Two years ago, I was divorced, just graduated, broke, and used the last tiny shred of my savings to move across the state to a new job and a new life. That move turned into an expensive and complicated clusterfuck and I try not to think about it too much. It was a move of desperation. It was a make-it-or-break-it-moment.
This move is more voluntary. While I've liked having my own place for two years, I haven't liked my landlord. I'm not going to go into too much detail as I prepare to battle for my deposit back. My rage against them is the battery that's powering me to sort through my shit and box it up. I could afford to extend my lease; I am merely choosing not to. Instead, I am downgrading my possessions, simplifying my life to make it more affordable, and I'm moving to a farm. You know, with horses and goats and chickens and stuff. That...will surely be an interesting adventure as I am a total and self-admitted city-slicker. More details to come.
For now, though, I just want to take a breather from repainting that one wall I accidentally fucked up and reflect back on the last two years. Eastern Washington is drastically different from Western Washington. The west side is lush and green and metropolitan and has IMAX theatres. The east side....is the opposite of all of that. While I've come to appreciate some things, there are certain things that, having grown up on the west side, I don't think I will ever really be able to fully adjust to.
Things I cannot adjust to in Yakima
1) The lack of recycling
The fact that I cannot recycle glass is hard to cope with. It causes me physical pain every time I throw away an empty wine bottle. It cuts me deep to my core.
Also, they don't sort recyclables over here. It all goes in one bin. On a recent visit to a Seattle food court, I was standing at the bins, trying to figure out how to properly sort and dispose of the components of my meal, and I had to really think about it. I've lost my natural sorting instinct, and I'm not sure how I feel about that.
2) Traffic lights don't know what they want to be
Are they vertical or horizontal? Do left turns yield on a solid green, or on a yellow flashing arrow? The city doesn't know, and in a few cases an intersection can't make up its mind within itself. It's completely inconsistent across town.
Not that any of it matters, however. Drivers here treat traffic-control devices more as suggestions rather than regulatory signs. When the light goes green, remember to wait for at least two cars in the cross traffic to finish running the red light before you actually start to go.
3) Private foundations run the parks (what few parks there are)
There is a significant lack of greenspace here. The Yakima Greenway and Cowiche Canyon are two of the best places to get outdoors, and combined they could probably both fit inside one of Bellingham's larger parks. They're also privately owned, run by foundations that feed off of private donations rather than from a public tax-based budget.
This leads to some nice amenities. For instance, in the summer if you're walking the Greenway you might be offered water by one of the courtesy carts that run up and down the trail. Ultimately, however, it means that the city doesn't appear to give two craps about funding greenspaces, and that unfortunately shows.
Fortunately, Yakima is surrounded by a bunch of nothing so if you get out of town you can find places to hike and wander.
4) Cash-only movie theatres
Personally, I suspect a money-laundering operation. The two main movie theatres, owned by the same people, are cash-only. I understand car washes and laundry places being cash-only (but how awesome are the ones that take plastic?) but a movie theatre?!? Hell, my old Girl Scout troop is capable of accepting credit cards when they sell cookies outside of grocery stores. If they can take plastic, then these theatres need to get with the times! Who carries cash anymore???
5) Not a town for tee-totallers
All the fun stuff like concerts, art shows, etc, are at the wineries and breweries. There are a lot of vineyards, and the valley is the premier hops-producing region in the world, so there are lots of these places. If you don't like wine or beer, you're not going to enjoy this town because 90%* of the stuff to do is at a winery or brewery. (*This is my un-scientific estimation based on personal experience.) Yoga, guided hikes, paint nights, dance classes, live music...whatever you like to do, you'll find a winery, brewery, or bar hosting it. Be prepared to channel your inner alcoholic.
6) The bad parts of town are legit scary
I didn't live in the best part of Bellingham, but the worst thing that happened was the DEA raided my building that one time. Okay, that sounds bad, but that's not the normal.
Here is some video from my old neighborhood, a few blocks from were I used to live, that recently went viral that shows more of the usual stuff you had to deal with, where a naked dude got pepperballed by police:
It's an annoyance to live next to, but unless you're the dude who's tweaking while nude and getting pepperballed, it doesn't really affect your life.
Here, however, there are random shootings and actual gang violence that do make me a bit nervous if I have to take a shortcut down 5th to get somewhere. The scary neighborhoods in Yakima are more legit scary, whereas the scary neighborhoods in Bellingham are more stupid shit from your annoying neighbors.
Overall, I'm not complaining
Bellingham is beautiful, but I don't think I'll ever move back. I looked up the rent at my old place. In two years, it's gone up almost 100%. Bellingham is getting crazy-expensive and the traffic is getting worse. So I'll enjoy the more rural desert life for a few more years, methinks.
