2 posts tagged “moving”

I realize that I haven't written much at all about Seattle, and there is so much to write about. But it's been a whirlwind that's finally starting to settle down. I moved into my apartment. It is really awesome. But I will start from the beginning:

Week 2-present: Work. I work at a very small start up company of about 30 people. There's a lot of work to go around, very little bureaucracy, I like that it's all about doing the best science you possibly can. I work a lot, everyone works really hard and long hours, but we always have beer and wine on Fridays. I introduced them to soju last week, it was a hit. My coworkers are also really down to earth and really interesting.

The corporate condo was less than a mile away from work, so I'd take the bus to work every morning (work is on a pretty big hill), and walk home every day taking a different route. Downtown Seattle is full of cool stores and restaurants, unfortunately, I get out of work around 6, all the stores close at 6pm, and the restaurants that are open after 6pm are all pretty expensive. Tim and I spent an evening walking all over downtown Seattle looking for a restaurant that doesn't cost more than $10 a person. Eventually, we settled on a sports bar where I had incredible mussels for about $9. I walked by the Seattle Central Library everyday, it is incredibly cool. There is so much natural light inside, and it just feels like a big room where people hang out quietly.

The condo's also very close (next block over) to the ferry terminal, Pike Place Market, and all the surrounding touristy goodness. I knew that Pike Place Market was touristy, but I had no idea I was living in tourist central until I took an alternate exit out of the condo building and saw all the seafood places and tchochke huts along the water. Fortunately, the condo was also very close to Pioneer Square, which is a really cool area to walk around, and International District, which is Seattle's Chinatown. It's also close to Safeco Field, so we were able to walk to see the soccer match between Brazil and Canada's national teams without having to deal with parking or taking crowded buses/trains.

The condo was pretty comfortable with all the amenities you'd want in a home, but what sucked (other than everything closing at 6pm) is that there were no real grocery stores around, so if you wanted to buy some garbage bags or detergent, be prepared to pay out the ass for it at a convenience store.

I was sad to miss the hustle and bustle of living in downtown Seattle, but I'm so glad to move into my new apartment.

Washington State Fact of the Day: You can only buy your liquor at a state-run liquor store. Most of them are not open on Sundays. If you were having a party where you're supplying free liquor, you have to apply for a $20 banquet license.

More photos:

Things I'm looking forward to in Seattle:
1. Spending time with Tim
2. Trees
3. Food
4. Fishing/hiking/camping in the woods
5. Lower cost of living
6. A really nice and really cool new boss, coworkers
7. Moisture/variation in weather
8. People who give a shit about their community
9. Variety
10. Coffee
11. Furnishing my new apartment
12. No state income tax
13. Proximity to Portland and Vancouver.

Things I'll miss about San Diego:
1. My friends/my awesome coworkers who make the 8 hours every day bearable
2. Knowing my way around
3. Warm sunny weather
4. In-n-Out burgers/El Pollo Loco

Things I won't miss about San Diego:
1. The food
2. Apathy/mediocrity
3. Cost of living paired with low wages
4. My stupid bitch ass landlady
5. My old company with the status quo and shitty salary
6. Racism thinly guised as border issues
7. Inconsiderate/inattentive drivers
8. Suburban sprawl