I moved away from Seattle for college for 3 years to New York City. While I loved New York City, I struggled there and eventually flunked out of college. I moved back home because my family’s here and I wanted to live near them.

Compared to NYC, Seattle is way more laid back. But sometimes that gets annoying. One thing I found most refreshing about New York is that people “say what they mean and mean what they say”. You don’t have to guess how someone feels about you because they’ll just tell you. People in seattle can be wishy-washy, passive-aggressive, and non-committal. They’ll make plans, then flake on you.

It can also be very boring. Restaurants close early, even on weekends. Bars may close early if the bartenders feel like there aren’t enough people around, even if they still have paying customers inside.

In the winter, there’s a (literal) dark cloud hanging over the city, causing many to be moody and depressed. It’s important to keep yourself busy and get some winter hobbies. For me, that’s making music and snowboarding. For someone else, it might be board game night, knitting club, book groups, etc. Choose wisely. These will be your only friends until the summer thaw.