An early and hearty WELCOME to the Northwest I think what you’ll find is that you get creative with coping mechanisms for living here through the fall and winter. Frankly, yeah, it can be a bit much - I commute all on foot and via ferry, and it is NO fun commuting when it is raining sideways and cold. BUT, I have hot tea in my backpack and dry socks at work. And the ferry galleys serve vino, beer, beverages and snacks, so there are plenty of commuting coping mechanisms for your hub in place. For you, just go by feel when you get here. You’ll probably be really busy and distracted getting your household set up initially, then finding a rhythm and routine to your day to day activities and life.
Truly, if you live on Bainbridge, you likely won’t have to deal with too much traffic issues. Until you start getting out off island to explore. The main traffic irritations are of course the main thoroughfares, I-5, I-90, 520, I-405 – but all manageable. We have entertaining radio stations to keep you company!
There are tons of awesome places to hike and explore, and I’d recommend contacting the Kitsap County Visitors Center (http://www.visitkitsap.com/) for information on the area. If CJ, Jr. will be going to school on Bainbridge, here’s a link to the school district parent page:
That’d be a great way to make connections on the island as well, plugging in with other parents.
You’re gonna be JUST fine Feel free to ask/IM any of us locals at any point, too, with questions, quandries, etc…we’re a pretty friendly and helpful bunch! My hub and I have been on the Kitsap Penninsual for 9 years, and it’s a beautiful and relaxed area.
If you live in the metro area you see mostly buildings, the mountains are really far away. Even when the sun shines in the downtown area the tall buildings block out the sun most of the day.
In the Fall you deal with the Fall storm systems, likewise Winter and Spring. This year the area had the wettest winter spring and summer on record. If your better half works indoors Seattle is just like anywhere else. A body can get used to just about anything, if its necessary.
Many years ago Seattle was a big version of a small town, not so much today. Seattle is trying hard to be the western version of N.Y. City.
Most the people who work in the major metro area live outside the city limits and commute, while the people who live inside the limits work service jobs mostly outside of the metro area. This is the reason the commute is tough.
While its true there are great restaurants in the area most large cities have good food. There are a lot of nice public parks and west Seattle has beaches albeit mostly rocky beaches (not good for sandcastles.) There are several good urban trail systems that are used by joggers and bicyclists, and several topnotch ski areas within a 2 or 3 hr.drive.
A last note, Seattle is very diverse culturally.
Caveat Emptor
We all fly out October 28th and Mr Jackal starts work with Amazon on Oct 31st. I’m excited, but scared. Ok, scared shitless. We’ve decided to rent for the first five months, and that will give us time to sell our home and buy a new one there. Mr Jackal is buying me a new car, a mini cooper. (The theory is, that a car that I think is super cute will encourage me to drive. ) Our stuff won’t arrive for anywhere from 1 -4 weeks, so we’re renting some furniture for a month. We even have utilities set up and ready.
Wow. Whole new country, whole new coast, whole new job (for Mr Jackal), whole new life. I feel a little overwhelmed.
Enjoy the moment. Don’t let a few months of bad weather make you question your choices. Life is what happens while we’re busy making other plans.
If I wasn’t stuck in a hotel far away for the next two months, I’d bring over a bottle of wine to welcome you two to our neighborhood. [Oh, the WSDOT has a great app for ferry schedules. You’ll be wanting that.]
You obviously didn’t have much of a choice, but your move is taking place at close to the worst time possible. Meaning that we’re just starting the slide into the Slough of Despond that’s the typical PNW non-summer. Keep your chin up, take your Vitamin D, and remember that August will come again.
(And we do generally get a spell — anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks — in late January or early February when the clouds dissipate and you can actually see the sky. It’s one of my favorite times, since it’s crisply cool rather than damply cold. It’s also a good opportunity to get a head start on the lawn.)
I think what you’ll find is that you get creative with coping mechanisms for living here through the fall and winter. Frankly, yeah, it can be a bit much - I commute all on foot and via ferry, and it is NO fun commuting when it is raining sideways and cold. BUT, I have hot tea in my backpack and dry socks at work. And the ferry galleys serve vino, beer, beverages and snacks, so there are plenty of commuting coping mechanisms for your hub in place. For you, just go by feel when you get here. You’ll probably be really busy and distracted getting your household set up initially, then finding a rhythm and routine to your day to day activities and life.