Hey Jef. This is Max in Seattle. I moved(along with Amanda and our son Myles/...remember?) out here from Brookline in 1997. You know what I miss most? Not much. Sure, the same type of urban sprawl exists out here, but the geography of this area prevents it from growing TOO widespread. Also, the beer brewed around here(esp. in the Portland area) is DEE-LICIOUS! Here in Seattle, I've got Scarecrow Video, possibly the GREATEST collection of rental films in the world! The weather is milder all the time. In about 3 hours time, I can get from snow-covered MOUNTAIN peaks, to a dry desert climate, to the Pacific Ocean, to a full-on RAIN-FOREST out on the peninsula. The Oregon coast is fuggin' beautiful! The downside: Seattle is a MUCH younger city, so lots of things already established on the east coast are not really in place yet(i.e. good mass transit) Portland has a great train system, though. I went back east last year for a wedding, and you know what? Although the trip was very beautiful, fun, etc. the joint had changed so much that it no longer felt like home anymore...