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Moving to Seattle
DE?AD
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Well, after twenty-two years of living on Kauai, I've finally had my fill of this rural, backwater rock. Dear lord this place is horrendous, but that's not really the point of this thread.
I've decided to move to Seattle, because it seems like a nice city, it's almost the polar opposite of Kauai in terms of climate and culture, and, at least from what I can tell, seems to have a rather high nerd quotient - which after living on an island with, literally, three nerds, is a rather large selling point.
Now, as someone who's never actually been to Seattle, I was looking for any general advice/information about the city - good neighborhoods, places to avoid, etc. (Keep in mind that, as someone who's lived on island with one major road and an actual law that buildings cannot be taller than palm trees for the entire span of their life, I have no idea what to expect from living in an actual city.) I'm on a rather tight budget, so information on good, cheap neighborhoods would also be helpful.
So.. any advice?
I've decided to move to Seattle, because it seems like a nice city, it's almost the polar opposite of Kauai in terms of climate and culture, and, at least from what I can tell, seems to have a rather high nerd quotient - which after living on an island with, literally, three nerds, is a rather large selling point.
Now, as someone who's never actually been to Seattle, I was looking for any general advice/information about the city - good neighborhoods, places to avoid, etc. (Keep in mind that, as someone who's lived on island with one major road and an actual law that buildings cannot be taller than palm trees for the entire span of their life, I have no idea what to expect from living in an actual city.) I'm on a rather tight budget, so information on good, cheap neighborhoods would also be helpful.
So.. any advice?
DE?AD on
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Seattle is a great city.
edit: helpful info
http://wikitravel.org/en/Seattle
I would highly advise having at least a few thousand dollars saved up before moving here, though.
Unfortunately, there's not much chance I'll be able to save up much before moving - I've got to be out of my current place by the end of April, and the cost of housing around here is absurd.
You'll get a nicer, cheaper place if you get a roommate, though. Also, it's worth noting that the rental market here is pretty cutthroat; it was a miracle that my roommate and I found a place in a weekend. Places will go on Craigslist and then have a deposit down half an hour later (I had two places I called that this happened with). You shouldn't rent just anything, but if you find a place you like, assume that if you're not writing them a check right there, it's going to be gone when you try to later.
What I'm trying to do (as the only people I know in mainland America are some relatives in California,) is get an apartment in Seattle before I leave Kauai, so I'll have somewhere to land. Granted, that's wishful thinking, and I have no idea if it's actually going to be possible, but it would save me a lot of money on an interim hotel room.
Thanks again for the information, it's all very helpful.
As for rent, it's cheaper than most of the larger Californian and East Coast cities (i.e LA, San Fran, NY, Boston, etc.). I'd put it on par with Chicago. What Thanatos said about the rental market being cutthroat, it definitely is. I've been looking to move for the last few months and I've learned that craigslist postings get swamped. If you're replying to a posting, so are probably a thousand other people. It can get snapped up right away, and most do. Some people will look and flake out on the place so it might be "reserved" for a while so be prepared to drop a deposit when you find something you like right away and it might not be a bad idea to check back if you saw a place but they're holding it for a previous applicant. Bring your checkbook, license, some proof of income and possibly a credit report so you can finalize something you like as soon as possible.
I live in Ballard and like it although there's about 4 condos going up in a square mile of Market Street and rental prices are going up. It will be tough to find a one bedroom for the range you're looking for over here (maybe a studio) but if you're willing to find a roommate it's do-able. I passed on a two bedroom for about $900 about a year ago and wished I would have gone that route rather than taking on all the expenses of living alone. You might be able to find something in the north or south suburbs for that price, but the commute to the city will be a pain in the ass. The city's growing at a high rate and the infrastructure is unable to keep up right now. It sounds like you're probably not used to a level of street crime like that found in LA, NY, Chicago, or Detroit so Rainier Valley might be worse than what you're used to, but Columbia City is gentrifying quickly and reasonable rent can be found there. I'd still keep my wits about me down there and mind flashing cash in public or walking down dark alleys by yourself (which I still find unbelievable that you're able to do that in a lot of the downtown area). If you're looking to live in a more urban environment, you might want to look at Capitol Hill or the International District as they're both close to downtown (you might want to look at Interbay too, it's between Queen Anne and Magnolia and used to be a warehouse district but it's all changing quickly).
From what I've seen a lot of the city is changing rapidly, so areas that were once unique like Ballard and Fremont are quickly filling with yuppies and places to buy your lap-dog a diamond studded collar or crystal dog dish.
Green Lake is nice and Thanatos can expound on that more than I could. Haven't spent much time in Beacon Hill.
West Seattle is nice too and it doesn't seem like it's been flooded by yuppies just yet, although I hear they have a bunch of condos zoned down there now too. Getting downtown from there takes a little effort though.
I'm actually going to be moving out of my apartment at the end of May if you're interested in Ballard and that time period works for you. I'm right off of the main drag here in Ballard and have a bar right behind my building. Arcane Comics is also about two blocks away if you're into that stuff too. Oh, check out http://www.kingcounty.gov/transportation.aspx for bus routes and such.
BP
P.S. Ballard has tons of conveniences here, pretty close to anything you'd need within a mile of the 15th St/Market St junction.
P.P.S. If you plan on drinking coffee or spending any time in a coffee shop out here, brush up on your coffee knowledge. The baristas here expect you to know it and can be a little soup nazi-ish. I learned the hard way.
When they are busy, yeah. It's pretty amazing to see someone order a latte really fast, like "I'llhaveatripleventicarmelwhitechocolatemacchiatowithsoymilklightfoamandadashofnutmeg" and the barista will make it without having them repeat any of it, and just write like two scribbles on the cup for a reminder.