Seattle

My wife and I are headed up to Seattle in a few weeks to scope the city and surrounding areas out. I work in the IT industry and am considering moving up that way in hopes of better opportunities. My wife isn't so convinced yet, so we'll see. We agreed that going for a vacation would be a good first step.

Anyway, for those of you that live in the area, what should we check out? I know there are a ton of listings online, but they're different than the "I live here" description. I'd be interested in things to do, things to see, places to eat, good/bad neighborhoods, etc.

Thanks in advance to anyone that can offer some guidance!

Jonathan

 

Giving you a BUMP JM. I'll be heading out on a roadtrip beginning in August for 2 weeks. Have flown into Seattle but never took the time to explore. I'm interested in any comments!

 

Dang. Nobody lives up that way?

 

Guess Not.

 

I live here!!! It is awesome up here, you will love it and the economy is definitely better here than a lot of places.

I'll think of some things for you to do and make a list for you!

Do you like being outdoors, being indoors, music, beer, etc. ? Give me some ideas of things you two enjoy doing. For where you would live, what do you prefer? City, suburbs, older homes...

 

Awesome! Truthfully, I'm most excited about the fact that it's not so hot in the summer or cold in the winter. It's almost 6 pm here and still 97 degrees outside. I think the heat index is something like 110. What's the real scoop on the rain? As far as I can tell, it rains/drizzles most of the winter, but is nice through the summer. How about spring and fall (we don't really have those here)?

My wife and I have done some looking at stuff online, and some of the things we plan to check out are the Aquarium (duh), the Underground Tour, the Space Needle, one or more of the cruises, some of the museums, the Ducks (much to my wife's chagrin), Pike Place market, and probably some other stuff I didn't think about. We're also interested in good places to eat, local fish/pet stores, scenic stuff, etc. For the most part, we're just as happy indoors as we are out.

As far as housing, we prefer a little more out of the way. For example, we currently live about 5 minutes outside of town, which allows us to get away from the craziness while still being close enough to get to the grocery store and what not. I'm also a huge fan of areas that have old, big trees, which generally separates the houses a bit more as well. I'm definitely not a fan of the rows of houses that are 6 feet apart. We'd also be looking for a newer home if possible, rather than an old home that is going to nickle and dime us. We're currently living in our 3rd old home and I'm ready for a shorter list of stuff to fix.

I've also been considering the idea of living in Tacoma and commuting into Seattle for work. I've been reading about the trains and what not that might ease the whole driving in congenstion thing. Any thoughts on that?

Thanks for anything you can provide!

By the way...happen to know anyone at Microsoft or some other big software development company that might hook me up with a job? ;D My wife is a social worker, so if you happen to know of any great agencies/offices/schools that might be looking for a social worker, that'd be awesome too!

Jonathan

 

Thanks for all the info!! I will jot down some stuff and get back to you! This is fun, I feel like a tour guide!

I actually work for Microsoft. Your best bet, is to work for a consulting company and do work for Microsoft that way. Microsoft uses a lot of outside firms. There are plenty of consulting firms around here, and they are hiring!!

I'll get back to you!

 

Thanks again!

A friend of mine works for Sogeti in Dallas and submitted my information into their system. He's thinking that the Seattle office might have something available. Know much about them?

Jonathan

 

Hey I'm here too. I have lived here for about 3 years, moved from California.

As for the rain, to me it is more light rain/drizzle than anything. Just enough to mess your car up. I enjoy not having 105 degree summer.

I have been to the aquarium and it is decent, I can only compare it to The Monterey Bay Aqurium and it is decent. The Underground Tour is pretty interesting. For the price I say it is a must see. The Space needle? well it is what it is. Food is not worth the price. It is not expensive, I think I spent bout $60-75 per person. But kinda a been there, done that kinda thing. Just my opinion

As for Tacoma, I would go a little farther and look into Gig Harbor. Shoot me a PM if u have any further questions, My .02

 

Yeah the weather gets a bad rap, but it's really not that bad! We get less rain than many other major cities. There are just more gray days, but that's because of the coast. And I'll gladly take more gray days to be near the water! Summers are gorgeous. Temps range from 75-90s, but usually in the 70s to 80s.