Seattle or NYC ?
Received an offer from Amazon for either Seattle or to be virtual in New York. Are there any major reasons to come to Seattle? Is the "Seattle freeze" really a thing? I'd also love to hear from any NYC-ers who made the move and their thoughts on it. A little conflicted: a) I currently reside in NYC b) Seattle would be better for visibility c) I visited Seattle a few weeks ago and the slow-down in pace really got to me. With that said, I love being outdoors (i.e. hiking, camping, traveling around). d) Married with no children (and no plans to have any anytime soon) TC offer: (non-tech) 135k base (SEA) / 137k base (NYC) 120k RSU 65k Sign on YoE: 8
NYC if you want to enjoy the place where you live
It's really quite interesting to me how often I see people crapping on Seattle; at least on Blind. I've been trying to discern whether it's genuine, trolling or a mixture of the two. Are there any particular things that make Seattle not a great place for yourself?
the weather makes it living here horrible. If you come from the East coast you’ll learn to live on this weather, but you’ll never enjoy it. I’m leaving this city in the next 2-3months
Seattle has better outdoors than NYC and upstate NY. Mild Winters and mild summers. If you're a single straight guy Seattle is going to be harder for dating. You'll need a car in Seattle if that influences the decision
Agreed on the outdoors. Upstate NY is often busy during the weekends and have limited surrounding cities to visit (beyond Boston, Philly, and DC). I'll update this above, but I'm married with no children, but going out and doing things with wife/friends as opposed to staying in and Netflix-ing is a high priority of mine.
There's tons to do in Seattle but not as much as NYC. One thing I noticed when I was up there is the Seattle Freeze is real. It will be hard to make friends there. The weather is a wash, you're trading the extremes for mild but dreary. Summers in Seattle are amazing though
NYC without a doubt. I will say Washington state is very beautiful when it's not raining. The crack heads, rain, and lack of women ruin it. If you have a family and ready for suburban life, do Seattle. If you are young and single, NYC all day.
Yeah I lived in Vancouver for about 2 years and the rain/cloudy weather really got to me after a few months. That's definitely one of the things I'm considering.
Don't fall for the tech meme that city is a good city. People don't know how to communicate there. In Seattle, you can have a one hour Uber pool and not talk to anyone. It's very hard to make friends and everyone is lonely. In the South, I walk into an empty bathroom and the guy shitting in the stall strikes up conversation while I'm urinating.
This is so true. I moved here from Massachusetts and no one here talks. I miss the people back there
You said virtual - does that mean you'll work remotely in NYC? That's a significant undertaking depending on the role. You should check if it's something you're comfortable with, and the rest of the team can work with time zones, remote calls etc.
That's a great question. My manager and a couple of others on the team are in Seattle, whilst two or three others are virtual around the US and Canada, but most would be PST. I asked the recruiter if it'd be possible to work out of an office here in Manhattan and she said I have four buildings to choose from, where I'll be assigned a desk. But won't matter whether I work from there or at home.
seattle
Any particular reason?
NYC. Good dating life.
Thankfully I don't need to worry about that, but I'd clarify "good dating life," to "good short-term dating life." Not a ton of high-quality long-term relationship types here from my experience.
That really true? I hear this being parroted around a lot on blind but I've heard NYC dating is really flaky because everyone thinks they can do better
It's a no brainier, if you are into outdoor, Seattle is the place to be
Yeah, being outside is very important. Also, I quite hope that was an intentional brain/Rainier pun you made. A+
I lived in NYC and now am in Seattle. What Seattle offers: easy access to nature; mild weather; better and less expensive housing; generally cleaner; less competition at grocer stores, restaurants, etc.; less urban stress What NYC offers: neverending things to experience; diversity of ethnicity, socio-economic class, gender, and job sectors; culture (art, fashion, music); subway transportation; better and more varied food; more gregarious, extroverted people
I completely agree re: NYC. I'll also add flights are, on average, cheaper and less distance (i.e. Europe/Latin America) than from what I've seen out of SEA. Hypothetically, if you could keep your current job and move to NYC, would you?
It's a tough call. I don't love NYC either (not originally from there so don't have tons of friends there and now in my later 30s). The shit quality of housing and the subway are big cons as are the sticky summers and mountains of leaking garbage bags. This doesn't help you, but I would probably live in Chicago: 1) closer to more of my friends and family, 2) splits the better aspects of NYC and Seattle, and 3) lower cost of living than both. Of course, the winters suck and the state/city are drowning in debt, so no single place is perfect. 😄 I would suggest being close to your friends and family. They are what matter most in life.
Seattle of course: highest TC, amazing nature.