You just made me check my Informed Delivery and I'm getting mine too! Also got a jury duty summons, so you win some you lose some

I lived in Seattle for 8 years and have lived in Boston for the last 5. Overall, I enjoyed my time there. I met some wonderful people, including my husband, and had some of the best times of my life. But we bought in Boston because we like it better.

Some of the main reasons we left:

-The weather wears on you. It's 45 and drizzling for 7-8 months of the year. Its miserable not seeing the sun. Our first year here, my husband commented on how much happier he is even though it's a bit colder. Summers are perfect: 75-80 with no humidity. Except the one month where the air quality is so atrocious thanks to the wildfires that they tell everyone to stay inside and it hurts to breathe after a while.

-I found it hard to make friends even though I went to college there. People here are more straightforward and it's easier to know where you stand. I like to joke that "We should hang out sometime" is Seattle's unofficial motto and bailing on plans the unofficial past time. They get angry at you when you say this, but I found the Seattle Freeze to be real.

-Transit is a joke. Yes, worst than Boston. It's also such a large city land-wise that bussing from one part to another can take hours and hours and multiple transfers. They're extending the light rail, but it won't be finished by 2040. You'll be driving a bunch if you want to explore the city. Traffic is bad and parking is annoying.

-It's just not as close to things as Boston is. You got Vancouver and Portland. CA and Vegas are a short flight. It's closer to Asia, but that's still a long flight. Boston has all of New England within driving distance. NYC is also close. DC, Toronto, Montreal, Quebec, Philly, are all short flights. Europe is closer to Boston than Asia to Seattle and the flights are cheaper too.

-Homelessness and addiction is a real issue. I don't know the solution. More public services and better mental healthcare probably. But I know that I've been spit on, screamed at, followed, groped, someone pet my hair once, one time a man almost peed on me, and my husband was pricked by a used needle stuck between two bus seats. Mass and Cass is standard in multiple places throughout the city.

-Property crime is also ridiculous in Seattle. Nearly everyone I know who had a car had it broken into at one point (me included). Half the people I know who had bikes had theirs stolen (me included). I had so many packages stolen. People regularly prowled our parking lot and garage. Cops didn't care even if you called while the person was there. Speaking of cops, SPD had more cops at Jan 6 than any other PD in the country.

That being said, I met some of my best friends, had some of the best nights, and ate some of the best food in Seattle. Some people absolutely love it there and you might too. It's similar to Boston in a lot of ways and does some things better than Boston.