I need someone to explain this to me because I feel like I’m being gaslit by the entire Seattle metro area.

Some of the wealthiest, smartest, most technologically advanced zip codes on Earth. We can build cloud infrastructure that powers half the internet. We can engineer airplanes. We can put AI into everything.

But somehow: Bacon + Egg + Cheese + Bagel has defeated us as a civilization.

I’ve tried the big hitters. Toasted. Backyard Bagels. Grateful Bread. Eltana. Rachel’s and a lot of others.
I walk in with one simple dream: “Can I get a bacon, egg and cheese on a toasted bagel?” And suddenly I’m negotiating the Treaty of Versailles.
“We have lox?” Great. Not what I asked. “Cream cheese?” Incredible. Do you also sell water?

“Would you like the bagel toasted?” YES And some places DON’T EVEN TOAST IT.

Meanwhile, somewhere in NYC, a bodega with flickering fluorescent lights, a $4.99 ATM fee, and a cat named Tony sleeping on a case of Poland Spring will make you a BEC in 47 seconds that could bring a grown man to tears.

No artisanal aioli. No seasonal schmear. No 25-minute wait.

Just: Bagel. Toasted. Bacon. Egg. Cheese. Salt. Pepper. (Ketchup if you want it). Foil. Done.

And before anyone says, “Seattle isn’t New York…”
I KNOW
I’m not asking for the subway system.
I’m asking you to put an egg on a bagel.

At this point I’m convinced a legitimate NYC style BEC shop in Seattle would cause an economic event. Microsoft employees would abandon Redmond. Amazon would acquire the shop within six months. Bellevue would establish a Bacon Egg & Cheese drone delivery service.

And please don’t send me somewhere serving a “breakfast bagel” with arugula, pickled fennel, herb chèvre, heirloom tomato jam, and a $3 egg add-on.

I respect the creativity. But that is not a BEC! That is what we call a salad wearing a bagel as a hat.

So I’m begging r/AskSeattle: Where is the greasy, salty, cheesy, properly toasted, no-nonsense Bacon Egg & Cheese?

Does it exist? Is there a password?

Because I refuse to believe that Seattle has failed to reverse engineer something every random NYC bodega mastered decades ago.

While I am very angry, this is a genuine question. I feel like I shouldn't have to pay any taxes for city employees that live out of state. It doesn't seem like that big of a request. It just seems... wrong.

Edit: Contact Mayor Wilson if you're also upset. She has the power to fire him. https://www.seattle.gov/mayor/contact

I’m not looking for trendy fusion spots or places that just have good reviews, I want the places where you think, “Yep, this tastes like home.”

Please share: • Your country/region • The restaurant • What dish I absolutely have to order

I’m willing to drive anywhere!!!

Hi my names Saint and three weeks ago, i drove 31hrs from HTX to Seattle with $3k in my bank account, no job lined up, and no place to stay, and knew absolutely no one. I slept in my car for the first three nights, waking up hoping I’d find a way to make it work before the money ran out.

Somehow, it did.

I found an apartment after day three. A week later, I landed a high-paying union job. I’m finally out of survival mode, and for the first time since I got here, I can breathe.

Now comes the part that’s harder than finding a job or a roof: building a life and meeting people in a new city.

I’m 23, pretty active, and trying to actually experience Seattle instead of just working and going home.

I train Brazilian jiu-jitsu, love anything outdoors (hikes, water, road trips, random nature spots), and I’m down to explore the city bars, clubs, live music, places with good energy. I don’t know anyone here yet, so I’m starting from zero.

So I figured I’d ask the people who actually know this place.

Where should someone like me be looking to meet people?

What groups or communities are actually worth joining?

Best spots for BJJ/open mats?

Where do outdoorsy people hang out?

And what are the must-check-out bars or clubs if you’re new and trying to meet people?

I didn’t come here with much, but I came here ready to work and now I’m ready to explore and connect.

If you’ve got recommendations, I’m all ears. Appreciate you, Seattle 🤝

I have lived here for 8+ years and have found every kind of restaurant imaginable except for one that has some great soups.

I do not mean pho.

I also do not mean a measly cup of b.s. offered as a limp afterthought to a deli sandwich.

I want the real shit. The good stuff.

I used to go to this chain restaurant back east called Zoup! on my lunch breaks. It was basically just Chipotle for soup and bread rolls and it was awesome, so it does not need to be a "local Seattle gem." I'll eat in strip mall and I'll like it.

Spiritually, I am a very old man.

EDIT -- Suggestions So Far:

• There is a 4-DAY SOUP FESTIVAL in Fremont, January 29 - February 1! https://www.soupocalypse.com/

• Infinite Soups in Tacoma

• Hopvine Pub in Cap Hill

• Zeitgeist in Georgetown

• Freshy's in West Seattle

• 74th St. Ale House in Phinney Ridge

• Hilltop Alehouse in Queen Anne

• Lockspot Cafe in Ballard

• Serendipity in Magnolia Village

• Snohomish Pie Company

• The Gainsbourg in Greenwood (French Onion + Rotating Bowls)

• Cocoa Banana on Cherry St./Pioneer Square

• The Boiling Point in Mountlake Terrace

• Slim's Last Chance for chili

• Din Tai Fung's chicken soup

• Biang Biang for beef noodle soup

• Heritage African Restaurant in Everett (oxtail soup/stew)

• Friends of Carmela @ Pike Place Market

• Menudo @ Carnitas Michoacan

• Gangnam in Lynwood for soft tofu soup

• Nordstrom's apparently has fire Tomato Bisque

EDIT 2:

It genuinely warms my broth to hear from so many other soup-lovers.

I see on social media that people in Seattle will ask "Is the mountain out"? Or is this just some company marketing?

Every post I've seen that has this is stunning to see the Mountain. Just curious

Since I’ve moved to Seattle, I’ve looked SO hard for a cozy coffee shop. If you search cozy coffee shop you’ll see a bunch of options, but I haven’t found any of them to be actually cozy.

Maybe it’s because I’m from the East coast and cozy must mean something else there (?) but black and white minimalism with uncomfortable chairs and bright lighting is not cozy and inviting to me.

I’m looking for something with comfy chairs, maybe even couches or booths, warm lighting, colorful homey decor, etc. Something that feels like Gilmore Girls, or the coffee shop from Friends. Not a place that looks like they could’ve bought everything from amazon.

Also, does anyone else feel this way?? There were so many places like this at home, I can’t be the only one yearning for it.

Yesterday(Sep 25) I went to QFC at U village for some food, I just got here in Seattle and I’m a student so I don’t have a car. I travel there by bus. I forgot to check the weather report before I go😭so eventually I’m all soaked and the worst part is that all my paper bags that filled with food are falling apart because of the rain. So I ran into a nearby Subway store and asked them for some bags, but they only got paper bags too. And I ran into another vape store and thank god they have some plastic bags, both of the subway and vape store workers didn’t charge me a cent, thank you so much.
And then I ran to my food and found that they are already rolling out of the bags😂, I put all the things into plastic bags as quickly as possible. All of this happened on the middle of the pavement under a tree so I’m feeling quite embarrassed, so many people were crossing over. AND AT THE VERY MOMENT, when I was struggled to put things into plastic bag bags, I heard someone said “Excuse me, excuse me” and I look around, I saw this beautiful lady in a car, waving to me with a canvas bag in her hand. I went up and she was like “ take this” then I realized that it was not just one bag, but two! I looked at her and looked at the bag, I feel like she must be an angel, there was a holy glow radiated from her, I swear. In Chinese, there’s a saying goes “ 雪中送炭”means “ you saved my bacon”. Direct translation is “send charcoal in the snow". means helping someone when they are in urgent trouble. This lady, SEND BAGS IN THE RAIN, she pretty much saved my life. But she refused me when I want to pay her some money for the bags😭😭I still really want to pay back her. So the person who helped me yesterday, if you saw this, please DM me🥹I’ll give you a Chinese gift 🎁 I brought from China!

I just moved to Seattle from Minneapolis a few months ago but I’ve been having this issue of Seattleites just not being good at conversations or interaction? In Minneapolis I can start a conversation based on a simple “hi, how are you” to a complete stranger on the bus but here? People blatantly ignore you, and aren’t very welcoming. This really puts me off because a big part of me growing up is the random conversations I’ve had with people in my neighborhood, on public transit, at school, on the street, and etc.

I’m 23F with about $10k in savings. No debt. I’ve been planning a 2-month temporary move to Seattle this summer. I found a place where I’ll pay $2100 a month 🤢🤢 (subletting from a student, fully furnished)I canwork remotely, so I’d still be working and earning income while I’m there.

This isn’t something I need to do, but it’s something I’ve been saving and planning for. I just think it would be really good for me mentally, physically, even professionally, to step out of my usual environment for a little bit.

With everything going on in the economy lately, I’m starting to feel like maybe this is impulsive and irresponsible. I don’t want to dig myself into a financial hole or look back and think I made a dumb decision.

I’d love to hear from people who’ve done something similar (or considered it). Did it help you grow, or do you regret it?

The worse that could happen is honestly if I get fired, but I just don’t want to live in that fear. But maybe I should? Just needing some reassurance

I grew up in Tennessee, lived 6 years in NYC, 3 years in Bellingham area, and now here for a month.

I’ve noticed that Seattlites like to stand directly in the path of other people. Movies? Group right in front of the door (that do politely get out of the way when they see you)

Group of people standing that encompasses a whole sidewalk, etc

Maybe it’s from being in NYC..it’s wild for me out here, if you did that in Manhattan people would actually yell at you.

Despite only being the 18th biggest city in the USA, it has the third worst homelessness problem behind NYC and Los Angeles. The homeless population has grown 1.6x since 10 years ago.

Also, does the growing problem of homelessness concern most residents?

Seattle freeze?
People are nicer in Seattle than any place I’ve ever been. Everyone loves talking. Socializing. People seem happy here.
Traffic? Sort of. In certain neighborhoods at rush hour. Similar to most cities of its size.
Expensive? Moved here from Portland which is as or more expensive.
Yeah, going for a glass of wine in the wrong neighborhood can result in very expensive. But the whole city isn’t like that.
Need to find your spots.

Here is my ask Seattle question:
Was it like that before but not now?
Was it never like that?

Most of the complaints I’ve heard are from people of Portland which is where I was born and raised.
I’ve been hearing about how terrible Seattle is since I was born.

I just love it. It’s interesting, jaw dropping beautiful, melancholy, intellectual, funny, different and has a lot of soul.

I like it, but why?

We love going on weekend trips to Vancouver BC and would love to hear what else y’all do when you make the drive up.

Some stuff we’ve discovered is way cheaper in Vancouver and worth the drive

• Sushi omakase (or sushi in general), and restaurants in general. So many good restaurants!

• IKEA furniture (recent discovery—same exact thing in Canada is around 50% cheaper!)

• Arcteryx (they have a “outlet” store in North Van at headquarters, but also most Arcteryx stores around the city also have on-sale racks)

• Lululemon, Aritzia, other Canadian brands

• T&T (even though it just opened in Bellevue, Canadian one is still the best value)

Any other stores or things you recommend to take advantage of while the exchange rate is good?

I love to dance, I love loud music, and as a 29F I am fighting with everything I've got against this narrative that no one knows how to enjoy a night out anymore without being glued to their phone judging people all night! I've seen enough evidence to the contrary, enough to keep hope alive! There's plenty of us out there shaking ass! Give me all the cool spots you've been to! Tried and true!!

Edit: OH MY GOSH! I will be dancing TILL I DROP In honor of all of you!!! This is incredible! I didn't think there was this much to choose from! Holy smokes! Seattle always comes through!! 🎉🎉🎉

This has happened many times especially in stores when browsing aisles. Been living here a year, before this in Wisconsin and Illinois. I’ve noticed if I’m unintentionally in someone’s way instead of saying excuse me, they’ll just stand there awkwardly until I move. I’m typically aware of my surroundings but it seems unreasonable to be 100% on my A game when shopping at the store. I’ve gotten dirty looks for saying excuse me in kind tone.

I’m used to an interaction that goes like this “Ope, ‘scuse me” then “Ope I’m sorry” then “thanks”. And everyone moves on. What’s the proper etiquette here?

I know people complain about it a lot, but I honestly feel calmer during the gray days. Everything slows down, there’s less pressure to be constantly doing something, and it feels more okay to just exist. Sunny days are nice too, but the overcast vibe feels very Seattle and kinda grounding. Curious if other people feel this way or if it’s just me adapting.

Looking for bars you all think the fifa fans will be at? I don’t care about sports but I do like a man with an accent and a return flight. Where should I focus my hunting?

Anybody else dealing with this situation? I'm at a loss for words. I'm a great tenant and don't understand how someone could choose short term gain over a long term loyal tenant.

South Seattle.

It’s like North Seattle.

But south.

When I say south Seattle, people are always thinking of entire cities south OF Seattle. Federal way, Tacoma, Kent, auburn, Renton, etc.

But when I say south Seattle, I mean the neighborhoods in the southern part of Seattle. Georgetown, South Park, beacon hill, Columba city, rainier beach, genessee, othello, mt baker, etc.

When people say north Seattle, I think of neighborhoods in the northern part of Seattle. Ravenna, greenwood, Ballard, lake city, north gate, u district, Roosevelt, laurelhurst, etc.

I would not think of shoreline, Everett, lynnwood, etc because those are all separate cities. Not Seattle. So they can’t be north Seattle. They can be north OF Seattle. But not north Seattle. Cuz they aren’t Seattle…

So why do others think of separate cities when I specifically state south Seattle?

If it’s a separate city, then it’s not south Seattle. It’s just whatever city south OF Seattle they’re thinking about.

Seattle is more than its northern counterparts.

Justice for south seattle.

I know that this sub is probably 99% transplants, but I'll give it a shot anyways! I'm in my 20s, and I was born and raised here; I went to elementary, middle and high school here. I think my feeling is due to two related phenomenons. The first is that over the past two decades, but especially in the most recent decade, Seattle's had a remarkable rate of growth. This rate has often topped the country. The second, consequent of the first, is the transplant to native ratio: this study in 2022 showed that only 35% of Seattle residents were born in Washington-not even the city itself, but the state. We are the number 3 transplant city in the US, in fact!

When I was a child, growing up here, I never considered Seattle to be one of "those" cities, a magnet city like SF, LA, or NYC, but rather a quirky, homely city that was pretending to be a big magnet city. Obviously, this has never been the case, as Seattle has always been a city of transplants... but I wonder, fellow natives, if you felt the same thing in your childhood?

I think this is partially due to the fact that there seems to be two Seattles: the hip Seattle (i.e., the only neighborhoods that ever get mentioned here, in the other Seattle subs, and in real life amongst transplants--SLU, Capitol Hill, Ballard, Colombia City, etc.) and the rest of Seattle, the parts that transplants, esp. young-ish ones, almost never go to. These are the hilly neighborhoods of cozy single-family housing which, apart from their main streets, don't have bars, nor yoga studios... Well, I grew up in "the rest of Seattle". When I was old enough to go to the parts of town that had nightlife, like Capitol Hill, those areas had already been completely taken over by transplants. The study I linked earlier says that only 11% of people that live in Capitol Hill were born in Washington, and I bet only about 5% were born in Seattle proper.

Now take all of that, and combine it with the visual aspect of the transformation--the hundreds, literal hundreds, of historic places being torn down and replaced with aesthetically repulsive cookie-cutter apartments for transplants to live in.

Any natives that have felt the same as me?

Edit:

About 5% of the comments actually read and responded to my question. The rest of the commenters have hallucinated and thought that I wrote some diatribe against transplants.

To be clear: I am asking a question that is specifically addressed to Seattle natives. If that isn't you, please refrain from replying.

Edit 2-sorry, I should clarify my first edit-the reason I emphasized that I was asking Seattle natives was to ward off the snide, knee-jerk reactions I was getting in this thread (presumably from recent transplants). Again, to be clear: I am being descriptive (the city has changed a lot, partially due to transplants) and not prescriptive (NIMBYism, transplants are a bad thing, etc.)

The whole reason I posted this was to get input from people who had been here for a sufficiently long enough time to witness significant change. So please, if that’s you, share your thoughts :)

these things do nothing other than move leaves from one location to another, produce annoying noise, and pollute

Thanks for clicking on this post, I'm sure these questions are annoying.

Me: late 30s F, black, single, no children. Modest lifestyle but would like to live without roommates and feel comfortable to save, and maybe visit a restaurant occasionally. One dog, one car. Minimal local support system so neighborhood/location is important.

Am in negotiations and am currently at $102k total comp w/a $90k base.

Is this workable? I'm coming from Chicago, earning less income than I would like (~$60k last year) and am tired of feeling financial anxiety (of which I'm currently experiencing the weight of). Having my own place is a priority.

Thank you, again, for reading. I appreciate any guidance and expertise you can offer.

ETA: Last salaried, non-contract job was at $75k in 2018 in Flatbush, Brooklyn (w/two roommates), and that felt relatively comfortable.

ETA 2: I am grateful and overwhelmed by all of these responses. Thank you so much! I'm working a double today, but plan on engaging with the responses when I am off work. Thank you again.