I'm homesick for Seattle- You can help me!

[seattlerain]

Originally Posted by SpikeDurden

I'm with you on the Chicago pizza. There's not a single other place I've ever been that makes true Chicago pizza besides in Chicago. What they call Chicago-style pizza in most places, including Seattle, is just a pizza with thick crust. THAT'S NOT IT AT ALL!!!! The crust of Chicago style is NOT thick. It's thin, flakey, buttery and pie-like. The cheese is on the bottom. Then the meats/other toppings, and THEN the tangy tomato sauce is on top.

I'm with you on the neighbors. I lived on a suburban street in the Seattle area for a decade, a cul de sac even, and there were no block parties, no friendliness, everyone kept to themselves. It's very odd. And if you were to move in and then go next door and greet your new neighbor they would think you're weird.

I'm with you on the snow too, and the drivers of course. The handling of snow in the PNW is a joke.

One thing though: you're from Chicago and you're complaining about the roads in Seattle??? This is really surprising to me. To me, Seattle's roads are miles better than most places, and on top of that, Chicago and the surrounding area has some of the worst roads I've ever encountered in America. They full of pot holes, cracks and just plain uneven. Ask my bicycle, which has gotten pinch flats from potholes several times while I've been here.

It is a stretch to say that the handling of snow here is a joke...drive an hour or so east...the mountain passes receive hundreds of inches of snow...and it is handled quite well.

We don't get enough snow in the lowlands to justify huge fleets of snow removal equipment.

[eskercurve]

Originally Posted by seattlerain

It is a stretch to say that the handling of snow here is a joke...drive an hour or so east...the mountain passes receive hundreds of inches of snow...and it is handled quite well.

We don't get enough snow in the lowlands to justify huge fleets of snow removal equipment.

I keep hearing that excuse. And every year it's blown out of the water by 1/2 and inch of snow that closes down the entire metro area. And every year I keep hearing "this is a once in 20 years snowstorm." Bull. It happens every year and the locals are simply delusional.

You know another place where that's the norm?

Texas.

There. Our snow removal is as bad as Texas. That's just poor. Our metro area GDP contribution should justify better snow removal.

[seattlerain]

Originally Posted by eskercurve

I keep hearing that excuse. And every year it's blown out of the water by 1/2 and inch of snow that closes down the entire metro area. And every year I keep hearing "this is a once in 20 years snowstorm." Bull. It happens every year and the locals are simply delusional.

You know another place where that's the norm?

Texas.

There. Our snow removal is as bad as Texas. That's just poor. Our metro area GDP contribution should justify better snow removal.

Sorry, I don't buy it. IF we had consistent heavy snowfall throughout the winter it would be a different story.

Why is it that these threads always turn into something like this: locals are delusional, the locals don't know how to drive, the locals don't know what good pizza is, the locals, the locals, the locals...

There are more transplants in the area than natives...having said that, If you live here you are a local too.

[Ira500]

Originally Posted by seattlerain

Sorry, I don't buy it. IF we had consistent heavy snowfall throughout the winter it would be a different story.

Why is it that these threads always turn into something like this: locals are delusional, the locals don't know how to drive, the locals don't know what good pizza is, the locals, the locals, the locals...

There are more transplants in the area than natives...having said that, If you live here you are a local too.

That's funny and that's true, seattlerain. A minor variation is " Seattle was occupied by savages who didn't know anything about food, culture, etc until we enlightened folks arrived."
But I blame " those enlightened folks" for all the bad traffic.

[SpikeDurden]

Originally Posted by Ira500

That's funny and that's true, seattlerain. A minor variation is " Seattle was occupied by savages who didn't know anything about food, culture, etc until we enlightened folks arrived."
But I blame " those enlightened folks" for all the bad traffic.

Traffic is really not that bad in Seattle. Seattle traffic at its worst is LA or Chicago traffic at its best.

I don't blame the "locals" for poor snow management, but I also think it's completely unacceptable for 2 inches of snow to shut down an entire metropolitan area for 2 freaking days. I think the locals need to be more vocal about that. Yes, I was there last November. It's absolutely ridiculous. Do you know how long the gigantic Chicago blizzard in February, with 20 inches of snow in some places, shut down the city for? About a day. Yes, I know Seattle can't justify spending money like Chicago does on snow. 2 completely different cities with different types of winters (plus Chicago mayors largely get re elected based on how they handle the snow here).

But 2 inches of snow shutting down Seattle is pretty unacceptable. We have hills that are extremely dangerous to drive on with snow covered on it. The freaking environmental laws don't allow salt to be used. They'd rather be environmentally friendly than save human lives and prevent crashes. That's absurd. And combine that with a bunch of idiots in SUVs who actually believe their 4 wheel drive will help them drive down snowy hills (it won't) and it's a recipe for disaster.

But as for the above quote, I think Seattleites on average know more about food and culture than the people of most other places I've been so I'm surprised to hear that people say that.

[Inkpoe]

Originally Posted by SpikeDurden

I don't blame the "locals" for poor snow management, but I also think it's completely unacceptable for 2 inches of snow to shut down an entire metropolitan area for 2 freaking days. I think the locals need to be more vocal about that. Yes, I was there last November. It's absolutely ridiculous. Do you know how long the gigantic Chicago blizzard in February, with 20 inches of snow in some places, shut down the city for? About a day. Yes, I know Seattle can't justify spending money like Chicago does on snow. 2 completely different cities with different types of winters (plus Chicago mayors largely get re elected based on how they handle the snow here).

But 2 inches of snow shutting down Seattle is pretty unacceptable. We have hills that are extremely dangerous to drive on with snow covered on it. The freaking environmental laws don't allow salt to be used. They'd rather be environmentally friendly than save human lives and prevent crashes. That's absurd. And combine that with a bunch of idiots in SUVs who actually believe their 4 wheel drive will help them drive down snowy hills (it won't) and it's a recipe for disaster.

Last November wasn't too bad at all. Seattle can use salt now. Seattle did use salt the year before last... but the people applying did it wrong and the salt ended up refreezing, causing an even more hazardous situation.

[SpikeDurden]

Good to hear they've started to use salt. When used correctly it can make a world of difference.

[Beans&Cornbread]

Originally Posted by SpikeDurden

I moved to Chicago last December for grad school and I love it...

So here's something fun you can do to help me: let's list things that bug you about Seattle and the Seattle area. Maybe it'll remind me why I wanted a break from the area (although now I really want to go back. But I'm the kind of guy where the grass is always greener... Can't help it!) All in good fun now, I don't mean for a nasty discussion.

Hey Spike - I'm a former Seatteite now living in North Carolina (we moved almost 10 years ago). We love it out here, but my wife and I talk about our former hometown all the time. Oh yeah, I could write 20 pages about all the stuff we miss...but I won't in fairness to you!

Stuff we don't miss:

Driving the long stretch on Aurora Ave N - North of the lovely Green Lake neighborhood up past Shoreline. Ughh....I know every city has one (some have many...) - but wow, talk about ugly, nasty, eyesore...

Bad, nasty Mexican food. (It's been a while, so hopefully, things have vastly improved).

The misfortune of getting stuck in gridlock traffic on/near Montlake or 520 after a U-Dub football game.

Seattle Mariners owners sometimes making it tough to be a fan! Also, the fair weather fans that hate on the local teams - but then get all gung go when the Mariners, Seahawks, etc do well.

The months and months of gray, overcast skies and seemingly endless days of misty rain. Some love it - some hate it. We are sun people - so the weather was a big factor for us leaving.

Not sure how the road conditions are now - but the potholes! Yeah - not Seattle specific, but I remember how much I would curse/yell when I would hit yet another giant pothole driving around Seattle. Grrr....!

Sea-Tac.

The fact that there weren't more cities within driving distance (except Portland and Vancouver). Most everywhere - it was always fly.

I can probably think of more...

[eskercurve]

I never said that the locals are ignorant or somehow a backwater. On the contrary I more believe that this area is very vibrant and I support local artists and establishments and try to avoid major chains (unless they started here). I was merely commenting on some of the admittedly very minor things that bug me about this area.

The locals are lovely and so is the area but to say it is Utopia is delusional.

[Lamplight]

The best pizza I've ever had in my life, by many orders of magnitude, was in Chicago. The pizza I had in Seattle was okay, but definitely nothing special. But the owner of the place was ridiculously nice!