Shota Nakajima. Photograph: Carlton Canary
For a fleeting moment early in 2020, Seattle seemed powerless. A lethal virus, circulating for weeks undetected, with no cure in sight? Time to turn off our sun lamps and throw on Pearl Jam’s “Black.” Instead, in the nearly two years since Covid-19 arrived here, the city has leaned on its political, cultural, technological, and scientific might to crush curves and summon a more resilient path forward. Influence has revealed itself in both traditionally overlooked cliques (infectious disease doctors, who knew!) and the usual suspects (hello, tech titans). In this latest iteration of Seattle life, their power can be seen all around us.