Here in the good ol' Pac NW, jobs are still pretty scarce and the traffic in Seattle can be horendous. Portland is sort of a Seattle wanna-be - a little smaller, more temperate climate, and still lots of great stuff as far as recreation is concerned.

That being said, if you don't mind the rain and the overcast weather, Seattle can be beautiful.


Oh - and PCB - I remember the day Mt. St. Helen's lost her top. It is actually close to Portland, not Seattle - you can see it here on clear days. Its interesting to see from a distance, a mountain with a flat-top. We didn't get the ash fall out from the first blow, but did get it when it blew again the next week. It was eerie - like it was snowing, but snowing ash. Also, it didn't just blow over night. There were tiny earthquakes and we knew for several weeks that it could blow. While the blast was bigger than expected, the majority of people that were killed were those who didn't heed the warnings and clear out in time.