Gay retiree back from Europe - Where to Settle? (Seattle: rent, condo)

[jasonhad]

I've moved back to the USA after retiring from 40 years working & living in Europe (UK, Germany, France, Belgium) and living in temporary digs until I find the right place to live out my span. My life partner has passed. I like to think I am younger than my Passport says (72), but that is probably mostly vanity.

My siblings & their spouses want me near, and are in the Bay Area and Southern Oregon, and I need to be close to a good VA hospital (Viet Nam vet). Best VA hospitals on the West Coast are in Palo Alto, Portland, Seattle and Spokane, so those are top candidate areas.

I will have to build a new social net - but I'm not sexually active or a bar fly, and relatively serious, slightly extrovert, slightly shy, and get along fine in non-gay environments. I want to live in an area where there is a good choice of entertainment (from Classical Music to light jazz, movies to plays) and hopefully a street cafe scene where a single is not an island. I have no idea what Senior Centres are like, but I enjoy Bridge, so that might be a good place to start.

I am thinking I should rent in the top candidate choice first, buying later if the area feels right and I start developing friendships. I'm fortunate to have reasonable financial flexibility, and have a house I can sell when the time is right - it's just a temporary home in Reno bought sight unseen until I find the right spot - which Reno ain't !

Any thoughts or suggestions would really be appreciated.

[SethyDuck]

Originally Posted by jasonhad

I've moved back to the USA after retiring from 40 years working & living in Europe (UK, Germany, France, Belgium) and living in temporary digs until I find the right place to live out my span. My life partner has passed. I like to think I am younger than my Passport says (72), but that is probably mostly vanity.

My siblings & their spouses want me near, and are in the Bay Area and Southern Oregon, and I need to be close to a good VA hospital (Viet Nam vet). Best VA hospitals on the West Coast are in Palo Alto, Portland, Seattle and Spokane, so those are top candidate areas.

I will have to build a new social net - but I'm not sexually active or a bar fly, and relatively serious, slightly extrovert, slightly shy, and get along fine in non-gay environments. I want to live in an area where there is a good choice of entertainment (from Classical Music to light jazz, movies to plays) and hopefully a street cafe scene where a single is not an island. I have no idea what Senior Centres are like, but I enjoy Bridge, so that might be a good place to start.

I am thinking I should rent in the top candidate choice first, buying later if the area feels right and I start developing friendships. I'm fortunate to have reasonable financial flexibility, and have a house I can sell when the time is right - it's just a temporary home in Reno bought sight unseen until I find the right spot - which Reno ain't !

Any thoughts or suggestions would really be appreciated.

Thank you for your service, sir.

I wish I could offer some advice; but, I'm looking to move to the area myself, hopefully visiting this summer. Good luck to you!

[perigee]

What the what, how has [almost] no one responded to this post? We have a couple of regulars that should be better able to speak to the VA issue.

First off, again thank you for your service and condolences on the lost of your partner.

I can think of a couple of neighborhoods that sound like they maybe a good fit. Though being reasonably close to a VA hospital sounds like it needs to be a top priority, so I am just going to bump this in the hopes that someone better informed will respond.

[Yeledaf]

Originally Posted by perigee

What the what, how has [almost] no one responded to this post? We have a couple of regulars that should be better able to speak to the VA issue.

First off, again thank you for your service and condolences on the lost of your partner.

I can think of a couple of neighborhoods that sound like they maybe a good fit. Though being reasonably close to a VA hospital sounds like it needs to be a top priority, so I am just going to bump this in the hopes that someone better informed will respond.

The OP is aware that there is a VA hospital in Spokane, and described it as one of the best. No other issues were raised.