We love Seattle

I hope anyone that lives in Seattle appreciates just how good you have it.* Leaving aside the scenery and the good eating its just a wonderful place to own a boat.* We arrived here after our haulout in Port Angeles intending to spend a couple of nights and now that has stretched out close to a week.* We absolutely are going to leave Shilshole tomorrow morning but it will be hard to say goodbye.*

I've been looking for a specific size of bronze bolt and some really big bronze screws for a couple of months now "Oh we could order those and likely have them in a couple of weeks" was the best I could do until I got here.* One trip to Tacoma screw and that problem is solved.* I've been to Fisheries, I've been to Ship Supply and of course we both went to 2nd Wave and Captains Supply.* This is just a great place and we have done our best to stimulate the local retail economy.* You're welcome.

As cities go I don't care much for Seattle at all. The traffic's a mess, the roads are cancerous with potholes, and the city government has turned discouraging business into an art form.

But you're certainly correct that the greater Seattle area has just about everything a boater could want. We use Fisheries a lot as it is the best stocked marine supplier in the region I think. They are not the cheapest but when you stock things that other stores don't carry, you don't have to be the cheapest. They have a great catalog but it's even handier to be able to wak into the store and get what you need, be it a bag of deck plugs or a new refrigerator. And next door is Marine Sanitation, which is a great vendor for holding tanks, fittings, etc. Kruger & Sons is arguably the best prop shop in the Puget Sound area. And of course this is the home of Northern Lights/Lugger, the maker of probably the best marine generators around. And Captain's Nautical Supplies is worth its weight in gold.

Actually if you stay off I-5 the traffic's a non-issue.* We've been here close to a week now & I've been out and about every day.* I don't remember sitting in a traffic jam once.* When we were here to pick up Gray Hawk we stayed off I-5 or went counter-commute if we had to be on the interstate and it simply wasn't a problem.* I can attest that the locals are clueless about driving on snow.* We had a fool ram the side of the bus when we were down here to buy the boat but he came out seriously on the short end of that deal.* His Jeep was a write-off and I didn't even bother filing a claim on the bus.*

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Well, I've been here more than thirty years now and I can understand why Seattle's traffic is consistently named the second or third worst in the country depending on who's doing the rating. Rush hour traffic is a disaster on most days, particularly down around Lake Union and Seattle Center. And try get around the south end of the city when there's a ball game in one of the stadiums. Based on the driving I've done or had done for me all around the world including China, I would rate Seattle's drivers as just about the worst, particularly over the last ten years or so. (The Chinese are actually outstanding drivers--- it's us who don't understand how it works over there.)

But the worst thing is the condition of Seattle's roads, particularly up on the hills and in West Seattle. They will literally break your car's suspension and the city seems clueless how to deal with it. It was a major issue when I moved here in 1979 and still is today. Every candidate for mayor always promises to fix the roads and no mayor ever has.

We used to go into Seattle a lot for plays and other events. Today the only reason we go into the city is to go to Fisheries Supply or to pick up a new supply of CPES from the distributor in north Seattle. For having what you want, marine or otherwise, Seattle's great. But for anything else it's a giant pain the a*s as far as we're concerned and we and everyone we know avoids it like the plague.

But thank you for spending money there over the last week or so. Slim chance it will find its way toward doing something useful like fixing a pothole, but you never know

Maybe you need to get out more.* I've driven all over North America from Cancun to Grande Prairie and Seattle ain't even in the top 10 for worst traffic I've seen.

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bobofthenorth wrote:
Maybe you need to get out more.* I've driven all over North America from Cancun to Grande Prairie and Seattle ain't even in the top 10 for worst traffic I've seen.

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Try I-10 going west toward Katy TX*out of Houston on any week day after 3:00 PM until 7:00 PM.* It's not called the Katy Crawlers for nothing.**

bobofthenorth wrote:


Maybe you need to get out more.* I've driven all over North America from Cancun to Grande Prairie and Seattle ain't even in the top 10 for worst traffic I've seen.

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Well, you're probably right, I should get out more. I've only worked in 33 countries so far, 36 by the end ot this year if the current schedule holds But I'm just quoting what the reports say. Seattle is always right at the top (but never number one so far as I know) when the ratings of worst US traffic come out. I have no idea what their criteria are, but whenever the news reports on the latest traffic studies Seattle's always right up in the top three or four places. Gven the road designs around here I can understand it from that aspect alone.

-- Edited by Marin on Thursday 22nd of March 2012 09:36:06 PM

JD wrote:
Try I-10 going west toward Katy TX*out of Houston on any week day after 3:00 PM until 7:00 PM.* It's not called the Katy Crawlers for nothing.**

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*I have some dear friends that moved to Katy TX recently. He and his wife both work in Houston and are in complete agreement with your statement. They reminisced fondly of how light SF Bay Area traffic was in comparison.

During periodic visits on business during the 70s, 80s, and 90s, traffic in Seattle was a lot less constipated than the SF Bay Area.* Nevertheless, in the 2000s (after retirement) noticed that shuttles between its airport and Seattle avoided the freeway.* Found the drive going by the local heavy industries much more interesting than the freeway.

For 10+ years we live at the very South end of Lake Union, where they have the boat afloat show.* We had a 360 degree view of down town Seattle, and the space needle.* At the South end that are plenty of restaurant, and down town as a quick bus/taxi ride away to theaters/play/shows/Pike Street Market, water front and the best SHOPPING. **I love to shop and wander the down towns stores/malls. We bought the Eagle to be a Dock Condo.***
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Since the lake is clean fresh water on the summer when the grandchildren came we would swim/play off the back deck in the marina. Most of our boating was done on Lake Union and Washington, Christmas Ship, Hydro Planes, Opening Day, daily/week end cruises/anchoring, and of course water sking/tubing.* The fresh water is easy on the boat and the bottom pain lasted 5+ years.* Every years we would come off the lake and cruise/moor in the Puget Sound. It was the best 10+ years of our lives and may when we retire move the boat back onto the lake as we miss the bright lights and the city activities.
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Going through the locks was not that bad if you picked the day and/or time of day.* We usually left Early, 6:00 AM Friday, and came back late Sunday:7:00 PM of Monday.* Also the traffic was not bad as my wife worked in Seattle so she usually took the bus, and I worked in Everett with a reverse commute at 6:00 AM and left a 3:00 PM, so when traffic was coming in, I was going out and then traffic was going out I was coming in.* It took 30 to 45 minutes from the boat to Everett, which I did not mind as it gave me time to unwind/transtion from work to personal live.*
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The reason we moved was wife retired, less income, parking became expensive/tight, price of gas, and they kept raising the moorage because of Paul Allen developing the South end.* We finally said enough and moved to Everett, which was really really boring compared to Seattle, but we have gotten us to it, or maybe we are just getting older and slowing down.* NAH!*****
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Did I mention I love to SHOP.


-- Edited by Phil Fill on Friday 23rd of March 2012 09:47:14 AM

Phil

I bought my boat from Yachts Unlimited on Lake Union in 1977, they were up by the old Elks Lodge on Westlake ave I believe.* We kept it there that boating year and brought it up to Anacortes in the late fall.* I did the same thing as you, used it as a*condo in the downtown.*

Seattle is really a beautiful city.**There is so much to do there and*I loved being on the water in the city so close to everything.* It's a different lifestyle living downtown.* I would do it again in a heart beat!!

Larry B*

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-- Edited by Edelweiss on Friday 23rd of March 2012 07:33:50 PM