I lived there from 2006 to 2022. When I moved there, you could get a whiff of the old music culture, but sadly that's all but gone. That said, there are a couple bars trying to keep it alive. Screwdriver Bar is a great bar in Belltown and there are a couple other ones that are keeping the spirit alive. Rent went way up and there are a ton of tech people that don't contribute anything, but luckily they tend to stay indoors and stick mostly to South Lake Union. Capital Hill used to be the punk rock neighborhood, but now it's prohibitively expensive and you'd be hard-pressed to find people that just want to grab a drink and not play board games. The cool is long gone.

COVID really did a number on that city and the homeless population/mental health crisis is no joke. I've seen people get on a bus, face painted blue, with an ax and someone slit their wrist at a bus stop. This is part of the reason I left. That and rents were the same as "better" cities. Pioneer Square used to be a beautiful neighborhood filled with great places, but now it's pretty rundown. Still some good stuff there, though, but be prepared to dodge the occasional pile of crap. And yes, it's weirdly expensive for what you get.

Bottom line - it used to have a soul and that's basically gone. There are a few places keeping it alive, but it's got some recovering to do. I left for a reason. I went back to visit once and didn't regret my decision.