The more one is able to leave one's cultural home, the more easily is one able to judge it, and the whole world as well, with the spiritual detachment and generosity necessary for true vision. The more easily, too, does one assess oneself and alien cultures with the same combination of intimacy and distance. --Edward Said

've just entered my own witness relocation programme and left everyone I have ever known. (Well, almost. I do actually know a handful of people up here, but I'm not particularly close to them.) I'm essentially starting a new life. I have just moved to scenic Capitol Hill in Seattle. However, I'm always wondering whether I have made the right decision to move away from my beloved Berkeley. Sometimes I still wake up in the middle of the night and ask myself, "What the hell am I doing up here in Seattle?? What am I doing to my life? Am I crazy?" While I'm usually not an introspective person who looks back at choices made nor particularly neurotic, there are definitely things now missing in my life which I once valued tremendously while living in Berkeley and working in San Francisco. For those of you not familiar with the Capitol Hill neighbourhood, it's essentially the Castro / Noe Valley (without the rampant dogshit on pavements), the Haight (without the street kids and the conspicuous junkies and dealers), and the Mission (without the great Mexican food, its colourful ethnic mix, its crack whores, and its sketchy corners and alleys) all rolled up in one, but toned down a bit. Just like Seattle itself. Think Scandinavia in America. Anyway, many folks from other parts of Seattle come here to shop, eat, drink, dance, catch flicks, score some smack, score with tricks, and wreak horrendous traffic and parking havoc. Even Bill and Melinda come over here for the sushi. Whenever I have made a positive discovery here (e.g., being within three-minute walk of two twenty-four hour supermarkets), I would reckon, "Gee, this is just way cooler than Berkeley, which is pretty dead after midnight." On the other hand, shortage of great (new and used) bookstores and record stores in my vicinity (which I would even generously include the U-District) always seem to taunt that I have made the wrong decision. The following list subjectively weighs what I have gained and what I have lost. I have chosen to eliminate personal factors such as access and proximity to friends and fuck-buddies as well as the importance of maintaining a safe distance away from failed relationships since these matters are just way too messy and complex to be quantified and weighed. (Incidentally, it's easier on the mind to be far removed from your worst and most painful failures in life; you feel safer being away since you probably won't run into them and experience those awkward / embarrassing / depressing moments. You also won't have the urge to stalk them either.) Besides, these factors wouldn't interest you readers as much. Without further ado, these are the primary criteria which define the quality of my life at a certain place.

UNIVERSITY RESOURCES. While the University of Washington has a beautiful campus, access to its resources are limited for me since I was not a student there. Nevertheless, I doubt that its resources can match Berkeley's. From what I can gather, it's quite depressing actually. It's also more than two miles away. On the other hand, I lived virtually right on campus in Berkeley, and I did retain access to most of its incredible resources even after graduation: the libraries, free home internet connection, gymnasiums, the computer labs, a scenic campus I'm never tired of enjoying walking/ skating through on a daily basis even after nine years, concerts by Cal Performances, collegiate sports events, lectures of all sorts, conferences and symposiums, frequent rallies and protests, the Berkeley Art Museum and the Pacific Film Archive (the best continuous repertory film series I've ever come across anywhere), the Media Resources Center (see below), and of course, the radio station KALX (see below). Winner: BERKELEY.

COMMUNITY / COLLEGE / PUBLIC RADIO. In Seattle, you have the usual NPR and other public radio outlets like everywhere else. However, I'm not referring to just the availability of non-commercial radio, but also actual participation and involvement in a radio station. It's a wee hard for me to accept that my days of being a college radio groupie / librarian / DJ are over. The one thing I miss more than listening to KALX is doing KALX. I miss the freebies and being on guest lists. I can't believe I actually have to pay for shows up here. I miss catching glimpses of famous (or soon-to-be famous) musicians who drop by. I even miss answering phone calls from almost-famous musicians who want promotion. I miss imposing/ sharing my musical preferences with the listening audience. I miss access to an incredible music library. I miss contributing to community life (I wrote the daily campus calendar read by DJs) and to the operations of an actual radio station. If I had stayed in Berkeley, I could have also gotten involved with Pacifica's KPFA. I can't believe that I actually now live in a city without a Pacifica station. I also miss Sedge Thompson's cheeky West Coast Live among many locally produced programmes. With an embarrassment of riches, the other side of the bay can boast legendary college stations like KFJC and KUSF.

On the other hand, I don't have a personal relationship with radio up here in Seattle. Listening to This American Life religiously notwithstanding, radio is simply not a big part of my life anymore. I don't know any station in Seattle that would want me as a groupie / volunteer / DJ. If there is one, it's probably difficult for me to get there from where I live in Capitol Hill. Winner: BERKELEY.

RECORD STORES. In Berkeley alone there are several destination-worthy record stores: Amoeba (perhaps the greatest used record store in the world where you can get entire catalogues on vinyl for a few bucks), Rasputin, Mod Lang (the best Anglophile store where you can even get U.K. singles on the same release date as in Britain), Lookout!, Tower Records (one of its better ones), The Musical Offering (baroque and classical Cds as well as a nice café), Down Home Music Store in nearby El Cerrito, inconspicuous shops for DJs all over the place, and Virgin Megastore across the bay in the City (for dance music and compilation imports). Rough Trade and yet another big Amoeba are cool places to hang out in the Haight. In the Seattle column, Capitol Hill has a few specialty stores, but nothing to write home about. However, the Seattle area has retailers galore. Everyday Music and Orpheum on Broadway are worth checking in every few days. Lower Queen Anne has a big Tower and a cool new Easy Street, but that's at least a 30 minute trek away. In the U-District, there are some fairly good used stores, but not great ones. There's the great big Silver Platters up in Northgate and SODO, but they're at least a 45-minute bus ride away. I guess I'm still desperately looking for a single, really great new and used store that I can easily spend an entire afternoon, in the Puget Sound region. Winner: TIE.

LIVE MUSIC. Berkeley has both the Freight and 924 Gilman. The Bottom of the Hill, Slim's, Kilowatt, Bimbo's, and the big old Fillmore are all just a BART ride away. (Plus the fact that I got to be on the guest list all the time.) End of discussion. Winner: BERKELEY.

BOOKSTORES. Browsing remains one of my favourite pastimes. This is almost a close competition since Seattle can boast the great Elliott Bay and the University Book Store as well as the many used book shops in the U-District. The Half Price Books in the U-District and Capitol Hill are just as cool as the ones in Berkeley, if not better. On Capitol Hill itself, there are a few interesting shops, but they're nothing to write home about. For the most part, the neighbourhood is an intellectual wasteland. Bailey/ Coy on Broadway is there if you're desperate. The used bookstore Twice Sold Tales does have an open all-night sale (the store doesn't close) between Friday and Saturday each week. Yum! If you want architectual or design books, you're essentially out of luck in Seattle. On the other hand, Berkeley ultimately has the edge even if you disregard all the fine book stores to be found in San Francisco and the rest of the Bay Area. It's simply one of the best places in the world to shop for books. I feel like I can live in places like Cody's, Moe's (along with Powell's in Portland, they are the best new / used bookstores in the West), and Black Oak Books, the former two sitting right next to each other on Telegraph and thereby making book-browsing in Southside of Berkeley itself destination-worthy. Berkeley also has countless other new and used independent bookstores, and I haven't even considered all the wonderful choices in the City yet. Winner: BERKELEY.

COFFEE. This definitely plays a big role in both places, and how caffeine has powered my life has been well-documented throughout these pages. However, European coffee culture thrived in these cities decades before it was popularised in the rest of North America and beyond, so perhaps I should point out the most salient characteristics that have impacted me over the years. Berkeley’s got the original North Berkeley Peet’s for the great coffee itself (yeah, I know they later opened one on B'way in Capitol Hill), and Caffe Strada, Milano, I-House, and Espresso Roma (which also runs the 2 previous joints enumerated) for socialising and interesting people-watching. Further out in Oakland, Blue Bottle Coffee has managed to make even American drip coffee respectable.

Needless to say, quality caffeine is easy to come by in Washington state. They've got espresso stands in redneck wildernesses that have been serving lumberjacks for decades. Seattle, and in particular Capitol Hill, has got the almighty Vivace for the coffee itself, and perhaps Victrola on 15th for the socialising. Be careful not to accidentally bitch-slap the annoying hipsters that have taken over the place. Consequentially, I've become quite partial to the nearby Caffe Ladro, or the francophone Café Presse. I’m also fortunate enough to live around the corner from the original Top Pot Doughnuts on Summit, which also happens to serve rather decent coffee. Note that I didn’t mention the Seattle chain that has taken over the planet. However, I do love that it disguises itself in the truly wonderful form of Roy Street Coffee & Tea. Fortunately, I do not have any reason to patronise them often, since I’m virtually surrounded by exceptional caffeine purveyors in both locales. Both cities are awesome for coffee. Winner: TIE.

CHEAP EATS AND ETHNIC FOOD. Since I'm always poor/ busy/ too lazy to cook, places to get cheap food are extremely important for me. I don't keep a fully-stocked kitchen, so I view them as essentially extensions to my kitchen, or as my canteen(s). The Bay Area does have lots of cheap eats if you know where to look, and if you read Dan Leone's wonderfullly perverse column in the Guardian. If you live in Berkeley, you won't have to look very far. The variety is overwhelming, and as a result, I rarely cooked in my apartment. In and around campus, you've got the food carts on Sproul Plaza for lunch, 'the grease pit' (the infamous Durant food court) that comes in handy during late nights, those infamous Fat Slice pizzas, the scary Blondie's pizzas, Top Dog's dogs, big salads from Intermezzo, beers from Raleigh's, Noah's Bagels, and Bongo Burgers virtually everywhere. What about that cool Near/Middle Eastern falafel and shwarma joint on Durant? I even long for Mario's La Fiesta, where for better or worse, I ate more Mexican meals than in any other place. I miss both Bingo Burrito and that great Vietnamese takeaway restaurant that replaced it in the YWCA building on Bancroft, especially since they were so close to Wurster. I also miss that relatively traditional Mexican joint on the corner of Shattuck and University. A bit farther from campus, you can get great deep-dish pizzas from Zachary's in Rockridge and Solano. Waiting for your pies and a table while chatting with your friends outside seems to be a East Bay tradition.

Speaking of pizzas, when I moved back to North Berkeley in 1995 after three years in the Southside, I often found myself anticipating what kind of pizza the Cheese Board would serve on that particular day. Berkeley is also packed with reasonably-priced Indian restaurants with cheap lunch buffets. You can get great Vietnamese baguette sandwiches at that shop (sorry, I've forgotten the name) on the corner of Shattuck and Addison. More great East Asian eats can be found at Pacific East Mall out in Albany. Other really cool choices include vegetarian from Long Life Veggie House, late nights at Sun Hong Kong or the Taiwan Restaurant (or in many other joints in Oakland's Chinatown if you have a car), Saul's in north Berkeley (a somewhat pricey Jewish deli but a Jewish deli nonetheless), all those charming restaurants on Solano, and countless other joints around town offering all sorts of cheap food. (While not exactly cheap food, I really appreciate the fact that my favourite restaurant in the world, Chez Panisse, is just a few minutes walk from my apartment.) Last but not least, in nearby Oakland, you can find great dim sum as well as truly great sundaes at good old Fenton's on Piedmont.

Amazingly enough on Capitol Hill and in the U-District, you also have great choices of great ethnic places, especially Thai, Vietnamese, Mediterranean, and Indian. The selection is almost endless. Rancho Bravo Mexican feels like an extension of my kitchen. Pizza from Pagliacci is conveniently available on Broadway as well as the U-District. Pizzas from Cafe Lago near Montlake are also very nice. The Vietnamese cuisine is amazing here. You can choose pho from countless places as well as simple but refined masterpieces served at Monsoon on 19th Avenue, or in Wild Ginger downtown. For Thai, I particularly love Siam on Broadway. Lunchtime choices are pretty good at the Thai joints in the food court at Westlake Center. I can't even begin to fathom how many times I've eaten at the Noodle Zone or Thai Garden (especially for its $3.95 broccoli with black bean sauce over rice). Dinner choices are even better. Noodle Ranch in Belltown is reliable too. Genuine foodie places are also too many to mention here.

The best authentic Italian (Emilia-Romagna to be exact) I've had in Seattle can be found at the delightfully unpretentious Osteria La Spiga on Broadway, since relocated to 12th. Salumi Cured Meats often tempts me as a weak-willed, semi-vegetarian. To make life easier, there's even a Noah's Bagels nearby, just like in Berkeley. Then there's the popular and cheap Dick's Drive-In, a genuine and delightful anachronism from 1955 (just remember to stay away from the soggy chips). Like the Castro in San Francisco, Broadway these days seems packed with noodle joints (but without the overwhelming domination of gay male clones). On the down side, the Chinese food around here is kind of weak though, and differentiation by province seems nonexistent. The only reasonably authentic stuff I've found in abundance is Cantonese, which can be found pretty much everywhere else on the West Coast anyway. (However, you can find reasonably-priced but decent dim sum in the International District, which is also a great place for late night food runs.) Furthermore, the Mission District's profusion of Latin American cuisines also doesn't exist here. I've had good burritos here (like Guayamas on Broadway), but nothing really to write home about. Mexican food generally tends to be more about volume than quality and authenticity here in Seattle. (An exception to the rule is the somewhat upscale but very tasty cuisine served at Galerias on Broadway.) In a nutshell, the food situation is quite good, but there's definitely room for improvement. Then again, cosmopolitan Vancouver, while lacking in more obscure cuisines from Latin America but abundant in just about everything else, is merely three hours away, and that fact right there deserves some points. As a final mitigating consideration, there are the eclectic choices offered by the Pike Place Market, about a thirty-minute walk from my flat. Winner: TIE.

MARKETS. This one's a tough call. Markets and reliable supermarkets are so intrinsic to the quality of life. Yeah, I know Seattle has perhaps the coolest public market in North America. Inside, you'll find DeLaurenti's for all your European gastronomic imports as well as delicious sandwiches. It also has Uwajimaya/ Kinokuniya right outside of downtown in the International District. However, these really cool institutions simply can't beat the convenience of a modern neighbourhood supermarket. Berkeley has the legendary Berkeley Bowl, Monterey Market, Whole Foods (albeit with a history of questionable labour practices and an evil CEO and founder), 99 Ranch Market out in Albany for your East Asian culinary needs (closer than the drive out to suburban Renton where the 99 Ranch is located in the Seattle area), and most of all, Andronico's (God bless them), whose formidable cheese section is an amazing culinary as well as educational destination in and of itself. Mistresses of gastronomic seduction, these stores are well-lighted and feature extensive as well as attractive displays of stuff you want. The variety of mushrooms in the produce section is worthy of a detour. Everything seems appealing inside them, and shopping doesn't feel like a tedious chore. The flirty cashiers are especially helpful, and often quite easy on the eyes. (Those heartbreakers!)

Unfortunately, quaint Capitol Hill lacks these type of emporiums. The only comparable store closest to my neighbourhood is the once-almighty Larry's at Queen Anne, about two miles driving/ walking distance away. Fortunately, if you have a car, both Capitol Hill and Berkeley have reasonable access to a Trader Joe's, another place with cute young staff, ostensibly always wanting to know more about your weekend plans... Winner: BERKELEY.

24-HOUR CONVENIENCE. Even though I have a day job, I'm still a night person. In Berkeley, to get food after midnight, you would have to go all the way to the Emeryville Denny's (the 'study hall'). In Capitol Hill, you've got two 24-hour Safeway, two 24-hour QFC supermarkets, and the skankiest Taco Bell from hell just steps away from my apartment. There's even a Bartel's chemist right between that Taco Bell and the QFC. You cannot believe how convenient it is to have access to pharmaceutical products in the middle of the night. Arguably, it's what civilisation is all about. It's also cool to keep in mind that Twice Sold Tales doesn't close bewteen Friday and Saturday; there's nothing like browsing at a book sale at 03.30 in the morning amongst the kitties. Winner: CAPITOL HILL.

HARDWARE STORES. You'll really appreciate them when you need them. I cannot stress how much knowledgeable staff in hardware stores have saved my ass. In Capitol Hill, they're non-existent. You'll have to drive out to a big-box retailer in the burbs or Lowe's on Rainier. The Fred Meyer in Broadway Market just doesn't cut it due to its very limited stock and available items. Chubby and Tubby, a blue-collar clothing/ camping/ home furnishings / hardware store that's also on Rainier Ave., have loads to cool stuff, but it's at least a fifteen minute drive away. In Berkeley, I could walk to the Berkeley Ace Hardware on University, where they also stock extensive model-making and hobby supplies. Sometimes I could take a bus to the big Orchard Supply Hardware or Ashby Lumber in south Berkeley. I also love to visit Urban Ore in west Berkeley and spend an entire afternoon there browsing and picking out components for art/ architectural/ decorative projects. It's like going on a treasure hunt. WINNER: BERKELEY.

ALTERNATIVE WEEKLIES. Seattle has the Stranger. Enough said. (While I really admire the Guardian and the East Bay Express, the they simply can't beat the former's irreverent humour.) WINNER: CAPITOL HILL.

FILM AND VIDEO. I had realised that by relocating from the Bay Area to Seattle, I'm moving farther and farther away from the centres of the world (i.e., L.A., New York). It's so hick out here that sometimes I feel like I'm living right next door to the Yukon, and that I would need a team of huskies to acquire provisions. I wasn't prepared for the sense of feeling exiled from culture. Compared to New York and L.A., both the Bay Area and the Puget Sound region suck when it comes to movies. Some films never make it to these places. The ones that do make it out to the provinces often open months later. Sound quality is hard to come by here in the sticks. However, in Berkeley, you've got the incredible Pacific Film Archive, which has perhaps the best archive of Japanese cinema outside of Japan and frequently screens them for the public in addition to the innumerable types of films from around the world they show. Year after year, the quality of PFA programming remains in a class of its own. There's nothing remotely like it up here in Seattle. In terms of number of films on view and the number of screens, I think Berkeley has more on both counts than Capitol Hill and U-District combined.

In terms of video in Berkeley, you've got quite a few choices. In addition to Tower and Rasputin's on Telegraph, you have downtown's Movie Image, which is fairly cool for foreign, indie, classics, and cult stuff. While I was working in the City and coming home to Berkeley every evening, I would often stop by Movie Image after getting out of the BART station. It's so convenient since I would also order Chinese takeaway from Sun Hong Kong next door. Another cool Berkeley institution is the Media Resources Center in Moffitt Library on campus. If I'm feeling cheap (which is all the time), I can watch selections from their extensive collection of films and videos on their NTSC as well as PAL machines. You can easily spend an entire weekend here.

Seattle does have plenty of cool resources too. Scarecrow Video in the U-District is destination worthy. Just ask Quentin Tarantino. If you can't find it here, it probably doesn't exist. However, it's just not right to have to drive to get your video fix. It's like having to drive to get your laundry done. Videos should be right around the corner or within walking distance. Closer to home on Capitol Hill, Broadway Video is an above average neighbourhood store, indeed just right around the corner. While its foreign and indie collection is almost admirable, half the patrons seem to be only interested in its extensive collection of gay porn (soft and hard). If you're totally into clean living, this place leaves some to be desired. Winner: BERKELEY.

ART MUSEUMS. Similar to the case with movies, the quality of museums and galleries in the Bay Area and in Seattle pales in comparison to New York or Los Angeles. SFMOMA is a joke (B-grade art by A-grade artists). Seattle Art Museum is even worse. However, it's much, much worse here in Seattle. Even Tacoma has better museums than Seattle. Other than glass and sculpture, there's not much of a scene up here in Seattle, but the sheer number of choices in the Bay Area can be impressive. I love going across the street to the Berkeley Art Museum once every few weeks. Old masters as well as contemporary art and installations are really hard to come by here in Seattle. The big travelling shows, particularly ones which feature large-scale installations, don't make it up here either; the venues for them simply don't exist. If you don't believe me, just check out the listings in my art page. Winner: BERKELEY.

CLIMATE. I'm the kind of person who gets uncomfortable with anything above 25C. Frequent fog or occasional chilliness notwithstanding, it's just way too sunny too frequently in the Bay Area. When you're in a shitty mood (which is almost every day for me), sunny weather just insults you. Everyone expects you to be happy when the weather's "nice." Having the sun out all the time is Nature's way of mocking and insulting you; it's screaming, "Fuck you, loser!!!!!" I like my weather to be neutral (in my case, grey), somber, and respectful of my emotions. I think the weather in western Washington is absolutely sublime, and I'm considered a freak by everyone around me, including native Washingtonians. (Believe it or not, the weather is actually a legitimate topic of conversation up here. Everybody's talking about it all the time. Even though many cities in America get higher annual levels of precipitation, such as Atlanta and Miami, people in Seattle just can't seem to stop bitching about the weather.) Seattle is not a perpetually rain-soaked city as many believe it to be, but it's indeed almost always grey and overcast. It's always damp and drizzling. The light quality here is always even and not too bright, which suits me just fine. Sharply defined shadows are rare, but the sun here casts beautiful, longer, and delicate shadows. I like rain too, except when I feel like skateboarding (wet surfaces tend to collect more dirt and leaves on wheels which eventually wind up on your person). I also like the occassional light snow in the winter. Most of all, I love the Northwestern concept of "sunbreaks." The whole city seems to come alive and move outdoors whenever the sun makes a rare appearance. I have never appreciated having the sun out in my entire life until I moved up here. Sunny weather is rare and to be appreciated, like the way it should be. Winner: CAPITOL HILL.

SCENERY AND RECREATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES. I cannot stress how important this category is for me. For me, a place's scenary and aesthetics either make you want to live or commit suicide. This category is also a close call. The Bay Area has the bay, the bridges, the City's skyline, views from the Lawrence Hall of Science, the golden hills, the Marin Headlands, Muir Woods, Point Reyes, Mount Tam, estuaries in Marin and north Contra Costa, windswept beaches on the peninsula, the thick fog rolling between hills and skyscrapers, and the majestic redwood forests. I miss the daily treks through the always beautiful University campus. I miss hiking in the Berkeley hills. I miss the occasional deer that wanders into our garden of our North Berkeley apartment. Most of all, the reassuring view from the tower of Wurster Hall, where I had greeted so many sunrises and sunsets with the Bay Area at my feet and the Golden Gate beyond; that view was a tremendous source of solace, always reminding me why I had come to Berkeley in the first place. However, I'm familiar with Northern Californian scenery for almost half of my life. It was time to change.

Here in Seattle, the landscape is in-your-face. The seasons are more distinctive than in the Bay Area. The beauty of nature is a part of life. No matter where I travel away from Seattle (and no matter how much more glamourous the place may be), it always feels great to be flying back into Seattle. Weather permitting, seeing from the plane all those forested little islands in Puget Sound can almost bring tears to my eyes. I'm filled with an indelible sense of pride and gratitude for the privilege of living in such a beautiful part of the world. For an urban environment, this is no small feat. To begin with, you've got the Puget Sound and the Olympics on one side, Lake Washington and the Cascades to the other, and Mount Rainier to the south. National parks are everywhere. On cold, clear days, the view west from Capitol Hill shows that the jagged Olympic Mountains across the Puget Sound seem to have moved right next door to you. This must be what Heaven looks like. Taking the entire region into account, there are water, hills, and trees everywhere. I like trees. I like that a lot. A few years ago, I was seduced by a Washington State ferry ride, and I remain enraptured by my surroundings. Most of all, recreational opportunities are easier to come by in Seattle. (Whether you actually have time to partake in them is another matter. However, I like having options and just knowing that they're there.) Because of its proximity to the Cascades and Olympics, Seattle has countless opportunities for day hikes (without camping) in big mountains and forests. Snoqualmie Pass hikes are ridiculously convenient. Even hikes through the Arboretum or Discovery Park are cool. On the other hand, Tahoe and the Sierras are three or more hours away, and excursions into the big mountains always require overnight stays (whether you're hiking, skiing, or boarding). Here in Seattle, it's also relatively easy to rent a kayak or canoe (e.g., from UW on Lake Washington). Winner: CAPITOL HILL.

INFRASTRUCTURE. In Seattle?? I don't think people up here know what that means. Most folks living outside of the Seattle city limits seem to want to dismantle what's left of the government entirely. Transportation has been in crisis in Washington for years. Traffic congestion is outrageous here. The floating bridges and Alaskan Way viaduct are all lethal earthquake hazards. Public transit is either crumbling or non-existent in Seattle. How many times have you seen Metro buses get stuck on the roads due to maintenance issues? Unless you have a car (and join the congestion and contribute to the pollution) or bike, Ballard is about an hour away on two bus rides from Capitol Hill. At least Berkeley is connected to the City by BART. Winner: BERKELEY.

THE PEOPLE. How do you generalise and judge whole groups of people who consist of millions? I've only been here for a few months, so it's way too soon to tell. Things seem generally promising around here though. While I include San Francisco resources and characteristics in determining the livability of Berkeley, I would also like to point out that it's actually extremely cool to get away from all those snobby San Franciscans who somehow think they live in the greatest city in the world and never stop telling you about it. (Remembering that this is coming from dumbfucks who live in a town that doesn't have a decent daily newspaper, nor decent access to movies, controlled by effete yuppies, and essentially shuts down after 09.00 P.M.) At least people who grew up in Seattle (let's not talk about the Eastside) generally don't try to put on airs to the extent of San Franciscans. Noise coming from energetic boosters and recent arrivals from other states notwithstanding, most folks know very well that Seattle is quite provincial compared to L.A. or New York, and they don't care. They like it the way it is. It's a nice town, and the people here want to be nice. They are polite. Think Minnesota / Scandinavia on the West Coast. Nice white people galore. Seattle is not too big, but extremely cultured and progressive for its relatively modest size. The city is very tame, and folks here tend not to rock the boat too much. (You probably can blame the violent protesters against W.T.O. on people from out of town.)

On the other hand, it's hard to beat the incredible but overwhelming diversity of Berkeley itself, or the fact that motorists in Berkeley wouldn't try to run pedestrians down at every available opportunity like they do in San Francisco or New York. I think the way people drive tells a lot about a place and its people. It's true that drivers everywhere in America are becoming increasingly rude, impatient, and psychotic while driving bigger and dirtier vehicles; they are all too quick to use horns, shout obscenities, run red lights, and terrorise pedestrians. While slightly better than the Bay Area (not counting civilised Berkeley), the level of civility here in the Northwest has attenuated in recent years, according to longtime residents. However, Seattle has not been completely overtaken by brutes from the rest of the country. Traffic is indeed bad here, and impatient drivers are still ubiquitous, but most people remain sane. You might even spot a courteous and responsible driver once in awhile.

(Incidentally, San Francisco drivers, the notorious MUNI operators included, would always try to run over pedestrians even when the latter has the right-of-way at an intersection. As a Berkeley pedestrian who read the Daily Cal while crossing streets almost anywhere he pleases on his way to class, I paid little attention to any oncoming vehicular traffic. Fortunately, the drivers there know their proper place, and they always acknowledge the fact that they're driving in a town populated by people like me. They understand because they are often Berkeley pedestrians themselves. They have to be cautious and patient at all times. It's just the way the things are done there. On the other hand, I wouldn't last even a few days actually living in the City, even while I acknowledge all regulations and try to cautiously watch out for all cars. The psychotic motorists there, often driving in big polluting SUVs or expensive imports, are generally rude, impatient, reckless, pathological tailgaters, snotty, quick with the use of horns on pedestrians and anyone else, and really shouldn't be allowed to live in civilised society.)

Although I'm giving up the pedestrian safety of Berkeley, I reckon that in the end, not having to put up with evil San Francisco motorists would add points to the Seattle column and tie the competition in this category. Thus far Seattle drivers, despite increasingly becoming like drivers from everywhere else, seem to be somewhere between Berkeley and San Francisco. Reflecting the people of Seattle in general, most motorists here are still relatively polite toward each other and toward pedestrians, perhaps even more so than in other cities. However, lately I've been hearing increasingly nasty stories of reckless drivers here (they're likely to be California or New York transplants). As the traffic conditions worsen each year, road rage has definitely arrived in Seattle. Winner: DECISION PENDING.

ARCHITECTURAL SCENE. While the quality of architectural design in the Northwest may be just as good, if not better than in California (this admittedly is essentially impossible to quantify and probably shouldn't be), the architectural 'scene' is so weak here. You keep seeing the fucking same people over and over again. It's like small, decidedly provincial village here, with a lot of idiots running around shouting the same lines. The same two firms always win the same awards, and nobody's challenging them in any way. There are no significant lecture series in Seattle. We only get the B or the C list people. On the other hand, you've got at least two truly great architecture series running in the Bay Area (Berkeley and SFMOMA). Berkeley's landscape architecture lecture series is also getting much better. (If I wanna hear architects bullshit about their designs, I'd rather hear it from famous bastards than from virtual unknowns.) You've also got design schools galore in the Bay Area. You'll always have a major design exhibit happening in the Bay Area, especially with Aaron Betsky at SFMOMA. In terms of architectural bookstores, you've got Stout's and Builders down there. Winner: BERKELEY.

IKEA. The true mark of civilisation (besides 24-hour drug stores)! Everybody who's familiar with this site knows how crazy I am for IKEA. I used to always bitch about the lack of an IKEA in the Bay Area. Unfortunately after moving away from the East Bay, now it's finally going to get one in Emeryville, about a five-minute drive from campus. The Puget Sound region is served by an IKEA in Renton, about a thirty-minute trip from Capitol Hill. Needless to say, anyone should avoid a place like Renton if possible. Winner: BERKELEY.

ased on these comparisons, it would seem like Berkeley would be a much better place for me to live. However, as much as I love Berkeley, I feel that it would be better for me in the long run to experience living and working in another state. I feel I've grown too complacent and comfortable down there. In fact, I could have easily lived in Berkeley for the rest of my life. It was going in a predictable trajectory, and that scared me. I needed something significant to knock me off the course it was taking. Furthermore, it simply didn't feel right that I remained in Berkeley after graduation. (It's sort of like remaining in your home town after finishing high school; that's sort of uncool.) I needed to see and experience more of this great country of ours. It's change for the sake of changing. I also reckon that you can do a lot worse than Seattle. Since I've only lived here a few months and my observations may not be entirely justified, I would appreciate any feedback or insight from people living in the Northwest. It would be great if folks here can provide me with more reasons why "life's better here."

28 February 2000 (with minor subsequent revisions)