Washington, Idaho, Montana -summer 2025
Coeur d'Alene, Idaho?
A friend told Ellen about this place called Coeur d'Alene. My first thought was, "How do you spell that?" Anyway, we decided to plan a vacation - in the summer, so we could get out of the Houston heat.
Getting there
If you're flying, Spokane is the closet airport. We decided to spend three nights in Spokane followed by four nights in Coeur d'Alene. I'm thinking, "Any city has a couple of days of things to do and see." Spokane goes back 150 years and now has a population of 250,000. It was the smallest city to ever host a Worlds Fair (1974) and does have some interesting sights. BUT, we found out the crime rate is 3 times the national average. Probably drugs and a large homeless population.
Spokane activities and food
We cancelled our Air BnB and got a hotel for more safety. Picked the Oxford Suites, which was a good choice, since it's located a little away from the downtown area. It has an indoor pool, hot tub & steam sauna, which we used every day. Yes, there are homeless wandering around everywhere. We didn't feel "threatened" but we were always looking over our shoulder. We did have a nice walk in Manito Park (about 100 acres). Nice garden areas and a pond with ducks. No entry fee. 1702 S Grand Blvd. Our hotel was very close to the Worlds Fair site, which is now an outdoor event area. We did find a very nice Sushi bar: Shiki Sushi bar in the downtown shopping area. We ate there every day. Yummy! 808 W Main Ave Ste 105 Spokane, WA 99201 (509) 621-0333. Tried one recommended restaurant, Osprey, but it felt like a cafeteria. Our hotel had a nice hamburger which we enjoyed more. We did have a very good massage experience with Danielle Fetzer 714-421-0519 www.blissfulbalancemassages.com If you're in Spokane, give Danielle a call.
One birthday, Three states, Same day
We left Spokane on Ellen's birthday and drove through the narrow part of Idaho, to get to Montana. Had lunch at the 50,000 Silver Dollar Bar in Haugan MT. (Yes, that's really the name of the place!) 406-678-4242. Exit 16, I 90 Haugan MT 59842. "It's DIFFERENT in Montana." Got a couple of souvenirs just to prove our attendance, and headed back to Coeur'd"Alene. Pictures below.
Coeur d'Alene activities and food
Spokane population 250,000+, CDA (as the locals call it) has 44,000 population. The vibe is VERY different in CDA. We opted for an AirBnB, which let me cook and have a nice cool place for morning coffee/breakfast. As luck would have it, there's a very good grocery store that feels like a visting Whole Foods. Pilgrims Market 1316 N. 4th St 83814 208-676-9730. We got food every day. Tried the CDA version of Shiki Sushi, but the service was not good, so we didn't return. We did hikes/walking in different areas. Tubbs Hill is right next to the town center and by the lake, so that was pleasant, but some hills. Also did a couple of walks on the east and west side of Lake CDA. Downtown shopping was OK for a "small town". We had more GOOD massages, this time at 208 Massage 208-627-7243 714 W Appleway Ave, # 102 83814. Owner is Karin. https://www.208massageandspa.com Oh, went to a small church, Pathway non-denominational church. Our friend knows the pastor who moved there from Houston. www.pathwaycda.org 3115 N 15th St. 83815
On our next trip to Coeur d'Alene
This turned out to be more of a relaxing vacation instead of a Go-go-go trip. And relaxation seemed to be just the ticket. If Coeur d'Alene was easier to get to, we would go back. So if you live somewhere closer to the Pacific Northwest, we would definitely recommend you give it a try!
One birthday, 3 states, same day
