Tonight: Tree Lighting Ceremony at Bellevue Galleria

If you are looking for something to do this Friday night, look no farther than Downtown Bellevue! Bellevue Galleria will be hosting a Tree Lighting Ceremony where 50,000 lights will come to life. Entertainment by a local children's choir will begin at 6:00pm!

Following the tree lighting, stay around for Snowflake Lane on Bellevue Way at 7pm, which takes place daily during the holiday season.

It seems as if there are more holiday festivities in Downtown Bellevue than in Seattle, or any other surround areas. Grab your Starbucks (or Tully's) get cozy, and participate in tonight's fun.

Bellevue Square Nordstrom Does Away with Pianists

According to a Seattle Times article, the Nordstrom in Bellevue Square, along with other stores in the area will no longer have live pianists playing in the store.

Nordstrom has been famous for their live piano players which has been a staple in the stores for years. Brooke White a spokesperson for Nordstrom stated that they feel for some of their customers feel the piano playing is a bit outdated, and then some customers are more interested in todays "popular tunes".

The Bellevue Square Nordstrom introduced a live pianist in the early 1980's, and hasn't looked back until now. The decision to do away with live pianists is a local store manager decision, and nothing instilled by the Seattle corporate offices.

It is interesting to note that an interviewed pianist in 2003, which no longer works there was paid $15 an hour and given 401 (k) and health insurance benefits.

Enjoy the music or not, the piano playing at the Bellevue Square Nordstrom will be missed.

Kemper: A Difficult Book to find

The Bellevue Reporter, a community newspaper in the local area, had a front page story on Robert Spector's Generations: Kemper Freeman Jr. and the Freeman Family. But good luck actually finding the book (all you'll find is used copies)!

The story of the Freeman family begins with his great-grandfather coming in a covered wagon and details how Kemper has gotten to be the King of Bellevue (our term, not theirs).

For those who were able to attend, Kemper was featured earlier this month as the final lecturer for the Fall Heritage Series.

Our research indicated that Generations is a difficult book to find. Go to DHamilton Books or Amazon.com and you'll see very little information about this book. The two online bookstores have the name of the book as Kemper Freeman, Sr., and the Bellevue story, which creates confusion on what the true title of the book really is.

We can't wait to get our hands on one of these books! If anyone already has a copy, let us know how you got it.

Mr. Freeman Jr. - we'll be stopping by to get our copy signed!

Downtown Bellevue Wi-Fi Section

We have added a new "Wi-Fi Hotspots" section to the Downtown Bellevue Network Web site. It is currently a list of all of the free wireless internet locations in Downtown Bellevue.

Our team uses and enjoys working in these locations and wanted to share with the community! The most used locations by our team are most likely the Tully's locations! Props to them for adding free wireless to their entire chain of stores in the last year!

Do you have other locations you know about that we don't have on our list? Let us know and we'll add them!

Washington Square Retail Announced

With Washington Square Condominium project quickly finishing construction of their two condo towers, it has been announced via their Web site the planned retail partners which will occupy the bottom spaces.

Zupan's Markets
This high end European market specializes in fine bakery, deli, meats, cheese and wine selections to name a few. It will be the first Zupan's Market in Washington state. Currently there are four in the Portland, Oregon area.

Allure Restaurant

Planned to open in Spring 2008, the Infinity Restaurant Group will open an upscale restaurant at Washington Square. Shell Creek Grill is one of the restaurant groups local successes!

Shnoo Yogurt
With the latest health and yogurt craze, local company Shnoo has two successful locations and plans to add a third at Washington Square. With Red Mango recently going in at Bellevue Square, this will be the second dedicated yogurt retail location in Downtown Bellevue.

Bellevue Cleaners
A cleaners might not be as exciting as some of the more popular restaurant and grocery locations, but the essentials are necessary too. A cleaners at the base of Washington Square will allow for quick accessible laundering for residents.

Stay in touch with the latest updates from Washington Square in the announcements section, and track their progress of the construction at their Web cam!

Holiday Happenings in Downtown Bellevue

With Thanksgiving behind us, everybody's focus will be directed towards the December Holidays. Although most of us will be involved in some serious shopping at Bellevue Square and surrounding areas throughout the holiday season, there is some real cool stuff going on in Downtown Bellevue. Listed below are some of the events going on Downtown Bellevue over the next two months, be sure to take advantage and celebrate the holidays by partaking in these festivities:

Snowflake Lane
November 23rd - December 24th 7pm nightly
Bellevue Way and NE 8th St
Experience the wonder of Snowflake Lane, our magical evening performance. It's a holiday spectacle of live toy soldiers, exhilarating music, swirling snowflakes and glittering lights.

Snowflake Court
November 23rd - December 24th after Snowflake Lane nightly
Bellevue Place
Don't miss the newest addition to Snowflake Lane. Enjoy the glittering light display of Snowflake Court in the courtyard of Belleve Place. Follow drummers nightly immediately after the show as they lead guests to the Winter garden. Capture the moment on your camera with characters of Snowflake lane and delight in traditional caroling.

Group Health Ice Arena
November 23rd - December January 6th daily
Bellevue Downtown Park
Open-air ice skating experience, $9 for skate rental

Santa Photos
November 23rd - December 24th daily
Bellevue Square Center Court 2nd floor
Take a stroll through Santa's Workshop and capture the holidays in a sitting with Santa. Photo packages start at $19.

Multi Cultural Entertainment
November 24th & 25th Saturday 12-5pm, Sunday 12-3pm
Bellevue Square Center Court
Take a stroll through a different world as you experience entertainment from several different countries. Cultures will be represented through song and dance from places such as Brazil, Zimbabwe, Australia, Ireland, and more.

Garden d'Lights
November 24th - December 31st 5-9:30 Daily
Bellevue Botanical Garden
Thousands of tiny twinkling lights will transform Bellevue Botanical Garden into a fantasyland of flowers every night during the annual Garden d'Lights.

Bellevue Place Holiday Open House
November 29th 5-9pm
Bellevue Place
Enjoy shops adorned with festive elegance, holiday refreshments strolling entertainment. Discover Bellevue Place's prestigious collection of stores all dedicated to the art of superior service.

Tree Lighting Ceremony
November 30th
Bellevue Galleria
Tree lighting ceremony at the Bellevue Galleria will provide live musical entertainment throughout the night when the giant elm tree comes to life with more than 50,000 lights.

Former Bellevue Arts Museum Offical Charged

Janet Ellinger, the former chief financial officer of the Bellevue Arts Museum was charged November 20th with 38 counts of felony theft for stealing what she admitted to be $300,000 during her tenure at the Museum.

She worked for the Bellevue Arts Museum two years before the allegations came to light in spring of 2006. The Seattle Times reported that prosecutors say she stole a majority of the money by writing herself checks and covering up the entries in the museum's financial ledger.

If convicted she will face a standard sentence of about 3 1/2 - 5 years.

This all comes at a very hard time for the Bellevue Arts Museum after they were closed for two years, and still struggle with low attendance and lack of hype in the community.

Thanksgiving 2007: Say Thank You!

Xerox has come up with a great way to say "Thank You" this holiday season. If you go to the Let's Say Thanks Web site, you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print and ship it to a soldier currently serving in Iraq. You cannot pick who gets it, but it will go to someone in the armed forces.

This is a great opportunity for those of us in the Downtown Bellevue area to connect with our fellow Americans abroad who are serving during the holidays. Regardless of your perspective on the War, this is a great way to show the men and women there, that we care.

Link: http://www.letssaythanks.com

We here wish you all a very safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday!

Thank you,
Downtown Bellevue Network

Bellevue Square Updates: New floors, stores, and get a shav(ing) set

If you've been to Bellevue Square lately, you know how crowded the place is these days on the weeknights and weekends. Parking is a struggle (even during the lunch hour), but what's all the hype?! Well, first off, Bellevue Square is undergoing a $1.3B makeover and they're slowly upgrading this and that. They've started with the floors in the mall and they look great!

The newest additions to Bellevue Square is The Art of Shaving (TAOS) and the Tully's Holiday Gift Center. Already in 13 states, TAOS opens their first store in Washington in Downtown Bellevue. Contrary to what you may think, you can't actually get a shave in the store - just grooming and body products. The Tully's Holiday Gift Center is on the second floor right across from the Tully's coffee shop.

In other news, Dolce & Gabbana have opened up inside Nordstrom. The store is plush and had attracted quite the crowd this past Saturday. Supposedly D&G sent people from Europe to set it all up. The cosmetic area on the first floor is also complete now and the area looks impressive!

Check out some of the pictures!

Condo Update: Essex on the Park

Inspired by Manhattan's Upper East Side, plans have been announced for the exclusive nine-story condominium project which will be located across from Bellevue's Downtown Park.

Fast Facts:

• Address: 24 102 Avenue NE, Bellevue, WA 98004
• Completion Date: 2009
• Number of Condos: 41
• Developer: First Bellevue Properties LLC
• Bedrooms: 1-3
• Bathrooms: 1-2
• Floors: 9
• Unit Size: 1000-2700
• Price Range: Low $700,000s-$3M+
• Status: Pre-construction

The developer is planning on releasing no more than 20 homes for presale, leaving the balance to sell upon completion two years from now. This property is being compared to Bella Mira on Lake Sammamish waterfront, which sold out averaging more than $1.5 million per home.

Adorned with full brick, natural stone, and oversized windows, the elegant, refined design of The Essex on the Park is inspired by New York brownstones.

Tallest Buildings in Downtown Bellevue

There is a great resource for following the height of buildings in the Downtown Bellevue area! A wiki on Wikipedia has kept up with the current building heights, as well as what the projected building heights in the area will be.

Currently One Lincoln Tower is the tallest building coming in at 450ft & 42 floors. Right across the way is Lincoln Square, which is the second tallest building in Bellevue at 412ft.

Looking toward the future Bellevue Towers is projected to match the height of One Lincoln Tower at 450ft tall, sharing the title of tallest building in Bellevue.

The site is a great resource for not only the tallest buildings, but projects under construction, approved, and proposed.

Positive Real Estate news continues to grace the area

Bellevue Real Estate Agent Recognized on Top 20 List in the Nation
Wendy Lister a Bellevue based real estate agent has been recognized in the Wall Street Journal as the 19th highest volume real estate agent in the country. With over 35 years of experience she has become quite a staple in the area, and has racked up quite the list of awards for her unmatched performance.

Many of Wendy's colleges on the list are from major US cities such as New York and Chicago. It is great to see a Bellevue agent being recognized in a group of this caliber! Interesting to note that there were no agents in the Seattle area listed in the top 50.

Seattle Recognized as a "bright light" Real Estate Market
Despite the national news, which leans dramatically towards slowing real estate sales, signs in our neck of the woods still point to growth opportunity on the Eastside. In a National Association of Realtor's convention this week in Las Vegas it was stated that on a national scale that the real estate housing boom is over.

Having said that Lawrence Yun, the group's chief economist suggested that Seattle would continue to be, "one of the bright lights" in the real estate market. He continued to suggest that our market could potentially be joining cities such as New York and San Francisco as "superstar cities".

A Brief Review: Zen Asian Bistro & Lounge

Enter the newest Asian restaurant to hit the Downtown Bellevue scene. With an exquisite menu with dishes prepared as you've never seen, here is where you go when you want to impress! Perfect for the lunch and after-work crowd, Zen is one of the few restaurants in the area with a unique twist on the Asian food experience.

Offering both Japanese and Thai dishes (two of my favorite, by the way), Zen offers elegant presentation at a great price. The service is fantastic and the food is filling. All the while, you'll be enjoying the ambiance wondering what great concoction will be coming out of the kitchen next!

Personal favorite dishes include the Super Wild Shrimp, Zen Signature, and Ultimate Tuna.

Currently they're running a 20% discount (except alcoholic beverages) until the end of November so it's a perfect opportunity to check it out.

Location: 989 112th Avenue NE #105, Bellevue, WA 98004 (Map)
Dining Style: Casual elegance
Cuisine: Asian, Thai, Sushi
Price: $8-15
Parking: Garage/Street
Sunday-Thursday: 11.00am-2.30pm; 5.00pm-10.00pm
Friday-Saturday: 11.00am-2.30pm; 5.00pm-11.30pm
Phone: 425.453.2999

We Now Own downtownbellevue.COM !

You might have noticed that the Downtown Bellevue Network only "owned" downtownbellevue.net, and downtownbellevue.com was previously owned by a company outside of Bellevue, which had not actively occupied the domain.

Over the last three months we have been in negotiations attempting strike a deal to bring downtownbellevue.com home to Bellevue. (You'd be surprised, good domains are NOT cheap) Finally last week we were successful in purchasing the domain name, and the Downtown Bellevue Network is now the proud owner of downtownbellevue.COM.

Tell your friends!

Bellevue School District Superintendent Departs

After twelve years of service as the Superintendent of the Bellevue School District, Mike Riley will move to the east coast to pursue a position with the College Board accepting responsibilities as the senior vice president for the "College Readiness System".

The Bellevue School District's high school's AP (Advanced Placement) programs have been nationally recognized over the years. Riley has taken a lot of pride in these programs at the high school level, preparing students for college.

In a memo to the Bellevue School District Riley left with the following words about Bellevue, "I'll always remember Bellevue as a place of hope....It has been a great pleasure to be a part of this team, and I will always look to the Bellevue can-do spirit for inspiration."

Good luck Mike, and thanks for all your hard work you've put into our community!

Voters Deny Transit Plan

Voters yesterday rejected Proposition 1, a multi billion dollar plan that would take on gaining traffic congestion issues in Bellevue and other outlying areas which stretch 50 miles of light rail as well as other road upgrades in the greater Seattle area.

The rejected plan would've had the light rail traveling through Bellevue. Popular Developer Kemper Freeman Jr. has publicly opposed the plan which took five years to create. He rejects the plan due to the lofty amount, which was purposed to fund light rail.

Bellevue Mayer Grant Degginger who, supported the proposal made a statement regarding the defeat, "The simple fact is that our economy, our environment - our very quality of life - are all at stake unless our political leadership can find solutions voters will support."

Residents want good public transportation and are willing to pay for it, but this proposal was attempting to bite off a too much all at once.

Picture courtesy of Seattle Times

Bellevue Square Interiors Under Construction

Downtown Bellevue's shopping anchor, Bellevue Square has begun the construction of a well-deserved interior upgrade. A small percentage of the interior floors have begun to be installed replacing what many regarded as the "ugly brown tile" from years ago.

The new cream-colored tile's installation is only one of many of the upgrades planned for the upcoming year. Entryways, lighting, ceiling, elevators, and stairs are all within scope of the construction to the interior of Bellevue Square. These upgrades are in time for the arrival of many luxury retailers choosing Downtown Bellevue as a home to their stores.

The projected completion date is slated for fall of 2008. Kemper Development Co. will be working on the upgrades throughout the holiday season. The construction will not affect holiday shoppers due to construction only taking place from the hours of 9:30pm - 9:30am

City of Bellevue Gets $300,000 to help Downtown Congestion

Washington State Commute Trip Reduction Board announced last week that Bellevue was one of the seven cities statewide, which was selected to get money for its Growth and Transportation Efficiency Center Program (GTEC). The program funded by the state Legislature will aim to reduce single-occupancy vehicles and make alternative transportation more appealing.

Interesting facts presented from GTEC regarding Downtown Bellevue:

• 35,000 currently work in Downtown Bellevue, 63,000 people are expected to work in Downtown in the next twelve years.
• 4,500 people currently live in Downtown Bellevue, 14,000 will live Downtown in the next twelve years.
• In 2005 71% of all Downtown transportation were solo drivers.
• Planners advise that shared driving must be 50% by 2020 for streets to remain functional.

This program that has $300,000 to work with aims to educate Downtown employers to provide guidance in commuting options. Some of these funds will be used to give rebates to employers providing transit passes, assistance to employers in setting up commute benefits, providing information to the downtown community and commuting options.

A Web site titled chooseyourwaybellevue.org will go live in mid November communicating different travel options.

VIDA Downtown Bellevue Condos Hint at Pricing

VIDA Condos, the 12-story collection of 238 studios and flats sponsored a piece, which went out in last weekend's Seattle Times hinting at their official pricing.

The studios, one, and two bedroom flats, which range in size from 400 - 1,000 sq feet with the majority in the 600-750sq foot range will vary in price from $300,000 to $800,000.

Some of VIDA's amenities package include a "dramatic" rooftop deck with a fireplace, water feature, hot tub, wet bar, and 12 floor common area. Below the homes on the ground level will have 10, 000 square feet of retail space, which will most likely attract luxury retailers with the many homeowners above and The Braven across the street.

The homes at 111th Ave NE and NE 8th Ave will break ground in the construction process in 2008.