13 things I love about Seattle

It’s Thursday which of course means that it’s time for the insanely popular Thursday 13 meme. As you read this there are literally millions of bloggers posting their own lists, do you really wish to be left out? There are millions, nay billions of readers out there just waiting to read your post. Who are you to deny them? Of course you can always ignore the meme and continue posting pictures of your (grand) kids and cats. That works too.

The past few weeks have been reader selected lists and it’s been great fun and extremely informative. We’ve learned what not to put in our butts, how to spot a gay, how to know you’re gay before you’re 13 and Seattle restaurants to try. Continuing on in this manner, this week we’ll be discovering some things that I love about Seattle.

13 Things I Love About Seattle:

1. the weather ~ an odd one I’m sure, but it’s rarely too hot or too cold here and I just ignore the rain
2. that NW attitude ~ straight forward and rarely full of bs, we NW folk generally tell you like it is rather than the oft times fakey attitude of the south (don’t believe me, live there for a while)
3. water ~ in Seattle you’re surrounded by water be it in a lake, the Puget Sound or falling from the sky. Anna Madrigal once said that San Francisco was populated by former Atlantians drawn there because of the water, I think she got the city wrong and that it’s actually Seattle
4. liberal outlook ~ most everyone you meet has liberal values, conservatives within the city are a rare breed and more than likely to “stay in the closet” when it comes to their political beliefs
5. queer city ~ Seattle has the second highest concentration of queers within the city limits after San Francisco, no wonder it’s such a queer friendly city. It doesn’t really matter what neighborhood you’re in you’ll see queers and they will be accepted.
6. restaurant scene ~ Seattle is really a foodie’s dream city, lots of great restaurants to try and more opening all the time. Any cuisine you can imagine or desire is available for your dining pleasure.
7. metro ~ not that I avail myself of the bus system that often, but you can get just about anywhere on the bus given the time and the patience. Light rail to the airport starts next year and that’s very exciting and I can’t wait for it to push out into the neighborhoods
8. urban growth boundary ~ Seattle has a very strict urban growth boundary which prevents it from having the sprawl of many cities, this is resulting in a “building up” of our downtown core and surrounding neighborhoods
9. local coffee shops ~ as you might imagine there are a ton of coffee shops in Seattle, surprisingly the majority of them are not Starbucks. Your average Seattlite will avoid the chain coffee shops in favor of the local mom & pop shops.
10. green space ~ of all the cities I’ve been in, Seattle has more green space than any except for New York. The same man who designed Central Park in NYC also designed the majority of the park system in Seattle and the similarities are obvious. Take the time to lose yourself in the Arboretum, Seward Park, Volunteer Park or Discovery Park just to name a few.
11. cultural events ~ I don’t take enough advantage of these either, but if you’re an arts fan there are several ways to get your fix in Seattle. Take a walk through Seattle Art Museum’s Outdoor Sculpture park, catch a movie or twelve at the Seattle International Film Festival, take in more movies at the Seattle Queer Film Festival or catch a play at one of our many theaters. Broadway plays often “preview” in Seattle so it’s a great chance to catch them before they get so popular you can’t get tickets.
12. relaxed atmosphere ~ Seattle’s relaxed attitude can be surprising to people at first. It’s perfectly acceptable to dine in some of the most expensive restaurants in town wearing jeans. It’s not odd to see people at the theater wearing shorts and a t-shirt while standing next to someone in a tux. Be warned if the invitation says casual, it’s going to be really casual at the event.
13. location, location, location ~ Seattle is situated perfectly, in my opinion, for weather and proximity to other climates. It’s a short drive to be in the mountains to enjoy the snow and the wonders of winter weather. A bit further down the road and you’re into the high desert environment and hot days during the summer. If you’re a boater or a fan of water sports in general you have your choice of lakes and rivers and of course the Pacific Ocean. Given a few hours you can also be in another country if you need a break.