Rain City Guide

For some sad reason, right as a year is close to screeching to a halt, I can’t help but utter the phrase “good riddens.” It rolls off my tongue almost perfunctorily. Each year has its highs and lows, and this year was no exception. 2007 kicked off in morbid fashion when my mother was almost [...]

Although I’ve just recently become accustomed to Seattle and its nuances, and my schedule has fallen into a rhythm of some sort, I’m looking to somewhat overhaul my routine. I enjoy being busy to a large degree and too much free time definitely breeds indolence. Therefore, outside of work, one class and freelancing I’m beginning to familiarize myself [...]

As we stride into October, I’ve found myself wondering where the year has gone (like we all do). It was a year ago this weekend that I journeyed to Seattle from Chicago and was spontaneously whisking my way through Seattle with a friend and touring the gargantuan Mt. Rainier. And though the temperatures are quite [...]

It’s amazing how when you move thousands of miles away from your comfort zone your life inevitably takes a 360 degree spin. This summer has been breezier and more brisk than I’ve ever experienced, primarily because it was my first Seattle summer and first (of many) away from Chicagoland.
My top 10 list of why Seattle [...]

So, I’ve only been in Seattle a short time, but last week I officially became a hostess. My longtime friend, James, whom I’ve known since my days in high school in Illinois, flew in for the weekend. I was juggling entertaining him, studying and finishing up a 15-page research paper for my Seattle University master’s [...]

Several years ago, I attended a summer retreat in blissful Colorado Springs. And while I didn’t retain an abundance of what I experienced on that 10-day retreat, a line one of our leaders reiterated clung to me – and has subsequently helped me to propel myself out of my comfort zone and into more tenuous [...]

This past week has felt like enduring nothing less than a tornado, but it is just about to spit me out. Yes, I am finally in sweet home Seattle after the rigorous 2,100-mile drive from Chicagoland, and I couldn’t be more ecstatic to be here. However, I’ll be much less anxious once my movers actually [...]

Here I am, in my last few bittersweet days in Chicagoland before I head off to New York, back to Chicago for a day and then to Sweet New Home Seattle. And though I’ll miss all my friends and family, I’m aching for new adventures and yearning for a place to start fresh.
There’s something strangely [...]

(Chicago-to-Seattle)
Great place in Seattle quells stress of long distance move
With Seattle’s burgeoning condo market and increasing rental rates, pangs of discouragement hit me after I finalized my decision to move to Seattle. Affordability was going to play a prime role in whether I could transfer, and reports of surging prices squeezing out single women from [...]

[Editor's Note: I'm thrilled to try something a bit different on Rain City Guide... Karen Kirr is a wonderfully articulate woman who is moving to the Seattle area who I met when she asked a question about moving to Seattle (#92). One thing led to another and she's agreed to share her perspective on [...]