Destination Home: Seattle, Washington

 If you had told me a year ago that I would be considering moving to Seattle, Washington, I wouldn’t have believed you, given my love of sunshine. Now, having learned so much about the city, I can’t imagine not considering it.

6 months ago, my perspective of Seattle was one of a rainy, dark, dreary city. It screamed depression to me. I read every article that described Seattle weather and applied it to my mental model of the city, times 100. I had always envisioned a city that experienced buckets of rainfall all day, every day. This isn’t completely true – at least in the summer. 

Seattle in the summer is marvelous.

You wake up to crisp air in the mornings. It feels fresh with hints of sea salt. This, combined with the Seagulls flying overhead, reminds you of your proximity to the ocean. By mid-day, the sun has fully emerged. You bask in its warmth as you stroll down streets lined with 3 story-modern townhomes, outfitted with colorful exteriors and rooftop patios. The main street is bustling with local shop owners opening their doors and setting up outdoor seating, ready to welcome customers hungry for fresh seafood, homemade Italian, or Asian specialities. By sunset, the town is bustling. The lights from downtown illuminate the surrounding neighborhoods. 

Simon and I visited Seattle on the second weekend of August. We choose to stay in an Airbnb in Ballard, a quaint neighborhood in northwest Seattle. The AirBnB was a guest home behind the host’s home. They built it 5 or so years ago and now welcome others to stay. It featured a spacious upstairs bedroom and a well-equipped kitchen. Best of all, it included a backyard with patio furniture and an outdoor fireplace to enjoy Seattle summer. My only regret was not building in time in our itinerary to enjoy it.

Ballard has a unique character to it. The neighborhood holds a rich maritime history with Scandinavian roots. It experienced an influx of Scandinavian immigrants in the late 1800s. As you walk through the neighborhood, this becomes evident. The Nordic Museum neighboring the bay reminds residents and visitors alike of this history. A local shop, Scandinavian Specialities, offers more variety than anything I had seen before (yes, I’m looking at you World Market). Simon and I enjoyed a bag of authentic Swedish candy and licorice. 

One of the highlights of our trip was the Ballard Locks. After walking through a beautiful park, you’re greeted with the waterfront where you can view the ships entering the locks. It’s a cool experience to see the water rise and lower after each passing ship. On our way to the Salmon exhibit, we caught a sea lion frolicking without a care in the world, enjoying his breakfast – likely a Salmon that failed to finish the trek upstream. Once inside the exhibit, large windows offer a clear view of the salmon’s journey. Families and couples, young and old, were posted up on the bleacher-type seating facing the windows. I imagined myself, sitting there for hours, watching the fish finish their journey upstream.

As avid bikers, one of the activities we were most keen on experiencing was cycling. Hopeful that our new home will be a more bike-friendly city, we rented two cruisers from Electric & Folding Bikes and made our way to the iconic Burke-Gilman bike trail. This trail is fully paved, starting in Ballard (Sunset Hill Park) and finishing in Kenmore. The 30-mile trail was more than enough to appease our appetite. From Kenmore, the trail connects to others, enabling the cyclist to continue their journey around Lake Washington, down to Bellvue, and beyond. Coming from Austin where finding a safe paved bike trail requires navigating busy roads, intersections, and homeless people (although they’re prominent in Seattle as well), this excites us about the prospect of moving to Seattle.

We were able to make several pitstops – Gas Works Park; where we experienced incredible views of Lake Union and downtown Seattle, Ivar’s fish bar; to grab a quick bite, and The University of Washington. Our final stop was Magnuson Cafe & Brewery – a perfectly situated spot to unwind after the 10-mile trek, overlooking views of Lake Washington. We enjoyed our drinks amidst families and young people jumping in the lake or launching sailboats/paddleboards. It helped us imagine ourselves doing the same with our family one day.

Given we were in the Pacific Northwest, we knew we had to dedicate at least one day to a hike. We chose none other than Mount Rainer, an iconic national park within the Cascades. Mount Rainer is well known for its snow-topped peak and beautiful, wildflower-covered, landscape. The drive took us about 2 hours from Seattle. We made it 5 minutes past our reservation time, but the ranger didn’t bat an eye. Instead, after licences piqued his interest, he shared his own Texas background. We did the Skyline loop, which is the most popular trail. For good reason too – the views were incredible pretty much 100% of the hike. It’s easy for one to look at the photos and question if we were standing in front of a green screen. Coming from Texas, this was easily one of the most picturesque hikes we had ever been on.

On our last day, we went back and forth considering if we should visit the Space Needle. Prices aren’t cheap, nearing approximately $50 for 1 ticket. Nevertheless, I figured this was such an iconic landmark, we should take the bait. Simon previously read a book describing the history of the World Fairs. Given The Space Needle was built for the 1962 World Fair, it felt even more pertinent to visit. 

If you asked me if it was worth it, I would answer a resounding yes. The exhibit is very well put together. The installations dispersed through the beginning help immerse you into the history of the tower as you wait to enter the elevator. Right before the elevator, they have a photo shoot set up, ensuring you can get your iconic Space Needle photo. The elevator ride is quick, taking less than 30 sections. There are two levels you can explore: the top level with stunning 360 views and clear floors, and the second with a revolving floor. Looking down from the top, the visitors on the ground level look like ants, many of which were entering the Chihuly glass museum. I told myself, that next time we come to the city, I’ll add that to our itinerary.

Other activities we did included the ferry to Bainbridge Island, Pike Place Market, Sunset Hill Park, eating at some incredible restaurants, among many others. It made us realize how much we could experience in the Pacific Northwest. From the beautiful hikes (real hikes, not the ones we’re used to in Texas), to water activities like paddleboarding and boating, to biking along the many paved bike trails, to experiencing activities within the city, to road trips to some of the other destinations in the area (Cannon Beach or Leavenworth for the Christmas Markets), we would never run out of things to do. Every weekend would feel like a new adventure. 

We knew travelling to Seattle in August would feel like a tease. What happened to the gloom and doom I’ve been so accustomed to hearing about this city? That mental picture I built in my head was slowly being replaced with sunsets over Puget Sound. It became clear to us that we would need to experience this city in the winter to fully see ourselves moving to Seattle. Would we be prepared for the 8-9 months of grey before the magic of summer begins? Would we feel drained from the lack of sun we’ve been so accustomed to in Texas? It’s impossible to answer these questions without experiencing it first-hand.

Another possible downside we could foresee is the “Seattle Freeze” – a term referring to the difficulty in building genuine friendships. People in the Pacific Northwest have a different demeanor than those in the South. Still, stereotypes are just stereotypes. I can’t help but wonder if this challenge would follow us anywhere we decided to move, not only if we were moving to Seattle. 

The final downside: are we able to justify the 11-hour plane ride to Europe to see Simon’s family? Comparing this to a 7-hour flight from the East Coast, those extra 4 hours are not insignificant. Ultimately, there are too many unchecked boxed to make moving to Seattle a clear choice.

Follow along to read the next edition of Destination Home.