Seattle: You're Not Cool If You Don't Love It Here (apartment, tax)

[RotseCherut]

You're right... I am not Cool..

I won't lie about being a cross-dresser, I will dress in Western clothing, but then somedays I cannot resist and dress up in my eastern garb, wearing chaluk/kurta, maizar and mitznefet or kippa.

I was just hoping being of an alternative lifestyle I could have been accepted in the Cool City of people with so-called alternative lifestyles and open minds.

However, I just feel this aura of animosity and friction compared to where I Lived in Oregon. People in Seattle just seem so pre-programmed and conformed to societal standards and seem to hide hidden sentiments of trepidation of people who go against the de-facto standards.

[Steve Bowen]

Originally Posted by RotseCherut

People in Seattle just seem so pre-programmed and conformed to societal standards and seem to hide hidden sentiments of trepidation of people who go against the de-facto standards.

I think I prefer that to a city overflowing with hipsters trying SO HARD to be edgy and different.

It comes down to which type of conformity you prefer. I don't think Portland is any less conformist. It's just a different type of conformity.

[mrslovettstailor]

Its all in perspective. I think Seattle is VERY progressive--too much to my taste--but I suppose its where you come from, what you believe, and what you find important.

[beachmel]

I get up to Seattle about every 5 years or so, just to remind myself just how fortunate I am to live in a small town. There are people who thrive in that busyness and chaos, then there are those who just want to survive the traffic and get home as safely and as quickly as possible. From our location....that's about 4 hrs worth of driving time. The weather? It is what it is. Can I get frustrated with it? Of course, but I can't imagine living anywhere that there wouldn't be complaints about the weather. It gets too hot, it gets too cold, it's too windy, there are tornadoes and/or hurricanes, there's too much rain, it's prone to electrical storms and wildfires, etc. I don't know of a single place where you wouldn't, at some time or another, complain about inclement weather.

OP...it's good you left. Some people can't handle the gray and damp that can settle in here in Western, WA. It can be devastating to some folks and yes, if it's got you down, it only makes it worse when others get ticked at you about your feelings. I'm glad you've found some place that suits your taste and lifestyle.

[beachmel]

Originally Posted by mrslovettstailor

Its all in perspective. I think Seattle is VERY progressive--too much to my taste--but I suppose its where you come from, what you believe, and what you find important.

We share the same perspective. LOL I'm exhausted after trips to the big city. It takes a whole lot of concentration and effort, keeping my slack jaw closed. Some of the things you see when you get to the Olympia/Tacoma/Seattle can drop your jaw! Haha

[mrslovettstailor]

Originally Posted by beachmel

We share the same perspective. LOL I'm exhausted after trips to the big city. It takes a whole lot of concentration and effort, keeping my slack jaw closed. Some of the things you see when you get to the Olympia/Tacoma/Seattle can drop your jaw! Haha

Yes it always seems tiring there, everything rush rush... However we are finding ourselves in the position where we will either need to be moving very close to Seattle or in it for our sons' educations. We still have a while before we have to make the jump but we have decided it is inevitable. Are flirting with trying to stay on this side of the water though if possible just not sure if commuting by ferry will be an option. I love it actually but the idea of being stuck on one side while the kids are on the other in an emergency doesn't bode well

I find myself pretty easy going mostly, though am fierce when it comes to my kids. I am very much of the --you live your life, I live mine--philosophy, so though I do NOT believe in Seattle's politics in any way I can still live with them. The liberal idea is spreading everywhere and becoming the norm so might as well learn now how to live in that world. It is possible to do so and not be "of" it, if you know what I mean

[neverize]

I think everyone has their own ideal place to live.

For me, moving up here from California was the best decision I ever made. I've lived in the East Coast, and although I loved the cold cold chilly winters, I hated its sticky summers. Moving to a dryer place like Cali was nice at first, but after a while you get tired of the sun. It's literally tiring to absorb that much vitamin D (and sun cream) EVERYDAY. So, moving up to Seattle, to a milder sun was perfect! Now I complain about the winter. Although the rain is nice, I want full blown snow storms! But I soon realized I could always drive up a couple of hours to get all the snow I want... which is even more perfect because now I get to "choose" when to see the snow.

Ever since I moved up, I've met a lot of locals here that always talk about moving down to California. When I tell them that I love the weather here, they look at me in awe. But you see, they're not me. They obvious have different definition of what a perfect place is than my own. So, posts like this is not that useful because it all comes down to your personal taste, and this city happens to fit perfectly to mine.

Good luck in Chicago. (I liked the deep dish pizza there.. but that's about it. hehe)

[beachmel]

Originally Posted by mrslovettstailor

Yes it always seems tiring there, everything rush rush... However we are finding ourselves in the position where we will either need to be moving very close to Seattle or in it for our sons' educations. We still have a while before we have to make the jump but we have decided it is inevitable. Are flirting with trying to stay on this side of the water though if possible just not sure if commuting by ferry will be an option. I love it actually but the idea of being stuck on one side while the kids are on the other in an emergency doesn't bode well

I find myself pretty easy going mostly, though am fierce when it comes to my kids. I am very much of the --you live your life, I live mine--philosophy, so though I do NOT believe in Seattle's politics in any way I can still live with them. The liberal idea is spreading everywhere and becoming the norm so might as well learn now how to live in that world. It is possible to do so and not be "of" it, if you know what I mean

I know exactly what you mean. It IS possible to be an island, if need be. As for being far away from the kids, yeah...get that too. I've got one stationed in VA and when he's got stuff going on, it KILLS me not to be able to work that mom stuff and fix it. I hate that helpless feeling...probably because I know what it feels like to be on the other side, as well.

PA is so much more laid back than Seattle though. You still have your Carharts and Hickories, ya know what I mean? We try to get up there about once per year, as we have family in Forks (The Hoh) that we get up to visit. We always try to shoot up to PA, just because it feels good and it's SUCH a killer drive from Forks to PA.

To anyone who hasn't done the drive down the coast from PA to ...oh, say, Lake Quinault...and you like driving.... I highly recommend it!

[desirelines]

Bummer. My kindred spirit just moved away!
I have literally said that I was "corrected" (privately to my hubby in my living room) again "out there" many, many times and that I just don't get it. I feel like a total misfit. I just finished reading about the "Seattle freeze" and I can tell you it's a Western Washington freeze. I have been ignored by hundreds of people up and down I5. Even basic pleasantries are ignored - please, thank you, have a nice day? I'm the only one talking...to myself. I feel like I must have some kind of outrageous personality. If I raise my hand to wave hello - I look like a nutcase.
Sorry, but I miss the sun. I miss feeling good. I miss having small talk and long talk. Unfortunately I have to stay a while longer (hubby has a great pension). So, when I get back from vacation (where I'm swimming and I can see the sun!) I'm gonna paint my garage - blue walls and a yellow ceiling - and put in a hot tub. Desperate times call for tacky solutions!

[SissyLou80]

I like some things about Seattle and dislike some things about it. The long, grey winters are really hard for me to endure, but I love the flowers and greenery, which wouldn't be possible without the rain.

One thing I need to disagree with that an earlier poster wrote -- how Seattle is so "open-minded." My experience has been that people are open minded here as long as you align with their views. It's astounding how close-minded people become when you don't share their point of view.

Seattle is also one of the most politically correct places I've ever lived and that's a form of close-mindedness. City officials want to ban words like citizen and brown bag? They changed "manhole covers" in all the city paperwork to make the concept less "gender-specific" and that ain't cheap. It's censorship and insane. Really. Consider that the "man" in manhole cover just might have come from the Latin word "manus," meaning hands. Instead, the city leaders of Seattle chose to make innocuous words ominous and evil.

To be fair, the Seattle summers are the grandest of anywhere I've ever been, hands down. And the scenery in the area is stupendous.