Here are a few pointers to help you feel at home within this thriving city and Indian community.
Where to stay?
Seattle is one of the fastest growing cities in North America with a variety of options to rent or buy depending on your budget and factors like the location of your office, public transit commute etc. Apartments are plenty and vary in the type of amenities offered like covered underground parking, gyms, swimming pools, amazon lockers etc. Almost all of them have grocery stores within convenient accessible distance. You may choose to reside in the core neighborhoods in and around Seattle downtown or extend to the Greater Seattle Area such as Bellevue, Redmond, Duvall, Woodinville, Factoria, Issaquah, Sammamish, Bothell, Lynnwood, Renton to name a few. If you are planning to buy a house, we recommend working with an agent. The market is a booming one with rising prices.
Indian groceries
There is a scattered range of Indian grocery stores in the major suburbs such as Mayuri, Apna Bazar, Shalimar, Swagath, Maurya. These cater to some fresh produce including those not available in regular supermarkets as well a wide selection of packaged and frozen Indian snacks. You can also find items like Desi Bangla Ghee, Muri, Kasundi, Maggi, Horlicks, Cerelac in these outlets. Indian fish (and some types of Bengali fish) is available in IFB or Mayuri, with not much of a difference in quality. As a perk, you may also find basic Puja essentials and Havan Samgri items in some of these stores throughout the year, and additional special items stocked during major festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi, Durga Pujo and Diwali.
Indian food and snacks
Seattle is home to a vibrant variety of restaurants serving Indian cuisine (non-veg and veg) ranging from South Indian to authentic Hyderabadi, Punjabi and Indo Chinese food. There are chaat houses that specifically cater for snacks. If you are looking to satisfy your sweet tooth, restaurants like Mayuri bakery have Indian sweets throughout the year and also seasonal packets for Diwali or Ganesh Chaturthi. While there are no specific Bengali food stores, there are professional caterers who can provide for occasions, weekly food supplies or tiffin services within the community.
Ethnic dresses
You can find a few stores in the Redmond, Crossroads Bellevue and Kent area selling Indian wear and accessories. Some boutique offerings operate from within their homes as well.
Bollywood and regional cinema
Lincoln Square cinemas screens popular Bollywood movies and other regional cinema including selective Bengali ones throughout the year. Regal Meridian in downtown Seattle is another good option as well. Uttoron launched its own film festival in 2019, which was huge success and hopes to carry over the tradition in 2020 as well. Parks and recreation Surrounded by lakes and mountains, Seattelites are really lucky to have a myriad of options for parks with ample play area for kids, picnic settings, and beach area for those located near lakes. Gas Works and Discovery Park for example offer majestic views of the beautiful Seattle skyline. Outside the core city, Marymoor, Glass Lawn and Lake Sammamish State Park are great options and get quite busy in summers. You can find their ratings online and many more park options based on your location of choice. There are indoor areas within the Alderwood, Tukwila or the Bellevue Square mall that come in handy during the winter. The Children’s museum in Armory, Seattle Centre is amazing as well. Festivals and events – Uttoron calendar Uttoron welcomes all from our greater community and beyond to come join us in celebrating our first festival of 2020 - Saraswati Pujo. We will have more exciting events coming up through the year like Boishakhi, annual picnic, Durga Pujo. You can check our Facebook page for more information.
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