Monday, June 25 – We want to take it easy today and not over do the sightseeing. We decided to just see Spokane, so headed there for some easy-going sightseeing. WOW!....were we surprised!What a gorgeous city!
The Riverfront Park is a public park in downtown Spokane, Washington. The 100 acre park is located along the Spokane River. We walked quite a bit of the Riverfront walkway.
The Spokane River runs right through the middle of town with its angry rapids and beautiful waterfalls. Spokane was originally called Spokan (no e) Falls. In 1891, "Falls" was dropped and the e was added. We're not sure why they did that.
There are 22 bridges in Spokane. Every type of bridge you can image is here. The most famous on is the Monroe Street Bridge.
When it was built in 1911, its central arch, spanning 281 feet, was the third longest unsupported concrete arch in the world. Its total length is 956' and height 136'. The water from the Spokane River flows under the bridge.
There is an Upper Falls and Lower Falls right here in the city, and they are gorgeous.
Upper Falls is very fast and turbulent.
The Lower Falls is more of a drop.
Any one want to do the Spokane Falls Skyride?
Built in 1990, with 26 tons of steel and reinforced concrete, a 12-foot-high, 27-foot-long Radio Flyer Wagon was presented to the City of Spokane by artist Ken Spiering. It can hold as many as 300 people.
What could be a better symbol of childhood?
The clock tower is all that remains of the Great Northern Train Station which was demolished in the early 1970s in preparation for Expo '74. It is the centerpiece of the city. The chimes have a beautiful tone.
Spokane is a very modern and progressive city. They have free charging stations throughout the city.
This 40-person sculpture represents the spirit of the community and the world. It is called "The Joy of Running Together".
After the wonderful Riverfront Walk, we decided to walk around the historic city. We found these sidewalk maps very helpful. They were located on every other block.
Great architecture on many of the buildings.
With parks, walking and biking paths, works of art, and the 22 bridges, the City of Spokane has done a marvelous job of taking advantage of the beauty of this river. The area and city is absolutely wonderful!
Just a short drive outside the city is Gonzaga University.
If you're a fan of NCAA Basketball, you've heard of Gonzaga. It's a small Catholic school with a powerhouse basketball team.
Gonzaga University is an independent Catholic, Jesuit, and humanistic university providing education to more than 7,800 students. Situated along the Spokane River near downtown Spokane, Washington, Gonzaga is routinely recognized among the West's best comprehensive regional universities.
It's a very nice campus with a small town atmosphere. Looks like a great place to send your daughter/son to college..... :-)
This is one town we definitely could spend a couple more days visiting. Guess will have to come back sometime in the future.
To see more of Spokane, please click here.
Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y'all back real soon. Have a great day!
You guys take it easy?? Yeah, right! Looks like Paul was doing a good job of keeping up with the runners. We usually just whip right on by Spokane. We may just have to stop and sit awhile next time. I want to see that wagon.
ReplyDeleteWe've never stopped in Spokane either. I just figured it was in eastern Washington so it must be dry and barren. You've certainly shown that I was definitely wrong.
ReplyDeleteYou've shown us more of Spokane than we have seen, for sure. We do know of a restaurant, and we think it is still there, that is excellent. It's right along the river, called Clinkerdagger, Bickerstaff asnd Petts. The name may have been shortened to just Clinkerdagger. The other great attraction for us in Spokane is Father Ken Krall, a boyhood chum who currently teaches at Gonazaga.
ReplyDeleteI knew you would enjoy Spokane. It's a very neat place. Is Paul doing his "Iron Man" routine?
ReplyDeleteWe haven't been in Spokane since we took our sons there for a high school track meet..and they're now 39 and 41! We have a photo of them very much like the one you took of Paul. It was a great city and I enjoyed your pictures very much. When we went, I remember a carousel somewhere near that park where the running statues are. Is it still there?
ReplyDeleteWaterfalls in the middle of Spokane? Who knew? What a great surprise and another place for us to stop next time we're in the area.
ReplyDeleteHow come there are so many guys running right by that statue of Paul?
Here's a thought. They added the "e" so that they could recognize outsiders who called it Spo-Caine. Having lived near there for more than 30 years, I really appreciated your excellent post about my old town. Clinkerdaggers is an institution!
ReplyDeleteYour first sentence and the rest of the post is somewhat of an oxymoron. :)
ReplyDeleteNice tour, it goes on the list:)
ReplyDeleteThe Great Northern Depot may be gone but Amtrak still goes there. In the wee hours of the morning if westbound. This is where the Empire Builder splits into the two sections headed for Seattle or Portland. I usually slept through that but I do remember the time Spokane was actually our destination and all we did on arrival was take a cab directly to our motel. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for a spectacular introduction to Spokane! Loved the maps on the sidewalks. Boy, could Pittsburgh use that! Loved, loved, loved the red wagon...what a novelty! Paul looked good running with the crowd. He should have had no problem getting out in front!
ReplyDeleteAm I seeing things right? Is Paul really having trouble keeping up with the other runners?
ReplyDeleteI see Paul has found some buddies to run with :-))) During the short time we lived in Tacoma, we focused our sightseeing on the coast, I see we missed out on a great city and will have to rectify that when we get to Washington. In the meantime, thanks for taking us there.
ReplyDeleteTo the two of you "easy" is a malapropism
ReplyDelete