What do you do to make Seattle life easier? (Pacific: real estate, condo)

[Inkpoe]

Just keep yourself busy whether it's going outside for a walk or doing an activity indoors (and Seattle's always got something to offer). And make sure to dress properly (warmly). Just don't be so daunted, it'll make it harder.

[eskercurve]

I painted my walls neon pink and have a "sun room" where I have the ceiling yellow and the walls pastel blue and the carpet is astroturf.



I'm being a wise-ass. Pretty much anything is sunnier than here but it is true that I absorb myself with more 'Indoorsy' stuff now. Like going to gyms indoors, playing on computers, going to others' houses indoors and doing stuff.

When it is summer that's when I get my outdoor fix.

Though to be fair, I do get out nearly every day, and some days go out of my way to go somewhere I will have a good view. Like today, stunning view of fog over a valley as the sun set.

[Kayela]

Believe it or not the sight of clouds and a chance of rain makes me feel like I will explode in agony. A day here and there is no big deal but weeks of grey skies and wet weather can break the will to even leave the door step

I do believe you - your post was quite illustrative. Nor are you alone in expressing this sentiment. As tongue-in-cheek as my response was - it is the truth. There is a cloud layer, that many people find oppressive, over Seattle much of the time. At any moment, it could rain. To some it's not a big deal, but others get a little traumatized. Having encountered many Californians who are quite comfortable here - I'm not sure that's the factor. It seems to be something you just have to try for yourself.

I do sincerely hope you are able to relocate someplace where you will be more comfortable.

[kaonevar]

I'm from Southern California and do just fine here. I love that it's not oppressively hot and sunny all the freaking time. The grey is a nice break from the sun. But then, I'm a gamer so there is plenty for me to do in winter (lots of game nights with friends, meetings in coffee shops, farmers markets, parks to visit).
When it rains here, it's more like a drizzle. It's easily ignored.

[Jalhop]

Originally Posted by strad

This is the driest, sunniest Seattle winter in quite a while.

Yes this winter is pretty nice.

The only thing that works for me is to visit sunnier locales. I don't get to those places enough, though, so here's hoping future winters will be like this winter, at least until I move.

[Cinema Cat]

Originally Posted by adanescobar

It's 55 and they think it's good weather. I can't walk outside without a coat. This place is not for anyone from a warmer climate.

I'm a Californian who loves cold weather. I took a long walk this morning -- around 4 a.m. -- in Santa Monica, where I live. It was about 55 degrees. I wore shorts. Sometimes, when it's in the upper 50s, I wear shorts and a T-shirt.

Seriously, you don't need a coat for a balmy 55, :-)

Of course, I'm originally from New York City. I remember one January a few years ago when it was 9 degrees during one of my late night walks.

55 cold? We ex-New Yorkers laugh at your 55!

Yes, when it hits 9, my face is uncomfortably cold. But not at 55.

[Kaye Swain]

I'm from California originally but just came from Kentucky. The winter is definitely milder than Kentucky's usually is . It's definitely cooler than Southern California. I wear long johns all the time under jeans which keeps me much warmer. That, with a jacket or raincoat work well. A lot of the homes out here have skylights so the house stays lighter. If not, I would just leave lights on more if you need them. But people definitely do everything in the light rains quite easily. It's definitely a different lifestyle but a nice one.

[thatguy950]

Originally Posted by loveagrey1

some of the most miserable folks I have ever met in all my life...

Uhh, have you ever been to Seattle??? By far the most miserable group I have ever lived around. Their negative, conniving, xenophobic, passive-aggressive and generally unfriendly ways even bring me down, luckily I'm outta here in t-minus 3 months. Honestly, I really found not only did the horrible weather suck the life out of me (which was expected), but the PEOPLE did as well, it just took a while for me to figure it out I suppose.



OP, there really isn't a whole lot you can do to be honest with you; you either can tolerate it or you can't. Even with regular trips to Hawaii, Az, So Cal., etc., it became too much for me. I think the anti-social enjoy it here more than anyone else, and they are the ones who either stay here after they "had" to move here, or are drawn to it as choose to live here. I think the bad weather affects people more than they truly believe, as a lot of people aren't here by choice, but here for work, school, etc. and view their stay as a temporary exile. Just giving my $.02, I tried all these little tricks for the first year, really trying to like this place (summers are ok, though), but in the end it just isn't for everyone. It probably will take a while before it gets to you, though, as I do hear people from the Southern U.S. sunbelt talk about how much they love the break from the heat, but typically they haven't really been here that long.

[RustinginSeattle]

As some other have said, either you can hack it or you can't. People who have no issue with the gray think the rest of us are just whiners. I have lived here my whole life and I'm one of the people who now really want to escape. This winter has been much drier than we've had in the past few years, but it is still gray, gray, gray. Right now it's very dry and the highs are around 50 degrees (for about 3 seconds at 2pm), but the fog makes the air really damp and what I describe as "bitter cold". My husband is one of those people who will go out in just a light jacket, I, however, think that my new down coat isn't heavy enough to keep me warm. It really will just depend on you and what you can handle.

I take vitamin D, sometimes use a Happy Light, drink a lot of coffee (there is a reason we are the coffee, beer, and book capital - all indoor activities that help mask your sorrows). I'm trying to make my lazy butt go out walking more and feel much better once I do, but it is really hard to get inspired to go outside. In fact, that's the hardest part. Once you are out there, you will be fine. If you enjoy snow sports and make it up to the mountains on a regular basis, you will probably do much better than some.

It's a pretty cool city and will be really different for you, so for the first year or so you just might have a great time. Enjoy the experience and decide for yourself if you can handle staying. Good luck!

[usernametaken]

Big screen fast processor all-in-one computer with wireless keyboard and mouse to reduce clutter, Samsung Galaxy S3 phone and Kindle Fire HDX.

Helps me forget the rare bad weather day nowadays. Total cost of all of those was around $1000 for me.