Silvia Club of NSW

Hey all,

Most of you would have known that i was moving over to the States,. Well im here! (finally)

Its somewhat like an alternate universe here. The same, but different. EVERYTHING is huge though. Some of the Fords/GMC's that you see, just defy logic as to how big they are.
Everyday stuff is very cheap too. Petrol is around US$3.30/gallon (which is pretty good for me, but they are screaming blue murder here - its usually around US1.80), Milk is bought by the gallon (US$2), and a 24 pack of Coke is like US$6!

Seattle - where im living - is slightly smaller than Sydney. It supposedly rains here more than anywhere else in the country. The offset is that its spectacularly green. Its a very clean city, but i have noticed a fair few homeless people. Everyone, and i mean everyone is just over the top nice. Just walking down the street, 80% of people will greet you and upon hearing your accent will stop and chat. There is also a Starbucks on pretty much every corner, and they all have free wireless broadband.

On-to the cars...

A good 70% of the cars i see are Euro/Jap. Every middle/upper class American will be driving a Lexus or a BMW. They are relatively inexpensive here, and the cost of a second hand model is ludicrously cheap. M3's for example sell for around US$50k new, so its well within reach of a lot of people. That being said, the modified scene isnt really big here. An SR'd 240SX will be anywhere from 8-14k USD. For that same price you can get a 2002-ish 330CI . So i guess people here go for Euro fast (but stock) cars.
I havent even seen a Viper/Z06/Decent old muscle car, but 911 Turbos/NSXs/M3-5-6's etc are absolutely everywhere.

Driving on the other side of the car takes some getting used to. I have to constantly guide myself to the centre of the lane, as otherwise i will end up side-swiping someone at the lights. Oh, and unless stated otherwise, you can turn right at any red light so long as you stop which is rather handy.
You are allowed to chat away on your mobile while driving, and in general the cops let things be. They have that whole 'innocent until proven guilty' thing here, and a cop is not allowed to pull you over randomly. So unless your being a complete and utter knob, you can 'safely' speed and nobody will care. The posted speeds on the highway is around 120kph, but the traffic flow will be around 140-150. Its refreshing not to be under the RTAs nazi-ish rules. =)

I went to the University of Washington (where i will end up going), and honestly guys...it is un-f*cking-believable. Don't know if i should start at the sheer size of it (it is classified as a suburb), the frat houses, or the general air of academic achievement. Its like nowhere ive ever been, or even thought existed. They have their own stadium for the football team that makes the SFS look 'cute'.
Think of everything you've seen in movies and its like that, but better.... I can only imagine what Harvard would be like if its a whole lot better than this place.

Do i miss Sydney? Hmm, kinda. But i really, really do miss my friends back home. =(

Ok, ill stop writing now. I think ill be picking my car up on Wednesday, so stay tuned.

Sal

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"'Some people believe football is a matter of life and death. I'm very disappointed with that attitude.
I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.' - Bill Shankly

good to hear you got there safely mate!!!

im sure youll be keeping in contact because you will have SR problems for the LHD thing youll have lol

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M35 Stagea.info @ http://www.m35stagea.info/

Good to know you arrived safely!!

Seattle, uleh?

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Hahaha, yeah i might have to change it.

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"'Some people believe football is a matter of life and death. I'm very disappointed with that attitude.
I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.' - Bill Shankly

keep us posted mate!

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Picsorban.

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The Golf is like an 16-year-old girl with big boobs. You know it's wrong but you can't keep away from her.

Wait to you get to a 4 way intersection, and every road has a stop sign. First to arrive, first to go - actually makes a hellovalota sense. No-wonder yankies have problems on roundabouts when they come here...

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-Dan

Whenver I speak to Amreicans who come here they love our roundabouts because you don't have to stop completely if nothing is coming,

Saying that, there are a few 4 way stops in Sydney. A few in Alexandria/Rosebery come to mind.

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its when they go counter-clockwise that it becomes amusing...

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-Dan

Now have a look at the price of fresh fruit/veges, it explains a lot

I found that really disconcerting at first, just not used toi randoms talking to you

free? Maybe it's a seatle thing as they came from there but everywhere else it's a T-mobile hotspot


I'm the same. The driving on the wrong side of the road wasn't so hard, the putting yourself in the lane is what catches you out. I found I was at my worst when merging to the left on the freeway, nearly took a few people out by only "half" merging

This was possibly my favourite bit of the US, you could actually drive looking at the road, not the speedo, and when conditions were good you could cover a lot of ground quickly. The way we run things in aus is a disgrace

Seattle has some really cool attractions. Because it is currently summer over there the weather should be pretty good for the next couple of months.

Things to put on the must-see list:
The Boeing Museum of Flight. It's easy to spend pretty much the whole day there.

Electronic Music Project (music museum located under the space needle)

Sci-Fi museum (next to EMP)

Some good music shops up in the Queen Anne district

Killer Whale spotting in the bay

Drive by the house where Kurt Cobain topped himself (I did that by accident)

Head south for a weekend and go to Mt St Helens volcano. The road out to the Mountain is pretty new and a fun drive. Crater Lake isn't far away and is also a spectacular drive.

And when you need to escape to somewhere to get away from American excess and rampant capitalism, skip north over the border to Canada.

Lots of other things within a few hours drive or, if you have the time, a few days, especially if you are interested in the real Wild West. Montana and the Dakotas are where some of the most significant events happened in the Indian Wars. eg Little Big Horn. Half a day spent there is fascinating and very educational. Montana is also home to a shed load of Tyranosaurus Rex finds with some good Museums.

What I consider one of the most spectacular roads in the world goes from Eastern Montana, into the Rockies and drops you into Yellowstone Park. I'm dying to do that road in something better than a rental Mustang.

BTW, if you decide to go to some of these parks, reserves and monuments it is worth buying an annual National Parks pass. Good for the whole country and can save you lots of $$$$

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Nature abhors a straight line

geez dude being black in america wouldnt help your case

also they film a lot of TV shows and movies in seattle so keep an eye out for famous people.

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M35 Stagea.info @ http://www.m35stagea.info/

Wow, you finally made it ?

Nice work mate... keep up the 'diary' and let us know how you go..

Also, whens your first visit back 'home' booked ?

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Co-Founder, President & Webmaster
mayhem@silviansw.com - www.silviansw.com
Why drive when you can drift?

Nice write up !!

My mate moved over to the states at the beginning of 06.

He currently resides in Manhattan on 42nd or 3rd st haha forget which one precisely.


I have been considering the move myself and my mate has been raving on about how good it is over there, but he is a little bias cause he absolutley hates Sydney (dont ask ).

Your write up didnt help my cause either cause now im more tempted than ever to go there !!!

Keep us updated, loved to see some pics too


My mate has been there around 18 months now and he says he hasnt laid eyes on a SINGLE skyline or silvia. He has been going on about saving up for a Porsche Cayman, seeing those prices now I know why.

Apparently L.A. is the place to go for all the imports etc.

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Pro Concept
1A Mellor St West Ryde 9807 4488


www.musecret.com.au

I'd keep a blog going, but im just too lazy.
My myspace will have one every now and again though.

Hmm home....maybe early '08. Going to go to London, to watch Fulhams first game of the 07-08 season in August! =)

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"'Some people believe football is a matter of life and death. I'm very disappointed with that attitude.
I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.' - Bill Shankly