I live 30 minutes out of Seattle. I'm not sure how I'd describe the feel of it, though. There are different areas of Seattle that attract different crowds and that may affect where exactly you write about. If you mean the central downtown area, then that's the busy area where everyone is minding their own business (except for the few people that...don't) and yeah, every other person has a cup of coffee or something. There's the international district, which is laid out to attract people of asian heritages, which also goes to mean it will attract anyone who's into anime and manga, bubble tea and stuff. There's Capitol Hill where Broadway is. That place attracts a more eccentric crowd, its also known as (in a joking sort of way) "the place Washington puts its gays". It's where Cornish school of the arts is and thus will have a lot of artsy college students.
So yeah. Like I said, different areas attract different people. Like I would know some of a couple places in Capitol Hill or the University District (right out of Seattle) because those are the places that attract me. I rarely find myself going into central downtown Seattle just to hang. Though I have a few times.
As for coffee shops, I think it will depend on your character as to what kind of coffee shop she goes to. If she's a simpleton or lives for convenience in anyway, Starbucks is definitely the way to go. The original Starbucks is in Pike Place Market (Seattle) and you can find a Starbucks on just about any damn corner in Seattle! But if she's more of an independant thinker and likes to stray a little, she'd probably find her own cafe to fit her own feel.
As for high schools, I don't know too much about 'em. But I have a friend who attended the Center School (High school located in the Seattle Center, where the Space Needle is) and its a very small, private-like school. Probably about 20-30 people per class, very personal, a lot of the same classes. Being in Seattle, its also a very modern school. People bent on exterminating discrimination (unlike some of the suburban-Seattle schools that are much larger where people will make fun of someone for being gay. That would never happen in the Center School!)
And like hireadd said, snow is a surprise! It's been snowing a bit more in the winters lately, but we're lucky if its enough to last 3 days or so. It will melt quickly, and likely rain, which will make the snow melt even faster. Unless we're lucky and it freezes over night and makes it even more dangerous to go out driving and stuff. Mind you, a lot of the times school will be canceled if there's that lucky 3-day snow plow because nobody knows how to deal with the snow! That makes us a danger to ourselves.
Feel free to ask me anymore questions. I hope I was helpful to you, even though I wasn't very specific in some cases. But if you come up with more specific ideas then I'd be happy to help you out. :D Good luck on your novel~!
Re: Seattle and Los Angeles Help, Especially Japanese and Hispanics
So yeah. Like I said, different areas attract different people. Like I would know some of a couple places in Capitol Hill or the University District (right out of Seattle) because those are the places that attract me. I rarely find myself going into central downtown Seattle just to hang. Though I have a few times.
As for coffee shops, I think it will depend on your character as to what kind of coffee shop she goes to. If she's a simpleton or lives for convenience in anyway, Starbucks is definitely the way to go. The original Starbucks is in Pike Place Market (Seattle) and you can find a Starbucks on just about any damn corner in Seattle! But if she's more of an independant thinker and likes to stray a little, she'd probably find her own cafe to fit her own feel.
As for high schools, I don't know too much about 'em. But I have a friend who attended the Center School (High school located in the Seattle Center, where the Space Needle is) and its a very small, private-like school. Probably about 20-30 people per class, very personal, a lot of the same classes. Being in Seattle, its also a very modern school. People bent on exterminating discrimination (unlike some of the suburban-Seattle schools that are much larger where people will make fun of someone for being gay. That would never happen in the Center School!)
And like hireadd said, snow is a surprise! It's been snowing a bit more in the winters lately, but we're lucky if its enough to last 3 days or so. It will melt quickly, and likely rain, which will make the snow melt even faster. Unless we're lucky and it freezes over night and makes it even more dangerous to go out driving and stuff. Mind you, a lot of the times school will be canceled if there's that lucky 3-day snow plow because nobody knows how to deal with the snow! That makes us a danger to ourselves.
Feel free to ask me anymore questions. I hope I was helpful to you, even though I wasn't very specific in some cases. But if you come up with more specific ideas then I'd be happy to help you out. :D Good luck on your novel~!