30 Hours in Spokane Is Not Enough

I started January 2019 with a first ever trip to Spokane, Washington. I have spent very little time in the Northwest, usually just passing through Seattle, WA as gateway heading somewhere else. Somehow I always seem to visit these northern locales in the chill of winter as opposed to spending time there in the more comfortable season of Spring or Summer. Having said that, it leads me to mention that before I go anywhere and before I pack-checking the weather is an integral step in my travel preparations. As a result, no matter where I go or what time of year, I am ready to get out and enjoy everything a location has to offer. 

Looking back on the trip I feel like we primarily walked and ate our way around town. We arrived late (east coast time) so we turned in to get a good night sleep. Staying at the Doubletree City Center adjacent to the convention center and overlooking the Spokane River was a great location with an easy walk to many spots in the city.

For our morning walk we wandered around Riverfront Park, passing over Spokane Falls, along a small part of Centennial Trail, and through much of the downtown area scoping out where we might want to go later. Seeing the zamboni driver up early prepping the ice is not something I ever see at home!! The morning air was fresh and crisp with bright sunshine making for a lovely morning.

After our two mile walk we found our way to Frank’s Diner for breakfast. The place caught our attention because it is in an old railway car and has great food. We waited inside for about 15 minutes before a little booth opened up for us. If it is very busy and you have to wait outside they have a covered area with complimentary hot coffee to make the time more enjoyable. The servers work as a team so we ordered, got coffee and our meals all in a short period of time. Portions are generous and everything was fresh and homemade! For more details you can go to my Trip Advisor review. I would definitely go back and get something different because everything looked delicious!!

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Back at the hotel I did some reading and then hit the gym for a workout-facilities were adequate. They have a few cardio machines and some other basic equipment like benches, free weights, yoga mats, bosu ball and medicine balls. I always appreciate it when a fitness room has water, towels and cleaning wipes-little things make a big difference!

By this time it was off to do a little more touring since shops and other places were now open. I convinced my husband to go with me on the Sky Ride, which is an enclosed gondola. It was very inexpensive and affords some great views of the city, river and falls. The city has some fantastic sculptures including some along the riverbanks visible from the gondola. I would definitely recommend this ride.

The Spokane locals are, of course, accustomed to the weather and fully embrace the cold  including use of the Ice Ribbon, an outdoor ice skating facility. If I were either 15 years younger or it hadn’t been 20 years since I put on a pair of skates I would have been tempted to spend an hour on the ice. As it was, we left that activity for the younger and more experienced crowd but it was very popular! In the same area Spokane houses the Looff Carrousel which dates back to 1909. Nearby is the Mobius Science Center and across the street in the River Park Square Mall you can visit the Children’s Mobius Science Museum. The Riverfront Park area is vibrant and lively with lots of activities and a great place to hang out.  

We stopped at Brews Bros. Coffee Bar for our afternoon coffee and to do some computer work using their wi-fi. Hubby had a traditional latte while I opted for a Golden Latte which had turmeric, cinnamon, honey and I really don’t remember what else; it is definitely different but warm and soothing. A great place to sit inside, relax, read, work, people watch and enjoy a drink. 

Next stop was a brewery for some local beers and snacks. After passing several places we walked into Iron Goat Brewery and were very happy with the choice. The atmosphere was typical brewery-a rather spartan room, garage doors, very large bar and a view into the actual brewery. We ordered a flight of beers and ciders-kind of like his and hers since he’s not a big cider fan and I’m not a big beer fan. After our tasting we ordered our favorite beverage along with their charcuterie board. The whole craft brewery movement is still a bit of an anomaly to me since when I grew up the dads pretty much all drank Budweiser, Coors or Michelob. I thoroughly enjoy visiting local breweries around the country and experiencing the different flavors they create. And as a fan of the English language I think I enjoy the names they come up with almost as much as the actual drinks!

We closed out our night at Steelhead Bar & Grille making it just in time for happy hour, on a Saturday no less! Wine for both of us, skewerless kabobs for me and fish tacos for him. Service was great, food was yummy and atmosphere was very pleasant. I would go back there again if there weren’t so many other restaurants in the area yet to try!!  

We had a short stroll back to the hotel to close out the day. The city was still lit up from Christmas giving it a festive look. I absolutely love cities that are lit up and not just for the holidays but year round whether it’s strands of lights over the streets or trees wrapped in light!

Seeing as I didn’t do any shopping, ride the carousel, go to the botanical gardens or a number of other wonderful attractions I am hoping to get back to Spokane soon for a longer visit. Visiting at a different time of year so we can participate in a wider variety of outdoor activities will add another dimension to my experience of Spokane.