A pot of yoghurt has more culture than the Tri Cities (Seattle: car rental, rentals)

[veganmegan]

3 hours is not a easy drive to a major city. It is a chore especially in winter to go to Portland/Seattle ( which themselves are sleepy compared to SFO, CHI, NY etc)If you are content with home and hearth, a close knit group of friends, if you are a church goer, like listening to people who often have narrow minded parochial views and will vote for Bush no matter what, like baking hot summers, gloomy winters then Tri Cities is a perfect city for you. You also have to be comfortable living close to (20 miles) to a nuclear plant, be ready to head out to Seattle for quality health care. Dining out will be chain restaurants. What few mom and pops existed closed shop one by one because the local population is so crass that they would rather eat at a chain than support a local business. The airport has many non stop flights to help you escape. From my experience most people who live there seem to live there because they are from there or have no choice ( like the scientists).

If you are from Boston, NY, SFO, Seattle, LA or any decent city you will hate it here ( 90 percent chance). Best of luck.

[wilkermoo]

mod cut: orphaned comment

If you do not like the Tri-Cities so much and you live here then move. Do not stay and make assumptions about the entire population in a negative manner. I now live in the Tri-Cities and moved from San Francisco area almost 2 years ago. Each area has its good points and bad points. Big cities may have more restaurants but you will pay higher prices, pay for parking, wait forever to get a table and then sit in traffic the whole way home.

Do not forget that most people are foreclosing on their homes in some of these wonderful big cities because it is too expensive to live/work in these areas for most people. We are pretty lucky here in the tri-cities and it is a great place to live for those who can appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Veganmegan

3 hours is not a easy drive to a major city. It is a chore especially in winter to go to Portland/Seattle ( which themselves are sleepy compared to SFO, CHI, NY etc)If you are content with home and hearth, a close knit group of friends, if you are a church goer, like listening to people who often have narrow minded parochial views and will vote for Bush no matter what, like baking hot summers, gloomy winters then Tri Cities is a perfect city for you. You also have to be comfortable living close to (20 miles) to a nuclear plant, be ready to head out to Seattle for quality health care. Dining out will be chain restaurants. What few mom and pops existed closed shop one by one because the local population is so crass that they would rather eat at a chain than support a local business. The airport has many non stop flights to help you escape. From my experience most people who live there seem to live there because they are from there or have no choice ( like the scientists).

If you are from Boston, NY, SFO, Seattle, LA or any decent city you will hate it here ( 90 percent chance). Best of luck.

[vette-dude]

Sounds like you possibly don't like the atmosphere in the TriCities OP? What is stopping you from going down the road picking up a U-Haul (located at the Budget car rentals/sales in Richland) pack up your goodies and drive until you find that special location that has the mom and pop restaurants and you are content.....oh and don't judge the entire 80K plus ppl that lives their lives here over a few based on just your judgement...

[j_k_k]

She has good points. The political mentality around isn't much to write home about. She's dead on about this area's mysterious penchants for cookie-cutter chain restaurants over interesting, unique and ethnic options. (Mexican isn't an ethnic food here.) It does get frigid cold in winter and oven-hot in summer. If those things are problems for someone, they aren't going to like it here.

Myself, I expect narrow-minded political views everywhere in the United States and am not surprised this area has them too, so that doesn't bother me. I don't expect a city of this size to really embrace a lot of quirky, interesting restaurants, and sure enough, it doesn't. As for weather, no place has a perfect climate for everyone, but I sure never want to spend a 17th Seattle winter of seven months of icy rain. I like ours. So, while these criticisms are spot on, they simply do not bother me much.

[tcres]

blah blah blah

[BomberBoy]

Sounds like the same people who I went to school with and couldn't wait to leave the Tri Cities for all the stated reasons. 10 years later, they have all moved back here from SF, LA, Sea, PDX. You can have your smog and traffic clog Veganmegan.

[GameHog9]

Originally Posted by veganmegan

3 hours is not a easy drive to a major city. It is a chore especially in winter to go to Portland/Seattle ( which themselves are sleepy compared to SFO, CHI, NY etc)If you are content with home and hearth, a close knit group of friends, if you are a church goer, like listening to people who often have narrow minded parochial views and will vote for Bush no matter what, like baking hot summers, gloomy winters then Tri Cities is a perfect city for you. You also have to be comfortable living close to (20 miles) to a nuclear plant, be ready to head out to Seattle for quality health care. Dining out will be chain restaurants. What few mom and pops existed closed shop one by one because the local population is so crass that they would rather eat at a chain than support a local business. The airport has many non stop flights to help you escape. From my experience most people who live there seem to live there because they are from there or have no choice ( like the scientists).

If you are from Boston, NY, SFO, Seattle, LA or any decent city you will hate it here ( 90 percent chance). Best of luck.

Uhhhhh... Okay

No one is forcing you to live here

Now back to downloading HD vids of youtube!!!

[exit82]

If the place is so bad- why are the hotels always full and expensive? someone must want to go there.

[j_k_k]

She's right about culture, though. A pot of yogurt truly does have more culture than this area. That question itself is an entirely different one from "Are the Tri-Cities a good place to live and raise a family?" Not everyone is eager for or needs culture.

[M3 Mitch]

Originally Posted by j_k_k

She has good points. The political mentality around isn't much to write home about. She's dead on about this area's mysterious penchants for cookie-cutter chain restaurants over interesting, unique and ethnic options. (Mexican isn't an ethnic food here.) It does get frigid cold in winter and oven-hot in summer. If those things are problems for someone, they aren't going to like it here.

Myself, I expect narrow-minded political views everywhere in the United States and am not surprised this area has them too, so that doesn't bother me. I don't expect a city of this size to really embrace a lot of quirky, interesting restaurants, and sure enough, it doesn't. As for weather, no place has a perfect climate for everyone, but I sure never want to spend a 17th Seattle winter of seven months of icy rain. I like ours. So, while these criticisms are spot on, they simply do not bother me much.

That is a good point, what's up with the conformist mentality and love of chain restaurants? When Outback opened, you would have to wait for an hour to get seated - why put up with that? Outback is good, but, it's a chain, if you have seen one you have seen them all.

Although, see the other thread about non-chain restaurants - there *is* some culture here, although you do have to root around a little to find it.

Beyond food, there is Camerata Musica, Richland Light Opera Company is putting on "My Fair Lady" this fall, good NPR station and a good jazz station at 101 +/- FM. Just to name a few. Pick up the Atomic Town flyer in the Friday paper, there are bands playing in various honky-tonk bars, if you are into that.

The majority culture here is crass, bland, and mind-numbingly conformist. This ain't San Fransisco. Then again it does not have the downside of such a place either, mostly cost for me.