Seattle prepares to receive its new Chairman

jonnypolite wrote:

Portland Pros: Smaller city. Amazing restaurants, and food cart scene. Great bookstores, great airport, good public transportation options if you live in close proximity to transit. People seem friendlier as a whole than Seattle to me. No sales tax.

Cons: Smaller city, sometimes feels like PDX is a little self conscious that it's not Seattle. No major sports besides MLS if that's your thing. High state income tax.

The Portland Trailblazers are having a bad season, but I think they still qualify as a major sport in this town :).

I live in Lake Oswego, and I work in Portland. I'm a teacher, so don't get any ideas that I'm independently wealthy. LO is a very nice place with great schools, and it is very very very white. Portland is merely very very white. In other words, Seattle has a much more diverse population.

My wife (who grew up mostly in the Seattle area) would like me to point out that while Portland has Mount Hood, Seattle has a real mountain.

I'll always pick Portland over Seattle, but they are both great cities. Welcome to the Pacific Northwest!

Dr.Ghastly wrote:

Tldr; holy sh*t malor TLDR; ;)

hahah no it's good. I'm actually a born and raised US citizen but have lived in China for the past decade straight out of college, so I never really lived on my own in the US. I know a fair amount of this stuff but not all, and it's good to get a bit of a refresher, especially regarding furniture and utilities.

While I will miss some Chinese food (authentic Kung Pao Chicken ftw), I think we're mostly going to miss Malaysian food, where my wife is from. There's such an awesome mix of Malay, Chinese, Indian, Western food that is so good and cheap there. Hoping to be able to re-create at least a little bit of that experience in the PNW.

Aristophan wrote:

My wife (who grew up mostly in the Seattle area) would like me to point out that while Portland has Mount Hood, Seattle has a real mountain.

Rainier is also far likelier to erupt than Hood, so there's that.;)

However, the entire Pacific Northwest is due for a megathrust earthquake along the cascadia subduction fault, so both Portland and Seattle will shortly be piles of soggy rubble.

Chairman_Mao wrote:
Dr.Ghastly wrote:

Tldr; holy sh*t malor TLDR; ;)

hahah no it's good. I'm actually a born and raised US citizen but have lived in China for the past decade straight out of college, so I never really lived on my own in the US. I know a fair amount of this stuff but not all, and it's good to get a bit of a refresher, especially regarding furniture and utilities.

While I will miss some Chinese food (authentic Kung Pao Chicken ftw), I think we're mostly going to miss Malaysian food, where my wife is from. There's such an awesome mix of Malay, Chinese, Indian, Western food that is so good and cheap there. Hoping to be able to re-create at least a little bit of that experience in the PNW.

All the prices for utilities and whatnot that Malor mentioned are great ballpark figures. In Portland, and likely in Seattle, the Asian markets are really good. You can get pretty much anything. It's actually in the suburbs of Portland that the Asian food markets are really good. They have an H-Mart in Tigard that's ridiculous. It used to be an old Haggen's. Now it's just filled with crazy awesome imported stuff.

Aristophan wrote:
jonnypolite wrote:

Portland Pros: Smaller city. Amazing restaurants, and food cart scene. Great bookstores, great airport, good public transportation options if you live in close proximity to transit. People seem friendlier as a whole than Seattle to me. No sales tax.

Cons: Smaller city, sometimes feels like PDX is a little self conscious that it's not Seattle. No major sports besides MLS if that's your thing. High state income tax.

The Portland Trailblazers are having a bad season, but I think they still qualify as a major sport in this town :).

Oops. Totally forgot, bad sign for our team

Ha! I don't really go for sports too much, so I can relate to forgetting about the Blazers. I didn't even realize that you forgot about them. The whole Timbers MLS thing is pretty cool, though, even though they aren't great. It's a really fun stadium, and the chanting section is great. I could never really be a part of that without being uncomfortable, but it's fun to watch from the other sections.

Dr.Ghastly wrote:

Tldr; holy sh*t malor TLDR; ;)

Yeah, and what's dumb is that this is stuff that everyone knows, so it's boring to both read and write about. It's like talking, at length, about the multiplication tables. But when someone's coming in from outside the country, they have no bloody idea what's going on or what they need to do. So, I figured, better boring than sorry.

Actually the Blazers are overachieving a bit for the talent they have. It's a fun team if you follow that kind of stuff. Hopefully the Kings move to Seattle so we can have the I-5 rivalry back. Oh, and MLS games are a treat. And even in Portland it's not a huge undertaking to get to Seattle for a football game or baseball game.

It's a $12 fair to get from Seattle to Portland or vice versa with Bolt Bus.

https://www.boltbus.com/wherewetrave...

Edwin wrote:

It's a $12 fair to get from Seattle to Portland or vice versa with Bolt Bus.

https://www.boltbus.com/wherewetrave...

Whoa, I didn't know about that. Sweet.

tuffalobuffalo wrote:
Edwin wrote:

It's a $12 fair to get from Seattle to Portland or vice versa with Bolt Bus.

https://www.boltbus.com/wherewetrave...

Whoa, I didn't know about that. Sweet.

Yeah. Bolt Bus is pretty sweet. Reminds me of buses I've taken in Eastern Europe in the best sort of way. AC, comfortable, great for long trips at good prices.

Don't forget the power outlets and wifi.

Edwin wrote:

Don't forget the power outlets and wifi.

tuffalobuffalo wrote:
Edwin wrote:

Don't forget the power outlets and wifi.

:shock:

Yeah. Actually better than buses I've taken in my world travels. I was just fascinated that the sturdy old bus was making a comeback in the land of single-occupant vehicles.

Tagging to just stay on top of this...for future...stuff.

BTW - thanks for the PadMapper link.

McIrishJihad wrote:

Tagging to just stay on top of this...for future...stuff.

BTW - thanks for the PadMapper link.

Note: I found padmapper to be totally useless when looking for a place in Portland last year. The market for apartments here is ridiculous, it's not uncommon for people to agree to leases sight unseen and some apartments will be gone within hours of being posted. Corporate apartments are a bit easier to get into, but if you are looking for a house or a smaller building the best way to find something seems to be just picking a neighborhood you like and walking around until you see a "for rent" sign.

I have a job possibility in Gresham, which I'm hoping comes through. However, the wikipedia entry for Gresham scares the sh*t out of me. I'm a.. bit of a rural chap, and The NW Burnside at night in Gresham image looks like a slice of hell. Why are the streets glowing? Am I in TRON? Are organic entities barred from entry or siphoned for DNA? AHHHHHHHH!H!!!!!!

Watch every episode of Portlandia before making up your mind. Then watch all of Grey's Anatomy.

Puce Moose wrote:

I have a job possibility in Gresham, which I'm hoping comes through. However, the wikipedia entry for Gresham scares the sh*t out of me. I'm a.. bit of a rural chap, and The NW Burnside at night in Gresham image looks like a slice of hell. Why are the streets glowing? Am I in TRON? Are organic entities barred from entry or siphoned for DNA? AHHHHHHHH!H!!!!!!

Gresham is sort of an in-joke in Portland. It's not actually that bad, but it's called Gresham, which is sort of a gross-sounding name to begin with. It's fairly typical suburban US sprawl: mini-malls, ranch-style houses, big-box stores, etc. Of course, most Portlanders came here to get away from that, so Gresham catches its fair share of grief just on principle. There are parts of Gresham that are decidedly unpleasant, but plenty of other parts that are pretty normal. In any case, it's all pretty accessible by the MAX, so you can just live in Portland and jump on the train every morning if it's not your thing.

Quintin_Stone wrote:

Watch every episode of Portlandia before making up your mind. Then watch all of Grey's Anatomy.

Don't watch My Own Private Idaho if you want to live in Portland. It's not exactly like that but it is. Seriously, I love living in the PDX area and think a visit to Seattle for a baseball game/weekend good enough, but I'm from Iowa so big cities scare me.

Can I tempt you with photos? Pick your poison (they are the same).

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IMAGE(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Qai4AEMKsss/T_okgIDx_eI/AAAAAAAARRk/Ud---qU_LhE/s988/IMG_3515.JPG)
what kind of lie is this, a city that doesn't disappear in smog after 100 meters? A feeble photoshop attempt at best.

Quintin_Stone wrote:

Watch every episode of Portlandia before making up your mind. Then watch all of Grey's Anatomy.

LOL at Grey's Anatomy - that show is almost exclusively filmed in California, with a few scenic shots on location. At least Portlandia is shot locally and from what I've heard is somewhat accurate to what Portland's culture is like.

I wish I could give a good example of a TV show that really captures Seattle well, but honestly most shows set in Seattle are shot in Vancouver. Canada gives massive tax breaks if you film there, while Washington State has this weird hang-up where they don't want to give tax breaks to "rich Hollywood types."

I'd say Grimm most accurately represents Portland. Actually, come to think of it, take out the fantasy stuff, and it does somewhat accurately portray Portland.

Chairman_Mao wrote:

what kind of lie is this, a city that doesn't disappear in smog after 100 meters? A feeble photoshop attempt at best.

I think you will end up liking the PNW.

jdzappa wrote:

At least Portlandia is shot locally

...

of course it is =)

artisanal.

Dead Like Me is a pretty good Seattle attitude show.

edit: Ha! Google says it was shot in BC.

This would get you pretty close to Seattle.

oilypenguin wrote:
jdzappa wrote:

At least Portlandia is shot locally

...

of course it is =)

artisanal.

Nevermind. Phone problems.

Chairman_Mao wrote:

If Seattle:

What’s the difference between living in Seattle and Bellevue or the other Eastside towns?

The difference between Hipstertown (Seattle) and Geekopolis (BelleRedKirk).

Chairman_Mao wrote:

I’ve been told Kirkland or Redmond might be a good alternative. Any difference between living in any of these? We’re aiming for quiet suburbitude over urban excitement, if that matters.

There is no difference. At all.

Chairman_Mao wrote:

We’ll be renting, at least to start with, what should I expect to pay for something like a 2br place, 1100-1500 sqft? Does the range vary quite a bit between Seattle/Redmond/Kirkland/Bellevue? And any particular apartment complexes you’d recommend?

You'll be paying too much wherever you go. Archstone used to manage a bunch of properties in the Eastside; they were pretty good.

Chairman_Mao wrote:

If we lived in Seattle, is it a pain in the ass to get to Bellevue? (is a car a necessity? Any public transportation?)

If you entered Thunderdome, would it be "a pain in the ass" to leave Thunderdome?

A car is a necessity. There is public transportation; it sucks. (They very much need a strong hand willing to push through centralized infrastructure plans, to enable a "great leap forward" if you will.)

Chairman_Mao wrote:

How depressing is the rainy-ness, gray skies?

Really. F*cking. Depressing. I felt like the girl in the Ray Bradbury story.

The first winter I was there, there was not a single unbroken minute of sun for an eight-day stretch. If SAD affects you at all, a Northern Light Technologies lamp is the best $230 you'll ever spend. Plus as was mentioned, the area has good mental health support and many practitioners of the subtle alchemy of antidepressants.

I would look at your corporate overlords' compound on a map, identify the nearest school, then find an apartment complex between the two. Proximity to the economic epicenter of Bellevue brings a geometric increase in housing costs. This is the "spend more money" route. Otherwise, look into a prefecture like Bothell, Woodinville or Newcastle. Distance along I-405 brings a geometric increase in commute times. That's the "needlessly wasted time that could be spent with family" route.

N.B. Portland has Powell's Books.

EDIT: Broke-ass link is broke.