I'd be in. That's just a fifteen minute walk away. Convenient.
You know, I used to think this. And then I saw the Russia video.
Seattle-GAF!
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I'd be in. That's just a fifteen minute walk away. Convenient.
You know, I used to think this. And then I saw the Russia video.
How much would you have to make to have a comfortable, middle-class lifestyle in Seattle? Two adults aged 28, no kids for a few years. We wouldn't have to be close to downtown, just close enough that we could actually enjoy the city. I've gone to a few cost of living comparison sites but I doubt they're giving me the full picture.
If I'm going to make this move work I need to start planning now and commit! I can't imagine spending the rest of my life in Arkansas.
If I'm going to make this move work I need to start planning now and commit! I can't imagine spending the rest of my life in Arkansas.
Without kids, and depending on where you live, $100k (which isn't that hard to do here, I know a few valets at a restaurant I frequent and they said they pull in about $45k each). It really depends how much you want to spend on a place. You can get a great condo in Des Moines for $200k, you could get a great house in Redmond for $500k. Decide how much you want to spend on a roof, first.
I'm living with my parents and we bought a house for around $230G with 5 beds and 4 baths. we live down south near the Othello light rail station. It's very convenient down here if you use public transportation. And needless to say we are living very comfortably with 8 people living in the house.
distantmantra
Member
You could probably do it for $200-$300k if you don't mind being outside the city. Take a look at Edmonds, Shoreline, Burien and Lynnwood. They're not in the city and more suburb-y, but still close and much cheaper.
edit: And yeah, there are pockets of South Seattle and West Seattle where housing is cheaper.
Is that house value or income?
I am curious about the same question, but only involving a single adult with no plans for kids in the future. I am seriously looking at Seattle for future place to live.
distantmantra
Member
House value.
What would you say income should be? I said $100k for the two of them.
distantmantra
Member
Not sure. My wife and I (early 30s with one kid) make around $160k combined for reference.
I'd add about $50k/yr for a kid; yeah, that's pretty accurate. Thanks.
Seattle drivers aren't even close to the worst in the US. By far the worst I have encountered are in Michigan. Ironic given that they make the cars there. LA drivers are atrocious, but sort of efficient about it. Like a chaotic system that sort of functions. The entire South has utter shit drivers, from Florida to Texas. Arizona may have bad drivers but the roads are empty and the speed limits are high, which takes the edge off. The problem with Seattle drivers, period, is they are too slow and indecisive, but that's about it as a generalization. In terms of danger, stupidity and outrage, Seattle drivers don't even chart. They're just a simmering kind of annoying. My road rage reduced drastically here.
distantmantra
Member
The indecisiveness drives me batty, though. Especially with people merging onto I-5.
My biggest annoyance on the road are all the people who get on I-5 at Mercer and then cross over four lanes so they can get on 520 and head back to the Eastside. Argh.
You had me worried there for a second. All of those years of pharmacy school with had been for nothing.
300k for a house is manageable. I'm worried about my wife finding a job as a librarian since openings seem to be few and far between.
It will definitely be a change in lifestyle compared to what we have now, and our relative purchasing power may drop, but every friend I have in Seattle tells me I'll love it. All I really need is good beer and fast Internet to be happy so hopefully things work out.
Watch out for the Red Honda Fit doing that every morning about 8:30, but with Fonzie aplomb.
I guess "terrible driver" is subjective, because I judge a driver based on how efficient/effective they are at getting from point A to point B (typically the purpose of driving) and after driving all over the country as you have yourself, I find Seattle drivers to be the worst at it.
If you want to cut me off, I'm OK with that-- just don't go slower than I am after you do so. A regular occurrence here.
Get out of the left lane if you aren't passing. No one here got the memo.
People here think they're the only driver(s) on the road, they're entitled to whatever they want to do (not allowing people to merge, illegal turns, etc), and they're doing everyone else a favor by letting them drive on their road. People kind of act that way here sometimes, too.
I found Texas and L.A. drivers to be just fine (with the exception of L.A. is just too crowded), and you're not wrong about Michigan drivers.
The worst part is how long that merge lane is and they all wait until the LAST SECOND to get over, making everyone else stop, or move over a lane-- which is what slows down traffic every damn afternoon through there.
distantmantra
Member
I go to work at 6:30am in the other direction, so I'll never get to witness that.
Exactly!
That's you, isn't it?
I blame the design in this case, not the drivers. I hate it too though. It's the same in the opposite direction (on at 45th, off on 520 eastbound; on from 520, off at Mercer).
I enjoy driving in Los Angeles because people actually drive the speed limit or faster (usually faster). It's anarchy but as pointed out, in the best sense. You know exactly what to expect. In Seattle, people are completely unpredictable. Some are fast, a good chunk are slow (in the left lane, no less) and then there's the ones that decide that a variable approach is more efficient. Speed up, slow down. Speed up, slow down.
It's not.
It's not.
I'll see him one of these times; look for a Lexus LS baring the same demeanor.
Almost got hit by Bill Gates Sr. while running into QFC at University Village this AM. Rather entertaining.
Should have let him hit you and get that big pile of cash.
I agree. I used to drive around Chicago a lot. The speed limit is posted at 60mph but it's understood that everyone drives 75-80 and it works perfectly. On a similar note, when my brother lived in DC he said one of the local news stations had someone drive the posted speed limit on the freeways around the city. They said they feared for their life.
I'm working towards getting that on my own. Gave him a stare that said "I don't give a shit about K.L. Gates, but I love your son's work."
He just glared back like I owed him something. Which I probably do, considering my education is from UW (I paid for it, but he probably subsidized some is what I'm saying).
I don't disagree with the design problem, we've got a large metro area which holds ~3m, but traffic that compares to that of an area with three times as many people. Doesn't make sense.
Are you sure?
WesternHeretic
Member
House values you def don't need to make 200k to live here lol
luckyboyceo
Member
I'm in. Just name the day and time and I'm there.SEATTLE-GAF'ers ASSEMBLE!!!!
Next meetup place has been decided. We MUST all hit up John John's Gameroom.
John John's Gameroom Offcial Website
John John's Gameroom on Facebook
If you've ever been to Add-a-Ball in Fremont, you'll know what to expect.
Has anyone else been? If this place is a bust for people, we can always trek up to the Narwhal Room @ the Unicorn.
I miss you peopole. I had a minimal appearance at PAX this year. Let's go mental on the Hill before the end of the year!!! How can you not want to hit a classic arcade with a wandering, adorable black kitty?!?
Add-A-Ball is great btw. I drunkenly stumbled in there one night and it was like the gates of heaven had opened up.
distantmantra
Member
Let me get back to you on that.
I'll never get back to you. I'm just hoping you'll forget about it.
Being a heavy traveler for work, here's my driver "chart".
From worst to just bad:
Texas/mid-south drivers - Wreckless, never signal, heavy speeders, heavy cut-offs, DUIs everywhere
Maryland/Virginia drivers - Never signal, heavy speeders, heavy cut-offs, responsive assholes
Seattle drivers - Extremely indecisive, passive-aggressive
Ohio/Illinois/N midwest drivers - Wreckless, heavy cut-offs, occasionally racist (lol)
New York/NE drivers - Insanely wreckless, never signal (But decisive, at least)
California - Wreckless, heavy speeders (But are the most decisive)
That's all off the top of my head. I'd still have Florida, SLC and Phoenix areas but no time to type it out.
From worst to just bad:
Texas/mid-south drivers - Wreckless, never signal, heavy speeders, heavy cut-offs, DUIs everywhere
Maryland/Virginia drivers - Never signal, heavy speeders, heavy cut-offs, responsive assholes
Seattle drivers - Extremely indecisive, passive-aggressive
Ohio/Illinois/N midwest drivers - Wreckless, heavy cut-offs, occasionally racist (lol)
New York/NE drivers - Insanely wreckless, never signal (But decisive, at least)
California - Wreckless, heavy speeders (But are the most decisive)
That's all off the top of my head. I'd still have Florida, SLC and Phoenix areas but no time to type it out.
MagicWithEarvin
Member
Anyone here lining up at midnight this Saturday for the Wii U? I'm going to try Fred Meyer in Renton (Benson).
Shouta
Member
SEATTLE-GAF'ers ASSEMBLE!!!!
Next meetup place has been decided. We MUST all hit up John John's Gameroom.
John John's Gameroom Offcial Website
John John's Gameroom on Facebook
If you've ever been to Add-a-Ball in Fremont, you'll know what to expect.
Has anyone else been? If this place is a bust for people, we can always trek up to the Narwhal Room @ the Unicorn.
I miss you peopole. I had a minimal appearance at PAX this year. Let's go mental on the Hill before the end of the year!!! How can you not want to hit a classic arcade with a wandering, adorable black kitty?!?
Another Castle in Edmonds has a lot of great arcade machines, FYI. It even has a Virtual On cab. It's a videogame store normally but it has tons of cabs in there.
distantmantra
Member
They've got arcade machines inside that store? My friends live not very far from there so I drive by it all the time.
Shouta
Member
Yep. Virtual On, SF 3rd Strike, SF1, X-Men the arcade game, and a bunch of other stuff. It's very neat.
Was in Seattle over the weekend (I'm in Vancouver, Canada).
I was walking around downtown on Pike Street.
- A couple bearded, flannel-wearing hipsters were riding their bikes very fast on the sidewalk.
- They narrowly avoided a group of guys.
- One of the guys turns around, yells, and throws a glass bottle at one of the hipster bikers.
- Glass bottle misses the hipster biker and shatters on the sidewalk.
- Hipster stops.
- One of the guys approaches the hipster and takes a swing at him.
- Hipster picks up his hipster bikes and hulk smashes it over the guy's head.
- Guy backs off.
- Hipster calls him a "pussy".
- Hipsters ride off into the night.
B++++ pretty good show would visit again
I was walking around downtown on Pike Street.
- A couple bearded, flannel-wearing hipsters were riding their bikes very fast on the sidewalk.
- They narrowly avoided a group of guys.
- One of the guys turns around, yells, and throws a glass bottle at one of the hipster bikers.
- Glass bottle misses the hipster biker and shatters on the sidewalk.
- Hipster stops.
- One of the guys approaches the hipster and takes a swing at him.
- Hipster picks up his hipster bikes and hulk smashes it over the guy's head.
- Guy backs off.
- Hipster calls him a "pussy".
- Hipsters ride off into the night.
B++++ pretty good show would visit again
distantmantra
Member
Oh man, I know what I'm doing next time I'm in Edmonds! PSN version is fun, but the cabinet is even better.
Well aware of this. Good friends of the owner of the shop and the owner of their machines. Matt of AC top-sponsored our SRGE 2012 event and Rich is a friend and board member for SMAC, our local arcade collector's group.
However they're SO out of the way and far from any good booze/nightlife. Although they are close to Whirlyball up there!
Shorty's is only good for pins, which are also expensive. They're machines, however, are shit. Multis, a GH Arcade and Deer Hunter? No thanks. If I truly want to hate myself, I'll go to Gameworks for that.
I'm also not a fan of their crowd.
And I really support the owners of Add-a-Ball. They fix their machines, they get in good ones, and all in all they're just plain awesome.
freenudemacusers
Member
Make it the first weekend of jan and I'm there.SEATTLE-GAF'ers ASSEMBLE!!!!
Next meetup place has been decided. We MUST all hit up John John's Gameroom.
John John's Gameroom Offcial Website
John John's Gameroom on Facebook
If you've ever been to Add-a-Ball in Fremont, you'll know what to expect.
Has anyone else been? If this place is a bust for people, we can always trek up to the Narwhal Room @ the Unicorn.
I miss you peopole. I had a minimal appearance at PAX this year. Let's go mental on the Hill before the end of the year!!! How can you not want to hit a classic arcade with a wandering, adorable black kitty?!?
distantmantra
Member
Well aware of this. Good friends of the owner of the shop and the owner of their machines. Matt of AC top-sponsored our SRGE 2012 event and Rich is a friend and board member for SMAC, our local arcade collector's group.
However they're SO out of the way and far from any good booze/nightlife. Although they are close to Whirlyball up there!
And Whirlyball has beer! Went there for a friend's bachelor party once before heading back to Seattle, and it was awesome.
Tourists gets to see all the actions.
Hipster bikers were still in the wrong.
distantmantra
Member
Yep. Glad someone else thinks so.
Both groups were douchebags. Hipsters are the worst in Seattle. There's just something about the city that turns them into gigantic dicks.
why you gotta say that about me. i'm not a gigantic dick.
freenudemacusers
Member
Everyone in Seattle is a hipster
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