As summer is now upon us, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to talk about how important it is to slow down, take some time, enjoy the long days, the sunshine, the great outdoors, the moments that make up our lives. I probably need this reminder more than anyone. In our culture, all too often we get caught up in work, in endless activities, meetings, timelines and it’s easy to lose sight of why we are doing all of this.
Most of us don’t drink enough water, 8 glasses a day is needed, yet this is our body’s most necessary nutrient. We don’t get up to stretch, to walk, to exercise enough, and we often don’t eat enough of the right foods, or take enough time to reflect, to meditate, to savor the moment. But just like a mechanical object, a machine, this neglect can lead to breakdown. All of our to-do lists, or successes will mean nothing if at the end of the day, we have neglected our own spirit.
We must take care of ourselves, and our community too.

With vacations and garden wandering on the mind, it's a tough time to think about business. Afterall, our great outdoors, water, mountains and land beckon. But the work of continuing to build our downtown doesn't go on vacation. With the new Tulalip Casino open, the Everett Mall redevelopment beginning, and the new Events Center soon to be open, downtown will need to work hard to keep itself in the forefront of people's hearts and minds. We have much to offer and one of our greatest challenges is communicating what we do offer. Let's start now.

Now that the kids are out of school for the summer, it's time to plan fun excursions around town. Check out the Children's Museum, the Arts Council store and gallery, The Everett Performing Arts Center, the historic Everett Theatre, the YMCA for swimming and lots of fun things for kids to do, and of course all the great parks you'll find in our city. Don't forget the shops in downtown Everett, or the great places to eat.

I'm calling today's theme "Downtown Treasures.” That’s because I continue to find truly wonderful places and events going on in and around downtown. This week, it’s the new Everett Farmer’s Market, the Garden’s of Merit Tour, and the Gaylord House Bed & Breakfast and the Silent’s Please at historic Everett Theatre.. You'llfind detailed information on the Events page, and in the Your News Section. New items being added all the time.

With so many opportunities that lie ahead in our community, I would like to encourage us all to work together, to shop local, to find out about the business next door or down the street, or around the corner. Downtown Everett has so much to offer from great restaurants to retail to specialty shops to dry cleaners, to dentists, banks, law firms, print shops and more. And it all comes with a great view, and less hassle than other places. Enjoy downtown Everett.

Downtown Everett has a lot to offer and soon, you'll find it all right here. Enjoy your visit today.

After you review this site, please let us know what you think. You should also know that this site was created by me, as a totally volunteer and independent community service project and, as of yet, without funding from any source. It springs out of the many volunteer activities I have undertaken. It is my goal to augment and support the various downtown groups, organizations, activities and businesses, some of which I have listed here. The opinions and ideas reflected here are solely mine and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or ideas of the organizations or people which I serve or have listed here. My listing of any group does not constitute their endorsement of these ideas unless expressly stated. As this effort grows, I hope you will support this endeavor and help me to make it a valuable resource for our community. Enjoy your visit.

This is our temporary home, so please excuse the various signs of construction. We are building our permanent website which will go live soon. In the meantime, please take a look around. You can still find a wealth of information about downtown, and, we'll post ideas, comments and suggestions, here, to keep you updated about downtown news, events and issues.