Any urbanites successfully gone suburban?

[katamari]

It is looking like DH and I will have a split city commute when we move, with him working in Seattle and me working in Tacoma. No problems there; it is what we mostly expected. However, when looking at places to live, it seems the most sensible thing to do would be to live in one of the more suburban communities between the two. The problem? Mr. Katamari and I are, well, . . . Let''s just be honest here, we are urban snobs. We love being within walking/PT distance of community markets, a variety of restaurants, locally owned shops, block parties, neighborhood bars, downtown, and the forced minimalism that comes from living in older apartments. Plus, since we are moving to a high-traffic area and will both have an approximately 45 minute commute with traffic, we want to make sure our personal life can happen outside of a car as much as possible.

Have any of you been former urbanites who found happiness living in the suburbs? Did you ever like living in the suburbs better? What things about the suburbs you moved to helped you with the transition? Would you suggest taking a shot on a suburb or just moving into the neighborhoods most like the ones you already know will make you happy?

Oh, and if it matters, we would live in the bigger city, Seattle, if we end up urban.

 

[janinegirly]

I would say suburbs make sense if you have kids, but otherwise stick to cities if you are an urbanite.

I have been a city person alllmy life (all large cities, smallest was Boston) and recently moved to the ''burbs. It is still an adjustment. But I do have a toddler so she keeps me busy so that I don''t have much time to anallyze what I miss! I also still work in the city (NYC) and so it wasn''t entirely cold turkey. I''m not a driver so that''s one obstacle (recently learned) plus I like and do miss the convenience of a bustling city. However I have no regrets as I was also starting to burn out on it all, not to mention lack of space was becoming a real issue. And nothing replaces a lovely backyard for my LO to run in, plus just the peace and quiet. Pros and cons to everything though of course.

 

[Winks_Elf]

Twenty years ago, when I was young and child-free, I adored living and working in NYC. There was always something to do, somewhere to go, even if it was just for a walk. Once I moved to a southern suburban home, I found I adored the peace and quiet it provided. I also discovered my love of gardening and landscaping. Now, 20 years and four children later, I could not imagine life in the city with children. That''s just somewhere we visit once in a blue moon when we want to go to a museum or an event.

Only you can decide if laying in bed at night and hearing crickets will make you happy.

 

[kama_s]

Date: 6/22/2010 12:41:06 PM
Author:katamari
It is looking like DH and I will have a split city commute when we move, with him working in Seattle and me working in Tacoma. No problems there; it is what we mostly expected. However, when looking at places to live, it seems the most sensible thing to do would be to live in one of the more suburban communities between the two. The problem? Mr. Katamari and I are, well, . . . Let's just be honest here, we are urban snobs. We love being within walking/PT distance of community markets, a variety of restaurants, locally owned shops, block parties, neighborhood bars, downtown, and the forced minimalism that comes from living in older apartments. Plus, since we are moving to a high-traffic area and will both have an approximately 45 minute commute with traffic, we want to make sure our personal life can happen outside of a car as much as possible.

Have any of you been former urbanites who found happiness living in the suburbs? Did you ever like living in the suburbs better? What things about the suburbs you moved to helped you with the transition? Would you suggest taking a shot on a suburb or just moving into the neighborhoods most like the ones you already know will make you happy?

Oh, and if it matters, we would live in the bigger city, Seattle, if we end up urban.

We are in the EXACT same situation. Wish I could help, but we haven't decided what we're going to do. We love downtown living so much. Me more so than my hubby. Hubby grew up in the 'burbs, so I think he wouldn't have too much difficulty adjusting. I've never lived in the 'burbs. The thought absolutely terrifies me.

Don't have time to expand now, but will write more later tonight.

Kata, we're living parallel lives (the progeny situation, same taste in music and I'm also currently going through the 'bird in hand..' situation)!

 

[Circe]

DON''T DO IT! At least, not if you''re really and truly an urban snob - I am, I tried, I failed.

My husband and I used basically the same rationale to move to a city between our workplaces, and oh, my, we were so BORED! You had to drive *everywhere* and there just wasn''t anything to *do* otherwise. I think it might be different if you''ve always had a yen to garden, or somesuch, or if you are lucky enough to move to a neighborhood with friends nearby, or a remarkably vibrant community. Otherwise, I think it might be the sort of a pace that you need to be used to to fully enjoy. I know I am a snob - I know!- but the cycle of work, shop for groceries, barbecue, rinse, repeat, just didn''t do it for me.

 

[TooPatient]

There are nice areas around here that aren't Seattle and aren't super isolated/boring/suburban.

Look at some of the areas around. A lot of the communities have farmer's markets and other events that make it nice.



ETA: take a look at traffic and the projects they have coming up. That might help you make a selection. (watch the 520 bridge and the viaduct project especially)

Another thing to look at is the taxes and regulations in place. Seattle has some taxes in place that other areas won't have (or won't be as high)

 

[charbie]

Are there any good suburbs with a decent downtown feel? Some larger suburbs have an "uptown" that has markets, shopping, restaurants, etc. And those aren''t too bad. Sure, it isn''t the exact same, but you still can find the "city" feel in those.

My husband grew up in the city, and is having a hard time wanting to move outside of city limits. Even after he graduated, he moved to "G.V." and lived off an alley. Now we live out by Easton, and are still in the city limits. Tho he has recently mentioned moving to a suburb that is completely lined in white picket fences and I refuse to live there.

 

[sunnyd]

Date: 6/22/2010 1:35:01 PM
Author: TooPatient
There are nice areas around here that aren''t Seattle and aren''t super isolated/boring/suburban.

Look at some of the areas around. A lot of the communities have farmer''s markets and other events that make it nice.



ETA: take a look at traffic and the projects they have coming up. That might help you make a selection. (watch the 520 bridge and the viaduct project especially)

Another thing to look at is the taxes and regulations in place. Seattle has some taxes in place that other areas won''t have (or won''t be as high)

Ditto. Check out new downtown Renton. They''re upgrading a lot and building so it''s becoming less scary and WAY more urban. Same with Kent. Those are the two places off the top of my head that are in the middle of Seattle and Tacoma that are doing major renos.

 

[iheartscience]

Eek, fellow urbanite here and I don''t think I could do it. The option has come up (my husband''s been offered promotions in 2 different areas that are suburban) but he didn''t take either offer. That''s a crappy situation to be in...I hope you can work something out that makes you both happy!

 

[KimberlyH]

I grew up in the suburbs of LA, my husband grew up in the city of San Diego. I lived in a large city in Northern CA for a while, then moved here and I/we lived in a suburb of SD for a while and were both miserable, we moved into the city of San Diego four days after my daughter was born. I am so glad to be in an urban area. People were baffled when we moved, we lived in a school district with a great reputation, the crime rate was low, etc. but it wasn''t the environment in which we want to raise our daughter and it wasn''t the right place for us to settle down.

If you love being an urbanite, I wouldn''t trade that. We were both so unhappy with where we lived. Now we can walk to all the places you mentioned and provide our daughter with learning and growth opportunities she wouldn''t otherwise have.

 

[Octavia]

I really think it depends on what kind of suburb you move to. Granted, I'm not a city person at heart (I grew up in a VERY rural area) but I was extremely happy living in an older suburb that had a main street, tons of shops, decent restaurants, and easy access to the city. Most everything was within walking distance, which was awesome. On the other hand, I could never live in a suburb that's mainly developments or strip malls/big box stores, I'd go crazy. All suburbs are not created equal, and some towns and small cities near larger cities are actually pretty darn cool.

 

[katamari]

Thanks to everyone for pretty much confirming my suspicions. First, of course, that I shouldn't go suburban if I don't think I would like it. Second, that I am a snob and need to understand that some suburbs can actually have vibrant downtowns.

Janinegirly, no kids for us yet. I do actually drive, because my current city is a driving city, but I don't currently have a car. I love being able to rely on my feet and public transportation to get where I need to be. I do fantasize about space, though. That would be nice.

Winks_Elf, Mr. Katamari's parents now live in a very secluded area and he love the peace and quite, too. He always sleeps so well when we are visiting them. And, with me, it isn't so much the crickets or silence in bed, but the stars. I forget how much I miss never seeing the stars due to so much outside light until I get to somewhere that I can see them. It is good to know that it is possible to learn to love the suburbs.

Kama, I can't think of another PSer I would rather share a life with! If you get it figured out, please for the love, let me know.

We are also in the same situation here where my DH feels that living is the 'burbs will be what we make it and will be perfectly fine.

Circe, the boredom is what I most fear. Well, that and having to habitually eat at restaurants with 90 things on the menu where > 50% is deep-fried. I don't need an action-packed, completely unpredictable life, but I do enjoy variety.

Thanks TooPatient! I should mention that I don't know anything about some of the communities I am turning into Agrestic in my head beyond what I can find on Google maps and yelp. I should try to look more at the Chamber of Commerce sites and look for CFAs and festivals. Also, thanks for a heads up on traffic! It never occurred to me to look at traffic projects, since, as I now literally never get on the freeway.

Charbie, how I love the GV. Like with all and every bit of my heart. That many bricks, especially exposed brick walls (swoon) around me totally compensate for one closet in the entire house. I live in C-ville now, but if I were staying here forever, I would so want to live there and really miss my apt there. And, you make a good point about larger suburbs. The Worthington uptown seems very vibrant and, while there aren't as many restaurants there as, say the SN, there are at least very good ones. And, in your neck of the woods, there are always a ton of things going on, too, since Easton gets so many visitors.

Sunnyd, so good to hear that about Renton. That seems to be #1 on our list of suburbs right now, as one of the jobs DH is in the running for is in Redmond (gee, guess where). We hadn't looked at Kent yet, but certainly will.

Thanks, Thing2. My field is very you-must-take-the-job-you-get, so I am happy to even be able to commute to a very desirable city. And, it helps a bit that the city I am currently in, although its greatness is highly underestimated, is still not one of the great American cities. I did, though, only apply to jobs at Unis near urban areas because, like your DH, I would rather have a worse job in an undesirable location than vice versa. Luckily, I love my job, so I will try to just repeat how lucky I am and feel while driving more miles each day than we usually drive in a month.. .

KimberlyH, I am sure your daughter does and will continue to love it. This will be a point of contention in parenting style between DH and I, should little 'maris ever be in the picture. I think a park is a perfect substitute for a backyard--maybe even better. And, safety and schools mirror the community, so I always think it is silly when people think good schools and safe communities only exist outside the outer-belts.

Very good point, Octavia. I definitely define "suburb" homogeneously, and should push myself on that--especially since that definition is driven by the big box stores and chain restaurant stereotype.

 

[that_someone_special]

I grew up in the suburbs and now am in the city. I am DYING to go back. While I love the city and everything it has to offer.. I love the peace and quiet of the suburbs.

All of our friends are mostly in the suburbs now and they hate coming to our place due to parking issues. That is my biggest issue is the parking crap. I have seen quite a few suburban people drive to *my* area, park, and then take the bus downtown. PFFT! And forget about winter parking!!

I miss the suburbs. A lot.

 

[katamari]

Yes, Swedish bean, parking is definitely a drawback of living in the city. We very, very rarely drive as a result. I think our city may actually have ample parking, but they have contracted it all for valet, so there is really no option if you have to drive somewhere at night than using the valet.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

If you, I''d live in an urban environment because that is the lifestyle you consider "home." It''s difficult enough moving to a new area, but adding in a whole new landscape may push you way out of your comfort level.

We recently went one step further than you. Move from the suburbs into the country and I HATE and dispise it out here. Yeah, that''s harsh to say, but the way we lived was so much engrained in our bones that being out here has made life 10X as miserable. We are moving ASAP back to the city we lived in.

 

[TooPatient]

Date: 6/25/2010 11:31:09 AM
Author: katamari
Thanks to everyone for pretty much confirming my suspicions. First, of course, that I shouldn''t go suburban if I don''t think I would like it. Second, that I am a snob and need to understand that some suburbs can actually have vibrant downtowns.

Janinegirly, no kids for us yet. I do actually drive, because my current city is a driving city, but I don''t currently have a car. I love being able to rely on my feet and public transportation to get where I need to be. I do fantasize about space, though. That would be nice.

Winks_Elf, Mr. Katamari''s parents now live in a very secluded area and he love the peace and quite, too. He always sleeps so well when we are visiting them. And, with me, it isn''t so much the crickets or silence in bed, but the stars. I forget how much I miss never seeing the stars due to so much outside light until I get to somewhere that I can see them. It is good to know that it is possible to learn to love the suburbs.

Kama, I can''t think of another PSer I would rather share a life with! If you get it figured out, please for the love, let me know.

We are also in the same situation here where my DH feels that living is the ''burbs will be what we make it and will be perfectly fine.

Circe, the boredom is what I most fear. Well, that and having to habitually eat at restaurants with 90 things on the menu where > 50% is deep-fried. I don''t need an action-packed, completely unpredictable life, but I do enjoy variety.

Thanks TooPatient! I should mention that I don''t know anything about some of the communities I am turning into Agrestic in my head beyond what I can find on Google maps and yelp. I should try to look more at the Chamber of Commerce sites and look for CFAs and festivals. Also, thanks for a heads up on traffic! It never occurred to me to look at traffic projects, since, as I now literally never get on the freeway.

Charbie, how I love the GV. Like with all and every bit of my heart. That many bricks, especially exposed brick walls (swoon) around me totally compensate for one closet in the entire house. I live in C-ville now, but if I were staying here forever, I would so want to live there and really miss my apt there. And, you make a good point about larger suburbs. The Worthington uptown seems very vibrant and, while there aren''t as many restaurants there as, say the SN, there are at least very good ones. And, in your neck of the woods, there are always a ton of things going on, too, since Easton gets so many visitors.

Sunnyd, so good to hear that about Renton. That seems to be #1 on our list of suburbs right now, as one of the jobs DH is in the running for is in Redmond (gee, guess where). We hadn''t looked at Kent yet, but certainly will.

Thanks, Thing2. My field is very you-must-take-the-job-you-get, so I am happy to even be able to commute to a very desirable city. And, it helps a bit that the city I am currently in, although its greatness is highly underestimated, is still not one of the great American cities. I did, though, only apply to jobs at Unis near urban areas because, like your DH, I would rather have a worse job in an undesirable location than vice versa. Luckily, I love my job, so I will try to just repeat how lucky I am and feel while driving more miles each day than we usually drive in a month.. .

KimberlyH, I am sure your daughter does and will continue to love it. This will be a point of contention in parenting style between DH and I, should little ''maris ever be in the picture. I think a park is a perfect substitute for a backyard--maybe even better. And, safety and schools mirror the community, so I always think it is silly when people think good schools and safe communities only exist outside the outer-belts.

Very good point, Octavia. I definitely define ''suburb'' homogeneously, and should push myself on that--especially since that definition is driven by the big box stores and chain restaurant stereotype.

A job in Redmond at "gee guess where"?!?!?

Is your DH a computer guy too?

Anyway, if you are referring to The Software Company, I''d suggest you also look into homes in Redmond, Sammamish, and Issaquah (you might like the Issaquah Highlands -- whole community around shops, restaraunts, right next to bus line).

 

[gemgirl]

Nineteen years ago I bought my house and moved from NYC to Long Island. For the first two years, I wasn''t very happy here, even though I had been coming out to the Island my whole life to visit relatives and loved it. It was too quiet in the beginning, also incredibly dark at night (if that makes any sense, I was used to lots of bright street lamps). After two years of feeling like I really didn''t belong anywhere, suddenly I adjusted and have been fine ever since.

There''s a definite up side to living in suburbia. While we don''t have any traffic noise at night, I do love to hear the subtle toot-toot-chug-chug of the Long Island Railroad in the distance. (That sound replaced the sound of tugboats in the harbor). Pluses- I love having a small piece of land, (my backyard is a decent size for my area), I always loved planting and gardening, I love being able to have my two furbabies, I like having a definite place to park my car as opposed to dealing with alternate side of the street parking in the city. I also have every store here that I had between Brooklyn and Manhattan, and them some like the Miracle Mile in Manhasset. As congested as Long Island might seem to those who live in the heart of our country, I can breathe here. The city was very close and cramped, and I really don''t miss all that cement.

 

[Haven]

My husband was born and raised in Chicago. He lived in the city his entire life up until we were married two years ago, at which point he moved into the suburbs for the first time at age 37.

He loves living in the suburbs now.

However, I think it (obviously) depends on the person, and the suburb. We now live about 25 minutes north of the city, so that's nice. We have a "downtown" area in our town that we can walk to from our house. We can also walk to the lake, which is a major plus. (DH lived in a high rise on Lake Michigan his last nine years in the city, so he would have missed that a lot if we moved farther out, I think.) We have a lot of great cultural hotspots around here, too, which I know we would both miss if we lived farther out in the suburbs. We have a great outdoor music venue right near our house, too, and we walk there for concerts all summer long.

I grew up in a suburb that is farther out, another 25 minutes west of us, and while my current town and my childhood town are both suburbs, they are dramatically different. I grew up in a very faceless suburb filled with strip malls and subdivisions. I would never choose to live there as an adult, and I think my husband would be miserable there, as well.

And this is just an observation, but I've noticed that most of the people I know who are "real" city people, meaning they were born and raised in the city, are less likely to be urban snobs, and more likely to enjoy moving out to the suburbs as adults. I have a lot of friends who were raised out in the suburbs with me, and who now live in the city and would call themselves urban snobs, but that is just not the case with our friends who were raised in the city. We do have some friends who were raised in the city and would never leave because they work there, but they're never as "into" calling themselves urban as the people I know who were raised out in the burbs. I know I'm not doing a great job of articulating what I'm trying to say here, but I've seen a lot of people happily move out to the burbs after being born and raised in the city, especially those who choose to work outside of the city.

 

[fleur-de-lis]

Katamari, I may be late to posting but have been thinking about your question since you first posted it.

Rather than going somewhere in the middle (and in an environment neither of you crave) and burdening both of you with a commute, might there be a bit of logic in sitting down and figuring out if one of you is better at/enjoys prepping dinner more and choosing to live in the city in which that person works? That way, assuming both people get off work at 6 p.m., Person A begins making dinner at 6:10 and when person B walks in the door at 6:45 dinner is ready to go-- that way, the person who has been battling traffic arrives home to pleasantness, and the person who has had the pleasantly short trip home has the energy to cook, thus leading to a win-win scenario?

When you add in your desire to live in a city, this option would even become... win-win-win!

 

[sunnyd]

Date: 6/25/2010 12:23:07 PM
Author: TooPatient

A job in Redmond at ''gee guess where''?!?!?

Is your DH a computer guy too?

Anyway, if you are referring to The Software Company, I''d suggest you also look into homes in Redmond, Sammamish, and Issaquah (you might like the Issaquah Highlands -- whole community around shops, restaraunts, right next to bus line).

The Issaquah Highlands definitely has an urban feel to it. There''s not much around there yet because the economy went downhill and all the builders who bought land up there (including that company in Redmond!

) are just sitting on it for now. My SIL''s BF drives from there to Tacoma for work a few days a week and it''s a long commute, but doable. Depends on how much you like sitting in traffic.

Somewhere like Renton or Kent would be much easier in that respect. Bellevue, if you can swing it

is very urban with a pricetag to go with it, unfortunately.

Just throwing more ideas out there!

 

[TooPatient]

If your DH is going to work for The Software Company, they have buses that run out to Sammamish, Issaquah, and other locations (I think Renton too?) as well as a shuttle service to get to different sections of the campus.

 

[redfaerythinker]

If you are truly an urban snob... I wouldn''t do it. There is a chance that you would like it, but I highly doubt it. I grew up in Atlanta and the biggest problem transplants have is the traffic from the burbs. They never really get used to it. I did sort of the same thing when I moved to South Carolina for University. I have never been so bored and miserable in my entire life. They don''t have ANYTHING. I wish you good luck with your decision!

 

[omieluv]

I would have to agree with Charbie''s advice. Find a suburb that has a "downtown" area having shops, places to eat, etc. FI and I are city people and we are looking to the burbs for a home because the city is so expensive. We have narrowed down to a couple of burbs with a downtown area. We also like to golf and one of them actually has a golf course not far and a very nice and hip downtown area...the best of both worlds for us really.

 

[April20]

Don''t do it!!!!! Especially because I''ve lived in TWO of the places you could possibly end up in between Seattle and Tacoma and my BIGGEST regret the six years I lived in the area was NOT moving into Seattle to begin with. I was really young and didn''t make a lot of money and it was cheaper to live south of the city and I thought it''d be okay. I WAS WRONG. Ugh. All the restaurants were chains unless they were Mexican or Teriyaki. Lots and lots of strip malls. No character. Did I say UGH? When I moved to Atlanta, I refused to live outside the city. I am MUCH happier. I''m not in an urban, urban area, but I''m in an old neighborhood and can walk to restaurants, pubs, etc.

You''d be on the reverse commnute to Tacoma from Seattle. The worst part of the commute would be getting past the city assuming you lived in a neighborhood just north of the city (don''t live just south of the city. Please don''t). The rest would be easy-peasy because all the traffic on I-5 is going north.

 

[katamari]

Re: Any urbanites successfully gone suburban?

I am very sorry to have left this thread for so long. I defended my dissertation the week after I wrote it and then spent last week celebrating that I passed with a vacation! I came back to find PS 2.0! We are going out tomorrow to find a place, so I am taking all this to heart!

<b>MC</b> I hear you on the difficulty of country life. My ILs have a vacation home in a remote area (think San Juans but East Coast) and we have been there all last week. Shoddy phone service, no e-mail, no cable, the only store in town was a hardware store. Just not my style, so I feel for you. I want you back in the city, too, so GTGs will be easier once I move! I did find a community that reminds me a LOT of where I live now, and I think I am going to try to live there. It isn't downtown, but is still part of the city more than its own distinct place.

<b>TOO PATIENT</b>, DH is a computer guy, too! That is part of the reason I was so excited to find a job in the area. And, oh yes, it is *the* software company. Although now it is looking like he might end up at *the* pdf-reader company. I looked at those communities and people seem to love Issaquah, though people always mention how good the schools are, so I wonder if it is good for 30somethings without kiddos. We have a couple appointments out there at places that look great, per your suggestion, so I appreciate it. Also thanks for the heads up about the PT/shuttle options. I actually think I am going to end up taking the Sounder back and forth to my job. DH and I now already ride the bus more than we drive our car (our current city doesn't have a train), so it would be awesome for him to find a shuttle or some other PT.

<b>GEMGIRL</b>, all excellent points. Right now we live in between the two airports, about a block away from the train tracks, and in a vibrant community. If there was a silent night, even a silent moment here, I would think I was in a Hitchcock film or something. Silence would be nice--especially for DH who has a bit of insomnia.

<b>HAVEN</b>, you make a very good point that if you can make somewhere home, it will feel wonderful regardless of where it is. For us, that would take enjoyable bars, restaurants, music venues, and--most importantly--people, but it could be anywhere. I guess I was thinking a bit bias before this thread and thought all suburbs only had big box stores and chain restaurants, because that is what the suburbs of cities in my home state are like. And, I do understand what you are saying about urban attachment and relocaters. All my friends who now live in lofts and won't move out of the most gentrified (and most expensive) parts of Grad-City are those who grew up in the suburbs. The more I think about living somewhere else, I do find it a bit exciting--especially given that it could be like my current community on a smaller scale.

<b>FLEUR-DE-LIS</b>, I think this is the absolute best compromise and forwarded it to DH, who completely agrees. Although we are looking in both places when we go out, this is our preferred plan. And, lucky for me, he is the cook of the family! He also loves to do all the grocery shopping (as long a it is market-style; I do the stock-up trips). Thank you so much for this suggestion!

Thanks, <b>SUNNYD</b>. That sucks about the development issues. I am sure it cost a lot of people jobs, too, which is always devastating. Renton is actually the suburb that spawned this thread, so we are definitely going to look there. And Kent, so thanks for the suggestion. I do love Bellevue, but I think it is just a bit too far from my job for me. Same with Wallingford. And, of course, we save a ton of loot by ruling out these possibilities.

<b>REDFAERYTHINKER</b>, I am currently terrified of traffic. Part of the great part of being a grad student is that everything happens at non-standard hours and I cannot imagine how I would keep myself calm and awake if I were in an hour long traffic jam. I have been lucky enough to get my BA and PhD in cities, but when I was on the job market this year, I definitely saw some campuses where there was absolutely nothing to do.

<b>OMIELUV</b>, we are not buying just yet, but we have been looking. The home prices between the burbs and the city are astronomically different in this particular area, so it probably would be good to find a happy medium early on before we fall in love with city life there. I do think we have found some good options to look at.

<b>APRIL20</b>, thanks for this perspective! DH's main argument for why we should live in Seattle is that I (in particular) would regret it if we didn't. We are looking just north of the city, mainly north and ever so slightly west in the royal sounding area. DH and I definitely need food and shopping with character, and the chain restaurants just don't work for us. We can make food a million times better than that at home. I am also very lucky with my commute because it would start later--I don't have to be at work until 10 a.m. most days, so hopefully the out-of-the-city traffic would have died down a bit by then.

---

Thanks again to all of you who answered my question. We are going out tomorrow, so wish us luck!

 

[katamari]

Re: Any urbanites successfully gone suburban?

I guess the html codes don't work in 2.0. I am not sure how to bold otherwise, so sorry about that until I figure it out. I will edit my post to make it caps.

 

[rainwood]

Re: Any urbanites successfully gone suburban?

Katamari -

We live in that royal sounding area you're talking about and love it. It's a great combination of walkable, close to everything, including downtown, lots of architectural character, plus peace and quiet. The combination also makes it very popular which makes it more expensive than some other areas of the city. One warning: once people live in this part of town, they never want to move. It's certainly been true for us. We've been here forever. If your DH does go to work for the "Big One," they have lots of commuter busses that come and go in this neighborhood which would make his commute a lot easier.

If he has to drive, the commute to the Eastside is kind of killer from here. I do it once a week and that's enough for me. I can't speak to your commute although I assume it would be pretty long by bus and probably have to be by car. By car, you can go the "back way" down to the airport and then I-5 from there. I don't know about busses, which I assume would be a bus to downtown Seattle then a transfer to a bus to "T" and then to the university. That would be time consuming.

 

[Jennifer W]

Re: Any urbanites successfully gone suburban?

Well, I made the move from city to semi-rural village and I'm happier overall. Have to say though, it was a shock to the system at first!
What I did find is that there's more going on in the village than I realised at first. We've made some good friends and there are fun people to hang out with. There are also several small pubs and bars and one very good restaurant, all within a 3-5 minute walk of our house. They weren't obvious until we'd lived here a while, some of them are quite private. One has been there for over 400 years and doesn't even have a sign outside. When we lived in the city, we had further to walk (glossing over the fact that the destination was maybe cooler and more fun when we got there haha...)

I lived in Glasgow for a long time and there's a lot going on there these days. We're a 40 minute drive away from both Glasgow and Edinburgh now, which is great for work opportunities and also means it's not impossible to go there for fun if we really want to. I have noticed that we go to museums and exhibitions in Glasgow more often than when we actually lived there and took them for granted.
We'd need to get a babysitter to go in the evenings, so we tend not to very often, but then we'd have to get a babysitter if we lived there anyway, I suppose. If there's a reasonable transport link from the area where you live to the area where you like to vist / eat/ play / whatever, then I think it's do-able.


Good luck with whatever you decide.

Jen

 

[April20]

Re: Any urbanites successfully gone suburban?

Katamari, the "royal" area is lovely! You can skirt the west side of downtown, then take some less traveled roads to skirt the south side of downtown and then hit i-5 and go south. You'll miss a lot of the nastiness. I can spell it out for you a little bit better if you end up needing it.