minimum requirements
by rantywoman
As I begin my nationwide search for a job, I have been pondering where I would be willing to live. I have come to the conclusion that, in my mid-forties, my requirements are few. I need access to outdoor recreation, a good grocery store and ideally a farmer’s market, and, if not a dance studio, at least a yoga studio.
That’s pretty much it. I am basing that on how I spend my time here– cooking, dancing, going to yoga, swimming in natural swimming holes and biking and hiking and playing tennis. And reading, which I can do anywhere.
I see one married friend and two older divorced friends on any kind of regular basis here. I could have those same friends in a suburb or a small town. L.A. was full of singles, but it didn’t really get me anywhere, and other than going to shows, I spent most of my time doing the above. I rarely took advantage of the good restaurants there because I had few friends to go to them with; if I did utilize them, it was to order in.
I have, of necessity, become almost entirely self-contained.
Seattle hits all those requirements, and then some. The biggest drawback is Seattleites are well-known for being polite without actually welcoming people into their lives.
Yes I’ve heard that– “the Seattle freeze.” Although honestly, at this age, I don’t think many strangers will be welcoming me into their lives, so I am trying not to make “social life” a consideration.
Well you left out climate as a consideration. This may or may not be something that bothers you much. Or you may not realise how much it bothers you until you actually move to a climate you find difficult to tolerate. Given no place has perfect weather all year round, you pretty much have to decide which, either too much heat, or too much cold, is the lesser of two evils for your personal taste.
I used to think I wouldn’t want to commute in the snow, but if I could live close to work, I could probably deal with that too. Honestly I think I could pretty much deal with any climate.