Things I Miss About Seattle

A friend asked me, what do I miss about Seattle? I thought about that today while biking, and came up with a list. I put one fake item on the list, who can spot it?

• My friends. This encompasses a lot of activities, from athletic events (tri stuff, volleyball, run club) to social (eating meals, hanging out, watching movies, shooting pool).
  
• Views of mountains and snowcapped peaks. It wasn't as if I climbed them, or hiked or backpacked that often, but the view is beautiful.
  
• Protein berry pizzazz smoothie from Jamba Juice. This chain is in Florida but nowhere near me.
  
• E. E. Robbins commercials. You can't listen to the radio more than 15 minutes without hearing an ad for this jewelry specialist, and they were always inventive and humorous.
  
• Snow. Yeah, I don't want to live in it, shovel it off my driveway, or drive in it for extended periods, but I do want to snowboard or snowshoe. Seattle is a nice easy day trip from snowsports during the winter. I'm not missing this yet but I will in the winter.
  
• Fun day trips. I can't very well cruise up to Vancouver, BC, from here. I would go up several times a year, to visit friends, watch hockey, or pass on through to Whistler.
  
• Trails to run on. I haven't found a nice gravel or dirt trail here, it is all asphalt.
  
• Cheaper electricity. I'm not sure if it is fair to list this, but I miss how low my power bills were in Seattle. Air conditioning is a necessity here, and it leads to some high power bills.
  
• Swimmable open water. Though the season is short, it does exist. Here, I have yet to find a suitable body of water for swimming in, outside of a triathlon.
  
• REI. My favorite store - I just loved to go in a browse through all the stuff. The closest REI to me now is in Georgia.
  
• Maple bars. This is my favorite donut, basically instead of a clear sugar glaze it is a maple syrup glaze. These are usually available shaped as a rectangle (hence the "bar") but sometimes as a regular maple glazed donut. I haven't seen any here, I guess we are too far from Canada. ;)
  

I feel bad that this is all I can come up with, for an area I lived eight years in. It feels like I am trivializing the Seattle area. I'll think more on this and maybe come up with a few more.

I can't even say I miss the milder weather. Sure, it rains here too, and the summer was really hot and humid. But I have a feeling I'll be enjoying the milder and sunnier winter here.

What this really boils down to is that I do like the area, but I don't miss much that was specific to the area, with the notable exception of my friends. My hobbies travel well (except for snowboard and snowshoe), and I wasn't deeply involved in some Seattle-specific institution. It isn't as if I hung out in Capital Hill or downtown Seattle, or was really into Pike Place Market or Fremont or the Seattle Center, etc. Nope.