I apologize for being blunt: Cannot wait to get out of Seattle (Vancouver: fit in, best city)

[malarkey]

Originally Posted by saturno_v

Eating out is a joke, not many good restaurants out here (I admit being fussy when it comes to food being an Italian), I was appalled at the quality of food and the preparation in some very expensive places...

Where have you eaten at that you were "appalled" at the quality & preparation of food?

for the most part, I agree with your rant, although I do think Seattle is a beautiful city, it's the weather and the cost of living that is ultimately driving me away.

[Rubyvroom]

Hi Saturno,

It certainly sounds like you are unhappy with Seattle and for that reason alone it's worth exploring a new place. Everyone is different and some places suit some people very well while others don't fit in there at all.

I am not at all telling you that you shouldn't move to San Diego or that you wouldn't be happy there but I do want to share my experience of a a few things that you specifically mentioned in your post. First of all I want to say that public transportation in Seattle is far and away much better than in San Diego. I found transit in San Diego to be expensive (2.25 for a one-way fare with no transfers) and unreliable. We are a one car family and originally I wanted to take the bus to work but I ended up having to make cycling to work my default because on too many occasions either the bus was very late or didn't come at all

In terms of dining, while San Diego has improved greatly in the past five years, it is in no way a world class city for food way other places I have lived are like London or San Francisco. I often found that the price to quality ratio was severely out of whack.

One more thing in terms of cost of living I find Seattle and San Diego broadly comparable. Seattle is a little less expensive but not much. If you are looking to buy property in San Diego be aware that prices there are falling and (in my estimation) have further to fall before hitting bottom and are likely to remain flat for some time after that. I don't think that you'd have anything to lose by renting for a year or so while you figure out if you like the place before buying anything.

In any case best of luck to you wherever you decide to move.

[jwb123]

No decent greek food yet...I'm open to suggestions....

There is a good place in Bellevue, but I can't remember the name. Maybe google it.

Redmond has a really good mediterranean sandwhich/plate lunch sort of place.

[wannabeaTexan]

And we're off...

Wow...I don't think you'd have to try very hard to convince me to move to Australia.

[saturno_v]

Originally Posted by wannabeaTexan

And we're off...

Wow...I don't think you'd have to try very hard to convince me to move to Australia.

Actually it's not even fair to compare Seattle to Sydney..it is like comparing a Chysler Sebring convertible to an Aston Martin!!!!

[Rubyvroom]

Originally Posted by saturno_v

Let's say San Diego is not my absolutely favorite....if it were only for me I would leave the US altogether but it is difficult for my wife...

I know exactly what you mean. I too married someone from a different country and we have both lived on either side of the Atlantic. It's always rough on someone. Still all we can do is try different places and eventually we'll settle where it's best for both of us.

Originally Posted by wannabeaTexan

And we're off...

Wow...I don't think you'd have to try very hard to convince me to move to Australia.

Just for kicks you should go read the British Expats forum sometime. Lots of posts by Brits who moved to Oz and now can't wait to go home vs. those who moved, loved it and never want to go back. It can get kinda heated between the two. Kinda like the Freeze/No Freeze discussions here. I think Oz is lovely to visit but I wouldn't want to live there -- too darn sunny for me.

[saturno_v]

For professional reasons I moved around a lot and I lived in different cities around the world.
Originally I'm from Rome and the first city where I relocated was Sydney in Australia.
I admit that Australian experience totally spoiled me, IMHO Sydney is really the best city where to live in thi planet, fantastic weather, vibrant culture, very cosmopolitan, extremely friendly people, great professional opportunities, laid back environment where people really enjoy life without being career obsessed. So the bar was set very high for the next cities...

After Sydney, I lived in Auckland, London, Vancouver and finally Seattle.

I hated the London weather, the city is very diverse culturally, very fast paced and you can meet great people if you belong to the "right" circle.....London parties are legendary.

Vancouver is beautiful scenery wise and I been attracted to it because I thought could be some similar to Sydney....unfortunately it is not the case.
I really underestimated the effect of dull boring Northwest weather had on me in the long run. I found people in Van very unfriendly and reserved and not being direct in telling you what they think..the social scene was pathetic IMHO and it was hard even to get a date....recently things started to change and Vancouver is becoming more vibrant and cosmopolitan...I enjoyed it quite a bit last time I visited.

Then I came to Seattle. The reason imoved here is because I met my wife, which was born and raised in Olympia, so she is a purebred Washingtonian.
I'm sorry if I'm going to pop some people's "Seattle is so beautiful" bubble but I really cannot wait to get out of here.
Seattle, IMHO has all the minuses of Vancouver without having the pluses...the social environment is EXTREMELY boring, I barely know my neighbours, even my wife, which is a handsomely paid professional well connected in the city, has few friends.
Our rare social engagements, here and there, end max at 10:00 PM even on Friday or Saturday because people has to go to bed...my goodness...
The word "aloof" I think was born here...I do not know if it is because of the city large Scandinavian heritage.
In my experience, people here have friends based on hobbies (biking, running, etc...)..outside of that eveybody is on his own..i have no doubt the city attracts a lot of outsiders...the antisocial type here feels at home....I actually met peopel that told me that they moved here because of the more "reserved" environment....
The long weeks of overcast weather really gets me and 3 weeks ago on a snap decision me and my wife we got few days off in Aruba..it was getting unbearable.
Yes beautiful forests, nice scenery and abundance of water, that's about it.
The city itself is actually quite ugly (Alaskan Viaduct, cranes, etc..) compared to Vancouver. Public transportation is inadequate at best.
Great outdoor activities when doesn't rain.
Eating out is a joke, not many good restaurants out here (I admit being fussy when it comes to food being an Italian), I was appalled at the quality of food and the preparation in some very expensive places...
All the great job opportunities here I think are a bit overblown (look at cost for housing), in any case I would gladly give up some $$$ for more social and weather sanity.
I really cannot stand this latte sipping environment anymore.....
Sorry for the long rant but I wonder if there is someone else that feels like me....
Even my wife told me last month that she may consider moving...we were thinking about San Diego, we go there often and we absolutely love it...one of her clients moved in Cal last month (Santa Barbara) because, admittely, she could not longer stand Seattle.....

My dream would be to go back to Sydney but it will be extremely hard to convince my spouse....

I realize that a lot of people have to "convince themselves" of how nice is to live here because they either have no choice and/or they do not know better....but Seattle has a LONG WAY TO GO before can be called a World Class city.

I'm sure i'm going to get a lot of flack for this post but I really needed to vent, especially in this (March 28!!!) snowy day....

Any other like me around?? Estranged in Seattle????

My dream city

Go to this link for some images

Sydney

[70Ford]

Good luck in finding the perfect place for you and your wife.

Don't worry about being fussy about food. Being Italian makes no difference at all.

There's fussy people everywhere.

[HistoryAficionado]

Having lived and travelled internationally a good deal myself (I've even lived in Italy -- but not yet visited Sydney), I can relate to your making broader comparisons and not having a positive perception of the Northwest.

I think that some of that can be ascribed to you having a global mindset and possibly being frustrated by the more provincial aspects of the area and their lack of focus or knowledge of things outside of their immediate location.

I also agree about the food. I think that Washington would be happy with just subway sandwiches and Teryaki.

[saturno_v]

I do not think there is such thing as a "perfect place" in the world..
I just know that I do not want to die or get old here....