Discovering Easton: Introductions

How long does it take to fall in love with a place?

That’s the question on my mind as I walked the brick sidewalks of Downtown Easton. I still don’t know my way around too well, but I can at least tell I’m on South Harrison, making my way past the Avalon Theatre. That feeling of being an outsider has already faded to the back of my mind. One week working downtown will do that to you. Once people you spoke to days before start waving to you and you stop needing your phone to find the coffee place you like, it all starts to feel normal, like I’ve been walking these bricks for years instead of just over a week. Among the charming stores, the colonial buildings, and the smells of good food, it has become easier to believe I’m already in love with the place.

I’m no stranger to Easton. I’ve been a Marylander all my life, and an Eastern Shore resident for half of that. I’ve had a drink or two at the old Washington Street Pub, saw a concert with my old man at the Avalon, and my wife and I even stumbled across the Chesapeake Fire and Ice Festival purely by luck one February a few years ago. But, most of my downtown experiences had been in my early twenties. I never really knew downtown back then, and they say you can’t love a thing until you know it. 

The coffee place mentioned above is Weather Gage on Federal Street. The inside is all class and beauty, and when I first walked in I assumed my wallet would be taking a heavy hit. But the prices are good and the espresso is even better. It’s starting to become a regular stop when I get restless around 2 o’clock. I walk when I get restless, and Easton is great for that, it’s a very pretty town. If you walk around Maryland’s small towns, they all feature their historic buildings as a selling point. I’ve walked most of them, and I don’t think anywhere in Maryland does it as good as Easton. 

I find myself staring up at the windows, the roofs, and doors as I go, coffee in hand. I’m no architect, so I won’t pretend to know the terms, but the buildings are sharp-looking, clearly looked after in the modern age, and surrounded by pretty plants, banners, and art. Even Annapolis, my hometown, doesn’t keep it quite as maintained as Easton. And just as important, the streets are full of interesting shops and businesses. It’s my job to get to know these, and I’m still shocked at just how many there are. In an era of ‘sleepy small towns’, Easton feels downright bustling.

Visitors tour the streets, darting from one sidewalk to the next. I smile as a group heads into a favorite lunch place of mine with big ‘first time’ looks on their faces. I know they’re in for a good time. The sun is bright and hot, with warm light filtering through the generous green foliage above. On the journey back to the office now, I’m just imagining the way these streets must light up for Fall Kickoff, during Christmas, or for the Delmarva Pride Festival, which happened mere weeks before my start at the Easton EDC. The idea of hosting events in this gold-green, brick-lined gem is exciting.

You can’t love a thing until you know it. Maybe I don’t REALLY know Easton yet, but I’m eager to learn more. I plan to fall more in love with it every day. I think discovering Easton is already becoming formative for me, and I’d like company on the journey. That’s the purpose of this exercise, to share the process of getting to know this lovely town for myself and sharing my favorite parts with all of you.

So whether you’re a visitor, a resident, or falling in love with Easton yourself, here’s to Discovering Easton Together.

Tom Maglio

Marketing and Events Manager

Discover Easton