Seattle's Culture
There isn't any; it's all about the mountains
I hated it at first
We moved to the Seattle area 9 years ago because hubby got a great job. For the first two years I had to pinch myself, hard. Am I really living here? Ugh. When we arrived, I unpacked my east coast snobbery from my carry-on. NYC was the first to ruin me. I subsequently hated on any other city because nothing compared. We lived in Boston for 12 years and although she is no Manhattan, she was a great place to raise kids—and a doable train ride to a Broadway show or one of hundreds of the best museums in the world. The culture, history, four seasons and architecture that New England offered were not the only appeal. I missed the blunt rhetoric. There was no guessing what people thought.
Seattle folks are passive aggressive. You never know what someone wants and if you ask, they might be offended. There’s also a thing here called the Seattle Freeze. It’s a tough place to make friends. (That said, if you weren’t a Townie in Boston, you were an outsider.) Wherever we lived, I discovered quickly that it was the fellow transplants who were open to new friendships. My bestie here is unusual. Diane doesn’t fit the Seattle Freeze mold. When we first met, I asked her, “Are you sure you’re not from NYC?”
“People always ask me that.”
She grew up in West Seattle and went to the University of Washington— endearingly known amongst the locals as U-Dub. She knows people wherever we go. She has thirty different friend groups: work partners, her Huskie buddies (U-Dub football team) with season tickets, High School friends, baristas, me—the one who lives in the boonies, etc. I fall between the mountainous cracks.
Our First Visit
When we were considering the notion of moving to the area, we took an “exploratory” trip. We sat next to a Seattle native on the plane.
“Oh, you’re from Seattle. Where do you work?” I said.
“Starbucks.”
Jeffrey and I giggled. “No really. Where do you work?”
“Starbucks-- corporate. I design their logos.”
“Oh! Sorry. I thought you were making a joke. Seattle—Starbucks. Yeah. Not funny,” I cringed at my folly.
"It’s ok. I get that a lot. You folks going to the Olympics?”
I looked at Jeffrey. I knew we were thinking the same thing. “I didn’t know the Olympics were in Seattle this year. Heck, I didn’t know the Olympics were this year.”
Luckily, Seattle guy clarified, “The mountain range.”
Jeffrey and I pretended that we knew exactly what he was talking about.
“Yes, of course, the Olympics. Can’t wait. Climb every mountain. Just call us the Von Trapps.”
We had a nice chat for the remainder of the flight, and I wondered if he was indicative of Seattle folks—he drank three Bloody Marys and never went to the bathroom. Maybe it was because he was in the window seat?
Starbucks guy then mentioned he purposely sits in the window seat coming home. The view is spectacular when it’s clear and nearing SeaTac airport. I peered over his shoulder. I saw all five volcanos: Mt. Rainier, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Baker, Mt. Adams and Glacier Peak. Mountains taller than any Manhattan skyscraper.
I told him we may be moving to the area, but we were worried about the rain.
“It doesn’t rain here that much. Ssshh. Don’t tell anyone. We like to keep it a secret,” he said.
He was somewhat correct. There’s actually more precipitation in Boston. When it does rain in Seattle it’s persistent like the four-year-old who won’t stop badgering you for that candy bar when you’re stuck on a long check-out line. There was one winter where it rained 40 days and 40 nights. It was biblical.
Our Second Year in Seattle
I was still walking around thinking, “What am I doing here?”
My daughter called and said that a friend of hers would be visiting Seattle.
“Why?” I couldn’t understand, out of the entire country, why anyone would want to visit Seattle.
“She’s interviewing for a job.”
“Oh, that’s a good reason.”
Yes, this state is gorgeous but there is NO culture. Facts are facts. Maybe if I had never lived in NYC I wouldn’t have been a culture snob. Even Boston’s culture was weak.
There were two places we’ve toured with family when they came to visit. The Museum of Flight and The Chihuly Museum. But how many times can one go to a museum? We became members. Great discounts. Hubby and I even had a date night at The Museum of Flight. Here’s an essay about it.
While I’m Dissing
I figure the motto of the local architect is, “It’s already a beautiful state, why compete?”
Many houses look like shipping storage containers turned on their side.
I thought this apartment building was inspired by one from Soviet Russia.
Here’s a NYC apartment building.
A Disgusting Tourist Attraction
The Gum Wall.
Yes, it’s a wall on a building in downtown Seattle dedicated to people’s chewed gum. I remember being repulsed in High School when I accidentally touched someone else’s ABC (already been chewed) gum stuck under the desk. But here is an entire façade that encourages all to chew and press their masticated gum against the brick.
During Covid, the wall was cleaned and sterilized. One would have had to wear a hazmat suit to visit the site. I hoped it would remain bare. But soon the litter bugs returned-- in all their teeth-marked, titanium oxide glory.
This might be a conversation between a couple visiting Seattle before their cruise to Alaska:
“Hey honey, we can go on this beautiful hike with a view of Mt. Rainier or visit the Gum Wall—but we might want to eat first.”
“Hmmm. There’s an Officer and a Gentleman tour in Port Townsend. We can see the motel where Sid killed himself.”
“And Zack goes DOR on Whidbey Island.”
“So many choices.”
No One Visits Us Anymore
I get it. We are so far from anywhere; we are practically in Japan. Actually, we’re just an 8-hour flight to Japan. My parents can no longer travel long distances, and our kids are too busy with work. My eldest sister, Vicki, visits often-- her hubby will purposely set up a business meeting here so we can all spend time together. They’ve been to the Chihuly and Museum of Flight so we end up exploring restaurants. I was curious about the OBAMA—Official Bad Art Museum of Art. It’s located inside a café. (Is it brilliant marketing or cultural desperation?) Vicki and I agreed we already had years of oooing and ahhhing our kids finger paintings when they were four so we opted out of the OBAMA. (Thanks, sis and BIL, for always making the effort and visiting us.)
Summer
It’s no wonder that the state of WA is packed in the summer. The weather is dry and sunny for two months which means locals and tourists can enjoy the outdoors; beaches, hikes, camping, mountain ranges, etc, EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. Campers, motor homes and sleeper vans fill the highways. Sometimes the lines for the ferries are 5 hours long. Wear a Depends.
9 Years Later
Just when I’ve come to love this state, we’re leaving. Every inch is eye candy. The lakes, Puget sound, snowcapped mountains... While Boston turns brown in the winter (unless it snows) Western Washington is forever green. I’ve come to love the rain, the mild winters, an hour’s drive in any direction to a powdery ski mountain, reasonable cost of living (compared to Boston) no Lyme’s disease and the best f-cking salmon you will ever eat in your life. Hubby thought he hated salmon until we moved to Seattle. (That should be an ad campaign.) But this year we will relocate closer to our adulting kids on the east coast. While we have found a lovely community in our area, we have no family here. I once mentioned to an Israeli mom that we were considering moving closer to the kids and she winced and said, “Of course. It is logic.”
On a clear day, when I’m returning home from Seattle, there’s a view of Mt. Rainier. I still can’t get used to its imposing face. It looks like a backdrop on a movie set. As though you might drive towards it and find a large canvas, like the Jim Carey character discovering his life on a sound stage in The Truman Show. I’m sold. I’m no longer a NYC snob. Culture smulture. The air is clean and I love driving a half hour to Enumclaw to get my hair done. I pass cow pastures and horse farms and sometimes stop to buy fresh eggs.
The biggest realization I’ve had with all our moves is, You can find “your people” anywhere. I’ll just search out the transplants.
1. Are you one of those people who have lived in the same city for 30 years?
2. Do you make new friends or stick with what you have?
3. Have you ever been to Seattle? Why?
I lived in Seattle for five years and loved it. I grew up in the New York Metro area, so I, too, was a culture snob, but the beauty of the PNW was intoxicating. Yes, the people were challenging at times, but I hosted a bunch of Meetup groups, musical gatherings and birthday parties in my home, so I made lots of friends there. I once asked a native about the Seattle Freeze and he told me that it was because of the locals ego. He said, "They think they're better than you." I still miss Seattle at times, but the tech industry has ruined many neighborhoods with their ugly apartment buildings, increased traffic and higher cost of living. Best wishes with your move!
A lovely read. A bit of a travelogue as I’m Australian (and oh so happy to not live in a city. I’m not a fan of crowds). So I can visit America via my Substackers. A fun way to do it. Wishing you all the best for the move and the year ahead.