Namsayin’s Chinatown/International District Car Show

“Community over cars”

Some of you may know, many of you don’t, but I was born here, no, not just in Seattle, but here, in fact literally just a couple of blocks away from King’s Barbecue House, and I lived there for 28 years. This is my community, this is my culture.

I think that’s the reason that Namsayin’s CID Car Show brought out so many emotions in me. Seeing my love for cars, and my love for my neighborhood unite flooded me with optimism I don’t normally have.

See, this event brought a lot of “car people” out to Chinatown (and bits of Koreatown and Japantown), but it also had an effect you don’t often see. It brought out a lot of “non-car people” too. And this is where the magic happened. Seeing a generation of folk seldom seen near 90’s modified JDM cars show actual interest, taking photos, and sharing smiles brought out a smile in me.

The event was amusingly timed with a Taylor Swift concert, which brought out a different group of people as well, the Swifties, as I believe they are affectionally referred to. To my surprise, many of them walked through the show as well, taking photos and selfies as they passed by cool and different cars, something I never thought I’d see.

Even though Namsayin’s magic had the power to bring all walks of life to this event, it did another thing rarely seen. It brought subcultures together. Pictured above is a Chevy Lowrider, across the street from an NA1 NSX, not only would it be a miracle to see these on the same day, seeing them parked together is almost an impossibility. The cultures don’t usually intermingle, not due to hatred or any animosity, but because there’s a common thought that they just… wouldn’t be interested in eachothers’ culture. This event proved that wrong immediately.

“Community Over Cars”, Namsayin's slogan, A mission statement if you will. A promise, and a pledge, something to stand for. That statement doesn’t diminish the value of the car, it strengthens the value of the community. Reminds us that we are people, not likes on an instagram post, not shares on a tiktok, but people, capable and eager to build new relationships with one another, and ready to share our common interests.

Thank you Namsayin, this was a beautiful endeavor.

Check out Namsayin’s Podcast “Namsayin: Cars & Convos” here.
Find their Instagram: @namsayin

I’d also like to shout out @nwmotiv if you’re interested in another company that emphasizes culture and community over the car and social media itself.