One nasty side effect of our trip to Seattle – besides a serious disdain for being in the car and a burning desire to purchase the largest SUV imaginable – is a major case of ‘the grass is greener on the other side’-itis.
Because, literally, the grass is greener in Seattle than in Calgary.
As we walked and drove around, we couldn’t help but notice that the city is, dare I say it, a lot prettier than Calgary.
Having never lived in Seattle, I really shouldn’t assume it would actually be a nice place to live. After all, appearances and first impressions aren’t ‘everything’. But I do like how it looks. I don’t think the weather would drive me batty. There are great coffee shops and restaurants. Mountains and water. Good public transportation – I hear. Attractive housing. It doesn’t appear to be much more expensive than Calgary….
The same thing happened when I visited London in February. And saw green grass and daffodils. And while I vividly recall how much I loathed riding the Tube each day when we lived there, there was no denying that London has a vibe. Calgary doesn’t seem to have one, or maybe it’s frozen. Maybe it’s because London has 8 times the population, or a history that dates back to who-knows-when.
‘Just wait until summer,’ people tell me. ‘The summers – that’s why people live here.’ Yes, I’ve heard the summers in Calgary are great. Dry. Not terribly hot. Green. Ish.
We arrived in mid-August last year and enjoyed a spectacular Fall, weather-wise. But that leaves November, December, January, February, March, and April. And possibly May – since several people have told me that one of the biggest snowfalls, ever, happened on May 19. And snow in July is not completely unheard of, either. As my fellow transplant friend, Carrie, wondered aloud one day: ‘is there ever a time when you know it will absolutely not snow?’
All this has been running through my mind the last several days. But then I got an email from my husband. With a link to an article that changed my way of thinking.
Silly me. Calgary is a great place to live. Especially if you read the comments following the article.
J is for Jenerous 
My sis-in-law lives in Seattle and hates the weather. They’re planning on moving back to IN/OH soon because she hates the weather so much. And, needless to say, it’s really expensive. I went to Seattle last March and it was alright. The sun was out for a change. But, I don’t think it’s all it’s cracked up to be! Leaving Muncie for NYC today to spend Easter weekend with girlfriends…it’s going to be cold.
Well, that’s good to know, Heather. Keeps my envy in check!
I’ll just say this about Seattle: It is in zone 8-9. Just thinking about the gardening that can be done there (compared to east central Indiana, zone 5) is enough to make me weep.