew me away that they would do that to themselves to sell a $3 cup of coffee. It's a busy street and families with small children use these streets. I wonder what parents say to their young boys and girls who may ask why these girls are dressed like that in public. It's VERY suggestive and sexual and out there in public for people of ALL ages to see. How awful.

[redhead]

vesperbelle thanks so much for your input on spokane and hope you have a safe trip home. family is very important, and even though any place california is much more expensive then spokane, having family around makes is worth the expense. i'm from calif as well and when the snow started falling in november i decided to return to calif too. i'm very tired of being housebound due to snow and ice, but after researching property cost and considering the increase in taxes, both sales and income take and my car insurance going up, and paying twice as much for a decent appartment then i pay here, i decided to stay put and suffer through the winters. you're right about nothing like being able to walk outside any day of the year and not worry about slipping and falling down or freezing. or not worring about driving in solid ice and thick snow. living in snow country is lots more hazardous then anything in california. so i envy you but i'm going to suffer through these winters; at least until i win the lottery and can afford to live back in california.

[Arminius 09]

I moved here from California this year and LOVED the winter. The more snow the better IMO.

[redhead]

when i first arrived in snow country several years ago; (i've lived in wyoming, idaho, and montana as well) i loved it 2. but now i just resent having to stay indoors so long.... but i'm adjusting, i'm taking up more indoor hobbies and just staying away from driving in it as much as possible. i'm retired so don't have to be out in it everyday.i'm with you...... snow is beautiful to look at; not to walk in or drive though.

[WendyK]

I think suffering through the snow & ice makes us appreciate spring and summer that much more. I get so excited when I start to see those spring blooms popping through the ground. And when the robins & bluebirds arrive, you know better days are on the way!

[Arminius 09]

Originally Posted by redhead

when i first arrived in snow country several years ago; (i've lived in wyoming, idaho, and montana as well) i loved it 2. but now i just resent having to stay indoors so long.... but i'm adjusting, i'm taking up more indoor hobbies and just staying away from driving in it as much as possible. i'm retired so don't have to be out in it everyday.i'm with you...... snow is beautiful to look at; not to walk in or drive though.

I actually enjoy walking and driving in the snow as well, but I'm sure I'm in the minority there. I love hiking and going for drives and doing those things in the snow is a whole new experience.

[redhead]

I don't mind walking in the snow as long as I don't have to walk where there's traffic, but here the sidewalks are not cleared and when it snows a lot I take the bus instead of driving down the steep slippery hills. And that means i walk right in traffic for the most part. Not safe, but easier then walking through a couple feet of packed snow and ice. I'll still go out to the greeways to walk but that's safer and easier to walk in fresh snow and it is beautiful. I just can't stay indoors for weeks at a time no matter how bad the weather!

[Arquebus]

".....I take the bus instead of driving down the steep slippery hills."

Oh, so that way when you go careening out of control on the icy roads at least you'll have company!!!

[redhead]

Originally Posted by Arquebus

".....I take the bus instead of driving down the steep slippery hills."

Oh, so that way when you go careening out of control on the icy roads at least you'll have company!!!

of course! besides the bus has more traction then my car.... and i don't have to scrap off the ice or dig out my car...it doesn't fit into the little garage i have.