Moving to Seattle!!!!!

march2008 · August 2012

My husband just accepted a transfer position in Seattle!!! I am SO excited! We sold our home earlier this year to make it easier for us to leave once the right job became available and he's been applying for jobs and going on interviews all summer. We've been ready to get out of FL for quite some time and things are finally starting to come together.

The position start date is going to be sometime at the end of September/early October, so we're going to miss out on the beautiful Washington summers this year! But, I'm really excited to have FALL! We don't have that in FL!!

Anyone other Bumpies from WA? I'd love to get suggestions on areas to live and things to do there with a toddler! I'm originally from WA, but I haven't lived there since I was a kid. I have some long-time family friends there, at least, so it's not quite so scary!

ETA: If anyone lives anywhere near the Issaquah area - I would especially appreciate a recommendation for a pediatrician (one that supports extended breastfeeding!). Thank you!!

JuneBugsMommy · August 2012

How exciting!! Congratulations!!!

meringue123 · August 2012

congratulations! I would live to live in Seattle. I know hepcats is in the sSeattle area, she might have some recs for you.

kayjay10 · August 2012

So exciting!! Congrats and I hope the move goes well!

kattyleigh · August 2012

Yay Seattle! We lived there a few years ago prior to moving to Portland after DD was born. We actually lived on the east side (out towards Issaquah). Beautiful out there! I do know that Hepcats lives out there too.

soontobe05 · August 2012

YAAAAAAY!! Congrats!!! I grew up there. Lived there until I was 17 and moved to Oregon after that. I miss Seattle so much. My heart is there. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. As others said, Hepcats lives out there so I'm sure she can give you some recommendations. Smile

So exciting.

cyclek8bride · August 2012

Welcome back to the rainy state. I can't help you with Issaquah as I live in the city and well couldn't do extended breastfeeding. I would say lets get together when you get here, but I will be temporarily moving soon. Will you be moving to Seattle proper or to the east side?

Feel free to PM me.

march2008 · August 2012

cyclek8bride:
Welcome back to the rainy state. I can't help you with Issaquah as I live in the city and well couldn't do extended breastfeeding. I would say lets get together when you get here, but I will be temporarily moving soon. Will you be moving to Seattle proper or to the east side?
Feel free to PM me.

Thanks everybody! Yeah, I am leaving the "Sunshine State" and heading over the state where it "mizzles" for half the year. LOL! I am looking forward to all of the outdoors activities that WA has to offer, though!

tarahnpaul · August 2012

We lived on Capitol Hill for 8 years, just moved to Santa Barbara. My heart is still in Seattle, I love it, but I just couldn't take the rain anymore.

What town will your husband be working in? Is he a microsoftie by chance, I just ask b/c they run a private commuter bus that picks people up all over the city.

I can give lots of suggestions on places to live. What do you value in a place? Do you want to be able to walk to things? How long of a commute is your husband up for? How comfortable are you in a crowded city environment or would you rather be in the burbs? Once you figure out where you want to live, I can give you some good ideas on things to do with LO.

Congrats!

march2008 · August 2012

tarahnpaul:
We lived on Capitol Hill for 8 years, just moved to Santa Barbara. My heart is still in Seattle, I love it, but I just couldn't take the rain anymore.
What town will your husband be working in? Is he a microsoftie by chance, I just ask b/c they run a private commuter bus that picks people up all over the city.
I can give lots of suggestions on places to live. What do you value in a place? Do you want to be able to walk to things? How long of a commute is your husband up for? How comfortable are you in a crowded city environment or would you rather be in the burbs? Once you figure out where you want to live, I can give you some good ideas on things to do with LO.
Congrats!

He works in healthcare and he'll be working in 2 different areas....Northgate area and the other is right near Pike Place Market. He'd like to take advantage of public transportation if possible; ideal commute would be under 45 minutes. We rather live in the suburbs. We like spending as much of our free time outdoors as possible - hiking is one of our favorite things to do and we also enjoy biking. It's very important to me to live in an area with good school districts and as close as possible to trails.

tarahnpaul · August 2012

The hiking is spectacular. You can get out for maybe 3-4 months out of the year. If you want to take up skiing or snowboarding, Snoqualmie pass is a 45 minute drive. Also, you must go cross country skiing in the Methow Valley. Stunningly beautiful. This is making me homesick.

O.k., onto recommendations!

1. Edmonds, specifically the Edmonds bowl. It's walking distance to the very cute little downtown, the commute to both locations would be reasonable, and the school district is great (my brother is a HS chem teacher there!) It's a sleepy little town that feels very calm compared to the city.

2. Shoreline school district is good, but the "town" doesn't really exist and it's far from charming. But it is affordable.

3. You mentioned Issaquah so you're probably considering the eastside (bellevue, issaquah, kirkland, woodinville). I've heard the schools are great there, but the commute is not great. I'm not really the person to comment on the eastside neighborhoods, I haven't spent any time there. There are also good walking trails nearby.

4. Depending on your price range, Mercer Island *might* work, just depending on how many days a week he's in Northgate versus downtown. It's super pricey if you want to buy, but rent is still affordable and the schools are amazing.

kattyleigh · August 2012

We lived in downtown Bellevue (East side) because DH worked downtown and it was really fun. We could walk to everything and there were great parks. I have a ton of friends that live in Seattle and Kirkland (East side) though. As for Seattle, check out the Greenlake neighborhood. Super family friendly and near the zoo. I really like the Montlake area (Univ of Washington) and surrounding neighborhoods too (Wedgewood).

Just keep in mind...Seattle areas are going to be much much more expensive than Florida. It can be quite spendy to be in the city. But worth it!

And you will get used to the rain...get some good hoodies.

march2008 · August 2012

Thanks for the area recommendations! I've heard good things about the east side school districts and I noticed that Issaquah was close to so many trails - but I've also been checking Google Maps around rush hour and it gives an estimate on the commute time with traffic and it's pretty long!

Woodinville looks like it'd be a decent commute to the Northgate location, but not to the one in Pikes Place Market. DH is going to have to find out how much time he'd be spending at each location. That'll make a huge difference in where we chose to live. We're just going to rent for awhile before putting down roots anywhere.

I will look into the other areas that you both mentioned. Thank you very much! I've been told that you just have to embrace the weather and as long as you dress in the right gear, that you can enjoy the outdoors for most of the year. We do love skiing, so I'm looking forward to having that sport for the winters!

hepcats · August 2012

Feel free to email me with any questions you have at hepcats1217@hotmail.com. I live in the Tiger Mountain area of Issaquah and I work in downtown Bellevue. DH works in downtown Seattle.

There is a park & ride near the freeway with a bus that takes a little under 30 minutes to plop you right in the heart of downtown Seattle. It only makes a few stops so it's pretty easy. DH takes that every day. In all honesty, the East/West commute to Seattle is FAR easier than the North/South commute.

As far as pedi recs, I highly recommend Dr. Shih (pronounced She) with Pediatric Associates. I'm not 100% certain if she has office hours at the Issaquah location of Pediatric Associates but the Bellevue office isn't that far either. That practice, in general, is awesome. There've been a couple times when Martin was sick and I had to see someone right away and everyone I've seen there is amazing. 425-827-4600.

I also have an amazing DP, OB, DDS, and ODS if you need those too. They're mostly in Bellevue though since I work there and it's easier for me.

If you need recs or info on anything, just let me know.

tarahnpaul · August 2012

I was also going to mention that Seattle has great neighborhoods that are still considered part of the city, but not so urban feeling, and lots of things nearby to walk to or a very short drive. Ones to consider:

1.phinney ridge

2.ballard

3.ravenna

march2008 · August 2012

hepcats:
Feel free to email me with any questions you have at hepcats1217@hotmail.com. I live in the Tiger Mountain area of Issaquah and I work in downtown Bellevue. DH works in downtown Seattle.
There is a park & ride near the freeway with a bus that takes a little under 30 minutes to plop you right in the heart of downtown Seattle. It only makes a few stops so it's pretty easy. DH takes that every day. In all honesty, the East/West commute to Seattle is FAR easier than the North/South commute.
As far as pedi recs, I highly recommend Dr. Shih (pronounced She) with Pediatric Associates. I'm not 100% certain if she has office hours at the Issaquah location of Pediatric Associates but the Bellevue office isn't that far either. That practice, in general, is awesome. There've been a couple times when Martin was sick and I had to see someone right away and everyone I've seen there is amazing. 425-827-4600.
I also have an amazing DP, OB, DDS, and ODS if you need those too. They're mostly in Bellevue though since I work there and it's easier for me.
If you need recs or info on anything, just let me know.

Thank you for the info! I am willing to drive a little out of the way for a good pediatrician, or any good doctor, for that matter. I found their website and will save it to my favorites.

My husband is probably going to have to fly out there for a long weekend and find an apartment for us with only a few days to do so and we are trying to really narrow down the list of possibilities because there are SO many options!

Turtle143 · August 2012

I recommend the eastside also. We used to live in Redmond, then Bellevue, and now farther down south in Renton. We bought our house 2 years ago and we are planning to move back to either within 5-10 years. When we lived in Redmond, I worked in downtown Seattle and took the bus. I walked to the bus stop or sometimes drive my car down to Park and Ride and took the bus from there. Crossing the bridge (520) is always a pain though. I would still recommend it. I like the suburbs.

My Renton neighborhood (Kennydale area) is fine but the northern eastside has better schools so we are looking to moving up north again in the future.

Turtle143 · August 2012

oh and I would love to trade places with you! I am not a fan of the gloomy northwest weather. I really wish we had the guts to move to California but we prefer to stay close to family.

march2008 · August 2012

Turtle143:
oh and I would love to trade places with you! I am not a fan of the gloomy northwest weather. I really wish we had the guts to move to California but we prefer to stay close to family.

I guess it depends on what you like to do. There isn't much at all here for outdoor activities unless everything you like to do involves the water and heat. Florida is a fun place to vacation, but to live here - it is very boring! A lot of people choose to retire here because it's cheap. They buy big houses and stay in them for most of the year. No thanks!!

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