Over the past week, we’ve shared out a bunch of your answers to a pretty personal question: “What keeps you in Seattle?”
For some of you, it’s family and culture ties, or groups you feel you belong to. It’s the faith you have in your city’s future — despite its big struggles with growth and affordability. Or it’s the setting: the mountains and water and views you can’t believe are all in one place.
Like with any long-term relationship, though, standing by our city can get … difficult. Cost of living is up, our home prices have been rising faster than anywhere else in the country for 19 straight months, and to top it all off, we’re the fastest growing major U.S. city of the decade. Our infrastructure, our demographics, and our understanding of who we are are in a constant state of flux. And as several of you told us on Facebook, you’re feeling it:
Sometimes, the thing you stay for is too important to let go:
🏠 “The escalating value of my house is what keeps me here more than anything. We bought back when housing was affordable here and it’s basically going to pad my retirement very nicely… however as soon as that day comes, we’ll likely be leaving town in favor of some place more affordable.”
— Zeke Taney
🍎 “I ask myself this regularly, and honestly, the only things keeping me here are the nations highest minimum wage & the fact Seattle Public Schools have the resources we need to see my developmentally delayed daughter gets the help she needs.”
— Christopher Sorensen
❤ “I found the love of my life here on a group camping trip. A year and a half later, we bought our first home together in a lovely neighborhood, where I get to see the mountains and amazing sunsets everyday. I found my community, my frequented hole in the walls, and my extended family of amazing friends. I’m staying for them.”
— Alison Lercher
The reasons we stay in Seattle can be complicated, but a lot of them add up to something simple. We like how reader PhiHo Le put it:
“Changes can be good and bad,” he wrote on Facebook, “but home is home.”
Kudos to everyone who shared out what makes them stay in Seattle this past week! Check out the whole series here, and thanks for all your reflections.
Breakfast for dinner. Whoever said omelettes are for mornings doesn’t know what they’re talking about. Here’s a list of 12 spots where staff won’t bat an eye if you order pancakes after sunset. (The Infatuation Seattle)
Now you see me… Wouldn’t it be sweet if you could get around downtown via a network of almost secret tunnels and passageways — especially when it’s wet and nasty out? Well, you can. Scroll halfway down this story to click through a map of several of ‘em, including the oh-so adventurous sounding Pacific Place Passage and Benaroya skip. (The Seattle Times)
Business update! One of our tech giants just inched ahead of some of those other tech giants. Microsoft is now officially worth more than Alphabet, the company that owns Google. That ranks it below just Apple and Amazon as the third most valuable company in the world. (GeekWire)
Meanwhile, in Miami… An orca named Lolita is still living at Miami’s Seaquarium after members of the Lummi Nation in Western Washington traveled 3,000 miles to try to get her out. Lolita — whom tribe members know as Tokitae — was taken from Penn Cove (south of Oak Harbor) and sold to the park some 47 years ago.
As it turns out, about a third of what’s known as our southern-resident killer whale population was sold to theme parks in the 60s and 70s. Not a big fan of that? Here’s more on the Lummi Nation’s Our Sacred Sea campaign to bring their neighbor home. (The Seattle Times)
TODAY
👋 Make friends over a drawing game and drinks (Ravenna)
🎶 Sway away at the Bellevue Jazz & Blues Festival — through Sunday (Bellevue)
🎟 See a one-woman coming-of-age show on opening night — through June 24 (Capitol Hill)
TOMORROW
🍷 Pair unlimited wine tastings with some wine science (Queen Anne)
🎶 Rock out at the big Upstream Music Fest + Summit — through Sunday (Pioneer Square)
🎶 Rock out some more at the Downstream Music Fest + Art Show — through Sunday (Ballard)
SATURDAY
🗣 Hear a civic “sermon” at Civic Saturday (Beacon Hill)
🎟 See love stories in ballet — multiple dates (Queen Anne)
🎈 Celebrate Pride Month in Burien (Burien)
🛍 Shop strange at Oddmall: Emporium of the Weird — through Sunday (Monroe)
SUNDAY
🎈 Make crepes with your kiddos (Ballard)
🎶 Hear the best of brass at Honk! Fest Northwest — multiple dates (Columbia City)
🎈Get your wiggles out at this Big Backyard 5k and Kids Dash (Redmond)
Going to one of these? Take us with you! Email a pic to [email protected] or tag #theevergrey on Instagram. See more upcoming events on our events page,and add your own events with an Evergrey membership.
We’ll see you in June. 😯 — The Evergrey