Welcome Frank.
Hmm. Sounds more than a bit frustrating. A few key notes, if you don't mind:
1. Raise those tire pressures. Run them at 40 PSI to start out with. Monitor them carefully; check about once a month to be sure they stay at 40 PSI.
2. Are you red light rushing? That is, are you trying to keep in the flow of traffic and rushing up to red lights, causing you to burn gas to get to them, then waste that energy coming to a complete stop, then burning more gas to get back up to speed? If so, stop it now!
3. Try watching the tach for a while, and do everything you can (via fake shifts or whatever) to keep the tach around 2K and under 2.5K unless absolutely necessary. Give up on going 5
MPH over unless the lights in your area are timed for that speed.
4. Give up on P&G'ing for now. Utilize the basics and get used to the vehicle and its operations first, besides, either you're doing it wrong or it's not working for you anyway.
5. Seattle sucks for MPGs, as is my understanding, as nearly everyone who goes there has reduced MPGs, so don't delude yourself into thinking Seattle is going to be where you get record MPGs. However, not being able to break 30 MPG does seem rather low.
6. Try relaxing, but still embracing some of the techniques. Work on the little stuff first, enjoy the ride, and do those little smart things (no Jackrabbit starts, no red light rushing, no speeding, etc.) and see where that gets you.
7. You didn't mention your average commute length. Remember, you want to drive it as much as possible when you drive it, combine those errands. Go to the farthest place first unless there's a demand to stop elsewhere first. Short commutes kill MPGs.
8. Keep in mind that weather and winds can also play a part in MPGs. As it gets colder, your MPGs are going to drop. With incliment weather, your MPGs drop. In a headwind, your MPGs will drop.