Hello Seattle

It's not just am amazing song by Owl City (have you heard the remix? indulge). It's a city on the West Coast. And I'm a bit obsessed with it right now. Both the remix and the city.

I guess "right now" isn't the best way to put it. I've always liked the Northwest. Portland is amazing. The Sierras are wonderful. Vancouver loves me and wants me to become Canadian. The city told me so. It cried when I left. I love driving north on the 5. Screw south. But I've never been able to make it to Seattle. I've been in Washington. The closest I've come is Puyallup - about 40 minutes south of the desired city.

I like Seattle because I have this idealized image of what it'd be like. I imagine it to be Vancouver and San Jose rolled into one. Seattle's got it all. A kickin' underground scene. Teeming with young, hip, smart recent college grads. Fast-paced, but surrounded by so so so much wilderness that slowing down isn't difficult at all. Or living adventurously. There's skiing and whitewater rafting and there's the freaking ocean right there and there's hiking and biking and everything! Seattle has the rest of the tech companies that aren't based in the Silicon Valley. It has a decent sized tourism industry. The only thing Seattle doesn't have is a hockey team. But I'm okay with that. I'll travel 2.5 hours north to see some hockey. I'd have to bring my passport, but sure, I'll do it. Seattle is the closest thing to perfect for me that there ever will be. And I hear the weather isn't actually as bad as everyone makes it out to be.

As far as job opportunities go, there's one major newspaper based in Seattle, plus a handful of minor ones. The schools in the surrounding cities/suburbs are rather impressive and it seems like jobs would be plentiful. So no worries there.

This place just calls to me. I mean, okay, so Vancouver really calls to me too. But Seattle's right there. And it's got all the benefits of Vancouver but I don't have to deal with, you know, that minor issue of citizenship. I am serious you guys, that city and I are going to have to get married and I'm going to become Canadian for it. But if I live in Seattle...! I don't have to worry about how will I find a job or how do I get a work visa or how do I decide if one city is worth becoming a citizen of a different country. I can just have a fling on the side every weekend with Vancouver. Seattle doesn't have to know.

So where's your perfect city?