4 posts tagged “seattle”

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:

After 2 long days of driving, Tim and I arrived in Seattle, my new home city.

Day 1: Looking up apartments on Craigslist and making appointments.
Day 2: Seeing those apartments, driving all over town, moving into my temporary corporate condo.
Day 3: Looking at more apartments, finding the perfect place.

Notes:
The city of Seattle itself is really big, there are two major highways that run through it, and each neighborhood has its own completely distinct flavor.

The corporate condo is in a downtown high-rise, right next to Seattle Art Museum and Pike Place Market. It's full of amenities like 2 pools, 2 saunas, 3 hot tubs, and a gym in every single one of its 4 buildings. My attraction to this place was that it advertised a climbing wall; well, there's no climbing wall anymore, I'm really bummed. There are several restaurants and a Tully's Coffee onsite to boot. Downtown living is pretty fun, but walking around at night gets a little sketchy after 6pm when all the businesses close and tourists go away. Right next to the plush high rise are also two adult entertainment venues. Shopping in Pike Place Market has its perks, there are so many little shops if you need anything food related, and it's pretty much like having a farmer's market everyday, there are gorgeous cheap flowers. There's also really good shopping and dining near by, and it's all pretty expensive.

My new pad is in Capitol Hill, which is probably equivalent to Hillcrest/Northpark in terms of the liveliness and the amount of dining and drinking options offered. It is full of tattooed pierced hipsters, but it is also full of coffee shops and restaurants, plus it is less than a mile away from work. The apartment itself, well, you'll just have to come and visit. It is twice the size of my old apartment, but it is still cozy and full of charm. Plus there's a Stumptown Roaster's around the corner, that's where they make pretty pictures in the foam of your latte.

And holy shit, the coffee in Seattle is so good.

I start work on Monday.

Picture:

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

If you're wondering how I'm doing, this is an email I sent to my dear friend, Diane. It sums up everything I'm feeling and everything that's happened today. The world really works in mysterious ways.

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I'm still pretty depressed, I couldn't get out of bed today because I just felt so worn out, kind of like being hung over, tired but agitated, and felt like throwing up when I tried to eat something. Every time I got up I'd see something to remind me of Napoleon, and I started bawling when I threw out his cat treats and leftover food.

I did take your idea though about making a little memorial. When I first got Napoleon, I went to one of those ceramic painting places and painted a bowl with his name on it, it's got clouds and little fishies too, and a little cat face that resembles him. He used it for a long time but eventually it was retired because it didn't hold enough water or food when he grew big. I found his two favorite toys, a toy mouse and the business end of the fishing pole thing, and put those in the bowl. I also have the sock filled with rice for warming up his ears when I have to prick his ear for blood glucose test, it was his favorite part of the ritual, that's in the bowl too.  Then I lit one of the candles you sent me a couple of years ago and set it next to the bowl.

This apartment is filled with remnants of him but his energy has left for the time being. So it's actually a pretty negative space right now. I did feel him jump on the bed last night and attack my foot this morning, both in my sleep.  My day took a huge turn when I left the house for the first time today for my chiropractic appointment. My chiropractor did some energy release, and I could feel my aura change. As soon as he cracked my neck, I could feel tears come out of my eyes and I wasn't sad. The more he cracked me, the harder I cried, so he gave me a meditative shell to store my worries in the hollow and left me be alone to cry after doing all the adjustments. When I left, he had already paid for my adjustment and had tears in his eyes.  That was incredibly generous of him.

While I was in the appointment, a voicemail was left on my phone from the company I had interviewed with 2 weeks ago. I have a job offer in Seattle. Just waiting for the official offer to iron out.  I went to the gym to say hi to my friends and give them good news. I have a new mission now.

So...things have a way of working themselves out. I really believe it.