I just reviewed the wonderful information in the archives about Seattle. Our family may have an opportunity to relocate to that area, and we are curious about living on Bainbridge Island. In particular, I'd love to hear from families with small children about what it is like to live there. What kinds of parks and activities are available for children? Preschools? Are you happy with the public schools there (I've heard they're top notch, but would love to hear from someone whose children go there). How is the commute to Seattle? Are there natural grocery stores, produce markets with organic produce? What are the different areas of Bainbridge like? Other than artists, what kinds of people live there? Basically, I'm interested in any information about what it is like to live there. Thanks so much.

On the other hand, a great grocery store is Town & Country, which is right on the main drag after you get off the ferry.

Before my parents moved there, my mom was sick, and made my dad go ahead to all the grocery stores and take pictures of the organic produce to see if she liked it and could SURVIVE living there. She was cranky at first and it barely passed muster (I attribute that to being sick) but now she's a fanatic for it.

There are also great coffee shops (of course) and a superb bakery on the main drag that's very popular. There's a movie theater right near that main drag, too. I don't eat out much when there (I'd love to try the sushi place) but my mom is a such a food freak that we can't. But when she was sick, we did try some restaurants. They're not all that special. Go to Seattle for fine dining.

Take note of my previous mention of the ferry. Getting to Seattle isn't hard, but it's a 30 min ferry ride and if you're in your car, sometimes they fill up and it takes planning ahead, leaving early, etc., at busy times to make sure you get on. You can also walk on the ferry if you don't need a car on the other end.

There are a lot of families there - the schools are very good as I understand it and if you go on the ferry, it's like an intervention for having kids if you don't have any. Everyone has a baby, a toddler, a grade school kid, teens are on it on their own, etc.

The weather, naturally, is just like Seattle's, which can be a downer. Summers are nice, generally, but come Oct 1 it's gray dreary and drizzly. I don't mind it as a visitor - but I think it might wear on you. It's not so much that it outright rains, but there's always some dripping going on and it's rather cold.

I'd say overall though, it's a wonderful place to live. I'd love living there. Anon

We are considering moving to Seattle so that I can attend graduate school at UW. It's a difficult decision for us because we love the Bay Area and we don't know much about Seattle. What neighborhoods are good, particularly if one person is working downtown and the other attending UW and you have an infant? Is it possible to commute without driving? Does anyone know of an online network of parents similar to this one for parents in Seattle? How good are the public schools? Recommendations regarding preschools would also be useful. For those of you have lived in Seattle did the weather drive you crazy? what did you like most? least? Any other thoughts or advice are welcome. trying to learn more about seattle

The public transportation in Seattle is excellent too- safe, clean, inexpensive and wide-reaching.

The weather is abysmal. Take trips away in Jan or Feb to alleviate depression! Or just invest in good rain gear and play. The easy hiking, skiing, camping, water access in Seattle make it all worthwhile. And the food scene is amazing, if that's your thing.

I can put you in touch with other families with young children if it helps, or if you have specific questions that don't get answered here. Hilary

If you're attending UW and don't have a car, I'd recommend Wallingford, Eastlake, Ravenna, Fremont, Montlake, and some parts of Capital Hill. All of them are bus friendly to campus and parts of all have easy bus commutes to both campus and downtown. It is possible to commute without driving, particularly from those areas. (We lived in Eastlake right on Lake Union and neither of us ever needed a car.)

I can't comment on having a child in Seattle, as we weren't parents then, but I would think it's similar to the Bay Area in terms of resources. Some friends of ours there aren't too happy with the public schools, but I have heard lots of positive about the schools in Laurelhurst. The closest bus friendly neighborhoods to Laurelhurst are Ravenna and Montlake.

As for the weather, well, it's not the rain that's the problem, it's the gray/dark skies. Winters are dreary more than wet. Summers are glorious, which was the one thing that made waiting through the winters bearable. Even given that, I'd move back there without hesitation. We loved it. Lori

The good stuff:
1. it is beautiful (when not raining)
2. there are a lot of places to explore outside of Seattle: Vancover, BC, the Olympic Mtns., Mt. Ranier, the Cascades, there are a lot of islands that are fun to go to on the ferry. The Arboretum is a fantastic place, and there is a lot of bike riding opportunities as well.
3. it is a pretty liberal place and you are likely to find a lot of like minded people within Seattle proper. Outside Seattle proper tends to be redneckish.
4. there are great coffee shops (Cafe Vita is one of the best), resturants (Cafe Flora, The Asteroid Cafe, lots of fantastic Thai food, seafood, etc.), music (indie stuff and well as jazz), beer (there are a lot of great brew pubs: the 6 Arms, the Elysian, more)
5.As for kids, I never had any when living there, but a couple of friends of mine did. There are things to do in Seattle Center- ferris wheel, science museum, that kind of stuff. I would definitely suggest joining a Y or something along those lines, because you will be spending a lot of time indoors due to weather.
6. I loved going to school at UW. It is a beautiful campus and I had a great learning experience there.
7. When the weather is nice, it is the most beautiful place I have been. It is green, lots of Mountains to look at, etc.
7. Seattle is a pretty small city, so it is easy to get around by bus.
8. Areas that are fun to live in: Wallingford (the astroid cafe is there a great Itlian resturant), Fremont, Greenlake. Those areas are more family oriented. Capital Hill is a fun place to live, but more single oriented. Queen Anne is a great area near downtown, but if you live on upper Queen Anne there is less public transportation, and Lower Queen Anne is pretty busy and might not be a great place with kids. Ballard is a great area as well. It is a little farther out, but there are lots of families there, and you can get to downtown and the UW by bus.

Cons:
1. the weather can get to you. It rains a lot. I remember one summer where is was nice for about two weeks and the rest of the time it rained. That is really what drove me to leave, the weather. Every winter I was depressed. Sun lamps might be a good investment. The year before I moved here it rained every day for 3 months!!
2. In my opinion Seattle has become a little sterile in the past few years. I have visited a few times and there were a lot of mom and pop places that I loved to go to that are not longer there. They have gotten bought and converted to these bright, shiny places without much character. Seattle is a much cleaner city though and I did like that. Not a lot of garbage, etc. SF can seem pretty down and dirty at times. Seattle does not have that feel.
3. Leave Seattle proper and you are in redneck land. there are a couple of areas that aren't like that such as Bellevue, and some of it's surrounding areas, but there is definitely a more conservative bent to beliefs and goings on outside of Seattle. Definitely not like the Bay Area.
4. There is not a whole lot of diversity. It has gotten better over the years I think, but it is still pretty white bread. A very good friend of mine had some unsavory things said to her while living there (she is bi-racial). I think it is getting progressively better, but definitely not like here.
5. the local gov't did things that drove me insane. For example they built a football stadium and a baseball stadium across the street from each other, but there is no real parking available and limited public transportation. Also building the baseball stadium was contenious to begin with. It was voted down twice by the voters to build it, but they went ahead and built it anyway. Paul Allen has purchased a lot of property in Downtown Seattle and it changing it to suit his vision. Some think this is good, I am think it's not. This is most evident in Seattle Center. They need to improve the availablity of public transportation. Basically all the transportation is along the North-South corridor. If anyone lives East or West, it gets more difficult.
6. Traffic can be as bad as here.

Overall I had a great time living in Seattle for the time I was there, but I was ready to leave when I did. Good luck on your decision!! lisa

After living in the Bay Area for 10 years, my husband and I, due to a career opportunity that has arisen for him, are moving our family back to Seattle where we both grew up. We have a 17 month old son and are expecting a new baby in the fall. Though we grew up there, we feel like we will be starting over in a new city since many of our friends have left and we are out of touch with the Seattle scene. Our child is bi-racial (Asian and Caucasian), and it is important for us to find a neighborhood that is fairly diverse and where there are lots of young families. We have been so happy with Oakland (in particular, our neighborhood in the Crocker Highlands), and are hoping to find a similar situation. Schools are also a consideration and we'd like to find an area where there are decent public elementary schools. We would appreciate any insights and recommendations on diverse, child-centric neighborhoods with decent public schools within Seattle.

Secondly, we are looking for recommendations on good OBGYNs and Pediatricians. Third, does anyone know of a community group similar to the Berkeley Parents Network (preferably email based)? Also, once I'm up there, I'd like to join a mother's group as a way to make new friends. I would love any referrals to groups similar to East Bay Moms or Sherry Reinhart's groups.

Lastly, I am a little freaked out about dealing with the weather up there, especially with a highly active toddler that loves the outdoors. We will miss the weather here and our daily walks! Does anyone have ideas on how parents with young children cope with all of the rain? Thanks so much!

I loved my pediatrician, Gary Spector. He is high energy, up to date, funny, responsive. Not so much the warm and fuzzy nurturing type, more the kind who entertains your child while giving you good info. Seattle Community College has a very good parent/child playgroup- moderated- that would be a good way to meet people.

As for rain, you take your kids out whenever you can. It doesn't often rain hard enough to keep people indoors. Bring a towel to the playground and wipe off the equipment- that's a must. There are indoor playgrounds and play areas as well- there is one at Green Lake tht we used to go to. The science and children's museums are good destinations. Go ride a ferry- that's always fun for little ones.

We lived in Mount Baker, which is southwest of downtown. It's a diverse neighborhood next to Lake Washington- we liked it a lot. Capitol Hill is great although more expensive.

Seattle is lots of fun with little kids- you'll enjoy it! gbuckles

That being said, let me answer some of your questions. We live in Ballard, which is a family-oriented and diverse neighborhood in Seattle. It's still pretty white compared to the Bay Area, but we've seen the demographic breakdowns of many neighborhoods, and it's among the more diverse. People also seem to like Queen Anne, although it's more hilly and not as easy for the kids to ride bikes or walk places. Maple Leaf is supposed to be family friendly too, but it's further from downtown. (Ballard is a 10-15 minute drive.) You can find out a lot of info about all of this stuff by going to this website: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/webtowns/index.asp?from=jumptoHP

There is great information about the public schools online -- not just test scores, but also surveys of the students and the teachers to give you a sense of people's happiness at the various schools. http://www.seattleschools.org

I haven't needed an OBGYN yet, but we love our pediatrician and think they run a great practice. They're over by the university. Our doctor is Dr. Kathy Risse at Sand Point Pediatrics: (206) 525-8000. We've heard good things about other doctors in the practice as well.

Haven't found a group like this up here -- I'll be interested to see if others know of one!

And finally, the weather. A friend who lived in the South of England and has visited Seattle commented: ''The climate is similar, only in Seattle, they acknowledge that it rains a lot and build things accordingly.'' There are indoor pools open year round, community centers with tot playrooms, lots of good places for small children to run around when it's cloudy or rainy. Another thought: people complain about SAD -- the seasonal affective disorder that comes when there are strings of dark days. My friends and colleagues tell me if you make one trip to the sunshine during the dark months, it's bearable. And it makes you very grateful for the sun when it is here. Personally, I think SAD has it's California counterpart: SES -- sunshine entitlement syndrome. I've lived in a couple of sunny good-weather places in my life, and for certain people there is a kind of constant dissatisfaction that comes from expecting it to be ''nice'' out all the time. It's kind of an existential thing: like, if I'm paying all this money to live in this beautiful place, why am I not a more fulfilled person? The sunny days are taken for granted and the not-nice ones are a betrayal by the universe. I think a lot of it comes down to attitude and expectations.

Anyway, good luck in all your moving. You didn't ask, but we also had a great realtor who was able to help us with our long-distance move. Her name is Cindy Oneal.

Things to do with young children:
- Seattle Center: has several great museums that have areas devoted to kids, including the Pacific Science Center and the Seattle Children’s Museum. Plus huge outdoor fountain with music and coordinated spurting, lots of festivals on holidays. Also an amusement park that runs every day during the summer and early fall.
- Woodland Park Zoo ­ great fun and lots of beautiful gardens nearby.
- WA State Ferries ­ take the Bainbridge Island ferry or just about any of the other ferries for a fun ride to see the water, skyline, birds, occasional sea life.
- Parks ­ there are lots of nice parks, but a few are our favorites. Carkeek Park in northern Seattle is right on the Puget Sound, with great tidepooling on low tides, plus huge grassy field for soccer, etc. Large and varied playground and lots of trails through the woods. Discovery Park is also on the water near Ballard. It’s really big, has an interpretive center and lots of kid’s activities that run throughout the year. Seattle Parks and Recreation has a website that lists all this. Plus each neighborhood in Seattle has its own community center, almost all with a pool and swimming programs. They also have ''tot rooms'' that are open various hours each day during the fall, winter and spring filled with age appropriate toys for kids 0-4 years. Great place to head to if it’s raining.
- Waterfront ­ Pike Place market is a tourist mecca, but also a fun place to take kids, especially during the week in the winter when there aren’t that many people around. The whole waterfront area is pretty cool. There’s the Seattle Aquarium, and the Maritime Museum that are nice, plus shops and boats, etc.

Neighborhoods, schools, etc.:
- We have family in Seattle, so we were tuned in right from the start. We lived in the Ravenna neighborhood just north of the University of Washington. Nearby are Wedgewood, Green Lake, Maple Leaf, View Ridge ­ all nice places. The schools are good here (my neice is in the gifted program at the local middle school (Eckstein Middle School) and is thriving. I’m not sure which elementary school she went to. You might also consider West Seattle, where a good friend with kids the same age as ours lives. She loves it.
- Preschools: We HIGHLY recommend the Perkins Preschool on Ravenna Ave and 65th St. NE. Our 4 year old was there for this whole year and absolutely loved it. It’s fairly academic for the 4 and 5 year olds, pretty traditional for the 3 year olds (I’m not sure how young they are to start). The staff is terrific, the facilities very good, great families. You can The director is Candi Schneider, phone is 206-524-1132.

Doctors:
- We highly recommend Dr. David Springer, pediatrician. Office 4005 Wallingford N. Seattle, WA 98103, phone: 206-632-0542. He is a really warm and sort of Santa-like guy (don’t tell him I said that!!). He’s very experienced in traditional pediactrics, but also inclusive of homeopathic approaches. His staff of nurses and practitioners is wonderful. I think he’s taking new patients, but probably best to call. If he’s not, I’m sure he could refer you to other pediatricians.
- Dentist: We didn’t establish our kids with a dentist, since we were only up here a year and have a great dentist at home, but our younger daughter hit her head on the coffee table when she was 12 months old and knocked out one of her front teeth. We took her to the emergency room where they did the extraction, but then referred us to a pediatric dentist for after care. We were able to get an appointment with one of her colleagues in the office, but not her. However, we were extremely impressed with the office, the staff and how quickly they accommodated us. The dentist is Dr. Camille Sata, 7900 E. Greenlake Drive N. Suite 210, Seattle, WA 98103, 206-522-1565. I think her practice may be closed at the moment, but worth looking into.
- Hospitals: Seattle Children’s Hospital is affiliated with the UW Hospitals and is located not far from the campus. Top notch place.

Mothers groups:
- I never joined one since we moved right in to my family’s neighborhood, but I noticed that many of the neighborhood community centers had programs for families, including moms. I’m sure there are other resources available. I found Seattle to be very much like the Bay area in the diversity of programs and resources around, but at a more human scale.

Weather: Like you, I was ambivalent about spending even one winter up here, but we were lucky and got a very dry and mild winter. On the whole Seattle is set up with things to do that are weather-independent. Plus, the mountains and ocean around here are so beautiful that I’d even go out in the rain. And when we say it rains up in Seattle, it’s not like the rain in San Francisco. It’s more of a drizzly rain and often gray and overcast, not the driving rain we get the Bay Area. So even if it’s wet, it’s still pretty easy to get around outside. It can be a pain with kids, however, since the park is no fun when everything is wet. But I was very pleasantly surprised. Plus, the summers help make up for it.

Hope this helps. Have a great move and I guarantee you will like Seattle. We loved it!! Gretchen

Neighborhoods: Ballard's becoming more diverse, has a couple of very good elementary schools (Whittier, Loyal Heights) & lots of families w/young kids. Columbia City is very diverse, and has families w/young kids, but schools in South Seattle aren't the best. The less diverse north end of Seattle tends to have the better schools.

Doctors Love Dr. Rhonda Levitt's practice at NW Peds near Northgate.

Community For support, try the MOMS Club of Seattle (look online at the momsclub.org for contact info) or PEPS if you have kids under 3 (pepsgroup.org) To my knowledge, Seattle doesn't have something comparable to BPN.

Weather Visit the indoor playgrounds at community centers around Seattle; visit storytimes and active museums like the Children's Museum & indoor toddler playspace at Pacific Science Center; go to the library and play in the childrens' area (libaries in the King County Library System are especially kid- friendly); if all else fails, head to Bellevue Square and the indoor playspaces there. Joanna

We are seriously considering moving to the Seattle area as a work opportunity has arisen there. We have been up for a trip and like what we see (apart from the weather - yuk). Does anyone have any advice on good places to live that is similar to Albany/Berkeley which I love. I am looking for a community that is very young family oriented - especially in good school districts. If anyone has any advice I would appreciate it. Thanks Julie