‘The guts of Seattle is open’: Video gives hopeful view of downtown after a 12 months of pandemic ache

(YouTube screenshot via Downtown Seattle Association)

Washington state’s move on Monday in Phase 3 of its COVID-19 recovery plan made the Downtown Seattle Association for business. The group released a new video announcing that “the heart of Seattle is open and beating strong.”

Doors – and the roof of T-Mobile Park – fly open throughout the video as it sweeps in from Pike Place Market to Pioneer Square and everywhere in between awaiting customers to return.

To a dramatic score by violinist Tyler Kwak, the video offers tempting insights into the food and drinks served. Museums are open and the monorail is racing past MoPOP. A fish is ready to fly in the market and shoppers are seen entering Nordstrom.

Jon Scholes, President and CEO of DSA, can be seen at the end of the video on the Space Needle observation deck. With the Seattle skyline in the background, Scholes appears to be beckoning people to join him in the city.

The mood is very optimistic as COVID-19 vaccines continue to be given, big tech companies discuss their plans to reoccupy offices, and spring brings some hope after a year of pandemics.

The video looks very different from what DSA produced last April with the message “The heart of our city is calm”. This video, viewed nearly 500,000 times on YouTube, captured boarded up businesses and empty streets as Seattle residents stayed home to help contain the spread of the coronavirus.

Since then, downtown Seattle has suffered from office emptying in favor of remote work and the stalling of tourism and events.

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According to the DSA, its own follow-up has logged the closings of 265 permanent street-level business locations in Seattle since early 2020, including 183 in downtown. This was offset by a few new companies that were still opening or announcing their intention during the pandemic, including 113 in the city center.

There are more than 300,000 jobs and more than 80,000 residents in downtown Seattle, according to the DSA. In its State of Downtown 2021 economic report in February, DSA said that downtown lost 45,000 jobs in the second quarter of 2020 and ended the year with about 20,000 fewer jobs compared to the first quarter.

Phase 3 of Washington’s recovery includes new levels of capacity for indoor restaurants, limited spectator numbers at sporting events, and more.