Is Seattle's beauty overrated? (apartment complexes, hotel, home)

[skidamarink]

Before I came, everyone would rave about how beautiful Seattle is. I was expecting to see mountains from every angle of the city and water easily within reach from all neighborhoods. Turned out not to be all of that, but it's still more beautiful than where I came from.

I probably would've enjoyed the beauty of driving through the mountains to get here more if weren't for the fact that I was clutching the wheel in terror since it was my first time driving on any kind of incline or decline. That is like a rollercoaster ride for someone from the flat Midwestern Plains, like me.

[mrman78]

Just the hills alone in Seattle make it beautiful. The mountains and water are extras. I also find the city a lot cleaner and has a better layout than where I came from (Houston), so that adds to it's beauty.

[hamellr]

Originally Posted by movingwiththewind

IMO, Seattle library and EMP are absolutely ugly. I also think, leaving this ugly rusty factory in the middle of the park in Wallingford was a huge mistake. And I don't even want to talk about the ugly freeway that goes right across the downtown. These are just few examples that come to mind.

I, and a lot of people would disagree with you. Frank Gehry designed EMP and he's not exactly a nobody designer who was picked up off the streets.

The library is a masterpiece in my opinion, and several others "In 2007, the building was voted #108 on the American Institute of Architects' list of Americans' 150 favorite structures in the US.[1] It was one of two Seattle buildings included on the list of 150 structures, the other being Safeco Field." Granted there are plenty of distractors, but as the Wikipedia article notes "On the other hand, usage of the building is more than double the predicted volume.[9] In the library's first year, 2.3 million people came to visit the library, roughly 30% were out-of-town. The library was also found to have generated $16 million in new economic activity for its surrounding area during this period.[10]"

BTW, if you're talking about the Alaskan Way Viaduct, it's gone now. WSDOT - Project - SR 99 - Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement

As for the rusty factory, are you talking about the Gas Works? Number six best place to take photographs at in Seattle?

[Apathizer]

Originally Posted by seattlerain

If for instance Vancouver was not located where it is, I would find very little appealing about the city itself.

Seriously!?! What's not to love? It's walkable, diverse, with wonderful cultural amenities. Not to mention the hookers and hash-parlors! No wonder Vancouver is consistently rated as one of the world's most livable cities!

[Beenhere4ever]

The geography is very attractive to me. The city itself doesn't seem anything special from an architectural viewpoint. Not like, say, Vienna or Paris.

[415_s2k]

In my opinion, yes, it is. Keep in mind, beauty is all suggestive. I don't really like pine or evergreen forests that much; I much prefer desert, high desert, and tropical greenery, and so consequently, I'm much more impressed by cities like Honolulu, San Francisco, even Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Phoenix for natural settings. My parents were really, really into hiking and camping, which we did constantly when I was a kid. I never enjoyed it, so the hiking/mountaineering pretensions that are woven into the city's social fabric and style are completely lost on me.

For urbanity, I found Boston and SF to be more enchanting, and NYC and LA to be more impressive. There are certainly parts of Seattle that I love and that are really distinct - the Pike Place Market, the piers, Golden Gardens, etc. - but the rest of it, I wasn't too impressed by as an adult.

All this said, I can certainly, objectively see where if you are a fan of greenery and forests, as many people the world over are, Seattle would be right up your alley, along with Portland and Denver.

Originally Posted by NewtoSD?

But to quote Clint Eastwood, "you know what I hate, you know what I can't stand"....is watching you stuff our faces with Pittsburgh. Kidding, but the people that believe their city is "the best" are really annoying. Usually it's all based on their unique personal experience there rather than objective criteria that can apply to anyone.

I think that often, people who tie their identity too intensely with a city are making up for a lack of personal character, achievement, or are simply poorly-traveled and feel intimidated at the notion that perhaps there are things outside of their favorite place that are better. Look at the city vs. city forums, where you get people from NY or Texas or wherever else, who've never lived outside of that place, who will tell you up and down how much better their place is than yours... just 'cause it is. They'll go on about how their city is the financial or tech hub of the world, even though they have nothing to do with either industry. They'll talk about the top universities, when they dropped out of high school. They'll talk about the amazing array of available international cuisines, when they never eat anything but burgers and sandwiches.

LA has better weather than Seattle (imho), but Seattle has way better air. SF has better food than NYC, but NYC has better nightlife. It's best to give credit where it's due.

Example? "Pittsburgh is a romantic city". If you're in love, I'm sure even Omaha is a romantic city. Methinks Pittsburgh might not be so romantic if one is single or trolling bars. Just my opinion.

My ex who was Japanese-American from California had it in her head that Boston was the most romantic city in the world, because she'd seen pictures of the Charles River frozen over when it was snowy, the Common during the fall, etc. It made me laugh, because I thought of the old hubcaps and empties of Mickey's that would wash up on the banks of the Charles, and the times we young turks would walk through the Common drunk and belligerent. But, she insisted on going to both locations to make snowballs and cuddle, nonetheless.

I find Seattle infinitely more romantic than Pittsburgh, after having been to both (and I visited Pitt solely to see a girl).

[Think4Yourself]

I don't think the city's beauty is over rated. I love Seattle's skyline and all the outdoor things to do in and around the city.

[seattlecoming]

Originally Posted by Vinylly

Just think, Seattle has become Los Angelus. : smack:

Not at all. Los Angeles is over-crowded, congested, polluted, and sprawled out to the edge of the earth. Seattle has fresh clean air, not crowded, only congested on weekdays during peak drive times, and much more condensed and well-planned than Los Angeles could ever hope to be. There are some good aspects about Los Angeles but comparing it to Seattle is senseless.

[seattlecoming]

Originally Posted by Think4Yourself

I don't think the city's beauty is over rated. I love Seattle's skyline and all the outdoor things to do in and around the city.

Seattle has a beautiful skyline and the mountain back-drops make it even prettier. It's world-class- maybe not as wordly or sophisticated as New York but who says we have to be like the Big Apple anyway? This is Seattle and we have some of the best architecture, natural beauty, and outdoor recreation of any other city. I'm proud to live here.

[peacenick]

I apologize in advance posting this because it is off-topic, but you guys would be the best bet to go to. I am from Calgary and taking my mom to Seattle for a few days tomorrow and I need some recommendations for a hotel to stay at. I would prefer to stay somewhere central, but am finding that downtown hotels are for the most part, ridiculously expensive. Anybody have suggestions? Once again sorry for the off-topic post