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Amazon employee Ashley Brunner hugs a giant (fake) bear from the Chamber of Connection, a new civic organization in Seattle, on Wednesday in South Lake Union. (GeekWire Photo / Kurt Schlosser)
Whether or not you subscribe to the notion that the “Seattle Freeze” is definitely a real thing, there was no denying the realness of a giant bear hanging out near Amazon’s offices in South Lake Union on Wednesday.
OK, so the bear was fake, and was actually a guy in a bear suit, but it looked real and cute enough to stop tech workers and others in their tracks along Terry Avenue at lunchtime.
And that was the point. To stop and engage, smile, connect. And to disrupt the status quo that says Seattle puts off a chilly vibe to newcomers and can be an unwelcoming place.
“I’ve never seen Terry Avenue this lit up!” said Lakshmi B., an Amazon vet and a volunteer with U.S. Chamber of Connection, a new civic organization that is using Seattle as its pilot city in a bid to help repair the social connections that it believes are lacking in modern society.
A real dog takes a cautious approach to a fake bear in Seattle. (GeekWire Photo / Kurt Schlosser)
Over the course of two hours on a cold and grey day, dozens of people stopped to hug the bear, give it a high five, snap a selfie or pose for photos taken by co-workers. Dogs barked at the bear and sniffed at its legs. A pair of workers said they spotted the bear from their office above the street and had to come down to see what it was all about.
Charlotte Massey, director of community building at Chamber of Connection, said the bear’s biggest success prior to Wednesday was hanging out at the Ballard Farmers Market.
“People are ready to hug,” she said.
Asked if he was ready to hug, Aaron Chasan, the guy in the bear suit, said, “Yes, absolutely.”
As the bear moved in a small circle, trying its best to give big hugs and side hugs, Massey shouted to anyone willing to listen on their walk past. Plenty of people breezed right by, either exhibiting Freeze tendencies or because they were actually freezing on a 40-degree day in January.
“We’re trying to turn the Seattle Freeze into the Seattle Bear Hug!” she said. “We’ll make Seattle the most welcoming city in the U.S.! That’s the goal!”
The bear strikes out with a group not interested in hugs. (GeekWire Photo / Kurt Schlosser)
As Amazon has grappled with the thorny issue of bringing corporate and tech workers back to the office five days a week, many in its ranks have expressed little to smile about. They’ve protested a loss of remote-work flexibility and a return to time-sucking commutes.
But the bear wasn’t out there to cheer up the RTO crowd — as much as that appeared to be working. The hope was that the Chamber of Connection could show people how nice it can feel to pick your head up from a phone, or slip off your headphones and say “hi” to a stranger. Even a large furry one.
And the group was actively promoting “Seattle Welcome Day,” a monthly interactive, community-driven event aimed at newcomers and people who feel like newcomers in the city, to help foster connections with others who share similar interests and goals. The events are held Saturdays at Town Hall, and the next one is Feb. 8.
Humans and bears love selfies. (GeekWire Photo / Kurt Schlosser)
Ashley Brunner has been in Seattle for about 12 years, and she called the Seattle Freeze “super real.”
“It took me a while to build a community in Seattle. I just had to find my places,” said Brunner, who works at Amazon. “It can take some time to make friends, and this is especially a hard time of year, as people want to be inside. With the lack of sun I don’t feel like people are as social or friendly in general.”
Brunner said she thinks people are eager to make connections, and she referenced studies that stress how our happiness is directly correlated with the amount and quality of friendships that we have.
“I know it can be challenging to break in, especially with more established communities,” she said. “So to have a space [like Chamber of Connection] where newer folks can all come together to connect, sounds like a good idea.”
She also said it was good to step out of her “little bubble” every day.
“It’s nice to have these little engaging moments to just change it up and make it a little bit more fun coming into work,” Brunner said.
Amazon employee BB Santiful is all smiles as he cozies up to the bear. (GeekWire Photo / Kurt Schlosser)
BB Santiful has been at Amazon just six months, and after 27 years in Seattle he said he’s never personally experienced the Freeze. But he hears about it all the time.
“All my interactions with the people I’ve met in night life, or just in general, have always come across so nice and genuine,” Santiful said. “So when people talk about Seattle Freeze, I personally have never seen it.”
John Baltazar moved from Southern California and has been at Amazon two years.
“Trying to meet local folks here is definitely tough,” said Baltazar, adding that he thinks it’s easier to connect with fellow transplants. But he often finds they don’t stay long-term and he has to “start all over, friendship wise.”
But he does plan to stay.
“It’s started to grow on me. First three months, it was depressing, but as soon as I got more outdoorsy and explored outside of Seattle, I started loving it,” Baltazar said.
Keep scrolling for more photos:
Lakshmi B., left, and Charlotte Massey watch as Aaron Chasan gets into his bear suit for U.S. Chamber of Connection’s Seattle Freeze-fighting activation on Wednesday in Seattle. (GeekWire Photo / Kurt Schlosser)
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