After a week in Seattle... I kinda get why the rest of the country dislikes people from California! (Starbuck: transplants, pros and cons)

[eskercurve]

Good luck! That's all I gotta say! Hopefully you can make some good friends (note that we are a cliqueish and somewhat introverted bunch, so it won't be a LOT of friends) and they will help ease the dreariness.

[509]

Californian's??

HMMM.....here are two real popular bumper stickers east of the Cascades. Notice no reference to California....

DON"T 206 509

and

HAVE A NICE TRIP BACK TO SEATTLE.

Almost forgot....206 It's not just an AREA CODE.

[mateo45]

Originally Posted by seattlefun

AWESOME CITY.... AWESOME CITY... AWESOME CITY!!!!

ALMOST everyone I talked to in Seattle has a negative thing to say about the weather. They ***** and complain, whine, grunt and even moan about it. I have had so many people ask me "can you handle it", "do you like it", "what about the weather"... I also had someone say... "So your moving here for a job transfer?" I said "NO... We are moving for a life change". The next thing they said was "why in heck would you move here if you didn't have to". So I guess I find it to be a difficult move to make in one respect... But on the other side of the coin I can't wait to do it. Life changes are fun, exciting and now I guess sometimes wet!

You're right, rather than "fleeing" from it, what often seems to work best is just accepting that the weather is always "changing", and dealing with it directly as needed (with Gore Tex, good shoes, umbrellas, a sauna, winter getaway, hot coffee or tea, whatever). That way, sunny, blue sky days are just better appreciated.

Trouble is that takes more energy (kinda like dealing with snow), which is probably why coffee stands did become so popular in the NW. BTW, isn't the introduction of coffee into medieval Europe credited with having a huge influence on the growth of business and trade there, as workers, craftsmen, businessmen and townsfolk began to gather outside in the streets enjoying coffee and exchanging ideas (like the Enlightenment, the French, and the American Revolutions… and arguably the Tech Revolution as well)? So in a way, Seattle actually owes much of its success to the weather and coffee!

Harper's: Coffee and Civilization

[JBVirtuoso]

Is it really that hard to adjust to the weather? Maybe I'm alone in thinking this, but I honestly can't think of a climate I couldn't handle. With the appropriate attire and the right expectations, pretty much everything is manageable. Unless the weather is so terrible that it prevents you from doing what you want, it should be reasonably easy to just adapt.

For Seattle, that means wearing whatever you need to wear to not feel wet. If you're like most people in the US and drive everywhere, you won't even be spending that much time outside anyway. It's been a while since I've had that kind of lifestyle, but growing up in the Midwest, many people didn't even wear coats during the winter because you don't get cold if you're just walking into the store from the parking lot. Spending time outside requires more thoughtful dressing, but Seattle doesn't experience any weather that can't be overcome with a few strategic garments.

[Yankeemama]

Originally Posted by seattlefun

I spent a week in Seattle for Thanksgiving and I spent another week in Seattle the day after Christmas until January 5th. So I got a pretty good taste of the diverse weather you have. I got some sunshine, some rain, some grey, some more grey, a little moist grey, foggy grey... oh and some gay grey when I was in Capitol Hill (I can say that...I'm gay!). I thought I was in the middle of a Chinese water torture as the rain slowly dripped on me while I was paying for parking. I carried my groceries home from a quick walk to the store... I felt like a sudden depression kick in... I thought to myself... I can't do this ****! this is crazy. Then I looked around and realized that I was a California Brat. There are tons of people on the street walking around. Why was I such a baby?

You all have some crazy weather up in that neck of the country. As pretty as it is... I'm not sure I can really handle it. Now you can call me a California ___________ (insert your own word). I totally get it. We are babies when it comes to any weather that is below 65. We get pissy when the ground is wet and end up totally panicking.

So I have to say.... Seattle is absolutely beautiful and I'm debating whether or weather I can live there.

I am assuming you are a person from SoCal. Many NorCal natives like myself can do fine in weather below 65 since San Francisco, where I grew up is not a hot place. I endured Winters in NYC, a few in Boston and other cold cities. Now in Portland that is just as grey as Seattle and in the high 30's-40's for four months straight. Not everyone has an issue with all Californians because not all Californians are the same. Your post reminds me of why so many in NorCal can't stand SoCal.

[Yankeemama]

Originally Posted by Ira500

Seattle does not have a high suicide rate. It ranks 27th. Las Vegas being first. The stat you cited showed that Seattle ranked high in suicide attempts( not actual suicide). So the question that needs to be asked is: Why are we so bad at killing ourselves in Seattle? Also, does the data state how Seattleites so unsuccessfully attempt suicide? Do they try to overdose on coffee? Smother themselves with recycled paper?

This is very funny. Thanks for making me laugh in Portland where I need three cups of coffee a day during the grey Winter and dark mornings.

[ukiyo-e]

Originally Posted by Molli

I would suggest that you get to know your State a little better. I am a California native and have lived in both Northern and Southern California. I spent 10 years living near Tahoe. I'm used to cold weather and wet weather and many other California are as well.

Agreed. I lived in a couple places in Northern California for a total of 25 years and it's a totally different cultural and weather vibe than SoCal. San Francisco is downright chilly and rainy in the winter, though it has many more sunny days in between storms than NW WA does. It gets down in the low 30s-high 20 in the Central Valley during the winter, though it very rarely snows because if there's any cloud cover, it traps just enough heat to keep the temps above freezing (which is a very interesting phenomenon).

I think the OP would do better in the Bay Area than Seattle. The weather sounds like it would suit him better, even though it's not ideal by any means. We have a lot of retirees from northern California over here on the Olympic Peninsula in the rainshadow areas and I hear very few weather complaints.

[BellevueNative]

Originally Posted by Molli

Some think that the distinction is more that someone really did want to die vs someone really needed some attention and help and this attempt was a call out for that.

This exactly.

And the Aurora Bridge, up until they installed the suicide fences on it a couple of years ago, ranked 2nd to only the Golden Gate Bridge for suicide deaths. I know people who used to work in the offices below it in Fremont that had to keep their blinds shut because they had seen horrifying things.

[RotseCherut]

Originally Posted by seattlefun

ALMOST everyone I talked to in Seattle has a negative thing to say about the weather. They ***** and complain, whine, grunt and even moan about it. I have had so many people ask me "can you handle it", "do you like it", "what about the weather"... I also had someone say... "So your moving here for a job transfer?" I said "NO... We are moving for a life change". The next thing they said was "why in heck would you move here if you didn't have to". So I guess I find it to be a difficult move to make in one respect... But on the other side of the coin I can't wait to do it. Life changes are fun, exciting and now I guess sometimes wet!

If you think the whining and griping is bad when it rains, you should see what happens when it gets hot and sunny, then people complain to no end.. I remember last Summer. People were crying and screaming about how horribly and miserable hot it was .. I can understand a bit, since poeple in Seattle are a bit too simple-minded when it comes to Summer weather.. They forget that we have 3-4 months of heat.. So, every place you go is not air-conditioned and most people will only use fans, not A/c in their house and not even understand the function of an A/C. So, in Summer when it hits 80F+ you will feel like the world may be coming to an end here. Thankfully, some of us here can enjoy the beautiful outdoors, majestic mountains, water, hiking, activities .. We will go do our workout outside and get a tan..

People in Seattle moan and groan about the weather, that's just what Seattle and Northwest people do. Heck, I remember living in Southern Oregon when it was 105F+ every day of the week , it's funny how people in Seattle whine so much about heat. Yet, when it is in the 30s, they whine about the cold and when it is cloudy, they say they are feeling depression from SAD.

No making them happy?

[mateo45]

^ ^ Quite so, and that's because CA & WA State do have one thing in common…. they're both very fussy!!