I may have a chance to work in Seattle!

[fujiyama]

I know I shouldn't get my hopes up, but I got laid off from the auto industry (surprise surprise), but my company may have a great project in Seattle (or just outside of it anyways).

I'm really excited by the possibility and this may be the break I've been needing to get out of here.

So to Seattle DUers, how is the city? I was reading on one forum about a Seattle "freeze"? I have heard that people are generally quiet but reserved...Is this real? Is it tough to make friends there? To meet people?

Granted, it doesn't matter either way, because while I am fairly outgoing, I am also comfortable in sitting at home and reading and spending time alone. Plus, I would likely be working a lot so I won't have time to socialize. I hope this works out because it will be a great career opportunity...

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. My dear fujiyama!

Oh, I hope it works out for you!

I don't live there, obviously, but I've been there...

It does rain a lot!

And when the sun comes out, everything is beautiful!

I couldn't tell you about the people, though...

There's a lot of beautiful country up there...Mt. Rainier is visible on clear days...

Good luck, and keep us posted!

:toast:

[fujiyama]

7. Thanks!

I'm very hopeful and will know for sure in the coming weeks. I'll definitely keep the board posted, because I've posted in the lounge how sick of this place I am and how much I hate my job (granted that job is over anyways likely because I wasn't doing a great job anyways).

If this works out, I won't be looking back and I'll immediately be looking for something more permanent out west (CA, OR, or WA). I've been wanting to head that way for a while.

Which part of CA do you live in? My friends and family are in the San Jose area and Pasadena. I had a great time when I was there last summer but damn it was expensive out there!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

9. I live in SoCal, near LAX...

It is expensive here, esp. as you get near the beaches!

Good luck!

It'll be great to have you in the same time zone!

:pals:

[Suich]

2. Welcome!

There's always room for one more! We're actually very friendly, I think. And definitely Democratic!

Where "just outside"?



:hi:

[fujiyama]

8. I know WA has gone blue the last several elections

and that Seattle is a very liberal city. I hope I can be a "latte sipping liberal" soon! ;)

[SeattleGirl]

3. I love Seattle.

Lived here since 1983. Born just down the road in Tacoma, and spent the years in between in Oregon.

Lots of different things to do in Seattle. The waterfront area is fabulous. Downtown is great. Lots of different neighborhoods, each with their own culture.

The downside is that rent and housing prices are still pretty high right now, which sucks. Traffic can be a bear, so if you do move here, I highly recommend you get a Thomas Guide and learn the side streets. Though you have to deal with traffic lights, it's better than sitting in gridlock on I-5.

So, what area is your job possibility in. I can probably give you more detailed info if I know the area.

[fujiyama]

6. The contract is with Boeing so it would be in Everett

It's a huge client of the company I'm with. The guy I work with said it's just a matter of finding where I'll fit in so I'm kinda pumped. I've been telling myself not to get excited because it's not certain... and I'll find out more this week. I am SO hopeful. I swear, if I lose my job altogether in the month, I'll head west regardless (more likely to CA since I know people there).

Seattle, from the pics I've seen looks gorgeous. The state of WA also looks nice and very green. I don't mind the rain either. I'm tired of the excessive snow we've got here but I also am sensitive to really hot weather so I think it would be a good fit for me.

[SeattleGirl]

10. There are some good areas in and around Everett.

And the Boeing plant in Everett is HUMONGOUS! I used to go out there frequently for my job, crawl around inside airplanes that were in the process of being built. Interesting place.

[Madrone]

4. Hmm...never heard it referred to as a "freeze"...

But I'll be DAMNED if that's not an apt description. Yeah, it's very real, and it seems to me that it isn't just Seattle - it spreads across the state. A very odd and uncomfortable underlying energy for me - a midwestern (Michigan) girl. I'm better with it now than I used to be - but I do miss my old life. The one before the "freeze". :)

[Madrone]

5. Addendum....

Yes! Yes! A thousand times, YES! I looked up "Seattle freeze" on the internets and found a forum with people discussing this... someone posted an anecdote that describes it PERFECTLY:

To the previous posting: Recently a co-worker was eating her lunch in our office lunchroom. She asked me, "How are you? How was your weekend?" Since my weekend was met with some challenges and disappointments, I proceeded to share a brief account of my experience. My co-worker interupted me a moment into my response (realizing that I actually had intentions of answering her.) She said, I don't really want to hear about your weekend. I'm trying to eat my lunch.

Apparently, when many people in Seattle ask how you are, they really don't care to know but are being superficially nice. How sad!


Polite but cold, indeed. And it's not JUST Seattle. I live on the eastern side of the mountains. SAME DEAL. It's very bizarre.

[fujiyama]

11. That's the kind of thing I was reading about

It sounds kinda unfortunate. I've lived in south east MI most of my life and I'll say this is a friendly place for the most part and I've had the pleasure of working with great people at both my jobs. I've had no problem making friends at both my jobs...This last job was only 4 months, but I've got to know the folks here pretty well.

But I know I don't want to stay. Partly it's economic and there just aren't many opportunities here, but a lot of it is personal. I just need a change of scenery and I know that when I'm young and mobile I should take the chance. Plus, I love traveling and seeing new places. I'm not looking forward to the higher cost of living, and while I'd really want a cost of living adjustment, I'm doubtful I'd get one. But that's OK. Once I head out, I'll just start looking for a better position in either WA, CA, or OR.

[Madrone]

14. It's crazy nuts!

Very subtle though - took me awhile to put my finger on it and I was definitely not happy for awhile. I mean - on my trip out I stayed in WYOMING of all places - me, a dyed in the wool liberal treehugger! And they LOVED me there. I was offered a job, a house, everything and people were asking me to stay. Luckily I am very comfortable in my own skin and very content with my own company.

I'm still glad I came though. Fell into a job I'd NEVER have if I were still back in MI. Funny, btw! I'm from SW Mi. Kalamazoo to be exact. My dad moved to Adrian a few years ago - after losing his job. He works for Michigan Works in Ypsilanti now.

And it's SO beautiful here. I can walk outside, get into my car, and without ever leaving my street drive 10 minutes up the road and have my pick of logging roads to turn onto and head up into the mountains. If you DO end up over here let me know and we can get together. We Michiganders are the SHIT. :D Here's some examples of my "back yard" -

[Missy Vixen]

18. I've lived here my entire life

>Apparently, when many people in Seattle ask how you are, they really don't care to know but are being superficially nice. How sad!<

I'm wondering to myself if the area has a higher percentage of people that identify as introverts. When I meet people, I'm polite and friendly, but it takes a while to form any kind of relationship. In my case, this is a good thing. I'd rather get to know the person more slowly and make up my mind that this is a person I'd like to be friends with.

Julie

[yewberry]

12. It is a great place to live, but, yes, there are drawbacks.

It sounds like you wouldn't be traveling in and out of the city--good news, because commuting is pretty much a shitstorm these days. Depending on where you'd live, Everett would probably be easier. Also, our real estate prices are completely out of step with the rest of the country.

It is also a really beautiful place to be. Yes, we do get a lot of rain. We also have astonishing views and a pretty clean city.

The Seattle 'Freeze' (AKA Seattle Chill) is real. Don't get me wrong--people here are very polite and friendly. We always direct people to the right bus stop and chat over a coffee or beer. However, it is true that it is hard to make real friends. It's very easy to meet people and it's very easy to maneuver successfully in the world here; it is hard to find real friends, though.

Good luck--I hope that things work out for the best!

[mondo joe]

17. My best friend, who left Seattle, used to say it's a great city in which to have a heart

attack on the street, but a lousy one to find someone to just go to the doctor's office with you.

[yewberry]

21. Nicely put.

And true.

I have dozens and dozens of friendly acquaintances, but I'd be hard-pressed to come up with even one person to go to a movie with (aside from my husband).

[woofless]

13. We're about 50 miles N. of Everett near Mt. Baker.

You'll love Cascadia. I sure do.

Woof

[Biscottiii]

15. Hi there from Seattle!

I moved up to Seattle, from Phoenix where I was raised, in 1970. Now, in Phx it's perfectly acceptable chatting with total strangers while standing in a shopping line, waiting for restaurant seating, etc. People in Seattle seem to find that odd behavior, they seem much more reserved. However, most of the friends that I've made through work or as neighbors have been warm and solid, eager to help.

Main thing I've always noticed is that Seattle people seem to hibernate and become rather reclusive during the cold & rainy months. During summer & fall they open up and are immensely more friendly. There's a LOT to do here like Seafair/Bumpershoot/concerts in summer, u-picking berries up north, beautiful country, hiking, camping, fishing. Warning though, every relative or pal you've ever had in life seems to want to come to visit because they 'always wanted to visit Seattle', and that can get to be a problem when they pout if you can't accomodate (relatives I never even heard of) and hotel prices are taxed so high, that can get kind of excessive.

If you can work and find housing up by Everett, you will save massive time and money compared to the high prices down in Seattle - not to mention the gridlock. I hope you get the job! It will be a great adventure that I think would be worth your while. Good luck!

[mondo joe]

16. The Freeze is real: people are polite but disinclined to gettoo close. But it's a wonderful

- though expensive - city.

If you really are heading out this way ask for more specifics on neighborhoods, cafes and things like that.

[Arugula Latte]

19. Seattle is a great city. I'd liken it more to San Francisco than to Portland.

It's a seaside city with dramatic and stunning scenery.

I've never lived in Seattle. I'm not originally from the Northwest (lived in Midwest, California, Wash. DC) and I can tell you that I've really liked the people in Portland I've met -- they're down-to-earth, liberal, caring about the community, and I'd say pretty friendly on average. Seattle is a little more hard-charging and success driven, so maybe that plays into the reputation.

[haele]

20. I spent most of my childhood in Seattle, my folks lived there for close to 35 years -

According to my folks, the Seattle "Freeze" is one of the basic components in the development of grunge - a "Seattlehoovian" (there's a large Scandinavian culture in Seattle) reaction to the work culture of Microsoft and the large disparity between the old fishing/longshoreman community and the techno-geeks, culminating with the rise of the power of the yuppie scum community.(Her words, not mine and she worked at U-Dub as an administrative assistant to the Dean of Anthropology in her day) Even as I was leaving for the Navy in the late 70's, the rise of the millionaire settler, the displaced Californian, was beginning to affect the average working person.

When we first moved there in the late 60's, the Pacific Northwest used to have a very reserved (almost clannish), very seasonal mental awareness of life. The main businesses outside of Boeing were fishing, logging, and trade/transportation (as Seattle was one of the main gateways to Japan and Korea) Now everything seems to be "Vibrant", "Fast Pace", "Modern" - labeled and grouped. And the native Seattlite with long-time roots in the area feels left out of the loop.

Or so I have been complained at (as a former and current Californian myself) by many former high-school mates over the years when I have run into them.

Of course, it could be the grey months - November through March - dark, wet, windy and chill - but not quite wet enough, not quite cold enough, not quite windy enough and not quite dark enough - just "off". The few days the sun comes out, it's glorious, and that's what keeps you going through those months.
They can be really quite depressing; all you want to do is get through your daily routine with the minimum of hassle and get back home. And that can also make someone just reservedly polite - or wacky/kooky when they let loose.

Other than all that, Seattle is a great place

Haele
(edited for spelling)

[siligut]

22. It’s raining now, not much, just enough to get you wet, I like that.

There is massive stuff to do here, the hiking is sort of a regular thing, and there are parks, really nice ones compared to the other cities I have lived in.


I chat people up in the cue all the time, it helps pass the time I chat people up in every city I have been in, I amaze my husband, I talk to everyone.


As mentioned, get more information on where to live. Just North of Seattle proper, things are less expensive, but traffic can suck and it often does. Good Luck to you, you probably would love Seattle