45 Best Things About Living In Seattle

1. You get to sleep on the ferry during your morning commute.

7I49x4E

2. Two words: Vivace Espresso.

6058695655_849c3e9325_b
WordRidden

3. Every apartment turns into a beautiful building covered in ivy and shade from lush trees in the summer.

marqueemoon
marqueemoon

4. Roundabouts everywhere > stop signs everywhere.

Colin Howells
Colin Howells

5. Seattle is where Starbucks was born, and still has the world’s first Starbucks (be quiet, you love it).

James Trosh
James Trosh

6. You can see Mt. Ranier — a 14,000 FT. volcano — from downtown.

chispita_666
chispita_666

7. It has a giant, celebrated statue of a Russian communist leader in Fremont, one of its most popular neighborhoods.

Shemp65
Shemp65

8. And a giant troll eating an old VW punchbuggy.

dherrera_96
dherrera_96

9. It’s part of Cascadia, which is the most badass region on the planet. Also, there’s a Cascadian Independence Movement.

Cascadia-flags

10. There’s not as much pressure to get every new iPhone that comes out every month.

ioG32hS

11. Washington is one of twelve U.S. states where same-sex marriage is legal.

Elsie esq.
Elsie esq.

12. And this is what Gay Pride looks like in Seattle.

Brett Curtiss
Brett Curtiss

13. And this.

Brett Curtiss
Brett Curtiss

14. And Microsoft — one of the biggest companies to come out of the Seattle area — is obsessed.

Brett Curtiss
Brett Curtiss

15. The Crescent.

deejayres
deejayres

16. Does your city have a giant pink elephant giving itself a bath?

aturkus
aturkus

17. You can always find a big bag of greasy Dick’s.

i eated a cookie
i eated a cookie

18. During the hottest summer days you can cool off in this huge public fountain in Lower Queen Anne.

mikelehen
mikelehen

19. The Ballard Farmer’s Market is amazing.

aarone
aarone

20. Kurt.

pinkbelt
pinkbelt

21. Seattle’s independent weekly The Stranger regularly throws “reading parties,” where people gather together for the simple purpose of reading books.

merra m.
merra m.

22. Cafe Ladro. Awesome espresso, awesome locations around the greater Seattle area.

adactio
adactio

23. If it snows enough, Denny — one of Seattle’s main streets — shuts down and turns into a wild sledding party (no one has sleds, so there’s a lot of improvisation).

daviddichterman
daviddichterman

24. It has the best laptop cafe in America — Victrola on 15th.

WordRidden
WordRidden

25. There are beautiful hidden stairways all over the city.

eyspahn
eyspahn

26. Volunteer Park in the summertime.

v104
v104

27. The downtown public library.

fimoculous
fimoculous

28. THE BINS, where you can get vintage clothes by the pound (and which Macklemore used for his video).

seattlegoodwill.org
seattlegoodwill.org

29. You can take a day trip to and hike up Mt. Si.

laffertyryan
laffertyryan

30. The view from upper Queen Anne.

Chas Redmond
Chas Redmond

31. IVAR’S.

bryce_edwards
bryce_edwards

32. Every year, The Stranger holds an amateur porn film festival for all sexualities called Hump!, which is widely visited and celebrated by the local community, and typically held in the heart of one of Seattle’s major neighborhoods, Queen Anne.

The Stranger
The Stranger

33. The San Juan islands.

david_hwang
david_hwang

34. Orcas <3 Seattle.

KellBailey
KellBailey

35. It’s just a few hours away from Vancouver.

Porfirio
Porfirio

36. Seattle has a real-life, crime-fighting superhero (Phoenix Jones).

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqFfHDSJ25s&w=584&h=390%5D

37. Molly Moon’s.

angeloangleo
angeloangleo

38. It has an awesome community college — Seattle Central Community College — which also serves as a neighborhood hub for events and, in the summer, hosts an awesome farmer’s market.

adpowers
adpowers

39. KEXP, the world’s best public radio station.

kexp_logo_vert

40. Nearby La Push.

Pinchof 2.0
Pinchof 2.0

41. Gasworks park.

Wonderlane
Wonderlane

42. Sunset downtown, at Pier 55.

KenSBrown
KenSBrown

43. The view from The Lookout on Capitol Hill.

The Lookout
The Lookout

44. Love him or hate him, Macklemore’s a Seattle-area native.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeUu4N4OyWk&w=584&h=390%5D

45. Fireworks over Lake Union on the 4th of July.

lempel_ziv
lempel_ziv

TC Reader Exclusive: The Patron Social Club gets you invited to cool private parties in your city. Join here.

Holden Desalles is a pen name for Brandon Gorrell.

More From Thought Catalog