Seattle. First Impressions.

Long overdue indeed.

Paul and I have been living in Seattle now for nearly 2 months! Here is a brief overview of our first impressions so far:

The Weather: Because we all know that's what you're really interested in.

So far, the weather here has been very New Hampshire-esque. Which is fine, because that means we're used to some rain. But honestly, our end-of-summer experience here has been perfect. Our days are usually 65-70 degrees. Just enough for a light sweater in the morning and evening, and glorious sun or crisp coolness in the afternoon. We'll have two days of absolutely gorgeous sunshine and then a day and a half of rain. It keeps life interesting. We have really been enjoying the overcast skies as it encourages my English blood to drink tea and cuddle up on the couch with a good movie....but... when 3:30pm rolls around and it still feels like 8am, that's when I'm like, "Maybe I should go outside today."

The Area:
And what a playground we have! This place is gorgeous! I'm talking all around Seattle. First of all, downtown Seattle is nice to look at. I'm not exactly sure why it's nicknamed "The Emerald City" but my guess is because it looks like a city floating in the sky. Like something out of The Wizard of Oz. It's not difficult to imagine Pegasus and dragons flying around it. There is Lake Union right there, with sea planes landing and sail boats sailing. In the evening when the sun is low it looks like the Nile. Puget Sound to the west never ceases with activity. Large ships and ferries bring people and goods to the port. The islands in the near distance look mystical and friendly. I haven't been out there yet, but I'm pretty sure they are inhabited by hobbits. I feel like we're at the edge of the world. There are parks and gardens EVERYWHERE. We live within walking distance to five parks. Probably more we don't even know about!

Our Home:
Our condo is a nice (and small) one bedroom we rent in a quaint neighborhood at the very top of a large hill called "Queen Anne" neighborhood. We can walk to Trader Joes, 7-11, all kinds of cute restaurants, a nail place, a drug store, a farmers market, a place to get my brows shaped, and a cute clothing boutique.

 I really did have to take a picture of our bathroom because it took me FOR-EVERRR to find a stinking shower curtain that didn't have a pattern that made you want to roll your eyes. Must everything at Target, Bed Bath and Beyond and Kohls declare "I'm trying really hard to be stylish! But I can't afford it!" ?? Then, who knew that finding a matching, functional soap dispenser would be Mission: Impossible ? With the rug, I got lucky. Bear with me. These are the things women care about when they near thirty.

Here's some fun.

What I was trying to say was, here is the best part about where we live:

Sometimes Mt. Rainier is shy and likes to hide. But she's back there.

Here's a professional picture (that I did not take) of the view from Kerry Park when the mountain emerges from her misty berth.

From this park we can walk a few more blocks west and there's another little park with this gorgeous view!

Here's Lake Union on the other side of Queen Anne. This is the one that looks like The Nile when there's a bunch of sailboats out there.

Gas Works Park is one of my favorite spots. It looks like a cartoon.

Paul takes the bus to work every morning and I can hop on and within ten minutes I'm at Pike Place Market, along the water front, or at the Seattle Center next to the Space Needle. This really is an awesome city.

Here is the resident troll in Fremont. That's my friend, Clint, (he's the guy next to me, in case you were confused) who I haven't seen since high school. He came to pay a visit on his way up north. Below is a park near "The Locks" which is a water way that connects Lake Union to Puget Sound.

Boats go in and the water level is raised or lowered to the level of the body of water they will be entering. It's really cool.

Seattle's Own:
So when we first arrived here, we noticed some things that are "different'' than other places we've lived:

1.) The double wave - This is when a street is too skinny for two cars to drive down at the same time, so one person waits on one end while the other goes through. This not only merits one wave of thanks from the native Seattilite, but TWO waves. Like a "thanks", "THANKS!" We then have the reaction of, "Dude, it's no big deal. Really."

2.) People here are genuinely nice. Like, they start conversations with you. On purpose. Out of nothing. We'll be taking an evening stroll and someone walking their dog will pass us and just stop and talk to us like they know us but forgot our names, but it doesn't matter because they loved that sweet potato pie we brought over last Sunday. ( But we didn't). And it's all totally normal. And we all go on our way smiling.

3.) Driving here is like maneuvering through a closed test course for new cars. Don't get me started. First of all, downtown is all one-way streets, so that's "fun". Second, the lanes will be straight as an arrow and then all of a sudden shift to the left five feet, so people (and myself) drive into others' lanes all the time without knowing it and get honked at. Three, signage here suuucks. You'll be going down a busy street and all of a sudden find yourself in a turning lane with no way out. Where was the warning? Where was the sign 500 feet before now? Or even worse, I'll be driving down a one-way street and all of a sudden it says "Do Not Enter!" and it just ends. Okay...? Guess I'll turn somewhere? Fourth, it rains here a lot so you'd think it would be a given that Seattle would need FRESH reflective paint on the roads. Nope. It's all faded. Our two lane avenue to our house doesn't have any marks clearly defining that it's two lanes and not one. (Had to learn that the hard way.) Fifth, Some streets in the morning and evening, during certain hours unknown to me, turn into "Buses ONLY" streets. The entire street! ( I had to learn that the hard way too!) Sixth, some neighborhoods (ours) don't have stop signs! Not even round-abouts or yield signs! It's more like, driving, driving, intersection, SURPRISE!!! Another car!! Seventh, our first day here I got a stupid parking ticket for not backing in to the parking spot. Who backs in? That's so 1985. So I got a parking ticket that wasn't cheap and after my long, painful affairs with the Los Angeles meter maids (and probably over $2000, a boot, and suspended registration later) I wasn't about to pay this mofo. So I'm contesting it the way a good woman should. HA!
So as you can see, navigating Seattle isn't recommended to visitors or new-comers. Not by me at least! I'm a fantastic L.A. driver and here I've almost side-swiped ten different bicyclists. I told ya not to get me started...


Smells Like: well, right now, Fall. Crisp, cool, clean air. Always a light breeze here at the top of the hill.

Feels Like: Freedom. Whuuuuh? Did I just write that? Woah. Somebody's been doing some growing up! Hmmm. I mean, this is coming from the girl who kicked and screamed and shouted her way out of L.A. because there exists no other universe outside it. But this is also the girl who  found happiness in the sticks of New Hampshire in the middle of January. Could it be that we have arrived? I'll keep you posted on that thought...

Tastes Like: Mist

Sounds Like: Quiet. Peace. At night the wind picks up and sings us to sleep as it blows the leaves on the tree-lined streets. Downtown seems to bustle with it's own soundtrack. Like a mix of Xylophones and acoustic guitars. With Eddie Vedder on vocals. On sunny days I think I hear a harmonica.

Looks Like: Blue and silver. Green and slate.

Not two months here and I am happy to call Seattle "home". I'm getting good at this moving thing. On top of that, I can't believe I just spelled "Xylophones" correctly. Come visit!