One big difference between Seattle and Bellevue is that unlike Seattle, if you shoplift or smoke fentanyl or car prowl in Bellevue, you will be arrested and prosecuted. Bellevue is cleaner and safer, if a bit more boring. But, sometimes boring is better. Seattle is 20 minutes away if a raw experience is what you crave. Also, in Bellevue, you can park your car for free almost everywhere. Not so in Seattle.

Coming from the East Coast, I'm always overdressed for things in Seattle. But the laid back thing isn't just clothes, its people's attitudes too and that part I've come to appreciate

I don't live in Seattle, but I think of how fortunate it would be to live that close to Olympic National Park, Mount Rainier NP and the San Juan Islands. I remember taking the ferry from Anacortes to one of the San Juan Islands on a sunny, summer day and thinking it was one of the most beautiful settings I've ever seen.

Rain in Seattle is highly overrated. We may have a few gray days during the winter but the temps are warmer than most other Northern locations making it well worth it.

May-September, Seattle/Bellevue is paradise. Endless sunshine and 65-75 degree weather with cascade mountains on one side , Olympic mountains on the other; Puget sound on one side, lake Washington, lake sammamish on the other . Truly gorgeous in late spring to early fall. It’s a well kept secret. I don’t even want to go to Hawaii until the long winter strikes!

I'm a transplant from the Midwest myself, been here 23 years. When I visit friends and family back home I always tell them that as a country boy with a limited understanding of fashion, one of the things that I appreciate most about Seattle and the Northwest in general is that you can dress any way whatsoever and no one's going to question you at all 😃 I even recognized my fellow Seattleites at a layover in Dallas fort Worth from three terminals away, I saw how everybody was dressed and said those are my peeps right there 😊

This was a great video. The one place that I really enjoy is the Public Library and what an architect masterpiece it truly is. Just going in and climbing to the top floor really is a neat place to go. Thank you for sharing!!!

I was born and raised in Bellevue and for the most part you got it pretty spot on. I always thought Seattle was so much cooler but as I’ve gotten older I’m always frustrated having to go over there because of the traffic, parking, cost, and general dangerousness of some areas. I still love Seattle, don’t get me wrong, but Bellevue is much more suited to that suburban-city family dream

We had a similar journey. Grew up in Tacoma, moved to San Diego then Orange County and now back to the PNW. So happy to be back working and living in the PNW!

This is a cool perspective on Seattle from someone who lives 45 min away from the city, moved away for some years and came back lol. As someone who actually lives in the city of Seattle, it’s like 60% true. Truth: Seattle does get dark at 4pm in the peak of Winter. It can be grimy and ratchet in certain neighborhoods & on public transit. Fancy restaurants have no dress code (except a few like Canlis, Palisades, Chinooks, etc) And of course: the Seattle Freeze from locals, but transplants are cool & so are locals once you break that shell. The truth: Seattle’s style is Hiking Chic. Patagonia, Filson, Northface, Arc’teryx, HH, etc. We dress for functionality for the elements, not a brunch on South Beach lol. Plus we have hellllla healthy options. There’s more healthy options in Seattle than non healthy options, LA just has more because LA is bigger. I mean this is still the West Coast after all. And I might be wrong on this…but Seattle’s architecture is pretty known for its Victorians & Craftmans. I mean walk around one of the fancy old neighborhoods like Mt Baker, Queen Anne, Magnolia, Laurelhurst, etc & the houses have more character than the boring average cookie cutter houses in states like California, Florida or Arizona. Just my 2 cents.

I moved from LA to Seattle last year and now I want to move back to LA. I miss it so much.

Great video Monica! Thanks for posting!

My gosh It’s been 7 years!! I remember tuning in to your road-trip vlogs back to Seattle being so excited for your 2nd channel. You’re such an inspiration to me, can’t wait for your next vlog 💚

I love your videos of Seattle! I live in Atlanta and I swear during the winter, I might as well be in Seattle! All it does is rain! lol

Summers here are now about as good as it gets, shoulders season are a mixed bag and the winter is a good time to travel/ski/snowboard or focus on your work/studies and deal with the gray and rain.

So on point! Wow this brings back nostalgia for my time in Seattle during the pandemic. I miss the cozy vibes! (Not the rain).

3 new Sweetgreens coming soon to WA 😍 11th + Pine South Lake Union Totem Lake Zero in Oregon 🥲

I moved to Seattle from California back in 1996. I seen cities grew a lot. Yes, it rains a lot but it is paradise in summer and stays light until 930 pm. Love the greenery and water here. The reason Bellevue blew up because of Microsoft is there and all other tech companies there. Crime in Seattle definitely gotten worse since Covid and the more people going to be and worse cities get. I love living in Seattle. Wouldn’t move back anywhere else.

I think a deeper dive into the traffic and driving. I think there are more challenges geographically (and weather) … bridges, lots of waterways, and steep roads on hills, the push to make everything “walkable”, and really tight streets … as an example, LA and Phoenix have lots of flat land not interrupted by water, or too many obstacles so freeways are mostly straight, ultra wide, and flat.

Good one! I was living in Bellevue, but the main perk was that it is closer to the mountains :)

Seattle is always where I will come back to. Hands down. Just handling commitments. 🙌🏻😊

I'm a semi-retired Seattle native who abandoned Seattle for the Eastside decades ago, and I'm so glad I did. I just watched this video and I think you would do people a favor by stating: Unless you actually work in Seattle you'll enjoy life here more in the outer lying communities. Try to find a place fairly close to your work, and strongly consider the commute in your decision making because the traffic and congestion, especially in the dark wet months, sucks here! The freeways here are nothing like other major cities, they don't get better due to the geography limitations and likely never will. The increase in crime in Seattle is real, I still work there part-time and I see it regularly. Also, the "Seattle Freeze" is more about people being colder and generally not as openly friendly here as in many other areas of the country (not the weather). I've noticed it every time I've traveled to a warmer climate area of the U.S. people are generally just friendlier there. We do seem to become hermits from Nov thru March, maybe that's why, and for as long as I can remember we don't really welcome people who move here from other places because we have the attitude that it has ruined what Seattle used to be like and has caused the price of living to sky rocket here. -A Seattle native

You nailed it on this one. My favorite point was that no one in Seattle is from Seattle. I grew up and went to school in Seattle. I can name only two other people in my office (100 year old famous Seattle business) that are from the Seattle area. One of them has their name on the building.

Very good summary. I grew up in Wenatchee, then lived in LA for 9 years, then back to Seattle. I find LA people to be friendly, but not necessarily nice. Seattle people are not overly friendly but they are nice nice once you get to know them- which takes time.

I think you covered a lot of stuff quite well. Seattle is such a great city, but you briefly touched on some imperfections (which you can find in any big city). I lived in First Hill for a year. There is nothing like looking out the window and seeing Mt Rainier. Quirky, endearing and edgy, I need to go back.

Great insight! I moved from LA/Redondo Beach to Maui, got tired of heat and sun, love Seattle weather. Enjoy the summers here, but really prefer the winters.

You are so much better off in seattle. Hats off to you girl. Best of wishes. Best of luck. You'll do fine

Living in the Northwest, you hit the nail on the head with the quirkiness of Seattle residents.

Monica, I ABSOLUTELY LOVED this video. Living there from 1985 to 1997, everything you said is true. Even then Bellevue was the more upscale place to live. Homes were WAY more affordable than unlike now. During the year’s I mentioned above that’s when the first influx of people migrated north from California and started buying up everything. Even then you could go downtown to Pioneer Square at 2:00 AM and buy one pass to all the bars and have no issues. Would not think of trying that now. I’ve long since moved to Las Vegas, Nevada and it’s slowly becoming California too! Take care and stay safe.

What I love most is proximity to diverse local natural,destinations mountains, inlets, lakes and the majestic pacific coast from ocean shores to the north Olympic mountains. And it’s seldom crowded ! ( do Washingtonians even realize that places like Ocean shores , pacific beach etc exist?)

Mostly accurate except the various fitness groups don't stay in during the winter. They still meet for group activities and races etc at night. For example soccer, running and even nordic clubs. You can still find people at Lincoln Park even at 12 midnight in the winter with headlamps

I love how you mentioned the eating habits of the two cities! Very important take I feel like more people should talk about :)

I've lived in Seattle for more than 40 years. Driving in here is very relaxing and courteous. You have to, because there are not many freeways like in many other cities. So, the traffic is almost always slow. You are lucky if your car is moving much less passing in the left lanes. Enjoy! 🙂

Crime compared to Oakland, ST Luis, Atlanta, Houston Seattle ain't even kinda close to being as dangerous as those cities

The weather crushed me there. I need sunlight to thrive! ☀️

I live about an hour north of Seattle... Nice perspective on the area...

The “perfect” place u long for doesn’t exist. Appreciate wherever u go for what it is, be like Dorothy & tap ur ruby shoes.

I'm from the LA area (long beach) and just moved out from Bellevue to Seattle (Ballard). I think traffic is worse here, especially on bad weather days (10 months out of the year, lol). It is consistently taking me 1 hour and 30 minutes to get the 15 miles home from Bellevue to Ballard at 5:30 PM. Everything else is pretty spot on.

Seattle area is so nice and pretty in the summer

Good info to know. I travel all over the west coast but have not spent enough time in WA yet.

I prefer Seattle proper to the surrounding suburbs in every way. So grateful to have bought our city condo in 2021 when the interest rates were so low 💚

Damn good video, Mon. Back to lofty standards and a very honest and open opinion of what you feel.

This is so true. kudos!

When I moved here from Chicago in 1999, I remember being shocked at how little people honked. 😂

Blunt straight forward I respect that 👍👍 awesome

I live in Sacramento and while it's too hot in July/August, the people are more down to earth here. It's also very diverse with plenty to do if you like hiking and nature.

The amount of random people moving here has over run the state and ruined the place I once called home. There are now morons left and right wearing northface gear. And la traffic on weekends driving out locals. Now every cool spot feels like Disneyland with trash everywhere. Thx

Love this!

I’m not sure where you are in Washington but I’m in Lacey and it doesn’t get dark until 8:45pm. Yes it’s very expensive here in WA . But I love it here I’m from NV and I don’t miss the heat !

Good gravy I didn’t realize how expensive Seattle was

In Washington State, it's against the law to drive continuously in the left lane. It's a passing lane only, and yes, you can be ticketed for staying in the left lane. You can stay in the left lane for a bit of time but only if you're exceeding the speed limit (think 65mph), but you can't park yourself there. This differs from CA where the left lane is the "fast lane" and you can stay there continuously.

If you're a penny pincher you may want to consider Tacoma. Tacoma to Seattle is -40 min commute. If you don't mind minor insolation may wanna consider gig harbor or bremerton. If you wanna do all your spending in Portland go to Vancouver WA

Seattle style is arts and crafts and craftsman!

❤ most useful overview on youtube

Seattle, at least some of the newer constructions, look very Scandi :) Regarding the way people dress, it was a shock when I visited because I was coming from DC and DC is very dressy and a little stuck up 😋

I think I read they are opening a Sweetgreen in Totem Lake / Kirkland 🙂

I’m from Northern California and moved to the East Side in March of 2020. Just moved back home in October 2022, but it’s not home anymore!!! I miss everything about Seattle, Bellevue, Kirkland, etc., the people are so nice and well-educated, and so modest in comparison to Californians! I plan to move back!

I have a tendency to say that Bellevue is across THE MOAT, and when Seattle gets out of control, the people in Bellevue can simply roll up 520 and I-90 like draw bridges. Lmao.

I learnt something from my dad about the drivers most of them drive slow because they’re not in a rush and want to “take in “ the drive

Driving is so much true. Left lane, passing lane! 1. Move left. 2. Pass a car to the right 3. Move back right.

There’s also a great Asian American community with an International District stores, restaurants and other fun and tasty places to check out.

Love the rain and I wish it would rain.

i love it here!

Great channel. I am moving to Seattle from San Diego next week!

haha this video is entirely spot on; I moved here from Bulgaria!

I visited Seattle, Washington four times when I was younger in early 2000's and I absolutely loved staying there for several weeks with my uncle. Great city, clean and very European like I would say. So yes Seattle is way better than LA and I lived in LA fifteen years so I know both. Thanks for your video.

We just got a Mendocino Farms lol. I like driving more in SoCal. Here you can weave in and out of traffic at 60 mph on the freeway.

Hi Monique. I am pretty much a fashionista. I wear things like thigh high moccasin flats NEON ORANGE. and also floor length pig tail extensions. im currently sitting on the floor of my local JC PENNYS wearing my emoji spandex dance shorts and hot pink cropped denim blazer. I paired this look with a stylish but sensible rosace red Haviana flip flop and a salacious taco embroidered purple infinity scarf.

Got tired of the things in California, only to find the same things here.

Sweetgreen just open in Seattle! Woohoo

Kirkland totem lake area is getting a sweet green, I’m so excited to try it

The left lane is for actively passing only. Once you pass, by law, you move back to the other lanes. I don't know why this is so hard for people to figure out.

your point about seattle and bellevue made me think of pawnee vs eagleton in parks and rec haha

I also moved I’m Latina and than I came back every thing changed in Washington I moved out for university In Kentucky

Welcome home

Also I think maybe the high end stores in Seattle exist less because of the high tax? Like in Portland (which is even more casual than portland) there are high luxury stores because of no tax. Not a ton of them but you have Louis Vuitton, etc. even downtown at pioneer square mall. Which surprises me.

My 30yo son lives in Lynnwood. 1 bedroom apartment with covered parking. $1600 a month. Walk to shop and it's in a good area. 20 minute drive to the city. He's A northern California native

We’re getting a Sweet Green soon!

I live at rainier beach And it’s true winter really sucks

Monica you have to try the Mendocino Farms that just opened up in SLU! Wish we had a sweet green tho

I love rain.

I agree with her for the most part as I’ve lived in both cities. But I don’t know where she is living but you can find a 1 bed apartment for $1200-2000 in good neighborhoods. I’m guessing she renting the Kirkland area on Lake Washington or in Redmond by apartment view she showed.

I'm in SoCal and visited Seattle in April. I noticed the anti-dressing up thing while I was there. 😆 Casual is more comfortable though, so why not? Here in L.A., as you probably remember, some people really dress up and others don't. There's a big range. I found Seattle to be beautiful. Loved the cool weather. And Vancouver BC is so close! I think there are a lot of advantages to living in Seattle.

Born & raised in San Jose, Calif. & now I'm starting to interview for jobs out in Bellevue & Seattle. If I moved there, I wouldn't know anybody. I'd have to make all new friends, find all my fav places....it's a bit overwhelming, but I'm trying not to allow my fear of something new get in the way of what could be super amazing for me.

Monica, do you miss CA at all? I've done similar. Lived in both states, and it's hard. I want to go back to Seattle's Eastside, but I remind myself of the dark winters. The worst of it is only about two months. Even by March it starts to feel better. But.. Man, I agree with all these points. There are nicer areas of Southern CA that doesn't have what you mention. Thousand Oaks is really nice, for example.

Couldn't pay me enough to live in Seattle. South Auburn (Lakeland) is just fine, thank you.

Thank you for commenting on the fashion! I'm from south Texas and we ladies like to dress up! So the PNW fashion is a culture shock.

Totally agree

The whole Bellevue vs Seattle thing is giving pawnee vs eagleton

Just note about the driving especially on I-90 but it also applies to all the other connecting highways, although it is known you drive faster in the left most lane(excluding express lane), a lot of important exits are on the express lane and exits on the right sometimes have 2 exits which means 3/4 lanes are exits. So why am I talking about this? Traffic, If you want to cruise through all the unnecessary traffic because people from 4 lanes are trying to merge, the left most lane that's not the express lane is your best course and not everyone is trying to drive faster on that lane.

Hi Monica born and raise in Bellevue moved to Silverdale in 1967 and still in the area..Hi from the church clan...

5:10 the reason people in Seattle and surrounding areas think they're better drivers is mostly because we have constant rain so perhaps slick roads. maybe thats just an opinion, but i've seen some hydroplaning drivers who don't slow down and cause wrecks. you mention the left side of the highway and that can def build up puddles where it doesn't feel so safe to drive "faster" like dry states

i heard that four-square architecture style was popular, but many of them were demolished.

I miss Seattle. I grew up in California moved to Seattle for 4 years then moved back to L.A wish I would have stayed in Seattle.

It's ok Monica I'm ashamed of Tacoma too 😔😔

People dress casual by default because the weather is so unpredictable. It’s a practical thing really. Also comparing Bellevue to Seattle is like comparing LA to Pasadena. Of course it’s safer in Pasadena because Pasadena doesn’t provide the same amount of services for vulnerable populations. Every screw up from Alaska to Montana makes their way to Seattle because they’re own towns let them fall through the cracks. It’s a flawed comparison.

Eating out is so expensive in Seattle. I’m so used laid back Seattle style that when I when to Chicago (which felt cheap to go out in) I felt like a slob!!! People dress UP when they go out there and I was always a light overdressed in Seattle.

Moved to Maple Valley about two months before the pandemic started; from Georgia. Currently packing to move out of Washington. #basura

New transplant living in the Laurelhurst area. Loving Magnuson park being so close to us, but was wondering about other parks/beaches around the area. Any chance of a video showing off the best ones/hidden gems?