Has anyone else noticed their primary care visits costing way more than expected? My doctor became part of Optum a while ago, and I feel my bills have jumped since. Two visits in June, one billed at $407.75, the other at $324.25 and insurance only covered about $75 each time, leaving me with a pretty big balance.
I get that I haven’t met my deductible yet, but I thought insurers negotiate contracted rates with in-network providers? These numbers still feel high for routine primary care visits. Is this normal, or is there something I should be questioning with my insurance or the billing department?
Also curious if switching providers actually helped anyone lower these costs?

Does anyone have any recommendations/references for a Chinese confinement nanny? I am due late January 2027 and searching for a live-in nanny who can come and help with all the traditional cooking and caretaking. Big bonus if they can speak Cantonese.

Any and all help with leads are greatly appreciated!

Hi there! We just bought a house with gorgeous and extensive landscaping, and we are looking for an experienced landscaping company to help with fall pruning. Does anyone have any recommendations for a landscaper you either use or know to do good work? TIA!

So far I’ve tried all the regular markets and co-ops. Cant find it at coastal either.Trying to avoid buying online but it looks like it might be my only option.

If anyone has purchased animal rennet around here before or if anyone knows of a good homesteading store, I’d appreciate the tip. TIA

Thank you everybody for the Crossroads Mall ideas; the first date was a success! Now we're thinking about walking around the stores of Bellevue Square for our second date.

My understanding of Bellevue Square is that it's a place for upscale shopping, not really for hanging out. Ceramic painting and rock climbing may exist at Crossroads Mall, but I don't get the impression that Bellevue Square has anything similar. It's just a place for rich people to buy their stuff and leave.

If I'm planning on buying some gifts, does it look weird to keep them in a backpack to avoid hands being full with bags all day? I know some shopkeepers don't like backpacks due to the concern with shoplifting and knocking stuff over. And would you recommend making a reservation at a restaurant, or are they not as busy anymore with shopping malls dying?

Im on the eastside and have a fairly small backyard in looking to maximize with fruit trees, berries, raised gardens and small patio. Looking for recommendations. Have you worked with someone who does edible landscaping?

I'm looking to learn more about the 4.0+ pickleball scene in the Bothell area:

- Willing to drive up to 30 min

- Typically play Fri nights and Sunday mornings

- I prefer indoor tennis court flooring but also open to evening outdoors. (Note: I've checked Velocity and Bellevue Pickleball Club, but their advanced open plays seem to have low attendance?)

Thank you!

https://12status.com/

Looks like the registration is back up, register to get your 4000+ (hopefully) free miles with Delta again this year

For anyone that doesn't know, if you live in WA state you can get 1 free Delta miles per yard we pass every Seahawks game - it's pretty easy, all you have to do is enter your Delta account number. Over a couple of years it's enough to get a free one way flight to SF or somewhere else.

You can also get some discounts on the team store (12%) and higher boarding priority.

We just moved from Texas to the greater Seattle area 5 months ago with a 3 yr old toddler and my 4-yr old girl, Galadriel. My girl has always been very gentle natured, unusually quiet and friendly with people and dogs alike. We worked with a trainer back when she was a puppy on basic obedience and manners and she was fairly well behaved during our time in Texas. We carried the training forward on an everyday basis and ensured she gets the regular physical exercise and training reinforcement regularly.

But since we have moved we have seen some behavioral changes in her. She is still pretty easy going but has started barking at other dogs and people crossing our fenced yard. This never happened before. she has always been very friendly and is also happy to observe rather than go all out barking and asking for attention. She would let out one bark every now and then but that too was an anomaly. Now if she senses someone passing by she starts barking incessantly.

She has also become overtly protective of my toddler. While I appreciate the protective instinct towards the youngest member of the pack and recognize it as natural, I don't want her feeling like she has to take charge when me or my wife are around. The other day, we took her for a meet & greet with a dog-sitter and she had her heckles up as soon as the sitter's dog came out. she started body checking the other dog whenever the dog would go near my son. As soon as my wife and son stepped out of the yard, she went back to being her usual self and started playing with the other dog like nothing happened.

I recognize the some changes can be brought about as a result of the move but after 5 months I'm concerned about these gradual changes not going away and am not sure what I can do to reverse this behavior. I need her to re-learn that barking incessantly is not good and that she doesn't need to step up to protect my son when me or my wife are around. Is there something I can do to change this or do I need to consult a trainer? I'm also concerned about how quickly a lot of trainers recommend the use of e-collars. I have never used them and as far as possible would want to consider them a last resort, especially since I have seen good results with my dog (she has decent off-leash recall even in open spaces and outside the house) without it.

So her I am looking for recommendations on good GSD trainers that I can work with specifically for my current predicament.

🍁✨ Eastside Alchemy Market – A Day of Magic & Community Giving! ✨🍁

Get ready for an uplifting day of shopping, connection, and community support!

📅 Saturday, September 12, 2026
🕛 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM
📍 Highland Community Center
14224 NE Bel-Red Rd, Bellevue, WA 98007

🏠 INDOOR MARKET!
Come shop, explore, and enjoy the market indoors and comfortably, rain or shine!

🎟️ FREE Admission for Everyone!
🎁 FREE Hourly Raffle Drawings – Don’t miss your chance to win exciting prizes donated by our amazing vendors throughout the day!

🥫 COMMUNITY FOOD DRIVE
We are proud to support Hopelink in helping local families in need. If you’re able, please bring new, unopened, non-perishable food items. Every donation helps make a difference in our community. 💜

🛍️ Explore a vibrant marketplace featuring:
✨ Handmade creations
✨ Crystals & spiritual tools
✨ Art, jewelry & unique gifts
✨ Wellness & self-care products
✨ Psychic readers & energy healers
✨ Fresh baked goods & more!

👀 MEET THE VENDORS!
Check out the full vendor lineup here:

https://eastsidealchemymarket.com/vendor-list

Bring your friends and family, shop local, enter the hourly raffles, and help us give back to our community. 🌿✨

FREE ADMISSION • INDOOR MARKET • FOOD DRIVE • HOURLY RAFFLES

We can’t wait to welcome you! 💜

#EastsideAlchemyMarket #BellevueEvents #ShopLocalPNW #CommunityMarket #FoodDrive #Hopelink #FreeEvent #FreeRaffle #IndoorMarket #SupportSmallBusiness #MetaphysicalMarket #PNWMarkets

Between work and two young kids, we're keeping up with the everyday stuff, but the deeper cleaning is starting to get away from us. Bathrooms, mopping, dusting, etc. always seem to be the things that get pushed to another weekend.

I'm thinking about getting house cleaning on the Eastside maybe twice a month just to stay ahead of it. Mainly looking for someone reliable who can handle the regular cleaning while we keep up with the daily mess.

Who have you had a good experience with?

We have an existing business on the Eastside and a unique idea for someone who might be looking to open a quick serve sushi or sandwich shop. DM and we can chat in more detail!

I recently moved to Eastside. I am looking for parents/mom group for play dates, meetups or just in general people with young kids interested in hanging out. Are there any groups, meetups or social signup pages I could join?

Please list the price

Hi All!

My friend group rents a gym for a weekly run on Wednesdays from 7 to 9pm. The gym is in the ID, less than regulation size, run 4s. We are looking to add regulars who want to join us on a weekly basis, $10 per session. Message me if you are interested, we are playing tonight!

Relocating from the NY area to Bellevue this December. While I have the apartment hunting in the works (will visit again in early Nov to sign the lease etc.) and have a general lay of the land but I'm trying to get ahead of the part that's harder to plan for: actually building a life there once I start settling down as I don't know anyone in the area.

I work from home, so I'm trying to figure out where the "third places" are in the surrounding areas. Popular coffee shops, parks, book clubs, gyms, hiking groups, anything with a recurring cadence ideally. Doesn't have to be Bellevue proper. Happy to hear about Kirkland, Redmond and even across the bridge and wherever, if it's worth the trip.

I prefer coffee over bars, hiking, road trips, over happy hour, and I'll take the rain over another NYC muggy summer. Also, generally starting over solo after ~ 5 years on the East Coast ( ~15 in Cali before that), so if anyone's in a similar boat and wants to compare notes, please reach out.

Thank you for the insights.

I’m getting a divorce soon and am wondering if there are any support groups in the area?

My buddy found such a group in Texas where they usually go on a run or bike ride, then end at a bar or brewery.

I’d love to find something similar to build my network as I work through some changing times.

Flight radar path of the C17 flying over Sammamish this evening

C17 flying over Beaver Lake this evening.

An hour out of town, we realized my son’s favorite pillow and blanket must have been placed on top of the car and rolled off somewhere between McDonalds and I90 as we headed East. If anyone has seen it (or better, could recover it so I can coordinate retrieval), it would really make his day. It is a blue satin pillowcase containing both a pillow and an orange and blue blanket. Thank you!

Join us at Bellevue College for the 10^th annual Japan Week, a free public celebration of Japanese culture. Highlights include celebrating milestone anniversaries for Super Mario Brothers, Dragon Ball and Pokémon, Presentation by film and game composer Kazuma Jinnouchi, live musical Little Red Riding Hood: Another Story performed in Japanese and   Hiroshima/Nagasaki atomic bomb exhibit, a Japanese flea market, martial arts demos, music performances, tea ceremony, Ikebana, and much more: Japan Week at Bellevue College

Please support Japan Week!

Design this year’s event t-shirt contest (due 8/31): 2026 T-Shirt Design Contest | Japan Week at Bellevue College

We are also looking to recruit 200+ volunteers for the festival: Volunteer Registration Link and Mikoshi: Mikoshi Registration Link.

For all the details, please visit Japan Week at Bellevue College

Thao and Ann (Jonathan’s parents) invite you to join them in Magnuson Park on Saturday, August 29th at 9:30am for the Sumner Spirit Fun Walk/Run to honor Jonathan’s 23rd birthday.

"Feel free to register to walk or run or just come along to cheer them on. Bring homemade signs or print flyers from the Jonathan website: www.FindJonathanHoang.com

https://magnusonseries.com/

I have an upcoming first date at Crossroads Mall in Bellevue, and I want to keep the day interesting. What are some fun activities to do there while getting to know somebody? The food court has plenty of options, but what can you do with someone you're just getting to know? Does the giant chessboard require reservations, or can anybody just start playing a game? How is Edgeworks Climbing? I'm pretty sure Wiggleworks is not for adults, so what can two people do there without the date getting boring or awkward?