Before I started living in Seattle, I only thought of it as 'a place with a lot of rain and Starbucks.'

But once I actually lived here, I found so many unexpected joys. Now, I feel so captivated by Seattle's charm that I don't think I could go to another city.

The first thing that comes to mind is definitely nature. Seattle has a truly exquisite blend of city and nature. Just a little outside the city center, you can see Lake Washington, Lake Union, and the vast Puget Sound right in front of you.

On weekends, it's filled with people kayaking and boating. Across the water, there are the Olympic Mountains, and to the east, the Cascade Mountains, and on clear days, Mount Rainier stands majestically, which is truly a sight to behold. In a city where you can just look up during your commute and see a giant mountain, the impact of that is something you can only understand by living here.

The weather also provides a subtle enjoyment. Seattle often has rain, but most of the time it falls gently like drizzle, so it's common to see people walking around with just hoods instead of umbrellas. Thanks to that, sitting in a café and enjoying the rain while looking out the window becomes a part of daily life. If it were in Korea, I would have been annoyed if I got wet without an umbrella, but here, I just naturally accept it. I think this calm weather suits me better than a place where the sun shines every day.

And coffee! There are unique local cafés in every neighborhood.

Some cafés are great for reading books, others are perfect for chatting with friends, and some have an atmosphere where you can work on your laptop all day without feeling out of place. So for Seattleites, cafés are not just places to buy coffee, but rather living spaces. Before I knew it, going on café tours became my hobby.

Food is also something you can't overlook. Being a port city, the seafood is incredibly fresh. When you go to Pike Place Market, you can find freshly caught salmon, crabs, and oysters piled up, and when you take them home and grill them right away, you think, 'Ah, this is what living in Seattle is all about.' Plus, with a large Asian immigrant population, you can enjoy Korean, Japanese, and Chinese food, which is a big advantage. Sometimes when I miss Korean food, I can easily solve it by going to a Korean market or restaurant, which is reassuring.

The culture is rich as well. Seattle is the birthplace of grunge rock, and there are small jazz clubs everywhere. On weekend evenings, you might encounter unexpectedly great musicians at performance venues. There are also many cultural spaces like the Seattle Art Museum and the symphony, so there are plenty of urban pleasures in addition to nature.

It would be remiss not to mention transportation. Seattle is a city that goes well with boats, so taking the ferry is a fun experience.

If you take a ferry from downtown, you can go to island towns across the water, and I found it really interesting that many people take the ferry during their commute. Drinking coffee on a ferry that carries both cars and people while looking at the scenery outside gives you the feeling of having the most leisurely commute in the world.

Of course, Seattle isn't without its downsides. Some people say the housing prices are high and traffic is bad.

But isn't fun ultimately about discovering small joys even amidst inconveniences?

For me, the charm of Seattle lies in that balance. It's a busy and competitive city, yet nature and leisure coexist, and while it hosts world-class companies, the simple charm of local cafés is still alive.

Ultimately, living in Seattle means enjoying rain and coffee, mountains and the sea in everyday life.

Plus, having the leisure to sit in a café anytime, holding a warm latte and looking out at the rainy streets. I think this is the true joy of living in Seattle.