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Dear me,
Seattle has grown on me. The other day when I was on the bridge looking at the two sports stadiums and the city skyscrapers, with a bit of the Puget Sound water peeking through, I couldn't help but feel a bit of calmness and peace. And it made me realize that there are things that I love about the city despite the Seattle freeze and traffic and the narrowness of everything. In no particular order, here they are.
- The food here is pretty good, especially Dough Zone and the seafood. I also love how there are more places to find durian desserts. Just don't expect the food scene to be on the same level as California or New York, however. I also still miss bomb ass Mexican food that the Southwest has. But that makes me determined to find the best Mexican food that this place offers (a few places have come pretty damn close.)
- I love the glass and the reflection of it all, and how it sparkles in a way. Making up for the fact that you could barely see the stars at night, but hey city lights won't blow up and destroy everything nearby the way stars inevitably do.
- I love how everyone loves being outside. It reminds me of Utah in a way, with all the outdoorsyness. Whenever it's sunny (and surprisingly there's been a lot of sun lately) there are so many people out. No matter what time of year it is or how cold it is.
- There's always something going on event-wise. So if you're ever bored it's easy to find something to do.
- This is one nerdy ass place. Roleplaying games are super popular here along with a bunch of places to game at. Back in Utah, I only know of one place and it doesn't have good boba tea. Please just get their coffee if you ever happen upon it.
- There's a lot of diversity, albeit microaggressions can still happen. The other day, a white customer told me that Martin isn't a Chinese name. I promptly told her that one of my Asian friends is literally named Martin. She bowed out after that.
This leads me to my next point, this is someone's opinion that I heard on the radio the other day, but people here do not like to admit that they messed up when you do address their microaggressive comment. The person then unintentionally does more racist shit that albeit is nice in intention, but it doesn't quite work out sometimes.
Plus, the history of Asians in the Pacific Northwest is not pretty. The book, The Making of Asian America by Erika Lee has a general history of it. And the Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience delves more into the local history.
There's always been kicking us out because of racist stereotypes and being angry that jobs are supposedly taken. And guess what, some of that sentiment still remains (you cannot just get rid of racism that easily.) An example would be when the planning officials were trying to make the Chinatown International District even smaller by increasing the size of the homeless shelter nearby. It didn't work out, but that doesn't stop people from trying again in the future.
- I do love how people band together and fight for what they believe in. They genuinely want a better future. And they will do whatever to ensure that they are heard to make sure that does happen. And that resulted in a lot already like a higher minimum wage, better protections for workers, guaranteed paid sick leave, and help in getting out of abusive situations, amongst other things. However, there's always more that can be done.
- I love the stories behind the Pacific Northwest, especially the haunted ghost stories (even though I'm still skeptical about it.) It's also still quite interesting to me that this place has one of the highest numbers of serial killers around. This makes sense cause the state literally gives off spooky, haunted, serial killer vibes with the cloudiness, vast forests and mountains, and fog and rain.
- This city is very dog-friendly/pet-friendly. Every day I see a lovely dog and I just want to give them all the pets they deserve. I've also seen cats and bunnies out in public. And in my personal experience, it's hard to find an apartment complex that doesn't allow pets.
- I love how the Pacific Northwest loves itself. As in it's very big on localness, buying local, supporting local, etc. At a lot of malls, you will find a Made in Washington store. There's always a farmers market happening, no matter what time of year. At the chain bookstore where I work, there are a lot of books by local authors that we proudly sell. And it's not just the big ones like Julia Quinn and Marissa Meyer, but a lot of smaller authors too. In other words, there's a big sense of pride in everything and everywhere.
- I love how queer this community is. It's well known that Seattle is one of the gayest cities in the United States and it definitely shows in a lot of ways from drag shows during brunch, queer clubs, pride month, queer books, etc. And it's refreshing to not have to explain my identity or have to hide in a way. Though, it does feel like I'm hiding sometimes when on the outside it looks like a straight-ass relationship.
- This community is very open to sex and alcohol. There are sex shops that are very bright and open and full of knowledgeable people. And I feel safe around them because they're also queer and they're women and I finally feel listened to. Even when meeting new people, some of them don't shy away from talking about their sex lives. And it's nice to know that I'm not alone in a way. While with alcohol, it's nice to know how easy it is for me to get access to it. Coming from Utah, I could only get the stronger stuff at liquor stores, and they have limited hours and are closed on Sundays and holidays. So if you didn't plan ahead, you're screwed.
- I love how they're making attempts to make public transportation more accessible and make Seattle more walkable (which makes driving a nightmare not going to lie.) Though it's far from perfect and it will still take a long time. And even though the city had a chance to start earlier, at least they're trying now.
- Something really random, Costco. It was started in this state. There is a Kirkland, Washington and that is the name behind the Costco Kirkland brand. And as a result, there are a lot of Costcos here and there's a variety of things that I can't quite find at other Costcos I've been to. Especially all the Asian snacks like bánh pía and instant boba.
- People volunteer all the time. They give back to the community because it has provided so much for them. Yes, sometimes it is a requirement for work or school, but it's still nice to see people willing to do it. Plus, if I can help at least one person's day feel a bit better that means a lot.
- The lack of a fashion sense. There's a reason why Fashion Week does not occur in Seattle. People will dress comfortably, no matter the place or event. At this point, expect people to dress down at fancy restaurants. The first time I saw that happen, I was very surprised. With the rain and cloudy weather, it is better to dress comfortably and warmly though.
- The art and culture and literacy scene. I've found myself exploring a few of the bookstores around here and checking out the art scene and learning more about all the music that has come out of this place. And I'm still in awe because of how immense it is. It's inspiring in a way.
All in all, I somehow found a community here. Though it is interesting to see how true the Seattle freeze is and how reserved everyone is because of it. And at this point, I'm starting to see it in myself. There are also still a lot of problems, but people care a lot to help fix them. And that right there is reason enough to stay. The grass can definitely be greener on this side if you're willing to put in the effort to make it so.
And now the weather:
~ Stacy N.
P.S. Thank you my love for bringing me here.
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