Great, but socially difficult for 20-30s
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1/25/2011
Seattle is a charming city. It's safe, clean, and there is a lot of natural beauty (hills, lakes, and mountains very close). The weather is mild, the summers are beautiful, and chances are what you've heard about the rain is greatly exaggerated. It has darker winters, but overall the climate is very nice.
It's great that you can take public transport here. The bus system covers the city well and more importantly, the buses are safe and clean. Growing up in Philadelphia, it was inconceivable that you'd take public transport on a daily basis; it just wasn't safe or clean. When I lived in Raleigh, NC, crime wasn't a factor, but you really had to drive if you wanted to get around easily and meet friends places.
REI clothing is the standard uniform for most people, which I love; there are very few restaurants that will treat you any differently in that than if you were wearing a suit.
People are generally polished and keep to themselves. What people say is true: it can be somewhat difficult to make friends, especially if you don't have an job that inherently attracts social people (like bar tending or nonprofit work).
There is also a lot of hipster competition and ass sniffing. The plus side of this is that it's a great place to get good music recommendations that are not top 40 or have supper somewhere other than Applebee's. But of course, there is a downside, too. For straight 20-35 yr olds, it is much cooler to smoke unfiltered cigarettes and be in a band than to work on a career (although the gay community seems exempt from this-- good for you guys/girls!).
It isn't a very religious city, which I also enjoyed; no one I ever dated or befriended tried to convert me. But in a similar complaint regarding straight 20-35 yr old culture, there is a common immaturity where people try to have their cake and eat it too. I've met a few people who bemoan the difficulty meeting someone fairly wholesome who doesn't take shots every night, but after getting better acquainted, they'll reveal that they're polyamorous or into hard drugs, etc. I think it's completely understandable to either sow wild oats or to settle down, but I think there is a tendency for this age group to feel entitled to have both, despite the contradiction. I didn't really take many humanities classes in college, but the phrase "prolonged adolescence" comes to mind.
Overall, I think it's an effect of the fact that Seattle is not encumbered by a very strict and structured idealogical constraints. It's great to not have to wear a suit every day and nice that preferring public transit to driving is not stigmatized. But it's pretty annoying when when you ask a hipster waiter what they do for a living and they say "working on a graphic novel" or when your date casually mentions that she used to be a sex worker and might get back into it. Oh, Seattle!
Seattle is a nice and comfortable city to live in. I think the main downside is the difficulty making friends and having relationships compared to other places I've lived. It would be a nearly ideal city if I were settled down and in my late 30s on.
Oliver | Seattle, WA