So I moved to Seattle

Amoebic wrote:

Also, the Seattle Central Library

You guys have a WIERD library. That escalator placement just baffles me. The amount of sunlight you get is pretty awesome though.

If you're going to drink beer, check out either Fado or Kells. They're both my favorite Irish pubs in downtown Seattle. Considering it's October, Kells has the added bonus of being supposedly haunted. I guess it's built on the site of Seattle's first funeral home back in the 1800s.

jdzappa wrote:

Kells has the added bonus of being supposedly haunted. I guess it's built on the site of Seattle's first funeral home back in the 1800s.

There's a tour for this that's supposed to be really good.

In town. The cabbie dropped me at the wrong hotel but it wasn't too far so I just walked and saw some of the city. I already love it. There is more to see in a mile of First Ave than in all of Chadds Ford. The room wasn't ready so I'm hanging in a coffee shop.

Edit: After the coffee shop, I wandered some more, including checking out where the building I'm interviewing is. 4 hours later, I'm finally settled into my hotel and can type on a real keyboard, rather than my phone (Editing the above also, to fix typos).

I connected with Jonman. He's going to play tourguide for me for a couple hours, and meetup with everyone else at Card Kingdom at 5 or 5:30.

I'm going to take a shower, chill a bit then go get some dinner around 7. Kells and Fado both looks good. Going to try out Fado tonight (it's been a long day, my feet hurt and Fado is closer, so it wins). I know we're meeting up tomorrow, and it's kind of short notice tonight, but you all are welcome to join me. I'll be the big nerd wearing a Time Travel Accident t-shirt.

Yup. So I'm picking up G-Ninja at 3, and we'll drive around a bit, and end up in Ballard at Card Kingdom sometime between 5 or 6, I guess.

I hope to get out of work at 3 AM or so, but if you need anything, feel free to call me 305.809.6373. But it sounds like Jonman has you covered.

I'm there! I will not be able to stay forever or anything, but I will surely be there.

We're out of our D&D game early too.

Jonman and I are here at card kingdom. Back at the bar.

I tried my best, but it just didn't happen. After being stuck in traffic for two hours and ending up taking a tour of both First Hill and West Seattle, I came home. After that, I'm not fit company for anyone anyways.

Good luck on your interview.

Awesome meeting you all last night. Momgamer, sorry you couldn't make it.

Interview went super well. I just got back from a follow up with the HR guy, and they offered me the job! I didn't expect to hear anything that fast.

So.... I'm moving to Seattle at the end of the month.

I am simultaneously excited and anxious as hell. The next few weeks are going to be crazy busy.

That's awesome to hear. You must have really wow'd them.

Congrats Garden! I can say it's tough getting an interview in Seattle, much less a job offer. And that's if you're local.

I couldn't make it up this weekend but will be happy to meet you sometime down the road at a GWJ event.

Yay! One more of us here to take over the city! Here is the moving company we told you about. http://www.abfs.com/default.asp

/skim
//bypassing most of the food and beer talk

I moved from Southern California (a virtual desert) to Seattle (A place it rains nine months a year) and wouldnt move back.

You really do get used to the rain.

Depending on where you work and your basic lifestyle there are a lot of different places to live. I live in Covington, which is still only 30 ~ 45 minutes from downtown depending on if you drive or take public transportation. By the way, there is actual public transportation and it doesnt suck. Of note DO NOT RIDE in buses in downtown when it snows. When it snows the whole town can shut down. Driving on the hills in the city with ice is the suck. The back roads in the suburbs dont get plowed and you are on your own. It doesnt happen often, but it happens.

Start taking your vitamin D supplements, no kidding there is simply not that much sun out.

Traffic can really suck, this coming from a person that was used to LA / Orange County traffic. The difference in Seattle is when there is one way in or out, they are not kidding. In LA there are eleventeen ways to get everywhere.

It weird in the middle of summer when the sun comes up at 5:00 am and goes down 9:30 pm +. The opposite in the winter is odd, sun rises around 8:30 am and sets around 5:30 pm.

Canada is three hours away.
There are lots of poker rooms and casinos, in case you wanted to know.
Almost impossible to find good Mexican food, but that doesnt seem to be a problem for you.
There is a good kosher deli in factoria (kind of near Bellevue)
If you drink anything other than beer and wine, you need to get it at a state run store and its pretty much double the price.
There is no state income tax, but there are lots of obscure little taxes that try really hard to make up the difference
Portland is three hours away and they have no sales tax. The train is pretty cheap to get down there and fast.

People dont stop their life for the rain, this is very much unlike southern california, an odd concept.

Congrats! I just moved to Seattle two months ago and it's been absolutely amazing. One of the best decisions I've ever made.

Congrats Garden Ninja on the job! I miss living in Seattle.

Just a random side note that sort of applies to some things discussed in here:

My wife's cousin is opening a brewery in Ballard. Looks like their offerings will be sold in cans. (I love the idea of good beer in cans!)

http://hilliardsbeer.blogspot.com/ The grand opening is 10/7 and the Skillets food truck will be there to serve food burgers and stuff. I hope that isn't too spammy, but I thought since there was a discussion of beer and burgers it might be of interest to you Seattle folks. I won't get to try his beer till next month when I'm there for his wedding, unfortunately.

Don't forget that if you live in the area, let me know so I can add you to the Facebook group. http://www.facebook.com/edwin.garcia

Woo, congrats! Keep us posted so we can offer lots of unsolicited advice.

Garden Ninja wrote:

Interview went super well. I just got back from a follow up with the HR guy, and they offered me the job! I didn't expect to hear anything that fast.

So.... I'm moving to Seattle at the end of the month.

I am simultaneously excited and anxious as hell. The next few weeks are going to be crazy busy.

'gratz!

I'm going to claim that the interview went so well because you were so fantastically relaxed from hanging out with such a stellar group of folks the evening before. Yay us!

Seriously though - congratulations! Hope your move goes smoothly, and I look forward to seeing more of you at local goodjer events in the future.

I miss living in Seattle. *sob*

I miss seattle as well.

Ok... I put in my 2 (and ½) weeks' notice, and I'm giving myself the night off. Starting tomorrow, I need to research which neighborhood I want to live in, moving companies (prolly go with ABFS, thanks Edwin!) and selling my car.

I'd like to avoid needing a car, at least for a while. Best option, I'd live within a mile of work, and nearby to a decent market, a shul, a park and tons of stuff to do. It seemed like most neighborhoods had the stuff to do part covered, so I'm not too worried about that bit. Failing that, taking the bus to work would be fine if I can get the rest of it.

Garden Ninja wrote:

Ok... I put in my 2 (and ½) weeks' notice, and I'm giving myself the night off. Starting tomorrow, I need to research which neighborhood I want to live in, moving companies (prolly go with ABFS, thanks Edwin!) and selling my car.

I'd like to avoid needing a car, at least for a while. Best option, I'd live within a mile of work, and nearby to a decent market, a shul, a park and tons of stuff to do. It seemed like most neighborhoods had the stuff to do part covered, so I'm not too worried about that bit. Failing that, taking the bus to work would be fine if I can get the rest of it.

If you're looking at a mile from your job, you're really looking at Belltown, the International District or the lower side of Capitol Hill (i.e. First Hill). So, probably on the pricier side, but with no shortage of apartments to choose from. All of those neighborhoods are pretty dense, and should provide you with everything you need. I'm not sure Belltown has a decent sized grocery store, but Pike Place is a walk away, and you can get most anything you need there.

Shul-wise, a quick google maps search for 'synagogue, seattle' shows that all 3 of those neighbourhoods has one.

If you're willing to consider bussing it to work, that widens your catchment area significantly, and makes the rest of the neighbourhoods I took you around on Sunday possibilities (Ballard, Fremont, Queen Anne and the Central District), as well as some of the places south of downtown, like Beacon Hill and Columbia City.

Edit: nevermind, Jonman nailed it.

http://www.mapnificent.net/seattle

Insert work address and pick length of desired commute and move somewhere in the heat map using Padmapper.

Garden Ninja wrote:

It seemed like most neighborhoods had the stuff to do part covered, so I'm not too worried about that bit. Failing that, taking the bus to work would be fine if I can get the rest of it.

The city really is your oyster, because of where your office is. Your commute will be almost a non-factor.

Garden Ninja wrote:

a shul

PM me on this... your flavor of choice will help narrow down the neighborhoods, if you want to be within walking distance.

Thought on it a bit- to be *walking* distance to a shul, grocery with legit kosher options, and the other stuff you mentioned, narrows your neighborhoods down to:

Seward Park
Used to be more Sephardic but more even-handed now (Seattle's pretty Sephardic), on a reasonable bus line to downtown, AMAZING park nearby, good grocery, co-op, old-school fishmonger. Most shuls here are Orthodox. Might feel weird if you're not so frummy.

Ravenna/Wedgwood
Used to be more Ashkenazic (not so much anymore), express bus to downtown tunnel, has a PCC and badass grocery w/ takeout, deli, kosher sushi, and good butcher. 2 supervised bagel places (one sucks, one doesn't), more terrific parks, cool Hillel and Chabad nearby. Best temple menu (MO, Conservative, Reform, Renewal, take your pick).

*bonus points because we live here

Capitol Hill
Dense, hip, lots to do. Big part of town with smaller sub-neighborhoods, so co-op/grocery proximity (nothing special here, sorry) depends on where exactly you are. Parks parks parks, plus the Arboretum nearby. Plenty of bus options to downtown. Has a minyan and an uber-temple.

Mercer Island
(Not actually Seattle.) More stereotypically east-coast peeps. JCC, speedy buses to downtown, good kosher options, nice parks, lots of money, mostly Conservative.

Fair warning- will put a damper on your social life because Seattle people won't want to drive out to you. Technically a car-free option, but isn't really urban and (imho) isn't a good first neighborhood.

-

All except Mercer Island are good walking/hangout places, although north Wedgwood gets pretty burb-y. Almost every neighborhood in town has veg-friendly restaurants, so going out isn't a big deal.

Paleocon wrote:

I miss seattle as well.

This.

I don't know if this is still true, but when I was living there, there seemed to be a great deal of local snobbishness regarding whether or not you lived "close enough to the action" to be part of it. Folks who lived in Hellvue were the despised "Eastsiders". Folks who lived in Ballard were barely tolerated as dwellers of the cultural wasteland. Living in Belltown, Capitol Hill or even the ID put you in the envied category of folks who were in it.