Since arriving from NW Indiana almost 20 years, I’ve noticed a chill in the local social climate. Seattleites are polite. Even nice! But a lot of Seattleites are not easy to meet in the short term or get to know in the long term.
Unlike the warmth and sensuality of Miami and San Francisco for example, a lot of people in the Seattle area are reserved and standoffish. The climate is like that of a business social: friendly, even light hearted at times, but not warm and welcoming. It's comparable to the customer service you get at a top of the line restaurant and bar, where the waitperson or bartender is polite, even nice, in order to encourage you to tip them or put in a good word to the manager.
A few theories have been offered to explain this cool, from the social reserve of the dominant Scandinavian and Asian cultures, to the nerd-and-geek culture produced by the local technology and research industrial complexes. This cool shoulder has been discussed by the Seattle Times and native Puget Sounder Knute Berger, among others.
If you didn't know any Seattle history, you'd never know the Lusty Lady on 1st Avenue remains in the heart of what used to be known as “Flesh Avenue.” From the late 19th century to the early 80s, Flesh Ave featured topless clubs, adult bookstores, theaters showing sexually explicit movies, and prostitution. Talk about heat. That isn't Seattle's reputation today!
To be sure, Seattle has places and activities that are pockets of warm and heat, such as the 1st Avenue strip and Seattle Hempfest. But the Seattle area is no Honolulu or Vegas. Anyone need a hug?
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