You will incur traffic. There is no way around it. Our streets were designed by a city planner with no sense. It is best to avoid rush hours. And as far as rain, residents cannot seem to operate vehicles in the rain. God forbid it snows. If you can stay out of your car during poor weather you are sure to be better off. Aside from this it is a beautiful and friendly city. Great for summer driving and worth a visit.

Auto row is either in Bellevue on the eastside of Seattle, or north of Seattle is the city of Tacoma, which also offers many auto dealers. As far as downtown Seattle is concerned, there are a few dealers in the south end but they are limited. I have found that Costco is the best place to purchase a new vehicle. They will find you the best price from local retailers, and present it to you so that you can buy with the freedom of not having to deal with sticker shock, or haggling over upgrades and options. It is presented clearly in a print out, and you either choose to purchase or not.

I can remember driving in the summer on the 520 bridge. It was scheduled for an opening as a boat was passing through. This in itself is rare, as it only occurs once or twice a year. Everyone got out of their cars, it was a Saturday. Traffic was dead stop for an hour. People brought out beers, were talking to one another. It was almost as if a party had sprung up on the freeway. It was a good time.

Highway 99. I love driving the 99. It passes along the Seattle waterfront, with downtown to your right or left depending on if you are headed north or south. One will pass by the space needle, port terminals, and it really gives you a good sense of the city. On a hot day it is perfect, as there is usually not much traffic if you are not hitting it during rush hour. All and all it is a beautiful drive.

Don't expect anyone to drive the speed limit if it's even slightly raining! You'd think living in Washington people would understand the limits of driving in light rain versus heavy rain, but people just freak out and go 20 under the limit.

Probably best not to get manual, as the stop and go traffic can really put a strain on your left foot having to clutch so often. Also since most people tend not to live in Bellevue, but commute to or through it, buy a car with good gas mileage so you don't waste too much money commuting. Also cars with automatic engine shutoff features will greatly improve you economy.

One night I was driving home after going to a bar, around 2-3 am. I had never seen the city so empty, as it's usually a traffic hell. Because my car is a manual, when there are a lot of cars around in stop and go traffic, it is very important that I pay a lot of attention to everything around me. Well, when you do this, you don't really see any of the views or buildings. So it being super early and pouring down rain (as that is my favorite weather) I really had time to look around and enjoy everything. I was having so much fun I decided to drive around the town to see it all. Normally it just feels like a big city, akin to L.A. But at that moment if felt like a whole different world. I haven't had the chance to do it since, but one day I will experience it again!

Bellevue Way. It's just a great road, well paved, and can lead you to just about anything in Bellevue. Plus it's the road I have taken the most, as I used to go to college near there. It's got just enough lanes most of the way to ensure that you aren't too bogged down traffic wise.