Seattle vibes after moving 9 years ago

Seattle vibe check update

Made a post earlier about visiting Seattle to feel it out before a potential move back

https://www.reddit.com/r/SeattleWA/s/wUUu8KrdL7

I spent four days last week and wanted to report back as my previous post was a war zone of contradictions. I would like to just give my take of my experience after being away for 9 years, and wanted to touch on a few key points that were discussed on my previous post.

1. Crime – Honestly, this has been a little blown out of proportion and there’s a lot of fear mongering in this thread that makes Seattle sounds like some dystopian war zone. It has its fair share of crimes, but wouldn’t say it’s out of the ordinary for other cites its size. I lived in Detroit, and that actually feels dangerous in certain areas, especially around night. I recognize that there’s a huge drug problem (12th and Jackson among many other areas) but this can be avoided by being safe and avoiding certain areas. Seattle is expensive because people want to live there. I get that gentrification has changed the landscape of the city but if you live in a major city like LA or Chicago, the crime is no different than any of those cities.

2. Waterfront – Literally amazing! What an upgrade over the old viaduct. And the views and the walkabilty near the Puget is spectacular.

3. Cost of Living – It’s no surprise it’s expensive here, especially going out to eat. Again, it’s not that much more expensive than most big cities but if you’re coming from a lower COL area, be prepared for a sticker shock. The wages here are pretty good though, but I can see where people struggle. That being said, if you know your way around the city, there a tons of places that are affordable where you can get a decent meal. Food in Chinatown is still relatively affordable and little mom and pop places that are still around can be decent value comparatively. If you want fancy white table cloth dining, than be prepared to hand over your wallet. Rent seems to be on average about $500-$1000 more than when I lived there, but that’s pretty on par with the rest of the country.

4. Public Transportation- Still a decent way to get around and incredibly affordable (I think it was around $1-$3 for the bus and link transit). I don’t live there so I can’t speak for what it’s like during rush hour, but I imagine it’s a pain. I recognize that there is some sketchy folks that use public transportation. It’s the random acts of violence combined with the fentanyl problem that I understand where people feel unsafe. I’m dumbfounded on why they don’t have paid gates to the Link as I frequently saw people not bother paying. This is a confusing decision on the cities part, and could go a long way to make people feel safer.

5. Vibes – I’m glad to report that Seattle feels by in large the same as when I left 9 years ago. The one thing I noticed (especially around Greenlake and Wallingford area) is that there less weirdos and creatives around which makes me sad. I love the quirky vibe it had, and I imagined a lot of people got priced out. My walk around Greenlake felt very Bellevue-y. If that’s the vibe your looking for than cool, but I liked the different feel that Seattle and the East side had. Capitol Hill was a hoot. It’s always been bustling and vibrant, but I had a blast spending an evening there . Great bars and restaurants (shout out to Canon!). Very LGBTQ friendly (as I’m sure most of you are aware), but if that’s you’re community, you’re going to love your time here. There’s one HUGE crazy difference that was noticeable: downtown at nighttime is DEAD. Like after 10pm you could walk 5-6 blocks without seeing anybody. A byproduct of COVID I’m sure and feel bad for all the restaurants down there. Purple was always booming every night of the week when I lived there, and it was basically dead when I walked by. Honestly, this broke my heart a little but I hope the city does something to bring the nightlife back.

Overall, I loved my visit and my love for this amazing city hasn’t changed. It’s changing for sure but that’s life I guess. My wife and I fell in love with it again and are going to be moving back soon. Also…it still has the best damn cup of coffee in the nation👌