Moving to Seattle in two weeks- tell me what's awesome!

[Ira500]

Originally Posted by bingitslola

Thanks! I'm really enjoying it so far. HUGE disclaimer on the traffic, I don't have to commute downtown or on the 405 to Bellevue which seems to get backed up even on the weekends, what the heck!?

West Seattle is absolutely gorgeous, I got to hang out in the sunshine today at Lincoln Park. The Puget Sound is really breathtakingly beautiful.

As for the apartment we did find something barely in our price range that just had an application accepted. Bonus - it's not in a basement! From what we looked at our budget range would have been almost okay if we didn't have a dog. Most of the places that accept pets are the brand new overpriced mega-plexes that are all built by a small handful of property management companies like Greystar which I prefer to avoid. I feel like a lot of landlords must have gotten burned by pet owners in the past. Such a bummer!

I'm planning on signing up for a local YMCA for cost effective yoga/workout equipment. I was spoiled by yoga being included in my last gym, I didn't realize how expensive individual classes were.

On a happier note I am obsessed with the radio station 90.3. Such great music! I also really like the paper The Seattle Weekly. There were some articles in The Stranger I liked, but some that were kind of off the wall, like people meditating over the planned viaduct tunnel to try and figure out soil consistency. I'm having a hard time telling if some of their stuff is supposed to be like The Onion or not.

Last thing - If you find your way down to Renton for any reason check out El Burrito Loco. I found a mexican place that makes me feel like I'm back in Phoenix! It's not gourmet by any means but give me a decent $6 carnitas burrito anyday. My only complaint is that sauces/salsa doesn't come with unless you ask.

Yes! El Burrito Loco is great. If you know already, just fill up your sauces/salsas at the salsa bar there. They usually have little to go ups there for that purpose. Their carnitas is awesome.

[bingitslola]

I have another Mexican food update! There is a taco truck permanently located on the side of a 76 gas station in West Seattle near Lincoln Park, I believe it's something along the lines of Taco Abodaba. They are running a special right now with .85 chicken tacos to die for! They have a nice little covered patio area with a salsa bar too. I also really like Los Bigotes in Tukwila

[bingitslola]

Originally Posted by crf450ish

Ok let me start out by saying I'm NOT trying to be a Debbie downer or a negative nancy here. I am about to give a small taste of reality on what to expect here. Number one- Taxes are insanely high. I mean insanely. Liquor is taxed out the a**, tobacco is also. Gas is expensive compared to Phoenix(trust me on my Seattle-Phoenix comparisons, I have family there and also vacation there all summer every summer every year), they are even considering taxing you based how many miles you drive. You can guarantee to be on candid camera every time you drive ANYWHERE in king county, as this state is ready to make money off of you for any little tiny mistake you make behind the wheel. The taxes literally double dip you, I don't feel like explaining. Number two- TRAFFIC! Forget about going anywhere quick during any NORMAL time of the day ANY day of the week. Number three- $1,200 is not gonna get you anything cool at all to live in, that is, unless you have very low standards of living and don't mind living in a neighborhood like South Park. My point is the people here ARENT that bad! It's the liberal mindset of the lawmakers and politicians here that are making it difficult for the middle class to exist here. It's rediculius, things cost SSSSOOOO much money here it's almost impossible to be stress free. It's a damn good thing you don't have kids, because you would NEED income of at least $100k to live comfortably in and around Seattle/King county. NUMBER FOUR- Your in for a massive shakeup with the weather. This winter has been a strange one indeed. Allot warmer and drier then normal. It's incredibly depressing when you have to contend with water 100% of the day 90% of the time between the months of October through June. Yeah I'm serious. You can expect to bundle up or bring a sweatshirt with you everywhere you go. I guess it all depends on ones perception, but mine is definitely not positive after I've experienced other climates in 23 other states. I came back here and thought man this place blows big time in almost every way. Everything is way more expensive in western wa and it rains all the time. To hell with all that. I've wanted to move to the most eastern part of wa state since I was a kid and now I am finally doing so. I wish you good luck and I hope you keep your vitamin D intake up to a max, because you'll need it to maintain the chipper attitude as you have demonstrated in your post!

Hi there! I was able to find a place that meets my budget (granted barely) in the Fauntleroy area of West Seattle, it's a little older but will fit my needs just fine. Taxes are higher, but with no state income tax it seems to balance itself out if you don't drink much. The liquor tax is definitely nuts! The gas prices seem about the same as in Phoenix, maybe slightly higher but not like California. The stadium tax in Glendale always made me mad. As for traffic, I would never be able to live in the suburbs and commute to downtown, however the drive from my new place is only about 7 miles from work and taking back roads it can be anywhere from 15-30 minutes depending on traffic.

One thing I was pleasantly surprised about is the electric bill. Using no electricity in Phoenix you are guaranteed at least $65/month in fees alone. In the summer I was paying anywhere from $160 to $220/month in a 1 bedroom apartment, I've heard of people with low efficiency AC units paying over $500/month in the summer. Apparently out here it's closer to $30/month which blows my mind. As for the weather, I'll see how I feel next year, but overall I think it's worth dealing with to 1. have seasons, 2. not have 6 hours of sunlight and -30 temps like New England in the winter, and finally 3. have water to play in! I will admit if I had kids I will would probably have moved back east to be close to family, but if there is anything I've learned in my short time on this Earth, the grass is ALWAYS greener on the other side, especially if you're coming from the desert