Its been around three years since I left Bloomington and came to Seattle.
I went from 3000+ square feet of housing to around 600. I used to have a cleaning lady but these days I can clean my tiny place with a duster buster.
I went from a town where I knew people and places to one where I am a stranger. Every name and place is new to me here.
Seattle is a big city with all the attendant congestion but I live in a neighborhood that is known to be a recreational hub with lots of restaurants, bars, and a beautiful lake. If I get on I5 I can experience plenty of traffic and I can be downtown in 15 minutes.
Even in my neighborhood parking is at a premium. It is not easy to find a spot. Luckily my unit comes with one parking space in a secure garage. It comes with a huge garage door that grunts and groans. I sit here at my laptop looking out my window overlooking 70th street. I watch people try to park their SUVs in tiny parking spots on the street below. .
Victor runs the Mexican restaurant that sits within a five minute walk from my place. I love the nights when I sit in his restaurant at a table and he joins me and we talk about changes in Seattle. Sometimes Tequila is involved. I also live near Starbucks and the Green Lake Bar & Grill.
The gym is also a five minute walk. It is a neighborhood gym and now after a few years of living here I feel like I know the staff and many of the customers. Going there is both physical and social. The gym attracts people of all ages but if I go at 11am, I am mostly grunting and groaning with a lot of other old people. It feels safe and friendly.
Jason and family live close to me too and I am lucky to have them so near. Last Saturday he grilled some amazing ribs for the family.
I read about inflation a lot and there is no question that just about everything costs more than when I first moved here. Luckily I bought my place so I don't have to worry about the landlord raising my rent. If the price of my unit increases, then that means I can sell it for a better price. But I am guessing I won't be doing any selling anytime soon.
Luckily I live close to most things. I can walk to the grocery store but sometimes I get in the car and drive to the Safeway -- a mile or two down the road. I can drive to Jason's house in 10 minutes. Some friends also live nearby. Even though gas prices are so high, I don't drive enough for the price to impact me very much.
Aging is challenging. At 76, my joints are less reliable, my hearing is fading, and my memory is challenging. I can remember things from a long time ago -- but sometimes it takes me a moment to remember what I ate for breakfast. Overall I feel pretty good and manage to do a lot of walking and spending time in the gym.
I will continue to use my blog space to pontificate about macroeconomic trends and issues but some friends encouraged me to reflect and write about a wider pool of topics. I am getting sick of taking a negative slant on macroeconomic policy. I don't see the bad guys disappearing and it is getting boring saying the same negative stuff over and over. I am losing my sense of humor. That's not good.
So I hope you approve of this kind of message. I am enjoying the change myself.
The human side of the economist is always interesting and creates connection!
ReplyDeleteGlad you found it less boring that usual! Thanks for your comment.
DeleteOne of the aspects of your site which I have always enjoyed is that, most of the time, your starting point is data. While I still hope and depend on my ability to isolate the facts from the fancy, I have to confess to being more interested in the human issues behind the numbers and an approach to questioning that doesn't strictly adhere to a "school of thought" but is open to recognizing that maybe the arc of change isn't a constant and that we need to be aware when some trends are more meaningful than others. I think our young people ( anyone under 60) are seriously sending a message about what is, and is not, important and seem to be putting some action steps behind their rhetoric. So maybe the time is just right to worry less about the nutcases at the extremes of most discussions and look for the "through line" that is likely describing where the majority of Americans are heading. So, "yes" to some focus on reflection and the colors of our every day.
ReplyDeleteThanks Ed. But it is so much fun writing about the nutcases. :-) ! My topic much depends on what I ate the night before but I appreciate your good comments. Cheers, Larry
DeleteHi Larry, I enjoy your blog as I enjoyed your course at the IU MBA. It's very interesting to know about your experienses at Seattle and the human side of this great teacher. Please continue reading about inflation and writing abour the topic. It's seems to be a very difficult issue that we are not being able to solve here in Argentina, since long time ago. We have a lot of "experts" and gurus talking in tv shows, but not solution. Now with around 6% (per month!)...Very challenging living here. Kind regards, Gabriel Lopez
ReplyDeleteThanks Gabriel. I will keep writing about inflation -- its hard to ignore that one. And I hope to keep writing about other topics too. Nice to hear from you.
DeleteDear LSD. Glad you’ve adjusted well to a different life style and location. Glad you frequent the local food, beverage, grocery, and fitness bizzes etc. and that Jason ‘n family are close. Your ‘hood seems relatively safe/secure.
ReplyDeleteGladd’r tho that ‘appy ‘our is com’n up real soon! Cheerz!
Say 'hey' 'n buenos dias to Victor.
I will say hey to Victor for you! I might even have a frozen margarita in your honor at happy hour. Cheers. Larry
DeleteLarry, we left Bloomington 4 years ago and moved to semi-rural N. Baltimore County, MD. We, too, made the move to be near family. I admit to some initial concern about being 15 miles north of a city with one of the highest homicide rates in the country, but we have little crime and none near us. South and west of us is Loch Raven, a large lake surrounded by woods with many hiking trails. East of us is a country club. North of us are horse farms and working farms dotted by subdivisions and old homesteads. Groceries, pharmacies, branch banks, a gym, and primary care are 5 min away. A wide assortment of good restaurants are 15 min away. There are old taverns to visit. Immediately behind our house is a woods with deer, foxes, owls and hawks. Tranquility abounds. You can walk anywhere in our neighborhood day or night without any fear. Children play in the streets. Neighbors are friendly, diverse, and everyone gets along. American flags fly in front of many homes. Our daughter's family is 1/2 mile away and we see them often. The greatest danger is luxury vehicles speeding to work down in Baltimore and surrounds. In short we are blessed. Having owned property in places like Perdido Key and Fripp Island, I actually prefer living here.
ReplyDeleteCirca 1971 we lived in Seattle. Back then it was much smaller and not difficult to navigate. Crime was minimal. We loved the town and our neighbors, spent many hours skiing up in the Cascades, but had to leave when transferred. I've been back many times since to visit family up on the Canadian border. Each visit it seems the hassle of navigating SEATAC and I-5 gets worse. Prices are higher there than here. Having seen the area you live in it appears nice, but I cannot think of anything that would make me swap our current situation for yours.
Sounds like you found a good place to live in Baltimore County. I hear lots of stories about how Seattle has changed over the years. If I can stay away from downtown I am very happy and I manage to do that fine. Otherwise I am enjoying Green Lake!
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