In defense of Monroe... (Seattle, Bellevue: cul-de-sac, to rent, new home)

[blondesofmonroe]

Hey fellow PNWs and casual strollers to the forum!!

I was reading the forums seeking something and I stumbled across a few posts that were just plain 'trashing' Monroe.

I am compelled to to tell you my story and share my experiences:
(It is long, but detailed and from the HEART)

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I have lived in the Sound for um about 7 years in all. Have lived in Redmond - when I first arrived, for about two years, in Kirkland thereafter and then in downtown Seattle - near UW. I got married and moved to SFBay and after a couple of years, we moved back to the Sound. Adjusting to the lack of sun this time around was incredibly hard for whatever reason

After a few months of looking for homes, in every possible neighborhood in a closer proximity to Redmond, I requested my realtor to show me Monroe.

I knew from living and driving in my previous years that I was NOT going to go through the torture of driving to Renton OR Bothell OR Seattle. The transit system is so AWFUL - kosher words cannot describe its useless ineffectiveness.

The HOV system is another brainless nightmare - you need 3(?!!) people for 520 to Seattle from Redmond. In 'Freeze-central' when it is hard to find ONE, pray how do I find, 'TWO' people to pool with?

To make a long story short, hubby and I sat and poured over maps and decided that the back roads from Monroe, connected so many city's beautifully - with a true commitment to coniferous old-growth forests. True there is a slight block on 522 to go towards Seattle, but that is also acceptable to me compared to the nauseating drive on 405.

So Monroe it was. Not surprisingly, when I spoke to my Realtor, she did not want to show me the place because of her own bias. The typical - it's hick, it's 'white-trash' (she was white herself, I am not - but maybe you figured that out from my moniker - ha ha!), weed-town - all that stuff.

I decided to drive-by the place myself for homes I had shortlisted and took the back roads through Duvall and was breathless watching horses grazing on lush fields with a backdrop of mountains gushing little rivulets from the previous night's rain. It was late December, and a weak sun struggled to shine through in a golden fawn. (I never saw the Sun in December since - sneaky bast**d ) Maybe the gods of Monroe were trying very hard to entrance us, but whatever it was I was sold and remain so, to that drive, any give day, compared to the nightmare of other traffic jams and fellow young brats of Microsoft, who just don't know/care how to drive in a rainy weather. (I'm sorry I beg to differ, Seattlites do NOT know how to drive)

My heart just stopped when I first stopped by our home in Monroe. It had already been vacated by its previous owner and it stood proudly perched on top of a hill at the end of a cul-de-sac. The neighbours were out having a chat with their dogs playing nearby. If you drive-by now, you will see me and my dogs in the gang as well

I am also glad I did not enter into town through 522E and Hwy 2 - that view is just the most horrible - with badly designed neon signs. Someday when I work with the city council, we might change that

Every SINGLE person we have encountered in the town - even the ones with a broken tooth are loving, sweet, accepting of the fact that we are brown, we are different and yet, we are a part of the Monroe family.

No snobbish - I am better than you 'Bellevue' types. You figure out the culture of the place by the people who are in the service industry and behaviour of young people. My sister, who was with us for her school and I love being the 'only Blondes' of Monroe, especially with the jungle of thick brown manes we have.

The development index has been among the top most in the region for the town and even with the financial downturn, there are bidding wars on homes of friends we know of. It is self contained. It needs a new WholeFoods/Trader Joe's and a Microsoft Campus, and hey we will be set. They're building new roads, connectors (to beat the constipation on Hwy2), malls and there is a brand new school with state of the art facilities. My 'blonde' kids ain't goin' nowhere else yo!

I moved last year for my schooling and my husband and I are bleeding through our nose to keep our home in Monroe, but I don't think we are going to give it up anytime soon. Monroe sold me the bad weather of the Sound, (yeah, please accept it - it is bad weather most of the time), took San Francisco off the chart for consideration and we look at it as a new haven to bring up our kids.

I plan to volunteer in the Chaplain services in the penitentiary by the way. And of the 20 cops we have there, I know 25 of them - all in a good way.

Phew! There, I hope my post comes up for someone considering a new home in the Sound and it helps them make a fair decision.