grumpyoldman Posted October 21, 2004 Posted October 21, 2004 I am interviewing for a job in Yakima, WA. Anyone out there who can tell me something about it? Is Frenchman's Coulee the nearest crag? What is that place like? How are the bars/restaurants/night life? Any suggestions or warnings? Quote
rbw1966 Posted October 21, 2004 Posted October 21, 2004 Sobo will be your best best for info on Yakivegas. I'm sure he will be posting shortly. In the meantime, I can pass on what info I know from visiting Yakivegas many times (one of my best friends lives there). Tieton is the nearest crag and has a lot of good crack and face climbing. Yakivegas is a cultural wasteland of strip malls with a bunch of decent taco carts scattered around town. Night life? You'd be better off in SLC. I can't imagine why anyone would 'choose' to live in Yakima. Quote
sobo Posted October 21, 2004 Posted October 21, 2004 Sobo will be your best best for info on Yakivegas. I'm sure he will be posting shortly. Ta daaa! In the meantime, I can pass on what info I know from visiting Yakivegas many times (one of my best friends lives there). Tieton is the nearest crag and has a lot of good crack and face climbing. Very true Yakivegas is a cultural wasteland of strip malls with a bunch of decent taco carts scattered around town. Again, spot on. Night life? You'd be better off in SLC. Welll, that's debateable... I can't imagine why anyone would 'choose' to live in Yakima. Well, Rob, you've obviously never lived in the Dry Shitties. Anywhere is better than that! I moved here for a better job and the proximity of better access to outdoor activities. To wit... GOM: The Yakima environs have a ton-o-good outdoor stuff to offer: About 20 minutes to Royal Columns rock climbing, and just keep driving up the canyon for more rock. About 30 minutes to fly fishing in the Yakima River Canyon (there's hunting, too, but I don't hunt, so I can't really speak informatively on that). About 45 minutes to the put-in for WW kayaking/rafting on the Tieton River. Best season is September. About 1 hour to lift-served skiing at White Pass, and a little longer to BC skiing up the Chinook Pass highway on the backside of Crystal Mountain. About 1 hour to the PCT and the entrance to the Goat Rocks Wilderness. Likewise with the William O. Douglas Wilderness. Less than 2 hours to the Paradise parking lot at Rainier. Although it's only about a 45-minute drive in the summer, it's a 3-hour approach to Strobach Mountain for ice climbing. We also have some shorter approaches to ice routes up the Chinook Pass highway. Is that enough for outdoor stuff? How about some fine drinking establishments? The downtown historic district has a pretty nice pub crawl, all located within a one-block radius of each other. Although Grant's brewpub just lost their lease at the railroad depot and has now closed up, there is still (in my order of preference of patronage): Bob's Keg & Cork The Barrel House The Greystone Cafe' Melange The Depot More drinking establishments are available if you're interested. We also have a couple pretty fine dining establishments: The Barrel House (again) Gasperetti's The Birchfield Manor Zesta Cucina Do you golf? We've got a shitload of nice courses here, most notably Apple Tree Country Club. Tennis? Got that, too. It all depends upon what kinda stuff you are interested in. Although I tend to focus on the positives of a situation, "Crackima" does have a drug/gang problem. But it's all about where you decide to house your shit. I've been here almost eight years and have never been "violated" in any sense of the word. Others have not been so lucky. Feel free to PM with specific questions. I'm your huckleberry. Quote
sobo Posted October 21, 2004 Posted October 21, 2004 Yeahhh, there's some namby-pamby, fancy-schmanzy, nancy-boi indoor clay courts tennis club here. Gotta be a blueblood or sumpin' to join. 'member, it's f#$%in' HOT here in the summer, and it SNOWS in the winter, so if'n you're in to tennis and like to play ALL year long, the club is sumpin' to think about. Oh, and we had a climbing gym at Gymnastics Plus, but Norm closed that section of the gym down and sold off the holds. Oh, and did I mention that the commute from just about anywhere in the whole county would be considered "trivial" by Seattle standards? Quote
sobo Posted October 21, 2004 Posted October 21, 2004 Yah, he qualifies as "Class Act" in my book. That description is reserved for very few. Quote
wdietsch Posted October 21, 2004 Posted October 21, 2004 Oh, and we had a climbing gym at Gymnastics Plus, but Norm closed that section of the gym down and sold off the holds. WTF ..... when did that happen? I can't believe it ... that sucks, I can remember helping out on the first "rendition" of the gym before he went to the back room setup ... that blows. Man the place is really going to shit .... at least I got a chance to have one last cask GSA with a splash a couple of weeks ago before Grants' got shut down. seriously though ... if you can put up with the usual issues that come along with any agricultural based economy Yakima has a many good thing to offer. cheers, wes Quote
sobo Posted October 21, 2004 Posted October 21, 2004 Hey, Wes! Wazzupp? Yeah, Grant's got waaaaaaay behind (like more than 2 years) on their lease from BN, and the railroad got tired of Grant's blowing sunshine up their ass, so BN didn't offer a renewal on its lease. Grant's is talking about moving over to Glennwood Square (where Zesta Cucina is) and moving into Tim's Basement (which closed down last year), but it just isn't the same as being at the old railroad station. Grant's took a dive when Bert sold it off to Stimson Lane Wineries a few years back, and it's been going downhill ever since. Quote
grumpyoldman Posted October 21, 2004 Author Posted October 21, 2004 Thanks, Sobo. I will be interviewing next month. If I end up making the move, I'll write to you with some more detailed questions. Quote
wdietsch Posted October 21, 2004 Posted October 21, 2004 Hey, Wes! Wazzupp? Yeah, Grant's got waaaaaaay behind (like more than 2 years) on their lease from BN $48K is what I heard Quote
wdietsch Posted October 21, 2004 Posted October 21, 2004 What's up with Norm? I'm still shocked he shut the gym down Quote
sobo Posted October 21, 2004 Posted October 21, 2004 Hey, Wes! Wazzupp? Yeah, Grant's got waaaaaaay behind (like more than 2 years) on their lease from BN $48K is what I heard Closer to twice that number. $85k is what the daily rag said. And Norm didn't shut down the whole gym, just the climbing room. Norm is into financial consulting now. I think he's over at Salomon Smith Barney. His wife is running the gym. Quote
sobo Posted October 21, 2004 Posted October 21, 2004 Thanks, Sobo. I will be interviewing next month. If I end up making the move, I'll write to you with some more detailed questions. Cool. Fire away when you're ready. BTW, what's the job (if I may enquire...)? Quote
sobo Posted October 22, 2004 Posted October 22, 2004 For as much time as I wasted on this board today, I just might be. You know the saying, "I was looking for a job when I found this one." Quote
grumpyoldman Posted October 23, 2004 Author Posted October 23, 2004 Thanks, Sobo. I will be interviewing next month. If I end up making the move, I'll write to you with some more detailed questions. Cool. Fire away when you're ready. BTW, what's the job (if I may enquire...)? I'm a doctor. I'll be interviewing for a job at Yakima Regional Medical Center. It sounds like a pretty good place. A lot drier than west of the Cascades, I bet, right? The closeness of the climbing and the rafting are perfect, and the skiing access would be great for my wife and kids. I hope it works out. Quote
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