Moving to Seattle, skiing and climbing!

Such hearfelt defense of the City of Destiny. But jokes on you; because I, like many other unfortunate souls, spent the first 18 years of my life on earth within smelling range of the Foss Waterway Pulp Mill

My post was, of course, half joke and for that, I digress. However, let's be honest. Tacoma is and always was an industrial city with a high crime rate. Perhaps even worse is its distant proximity to any real rock climbing and its close proximity to Spanaway, Parkland, and sorry Bro, Lakewood.

That said, you've got Crystal, Mt. Rainier, and a more favorable pace of life and less traffic than Seattle (unless you find yourself anywhere near I-5 during rush hour); and a decent cultural and social scene.

For the record, I live in the Central Washington Pastry Capital of the World, Der Leavenworth, not Seattle.

Anyway, sincerest welcome to the PNW.

haha! all very true! but I'd take 6th ave over Front Street anyday. Had to stick up for the hometown

for the record, I live in Greenwater! which is an entirely different page of life than that of our Tacoma-nite comrades! Maybe I'll see you for a beer at the Naches sometime post xtal, Pete!

I got 6 months till i move! So, no welcomes yet!

One thing I forgot to ask was this, is there lots of ski/climbing hotties out there?! Texas has some of the best looking women!

Ha. In my experience Colorado and California have a lock on that distinction. Except for, of course, Roslyn, Washington.

I Have a great tacoma story. I had to go down there to buy some hardwood lumber for a furniture job. AWI is in a "strange neighborhood" with "hourly rate" motels surrounded by razor ribbon fences, and some scantily dressed ladies walking around.

My associate wanted me to take his 18 year old kid with me to school him a bit on lumber selection and to help me load up some stuff. He was in his "Pimp" phase of growing up and everything was discribed as "pimp". He was into rap music, wearing his baseball cap sideways and pants a bit low around the waist.

It's a "no left turn" street that I needed to make a left on, so I knew to turn in the alley street a block ahead of time, and then cut through the seedy side street to get to the lumber yard.

As I turn down the side street there's a black guy in a purple velvet suit with purple matching hat and platform shoes walking down the sidewalk. I couldn't believe my eyes. Here was I, with this kid in the car that called everything, "pimp" because his whole generation thought it was a cool thing to be,... and here is a real life pimp, dressed in a purple velvet suit walking on the kid's side of the car on the sidewalk in the same direction we are going...

I tell this kid, "Hey, you want to meet a real pimp? I'll pull over and you guys can chat...''  Holy shit, the kid starts begging me not to pull over. I drive up to the guy and slow down, the kid is shitting his pants about now... I give the guy a toot on the horn and a thumbs up, and slowly drive on by with the kid freaking out.... so funny.

Later, as we are waiting for the forklift to bring out some other material, I tell the kid to run across the street and get us both something to eat from the dairy queen.... He's not leaving my side in this neighborhood and says, "NO WAY!!!"  I told him, he could go hang with his new pimp buddy if he likes.... He isn't leaving my side....

We got the material we needed for the job, and a late lunch from the drive though.....lol , I teased him mercilessly on the way home.

I am from the NYC area originally. The last time I saw a real pimp dressed in velvet was in the south bronx in the late 70's.... tacoma is indeed an awesome town...

*brian, if you don't want to miss the best ski days, you WILL need 4wd. The more life threatening the ride up, the better the snow... praying for horrible road condition is what I live for....

I would recommend selling the rwd jeep before moving to Washington. I think that would be a tough sell.