I just wanted to touch briefly on moving out here and how my apartment search went, for any reader who is considering applying to internships in the Seattle area. I found out about my DREU in March, and the location was finalized soon after. I was actually very fortunate to have a couple friends already in the area, and they were able to suggest good neighborhoods. Attending school near Chicago has made me very comfortable taking public transportation anywhere, and Seattle is very, very easy to get around. Seattle is apparently going to implement a light rail system later this summer, but right now the primary transportation to and from downtown and the university is by bus.

Craigslist was a great tool for me in my apartment search. Graduating college students are often looking for people to pick up a summer lease, and prices seem really reasonable. I picked the U District, which has its sketchy moments but is overall very accessible. A lot of young people live in Capitol Hill and Ballard, both of which are great locations and easily accessible by bus. I think if I were to move back to Seattle, I would consider Ballard, as there is a great rock-climbing gym there, and I don't necessarily need to be right by campus. At the same time, a lot of graduate students I have met so far seem to live in University Village (just north of UW campus), which seems to be another good hub for young, student types.