My Year in Seattle (Vancouver, Edmonds: home, neighborhood, allergens)

[angelenogirl]

Originally Posted by Seacove

For all the years we've been here, we've never taken the beauty for granted.

We are getting AC installed. We feel a little wimpy for doing so and it was funny seeing the condenser out on the pad this weekend with the rain coming in sheets around it but there it is. There really are people who prefer the cool temperatures of Seattle. Who love mist and sweaters and dark green in December. But I'm fine with the snow staying in the mountains where I can visit it.

I'm not sure what makes Seattleites become a little more quiet and contemplative but it happens. It became very clear to us how much Seattle was home for us when we did a couple of work moves. We missed it so much and trips back were a clear reminder.

So glad you like your new home!

Thanks! And you are so not a wimp. Without AC in my bedroom this summer my behavior would have been way less passive and totally, crazily aggressive.

[mamainfl]

Angelinogirl,

I LOVE your posts. You make me smile almost everytime! We are hoping to move to Seattle next year IF I can talk my husband into it. I figure if I can get him out there, he will enjoy it and want to stay. The grayness IS a concern for sure. I'm hoping if we arrive in May, and experience the nice summer (our summers are brutal), we will all be hooked and manage through the winter looking forward to the beautiful summer again!

[angelenogirl]

Originally Posted by mamainfl

Angelinogirl,

I LOVE your posts. You make me smile almost everytime! We are hoping to move to Seattle next year IF I can talk my husband into it. I figure if I can get him out there, he will enjoy it and want to stay. The grayness IS a concern for sure. I'm hoping if we arrive in May, and experience the nice summer (our summers are brutal), we will all be hooked and manage through the winter looking forward to the beautiful summer again!

Thanks very much! My husband is a total sunbaby surfer type, and he made it through winter. He even liked it. It probably helps that I loved it so much. Happy wife, happy life, right?

I like most place in the U.S., but Florida is just not my cup of tea. Arriving in May should make it seem like the best decision ever.

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

Could someone explain the "passive-aggressive" thing? I still don't get it. What is the behavior that people label passive-aggressive" in Seattle?

Ruth, you don't notice it because you're from, or at least spent a lo of time in the Bay Area, Berkeley in particular and both places are like that. Sometimes people say or do things in your general direction without actually doing them to you to let you know of their disenchantment. When you're used to this, you don't notice it unless you look for it.

[Garethe]

Nice thread and feedback.

I too think the gray damp drizzly weather makes for a great cozy indoor feeling and I just love it. The dryness of where I'm living is something I never got used to. I can't stand how it can go for 2 or 3 weeks or longer at a time without rain.

The noise level at my local Starbucks is deafening which makes the Olive & Summit location look like a monastery. While I don't care for the other extreme, 4th & Seneca for instance, where everybody has their head down in a book or gadget, it will be refreshing.

BTW, I'm not shy, and one of the few Seattleites that talk to anyone whether it's a bus stop, clerk, or fellow customer in line at Starbucks. And it's kind of amusing at times to watch their reaction like "OMG, he's talking to me!! What do I do?!!! How do I make it stop!"

A funny story: I attended a Beach Boys concert one year at the Puyallup and I, along with 2 or 3 others were dancing up in our seats, in the aisles, etc. while everybody else sat quietly with their hands in their laps. Even one of the BB's commented it looked like a Lawrence Welk concert. Oh Washington, we LOVE ya, but you gotta learn to lighten up!

The passive-aggressiveness is a bit annoying. Rather than just say you don't want to go out to dinner with me because you have plans with someone else (and in Seattle two is company, three's a crowd apparently), you make up a headache excuse instead. The more the merrier as far as I'm concerned, but that's just one of those Seattle things I put up with all these years.

[Blondebaerde]

Neat, thanks for writing it. Glad you're still star-struck. Comments:

1. Weather can have wacky variance YoY. Just wait. Zero snow last year; there could any, none, or "freakish paralyzing 7 day storm" (ref: Christmas 2008) by November. Windstorm could blow up tomorrow and take out hundreds of trees. Snoqualmie Valley could flood (and does, c. every ten years). Yes, summer was hot. Others are a bit cool. The records rains in Sept (=now) are a perfect example. My lawn loves it, but I don't live downslope and have great drainage. Never boring.

2. You betcha, I've been exploring more than a decade and there is much, much more to see: from Tillamook in Oregon or anywhere further south, to Vancouver Island and Victoria. Not to mention Vancouver, a magnificent city and jewel of western North America, in my opinion (grudgingly, because it's not American). Enjoy.

4. I'm an introvert and only start conversation with others when I'm on fire and need a bucket of water. Fortunately, for all, this is extremely rare (though I suppose *I* would be extremely-rare (or well-done) if on-fire, too).

5. Don't let the sense of wonder fade. In fact, take a drive on Hwy 20 east of Marble Mount to refresh, if ever in-doubt. Not sure if it's open or closed, and if-open sure won't be much longer this year (due to snow): some of the wildest, Alps-like country I've seen in the United States. God knows how they keep it open at the best of times, reminds me of Montana's Going to the Sun Highway in that respect.

6. Only for those of a certain mindset, that being, "I like suburbia better than cities, like to be among my peers, and hate commutes, and don't mind taking a bus into Seattle (AND don't 'need' to be in Seattle too often!).

[mamainfl]

Angelino Girl,

Where did you and your family end up living? Did you buy a house? Are you happy with your neighborhood? Are you a sty at home mom? What kind of work does your husband do?

Too many questions?

[angelenogirl]

Originally Posted by mamainfl

Angelino Girl,

Where did you and your family end up living? Did you buy a house? Are you happy with your neighborhood? Are you a sty at home mom? What kind of work does your husband do?

Too many questions?

We live in Ravenna/Bryant. It's nice, if a bit ho-hum. We are leasing. I wouldn't buy in this neighborhood, though people do love it and it's popular. I have no idea where I want to commit to buying when we do buy, because I am like a teenager falling in love every two seconds with each new place I discover.

There really are so many cute little neighborhoods and towns that fit the bill, to be honest. Right this second, I would buy a house in downtown Edmonds and be thrilled with that decision. As a Realtor described it to me, it's like Kirkland 20 years ago (I also love Kirkland - pricey). I love sweeping water views and quaint little town squares. I initially fell in love with West Seattle, but my husband just doesn't like it at all. But he'll go over and visit it with me, so I have that. I also recently fell in love with Bothell, and some of the homes around the wine country in Woodinville.

Queen Anne is the place we're currently poking around in. It was never on my radar because it just didn't feel homey when we first visited. The ingredients are all there - views, access, walkability, cuteness - but it's just sort of missing something for me. Maybe it'll grow on me.

My husband and I both work from home, so that tends to guide a lot of our decisions.

[angelenogirl]

Originally Posted by Blondebaerde

Neat, thanks for writing it. Glad you're still star-struck. Comments:

5. Don't let the sense of wonder fade. In fact, take a drive on Hwy 20 east of Marble Mount to refresh, if ever in-doubt. Not sure if it's open or closed, and if-open sure won't be much longer this year (due to snow): some of the wildest, Alps-like country I've seen in the United States. God knows how they keep it open at the best of times, reminds me of Montana's Going to the Sun Highway in that respect.

6. Only for those of a certain mindset, that being, "I like suburbia better than cities, like to be among my peers, and hate commutes, and don't mind taking a bus into Seattle (AND don't 'need' to be in Seattle too often!).

Ooh, I like pretty, and I like snow, so I'll have to check out Marble Mount. As for the Eastside, I was just following up on my initial post (after a couple months here) about not liking it very much. I pre-judged.

[Kefir4me]

Thanks for posting this update! I've just moved here and it's reassuring to hear that you have acclimated well to life in Seattle.