4 things to know about Seattle

Compared to the Bible Belt, the Pacific Northwest really is a different kind of beast.

I think they have a word for it...(Google Image)

Despite both places being states in the good ole' U. S. of A., the differences between Oklahoma and Washington are much more extensive than a change of weather. 

That said, there are a few things I wish I knew before I got here...

4) Coffee really is serious business

Seattle's stereotype reputation as America's coffee mecca is not undeserved in the slightest. More coffee is consumed in Seattle than any other American city. 

In 2010, The Daily Beast estimated that Seattle residents spend nearly $40 a month on coffee in coffeehouses, to which there are 35 for every 100,000 Seattle-area residents, of which there are more than 3.5 million, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The region is the birthplace of Starbucks, Tully's and Seattle's Best; there is an entire coffee culture devoted to avoiding those places.

People here drink the coffee, they roast the coffee, they eat the coffee. 

They even work in the coffee. (Google Image)

Personally, I can't stand coffee, and out here disliking coffee really does have an impact on what you can do or where you can go socially. If you're coming to Seattle, learn to love the java.

3) Better love seafood and teriyaki too

Speaking of beloved things, there are two things that oozes from the Emerald City's very pores: a love of seafood and teriyaki joints. 

I mean really love seafood. (Pikes Place Market/Google Image)

The love of seafood is not entirely surprising. After all, Seattle is a coastal metropolis, the largest American city to Alaska's rich shipping grounds, and rich in its own right in foods like salmon and Dungeness crab. 

Seafood in Seattle is plentiful and comparatively cheap, much like how steak and beef products in Oklahoma are plentiful and cheap. Currently, I can drive to Issaquah right now and pay less than $3 per pound for fresh Alaskan cod. Seattle is a major fisheries port, chances are any Alaskan seafood eaten in the U.S. has passed through Seattle.

The drawback is that, being a mountainous and coastal area, not much is locally produced in the way of beef, which makes the cost of beef-based foods expensive. An eight-ounce sirloin dinner at, say, a Mackie McNear's in OKC will run about $10. In Seattle, expect a similar meal to run between $15 to $20. There is no such thing as a casual steak dinner when eating out. If you want steak, expect to pay.

When folks around here want a casual, anything goes meal out without a lot of thought, they instead go for the teriyaki. 

Casual. (CW's Cafe Today)

I grew up in Midwest City, Oklahoma. In Midwest City, there is a stretch of a road named Air Depot, a one-mile stretch reputed to have the highest concentration of fast food joints in the country. 

I currently live in a suburb called Maple Valley. In Maple Valley, the main commercial area is an intersection dominated by three shopping centers, anchored by two large markets (Fred Meyers and a Safeway) and a whole mess of eateries. 

There's plenty to choose from. Pizza, burgers, gelato, thai etc. In this entire square mile block, there are three fast food joints. Burger King, Dairy Queen and McDonalds. 

There are four separate teriyaki joints. Two are literally right next to each other. There's three more within a five minute drive of that area.

Teriyaki places are the big draw for lots of cheap food that is easy to find. Especially in the smaller burgs, teriyaki can often be found attached to gas stations and convenience stores. Inside, diners can find dishes anchored by fried rice or noodles topped with a protein, as well as various Asian-themed appetizers and pho. 

2) They're still sore about the Thunder (but they aren't malicious about it)

When Clay Bennet moved the Seattle Supersonics to OKC to become the Thunder, there were many fans who felt, at that time, that they were robbed.

The reactions were priceless though. (The Seattle Times)

Now, in 2014, bring up the Thunder to a local, and more often than not you'll be met with a shrug and a universal hatred of every figure involved in the whole sordid mess.

Over the past year, much of the discussion concerning the fate of the Sonics has revolved around proposals of a new arena near I-90 where it ends at Qwest Field. However, in recent months discussion of that new arena has gone dead, leaving the entire region in a self-defeating loop. 

Government officials won't approve any public funds for a new arena (While the proposed developers are planning to front a large portion of the arena's proposed costs, it will still require a not-insignificant amount of public funds.) Those funds will only come when Seattle is given a new team by the NBA, something they will not do until...you guessed it, a new arena is financed and well on its way to being built. 

While the NHL has expressed interest in giving Seattle a team to occupy the new arena to secure public dollars, the arena's ownership group is not interested in making an NHL team the primary tenant. It's not like the city doesn't have a hockey history: From 1915 to 1924, the Seattle Metropolitans played in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association, winning the Stanley Cup in 1917. However, without an NBA team on deck, it seems that the NHL's return to the Emerald City is just a dream.

If only... if only... (Justin Cox/Google Image)

1) Let the booze flow

 Finally, if there is anything more popular in Seattle than coffee, it's alcohol.

So much alcohol. (Google Image)

While notable for its legalization of recreational marijuana, the drug's use is not as widespread as some folks I spoke to in Oklahoma seem to think. Since arriving here, I've only seen a single hint of marijuana use, in that a laborer at the Pikes Place fish market seemed to reek of the stuff. The first legal dispensaries won't even be open until sometime this summer. 

Alcohol, however, is much easier to find. Until the past year or two, alcohol was sold in state-owned stores. Now, I can make a three-minute drive to Fred Meyers (Think a really classy Wal-Mart) and find four full aisles full of beer and wine alone.

Two of these, times four. Next to the organic foods (Wikimedia Commons)

There are still newly-privatized liquor stores for the harder stuff, but why would you? All of the stuff in the regular stores is high point. You will be hard-pressed to find Oklahoma low-point beer on a Washington shelf.

Stores here carry more because they sell more. Washington has a population more than double of Oklahoma's, about 6.9 million. According to the Centers for Disease Control, in 2010 55% of Washingtonians were drinkers, compared to about 38% for Oklahoma.

Despite the stronger brews and more widespread consumption, studies show that Washingtonians can handle their liquor better. 

In a study conducted by Mothers Against Drunk Driving, in 2012, 145 people died in auto accidents in Washington due to drunk driving, accounting for 33% of all traffic fatalities statewide. That same year in Oklahoma, however, 209 died in alcohol-related accidents, 29% of all accidents statewide. That counts for a lot more when your statewide population is only about 3.5 million. 

So, anyone who wants to follow my example, go for it. It's a wonderful area and I don't regret coming out here a bit. Just remember, when you get out here, java in the morning, a brew in the evening, and we can do teriyaki for lunch.