Moving to Seattle, skiing and climbing!

OK, so I think this is a pretty random track so I need your HELP TAY!

I've been in love with PNW for about 3 years now, and finally going to get my ass out of 100+ degree heat in TX to move up there and live my life. I get to keep my current job and I work from Home. So, with that being said, it's not needed that I live in the city or close to downtown or something. I do, however want to live close enough to Tacoma/Seattle but not breaking the bank on a place to live. I'm ok with living 'semi ghetto' to start the first year until I figure things out, but don't want to feel like I'm going to get shot or mugged.

So looking for something halfway cheap, maybe up to 600-1000 a month (1-2 bedroom) and close enough to Seattle/Tacoma and not to far from the mountains. I'd like to get some night skiing in during the winter months at Alpental(?) So, suggestions plz!

I live in North Bend and love it. Close enough to the city if need be and a 20 minute drive to Alpental. Good luck on your move and a welcome to becoming a PNW local.

better find the living arrangement before the job fairs or it's going to be real tough to find a place to live.

I live in North Bend and love it.  Close enough to the city if need be and a 20 minute drive to Alpental.   Good luck on your move and a welcome to becoming a PNW local.

Yeah, North Bend rules. the big challenge will be hitting your price point on a rental out here. since you're not commuting to work, I'd check maple valley down towards auburn/sumner, which would give you fairly quick shots at snoqualmie pass and even towards crystal. And the price for housing there would be closer to your target I think.

It'll be March by time I move so probably getting there at the end of Alpental ski season. Though, I don't want to be to far away from Seattle area since I'm newly single and want to meet the ladies or get drinks at bars too! Plus, what girl would want to drive 30 mins to see a really bad skier!

I'm pretty excited about the move and ready to finally get good enough to ski rainier from past muir.

It'll be March by time I move so probably getting there at the end of Alpental ski season. Though, I don't want to be to far away from Seattle area since I'm newly single and want to meet the ladies or get drinks at bars too! Plus, what girl would want to drive 30 mins to see a really bad skier!

I'm pretty excited about the move and ready to finally get good enough to ski rainier from past muir.

March is the best time for Alpental

Coming at this from the point of view of a climber, I would live somewhere with good access to highway 2 if you like granite...there is lots of rock in north bend but it isn't as world class as the granite near Index, Gold Bar and Leavenworth. Proximity to a climbing gym is nice too for the long rainy spells and to meet people (I met my wife at Stone Gardens) ...there are gyms in seattle, everett, tacoma, and redmond and a new one opening in bellevue. I do know one person who lives in Index and occasionally comes into town to climb at stone gardens.

I think I'm gonna do Tacoma, I found an apt that will cater to me having 3 cats (Yes, I'm the crazy cat guy). Rent for a 900sqft 2b2ba was about 799 and the utility bills ranged from about 80-100 a month.

This beats my current mortgage by 200 a month, and my bills by 200 a month so I'll save 200 a month just living there. I get to rent my place out in TX and enjoy the gym in Tacoma and quick Access to Rainier and just a few more minutes to Alpental.

Pretty stoked, excited, and only 6 months until I can start watching you guys ski like mad men and you can laugh at me as I take my 2.5 hour trip down from Muir in Skis and listening to "Boarders" say "Dude, isn't that the guy we saw earlier upside down?"

Here's the advantages to Auburn Sumner, Puyallup area
1 hr 10 min. to Alpental
1 hr to to Crystal Mt , Chinook pass and just a little more to sunrise.
2 hr to Paradise Mt rainier
2 hr to Stevens pass
2 hr 15 min to White pass
Commuter train to Seattle and Tacoma
25 min. by car to Tacoma and 50min. to Seattle
Bike trails
Multiple Rivers that hold fish and are under utilized for canoeing and kayaking.

Probaly not as big a dating arena as Seattle and Tacoma areas. But then again you can make train friends.

I've never been to Texas but it must be pretty bad if you consider moving to Tacoma an upgrade.

I've never been to Texas but it must be pretty bad if you consider moving to Tacoma an upgrade.

Wow... what a Seattle snob!
Where the do you live...Medina?
Yep , the homeless hanging out in Bell Town are so picturesque!
The broken down RV's in Ballard so homely and under the viaduct so clean!


Lots of nice places in Tacoma Saxybrian, ignore this A-hole.

I've never been to Texas but it must be pretty bad if you consider moving to Tacoma an upgrade.

+1 to the Scotsman. As a Lakewood native and UPS alum with a bit of acquaintance with Texas, welcome saxybrian. Tacoma works nicely for access to Rainier, the Olympics and Crystal plus saltwater recreation. Where are you from, Pete_H?

I've never been to Texas but it must be pretty bad if you consider moving to Tacoma an upgrade.

Hey, I get it! It's a JOKE. You others out there, lighten up.
Brian, you'll do fine in Tacoma. Leave the wildfires and Rick Perry where they belong. (Get it? It's another JOKE.) There are places that are cheaper and closer to the hills, but if you want a city it'll work.
There are 2 climbing gyms in Tacoma, one bouldering only. Lots of skiing and climbing accessible by using I-5 and/or going east. Squamish, Whistler and Smith Rock are weekend trips. Getting out of town on Friday is brutal---no joke.
As for skiing slowly or falling, it's the reverse-gunslinger syndrome: there will always be somebody worse than you/me. Putting in the mileage makes everyone better.

Actually I found a decent place in Issaquah that seems more realistic with what i want. Skiing during the week days at night, and close enough to seattle to climb in the gyms during the week days.

Plus enough mountains to ski / climb over the weekends.

Seems it has tons of hiking, biking and everything else around.

I'm pretty much set

I've never been to Texas but it must be pretty bad if you consider moving to Tacoma an upgrade.

Oh Hell no! Texas will always be TX > WA! But TX doesn't have the stuff I enjoy. However the people in Texas far surpass anything I've ever seen in WA on a whole. I know there's exceptions to the rules, but southern hospitality is awesome.

So you screwballs up north, get ready for some Texas Pride, a fun person, a Dallas Cowboy / Maverik / Stars fan! However, I'll also root for the Seattle teams too! Just remember if they play my boys, it's TX >~

So, it'll probably be March before I get my ass up there, but I may do a climbing trip in Dec up there, not sure yet. I still need to tag a winter Route on Rainier and have yet to do it

Tacoma is a beautiful city with a wonderful culture on 6th ave. Unless you like the tight pants, emo music, and some sort of facination with shoes called, "Tom's" that look like ballerina shoes- you'll probably like Tacoma (read:North Tacoma) a lot more than Seattle. In my opinion, Issaquah is kind of the suburbia-yuppie kind of vibe. Good luck meeting a lady there with anything less than a S4 or 5 series bmw no offense to you east siders

when all the seattle hordes go to Alpy or Xtal- Paradise is truly paradise for the Tacoma local. I've had weekends up there with 12-20 other skiers (hi Ron J!) to track out the whole place. Sure beats rushing to the Northway or Piss Pass! A season pass to the Park is $30. Hard to beat that.

either way, Pete, that was a bad joke (even if we can take it without flaming you!). tacoma defense rant is now over.

One thing, How am i going to fare with my RWD jeep

I'm assuming i'm gonna need chains, but will I be getting stuck a lot with RWD?

Jeep question is easy.

Just drive up I-90 in reverse. FWD is achieved.

And good luck finding quality BBQ up here. I started smoking my own after a lengthy search. Having moved from KC, I certainly have my opinion. Issaquah is a nice spot for access to everything...

Jeep question is easy.

Just drive up I-90 in reverse.  FWD is achieved.

Epic post~

will I be getting stuck a lot with RWD?

People got to the mountains in the winter for years before 4WD was available on anything but a CJ. Really good tires, 200 lbs of weight in the back, forget everything you learned about driving in Texas . . . but after the third time lying in the mush on I-90 putting your chains on I pretty much assure you you'll be combing Craigslist for Subarus.

I would love to get a new one, but I got some stuff to take care of before I can get a new car. Maybe 2-3 years away

I work in Issaquah and live at Alpental. If you want to get out for some climbing/skiing/running let me know.

-kevino

Such hearfelt defense of the City of Destiny. But jokes on you; because I, like many other unfortunate souls, spent the first 18 years of my life on earth within smelling range of the Foss Waterway Pulp Mill

My post was, of course, half joke and for that, I digress. However, let's be honest. Tacoma is and always was an industrial city with a high crime rate. Perhaps even worse is its distant proximity to any real rock climbing and its close proximity to Spanaway, Parkland, and sorry Bro, Lakewood.

That said, you've got Crystal, Mt. Rainier, and a more favorable pace of life and less traffic than Seattle (unless you find yourself anywhere near I-5 during rush hour); and a decent cultural and social scene.

For the record, I live in the Central Washington Pastry Capital of the World, Der Leavenworth, not Seattle.

Anyway, sincerest welcome to the PNW.

Such hearfelt defense of the City of Destiny. But jokes on you; because I, like many other unfortunate souls, spent the first 18 years of my life on earth within smelling range of the Foss Waterway Pulp Mill

My post was, of course, half joke and for that, I digress. However, let's be honest. Tacoma is and always was an industrial city with a high crime rate. Perhaps even worse is its distant proximity to any real rock climbing and its close proximity to Spanaway, Parkland, and sorry Bro, Lakewood.

That said, you've got Crystal, Mt. Rainier, and a more favorable pace of life and less traffic than Seattle (unless you find yourself anywhere near I-5 during rush hour); and a decent cultural and social scene.

For the record, I live in the Central Washington Pastry Capital of the World, Der Leavenworth, not Seattle.

Anyway, sincerest welcome to the PNW.

haha! all very true! but I'd take 6th ave over Front Street anyday. Had to stick up for the hometown

for the record, I live in Greenwater! which is an entirely different page of life than that of our Tacoma-nite comrades! Maybe I'll see you for a beer at the Naches sometime post xtal, Pete!

I got 6 months till i move! So, no welcomes yet!

One thing I forgot to ask was this, is there lots of ski/climbing hotties out there?! Texas has some of the best looking women!

Ha. In my experience Colorado and California have a lock on that distinction. Except for, of course, Roslyn, Washington.

I Have a great tacoma story. I had to go down there to buy some hardwood lumber for a furniture job. AWI is in a "strange neighborhood" with "hourly rate" motels surrounded by razor ribbon fences, and some scantily dressed ladies walking around.

My associate wanted me to take his 18 year old kid with me to school him a bit on lumber selection and to help me load up some stuff. He was in his "Pimp" phase of growing up and everything was discribed as "pimp". He was into rap music, wearing his baseball cap sideways and pants a bit low around the waist.

It's a "no left turn" street that I needed to make a left on, so I knew to turn in the alley street a block ahead of time, and then cut through the seedy side street to get to the lumber yard.

As I turn down the side street there's a black guy in a purple velvet suit with purple matching hat and platform shoes walking down the sidewalk. I couldn't believe my eyes. Here was I, with this kid in the car that called everything, "pimp" because his whole generation thought it was a cool thing to be,... and here is a real life pimp, dressed in a purple velvet suit walking on the kid's side of the car on the sidewalk in the same direction we are going...

I tell this kid, "Hey, you want to meet a real pimp? I'll pull over and you guys can chat...''  Holy shit, the kid starts begging me not to pull over. I drive up to the guy and slow down, the kid is shitting his pants about now... I give the guy a toot on the horn and a thumbs up, and slowly drive on by with the kid freaking out.... so funny.

Later, as we are waiting for the forklift to bring out some other material, I tell the kid to run across the street and get us both something to eat from the dairy queen.... He's not leaving my side in this neighborhood and says, "NO WAY!!!"  I told him, he could go hang with his new pimp buddy if he likes.... He isn't leaving my side....

We got the material we needed for the job, and a late lunch from the drive though.....lol , I teased him mercilessly on the way home.

I am from the NYC area originally. The last time I saw a real pimp dressed in velvet was in the south bronx in the late 70's.... tacoma is indeed an awesome town...

*brian, if you don't want to miss the best ski days, you WILL need 4wd. The more life threatening the ride up, the better the snow... praying for horrible road condition is what I live for....

I would recommend selling the rwd jeep before moving to Washington. I think that would be a tough sell.