Keep clicking through the slideshow for all the Seattle must-haves to live your best life in the Emerald City. >>>
Donald Miralle/Getty Images for Rock'n'Roll Mar
Celebrate the city's newest NHL team, the Kraken, alongside the latest sportswear from the Kraken storefront.
CLAIRE MAULDING, SPECIAL TO THE SEATTLEPI
Welcome to Seattle, where pretty much everyone will immediately empathize with you and welcome you with open arms if you respond to the frequently asked, "But, were you here for the SNOWPACOLYPSE?" with a disgruntled "yes."
While the Emerald City isn't often painted white, anticipate winter frosts delaying your leave for the grocery store by a couple minutes to reheat, unless you have your handy ice scraper safely stowed away.
Paul Vasarhelyi // Shutterstock
No, not just for the latest politically-charged Facebook post. In Seattle, just about every neighborhood boasts a Nextdoor Facebook page so you can stay up-to-date on all things in your 'hood, from lost pets to upcoming yard sales.
With a Facebook account, you can also join your neighborhood's "Buy Nothing" page where you and your neighbors can list free items up for grabs, including some spare water proof items for the winter.
Ben Margot/Associated Press
Be forewarned, this sustainable city doesn't dole out straws like it does rain jackets. Unless you particularly enjoy sipping from a semi-limp paper straw, don't forget your reusable straw to tuck into your happy hour cocktail as Seattle ditches the plastic tubes.
Paul Buckowski/Times Union
True, it's not necessarily a necessity, but it definitely helps when you're not in the mood to battle traffic or long lines at the grocery store.
The Seattle-based company reigns rather supreme over the Emerald City, doling same-day, one-day and two-day delivery to thousands who support one of the city's largest companies.
Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images
Most Seattle dwellings don't boast air conditioning, but don't be alarmed. The city's coastal climate keeps things pretty cool year-round, besides a few weeks in the summer that can heat things up temporarily.
Nonetheless, we'd suggest nabbing a fan to have on standby for when the Seattle sun does decide to poke out for a bit in the summer, before they're all sold out.
mariait // Shutterstock
A Sounders scarf, because after all, our soccer team reigns champion, and you don't want to be left out in the cold.
Genna Martin/seattlepi.com
If snow is in the forecast, it won't be uncommon to see Seattleites snow shoeing to the grocery for practice, only to find barren shelves of crumbs where loaves of bread once rested, a light frost over cooler doors where milk once lined up like soldiers preparing for battle, and shoppers exiting with arms full of egg cartons, even if some of them are already cracked.
Likewise, even Amazon might be sold out of ice scrapers. Cue Prestone, the miracle spray to save the day and clear off that ice, so you can beat traffic without scraping away.
A Good to Go! toll pass. You'll have to deposit $30 into your account to get started, but if you'll be here a while, it certainly beats paying nearly double the toll price to pass over to the Eastside or through the SR-99 tunnel.
Genna Martin/seattlepi.com
An ORCA card. Load up from the light rail pay stations or online — though it takes a few days to process — for easy light rail, link and bus transportation (which requires exact change if you're paying in cash.)
GRANT HINDSLEY/SEATTLEPI.COM
Seahawks garb for game days and Blue Fridays, because from late August through January, it's likely many Seattleites will don their blue and green in preparation for the weekend's game. After all, you now comprise the 12th Man.
GRANT HINDSLEY/SEATTLEPI.COM
Once sunnier Seattle days approach, a spontaneous swing by Gas Works Park after work with your friends might start sounding like a good idea. To prep, you'll want a blanket stashed in the trunk to stretch out alongside your pals, a pint of ice cream and your Chinese oyster pails packed with chow mein.
Claire Maulding, Special to the SeattlePI
Yes, it's true, Washington does indeed boast a pretty impressive spread of fern-lined trails, beachside camping and backpacking adventures among tall and prickly pines. But, don't be the person who drives an hour or two out to the trailhead, excitedly tossing on a flannel and readying their CamelBak, only to realize they can't actually leave their car parked under that majestic mossy oak, because they don't have a Discover Pass to provide access to Washington state parks.
While a handful of state park "free days" scatter across the year, don't be restricted from heading out when the weather lines up just right.
Stanislaw Pytel/Getty Images
A nice puffer or fleece. As Seattle forecasts remain rather unpredictable, layers mean everything in the Emerald City.
Michael Short/Special to The Chronicle
Your own Seattle Public Library card, because it's no surprise the Emerald City has earned "most literate" over the years with 26 branches across the city, and the winter will becon plenty of at-home reading.
ART on FILE, Inc./Getty Images
A few faded flannels for all layering and forest fashion needs.
Cameron Gwizdak
Waterproof shoes and boots, so you don't soak up to your ankles while grabbing the mail.
JW LTD/Getty Images
A gritty raincoat with a hood, because umbrellas are for tourists.
Rosanna U/Getty Images/Image Source
Reusable shopping bags, because in a remarkably sustainable city, most grocery stores will charge you for paper bags.
Martin Leigh/Getty Images
The PayByPhone app, so you can park your car downtown and pay your meter by smartphone without squinting your eyes in front of a parking meter to insert a couple of coins while it's drizzling outside.
Wikimedia Commons
Some vitamin D supplements or a happy lamp, which will help keep your mood high during the darker Seattle months.
ironstealth - Getty Images
A compost bucket, because among recycling and garbage services, Seattle also boasts a compost pickup for food waste, which comprises one third of the residential garbage in Seattle.
Jupiterimages/Getty Images
A durable thermos and a French press with local coffee grinds for your morning cup of Joe. Because, indeed, we are a caffeine-powered city — often preferring local grinds to those of Starbucks.
Jupiterimages/Getty Images
Rain patters on busy city streets below a lingering blanket of fog. Seattleites hustle from their homes to the office alongside squealing busses, every breed of dog imaginable to humankind sporting raincoats, and puddle-splashing boots.
Advertisement
Article continues below this ad
Seattle is a city of ever-damp lawns, snow-fearing locals, and coffee-conscious techies. But more than just about anything, Seattle is a city of growth.
The city nabbed the number two spot out of the 50 largest U.S. cities when it came to fastest-growing population in 2018, just behind Fort Worth, Texas, according to recent census data.
In the same year, Seattle’s population grew by more than 15,000.
Advertisement
Article continues below this ad
So despite a Seattle chill while making friends around the block, we are here for you, dear transplant, newbie, and California sun-lover embarking on a cloud-covered hideaway from income tax.
You are not the only one confused by a lack of umbrellas, by the multitude of different colored garbage bins at the end of your driveway, by your coworker ditching the button-down for a jersey on Fridays. You are not the only one desperate for a bit of sunlight, unsure of whether or not to bring your jacket before heading out the door (bring your jacket,) and surprised by how quickly coffee grinds fly off of grocery store shelves.
So, we’ve comprised a basic shopping list to survive the trials and tribulations of the city’s weather. We’ve curated a guide to fashion (both on the street and in the stadium,) and a complete check list of goods sure to ease your move to the city.
Advertisement
Article continues below this ad
Click through the slideshow above for 16 must-haves to survive the Emerald City. Don’t be offended by honking car horns, don’t be afraid to drop a couple dollars on grocery bags to evade a constant 5-cent battle with your bagger, and please, no matter what, do not bust out your umbrella on busy sidewalks.
Christina is an editorial assistant focusing on food, travel and lifestyle writing for the SeattlePI. She's originally from the bluegrass of Louisville, Kentucky, and earned degrees in journalism and psychology from the University of Alabama, alongside a full-stack web development certification from the University of Washington. By her previous experience writing for food and travel publications in London, England, Christina is extremely passionate about food, culture, and travel. If she's not on the phone with a local chef, she's likely learning how to fly airplanes, training for a marathon, backpacking the Pacific Crest Trail or singing along at a nearby concert.
