Sheta Kaey

I’ve only been to L.A. once for a couple of days, so I can’t really give a comprehensive review. It’s huge, but I’m used to that as I live in Houston. The people are condescending snobs for the most part, thought this is by no means absolute. It’s an attractive city, at least on the western side (I didn’t see any of east L.A.), but it definitely seems to be a place where you either fit in or you don’t. Odds are that I would not, if I moved there. Then again, who can really say — I’m a very strange person. Maybe they actually like that there. :)

We passed through on a leisurely trip from Seattle to Houston (the long way around) and took my daughter to Disneyland. The experience was very comfortable for me, though I must say that the energy of northern California is more harmonious and open than L.A. seems to be.

If I were to move to California I’d probably choose San Francisco over Los Angeles but L.A. would likely be a nice place to live under certain circumstances. Best to be young, beautiful, and very, very shrewd. Just a thought. ;-)

I moved to Seattle in 1992 right after my divorce. I’d lived all over the eastern half of the US throughout my life up til that point, but this was my first case of culture shock. It was definitely different. The food was different: going into a sandwich shop netted you a sandwich — not a burger, not a sub, just a sandwich, people were friendly but not open (a dichotomy that took some getting used to), etc. This is a very socially-conscious but anything-is-welcome sort of place.

The surrounding terrain is unique. There are beaches, mountains, desert, rainforest, lakes… everything is within an hour’s drive. It’s absolutely breathtaking and has a climate that is intially a bit chilly but ultimately is perfection. Temperate year-round with an average summer temperature in the mid 70s and an average winter temperature of around 40 farenheit. The summer nights are chilly but invigorating once you’ve adapted. Don’t plan to live anywhere hot once you’ve lived here.

The rain myth is just that. Seattle doesn’t get rain in the summer, in fact it gets droughts every year. In the winter there is a steady mist that you quickly learn to ignore, with frequent showers. There is actually more annual rainfall in Miami. There are more winter sunbreaks in Seattle than in the midwest (Ohio, for my part) and it’s less depressing to live there, in my opinion, than to live somewhere where it clouds up in October and stays that way until May.

Seattle was the first place I ever lived that I felt was truly home. I did not want to leave, but circumstances demanded it. I hope to retire there someday.

…but it’s damn hot. And has a lot of bugs of infinite (and typically large) variety. Contrary to popular assumption, Houston is hot and humid, like Louisiana (swamp land here!) and not dry and desert like west Texas. When it rains here it doesn’t mess around, and 8 inches in a day is commonplace.

I’ve lived here off and on since 1978, and graduated high school here. I have something of a love-hate relationship with the place. The conservative politics and religious views are very much NOT my thing, but I manage to cope.