Talk to me about Seattle....

cessna182b said:
Not exactly pertinent to this thread, but when I was in Scotland years ago I thought it odd that some people there didn't bother with rain gear (they just got wet!).

Dave
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Hah! I was really only half serious about the umbrella statement, but no rain gear at all is pretty intense. I mean I may not own an umbrella, but I own several rain jackets for every temperature range.....I don't hate myself that much :)
 
deonb said:
You say you have a job offer in Kent and want a hangar. Have you looked into Crest Airpark?
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It's popped up in my searches. Haven't contacted them about hangars yet. Their website is a bit barren. Not in the market to buy yet either.

Palmpilot said:
Since a lot of people seem to have concerns about the downtown area, have you thought about visiting for a couple of days and staying in a hotel near the places your your SO is considering, so you and she can see if the neighborhood is as bad as people are saying before making a commitment?
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Yeah, if I accept the job, the company will pay for a house hunting trip, so we'll be keeping our options open.

On a side note....does anybody know a moderator at FATPN? My membership there is still "pending".
 
Find one of those house-boats for rent.
 
hindsight2020 said:
For the locals still viewing this quickly evolving dumpster fire of a thread, what would be recommendations for an airport/FBO in the greater Seattle area for visiting. We're planning on exploring several towns in the Cascade rain shadow for retirement research, so we'd be coming from the East. Any particular flying scenic route you all recommend for the Puget Sound area? Plan is to probably make it a multi-day trip of the area, so we could devote at least one day for ground exploring and one day to fly around the area before heading back. This is of course all planned once the covid restrictions at work are lifted, but would appreciate recommendations to plan ahead. Thanks!
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Most of the major airports and sights to see have been covered well by others - and those would be the top billing for the area. I'll just add a few less well-known places to see (and to consider):
Concrete: cool area, nice airport (even some on-airport homes), nifty museum.
Bellingham: mid-size city / university town that's much closer to Vancouver BC than Seattle with towered airport, and several small airports and airparks nearby. Great skiing and hiking around Mt. Baker, Vancouver is nifty to visit.
The San Juans - the major islands: Folks have already covered this, but in addition to flying in there as tourists, you might want to think about it for retirement living. The airport manager at Orcas is a retired F-16 guy (and has a reputation for being a good egg -- might be good to talk to.) Lots of others up there too, and a good number of retirement class flying jobs if you want to look into that, hopping from island grass strip to grass strip, hauling people to/from the outer islands (see below).
The San Juans - the "outer islands" - that's the phrase used for the islands that don't have ferry service (and usually don't have electricity/water.) Almost all have grass strips, most uncharted. This off the grid life isn't for everyone, but if you and your wife are interested in that kind of thing, you could join the Washington Pilot's Association and try out their rustic cabin on Stuart island (on Stuart East Airstrip). There's a surprising number of these islands. Eclectic bunch that live on them though.​
 
TonyG said:
Most of the major airports and sights to see have been covered well by others - and those would be the top billing for the area. I'll just add a few less well-known places to see (and to consider):
Concrete: cool area, nice airport (even some on-airport homes), nifty museum.
Bellingham: mid-size city / university town that's much closer to Vancouver BC than Seattle with towered airport, and several small airports and airparks nearby. Great skiing and hiking around Mt. Baker, Vancouver is nifty to visit.​
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Concrete museum is no more, guy died that was running it, and the money ran out

BLI Bellingham It was a great airport, since the new improvements, not so much. With the gate, and commercial service and all the comes with that GA is now second seat.
no more walking the ramps.
 
Tom-D said:
BLI Bellingham It was a great airport, since the new improvements, not so much. With the gate, and commercial service and all the comes with that GA is now second seat.
no more walking the ramps.
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When did those changes go into effect? (Just trying to figure out if this is different from what I experienced the last time I was there.)
 
Palmpilot said:
When did those changes go into effect? (Just trying to figure out if this is different from what I experienced the last time I was there.)
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the biggest thing was the building of the terminal, parting lot, then the incorporation of the GA FBO. This controls all foot trafic.

It was done about 2-3 years ago. See Google maps.
 
deonb said:
I also personally choose to live close to work and don't commute from Seattle. However, a lot of people that do that have the notion that: Well, instead of commuting 5 times a week, I'll stay in the outskirts and then just drive into Seattle twice a week when I want to 'hang out'. So best of both worlds!

It's not. I know many many people who started off thinking this way, but you won't go in unless you have friends who actually live in Seattle. Driving & Parking is just too painful (if you commute the other way, at least you would have a known parking spot), and public transportation is not good enough to use as a substitute. You'll maybe try going in weekly for a few months, and then it will become a "once every few months" thing.
...
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This is a valid observation if one lives there. You aren't going to commute in, if you live in an outlying area, every night to enjoy downtown Seattle, or any of the other great places to hang out.

But I used to make a point of commuting in from our Tukwila office every visit, to Ballard to meet my brother, who lives in Edmonds and has an office downtown. And the only sensible way to do it is Uber/Lyft. @deonb is correct...parking is the proverbial nightmare. So no idea why one would waste time driving their own car.

And I wouldn't make too much of the coverage of Capital Hill. Yes, it appears dramatic. But its similar to assuming the whole of the Middle East is like the television pictures from Gaza during one of the frequently scheduled uprisings. A couple of years ago it was the images of the tent cities along the I5 median with a splendid view of the Space Needle and the water. Some of the coverage attempted to leave the impression every sidewalk in Seattle was covered in makeshift tarps. Capital Hill is just the current locus for venting some of the nuttiness that characterizes Seattle (and coastal Washington State) politics. It will pass. And in the future pop up somewhere else catalyzed by something else. For the overwhelming majority of the city life is going on as before.
 
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Palmpilot said:
... Some of the coverage attempted to leave the impression every sidewalk in Seattle was covered in makeshift tarps. ...
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For my commute in, I-5 south to 6th/James, Up first hill on James, and right on 9th, every sidewalk is covered in homeless sleeping on sidewalks, tents, tarps, and litter.

I was right there in the middle of it, dealing with some of the saddest, most desperate people. And, these folks are being used a political pawns by the politicians and deal makers in Seattle. I don't go down to Seattle anymore. I quit my job. Had enough FU funds to "retire" early.

Yes, there are still nice places to go in downtown Seattle. Nice restaurants to eat at, and night clubs to go to. But, almost anywhere you go in Seattle, you'll see from behind the safety glass of your car window (or Uber, or taxi) just how horrible conditions are out there on the street.

The folks up in "the Chop" on Capitol Hill may think they want to do away with law enforcement. But, I give them a couple more weeks before the honest ones realize they need the law to come in and kick out the lawless trouble makers.
 
wilkersk said:
For my commute in, I-5 south to 6th/James, Up first hill on James, and right on 9th, every sidewalk is covered in homeless sleeping on sidewalks, tents, tarps, and litter.

I was right there in the middle of it, dealing with some of the saddest, most desperate people. And, these folks are being used a political pawns by the politicians and deal makers in Seattle. I don't go down to Seattle anymore. I quit my job. Had enough FU funds to "retire" early.

Yes, there are still nice places to go in downtown Seattle. Nice restaurants to eat at, and night clubs to go to. But, almost anywhere you go in Seattle, you'll see from behind the safety glass of your car window (or Uber, or taxi) just how horrible conditions are out there on the street.

The folks up in "the Chop" on Capitol Hill may think they want to do away with law enforcement. But, I give them a couple more weeks before the honest ones realize they need the law to come in and kick out the lawless trouble makers.
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Somehow, your quote from GRG55's post got misattributed to me. :confused2:
 
Tom-D said:
In Seattle all the house boats are grandfathered out.
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In the sense that you can't rent an existing one ? I wasn't suggesting to tow his own houseboat into Lake Union but to rent one of the 100eds that are already there.
 
weilke said:
In the sense that you can't rent an existing one ? I wasn't suggesting to tow his own houseboat into Lake Union but to rent one of the 100eds that are already there.
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I don't know the details, I read that they can't be replaced. I don't believe there is 100s.
 
Tom-D said:
I don't know the details, I read that they can't be replaced. I don't believe there is 100s.
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There seems to be a thriving industry to 'repair' them the same way how a twisted ball of steel pipe with a Serial number dragged from the bush in Alaska can be 'repaired' into a Supercub.
 
Pilawt said:
Hm? I clicked on the quotation image in your post and the video played. Curious.
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Palmpilot said:
It works if I copy the URL into a separate browser tab, but not if I click on the embedded version. :dunno:
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Whatever the problem was four months ago, it seems to have been temporary, because it's working now.
 
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