solarbird | (Reply)

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I love this neighbourhood - in the summer. When the students aren't around trashing the place. Even with the slumlords - who wouldn't be here if it weren't for UW and their students - it's great.

But only in the summer.

I want a neighbourhood almost exactly like this and a house almost exactly like this on a street with somewhat less traffic and a house and yard almost exactly like the ones I have now.

Everything's right except for the things I can't fix.

I loathe the suburbs. I don't mind at all that people want to live there, but I hate living in them. For me, I either like the ability to walk to all the things I need or no neighbours at all. One or the other. Benefit to the first: Everything is easy to get to. There are massive choices in all things. Downside: neighbours. Benefit to the second: NO NEIGHBOURS. Downside: You have to drive to go anywhere.

The suburbs, though? They have the worst of both worlds. You have neighbours you can see and hear, and you have to drive to go to the bathroom. Particularly on the eastside.

So. It's Seattle or, I dunno, somewhere on the peninsula for us. We're trying Seattle again first, of course. There are many, many things I love about this city. It's just that none of them are the city government, UW, or the things that unholy union spawns.