If gray days are getting you down, take a walk in downtown Everett and treat yourself to some fancy coffee.
One of the happiest parts of my jury-duty experience this fall was exploring downtown Everett over my lunch break. Usually I’d have an hour, but sometimes the judge would give us longer. I was grateful for this bit of joy during an extremely difficult trial. The simple pleasure of walking around downtown and stopping for a cup of coffee was a huge mood booster.
Flowers might not be the first thing you think about when you picture Everett, but I saw a lot of them on my lunch break. Everett’s sidewalks are wide, expansive and easy to maneuver. Take a stroll and you’ll see interesting architecture, well-kept planters and the occasional glimpse of Mount Baker, all in one jaunt.
On a blustery day, it’s nice to warm up with a hot beverage. Narrative Coffee on Wetmore Avenue is right by the courthouse. My favorite thing to order there is the gluten-free granola. Narrative Coffee is so delicious, that while I was on jury duty, the victim’s family started stopping by there too. As a juror, I was supposed to avoid them whenever possible, so that forced me to look for other coffee shops to patronize.
Lucky me, Nadines Coffee House is also on Wetmore Avenue. It has a speakeasy feel about it, like you’ve stumbled into an exclusive cocktail joint, only the cocktails are bespoke coffee drinks. I couldn’t tell you what I ordered, but it was delicious and had a citrus peel on top. I remember wishing I was there on a leisurely date with my husband instead of by myself.
Kindred Kitchen on Broadway is a place to grab coffee and turn your life around. As part of HopeWorks, it offers job training to people who were once homeless or who need a fresh start. My favorite order is the London Fog, which is an Earl Grey latte. Kindred Kitchen also offers to-go dinner kits, which are so cool that they deserve their own column. Watch for that in upcoming weeks.
Paesano’s Coffee & Cafe on Colby Avenue not only serves coffee and pastries, but they also had fresh flowers for sale the day I visited. I wanted to buy some but thought I’d look like a weirdo walking back into the courtroom holding a bouquet. Still, it was cheery drinking my cappuccino next to the flowers; the exact type of pick-me-up I needed.
One place I wanted to buy coffee but couldn’t was Choux Choux Bakery on Grand Avenue. The line was almost out the door! I knew I’d never make it back to the courthouse in time. But wow, that pastry display case could have rivaled heaven’s.
You know what? Now that I think about it, I bet you could do a “pub crawl” in Everett only with coffee. At the end you’d be very buzzed — from caffeine.
Jennifer Bardsley is the author of “Sweet Bliss,” “Good Catch” and more. Find her online on Instagram @jenniferbardsleyauthor, on Twitter @jennbardsley or on Facebook as Jennifer Bardsley Author. Email her at teachingmybabytoread@gmail.com.
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