Happy June

With summer quickly approaching, I feel that it is necessary to outline my favorite summertime destinations for you....just in case you are in Spokane and bored and wondering what I would do if I were looking for a good time.  Ok, you'll never be thinking that....but here they are anyways.

College tradition said that we always visited SILVERWOOD in honor of beautiful Miss Mollie Pritiken's birthday every year.  Since college has been out we have fallen down on our attendance, but a repeat trip should probably be taken this year.  Never been to Silverwood.  You, my friend, are missing out.  Especially if you love roller coasters and rides that make you want to puke and die.  I prefer the kiddy rides, the train trip around the park, and the water slides....but you go and have you big time fun!



Another one of my hot spots is Greenbluff which you may say is not a wise pick......since they really are mostly known for being a fall-time destination.  But let me tell you.  Greenbluff knows how to celebrate summer too!  My whole family is coming up the first week in July and I'm counting down the days to go strawberry picking!!



There are also a lot of totally prime lakes in the Spokane area and there are three that I would like to highlight. 
Coeur D'Alene is pretty cliche, just since its the biggest one.  However, I must say that they have one of the only really great public beaches within a SHORT driving distance of Spokane....and I feel like the water isn't going to give you gangrene by swimming in it!  SCORE!  They have cliff jumping, great hiking, giant sized sundaes and parasailing (not that I'd ever do that, but I want to throw something adventurous out there to lure in the crazies!)



Diamond Lake is really the local favorite.  It's located decently close to Newport, which is a cute little town just North of us.  It's also a perfect driving distance...and has the warmest water out of any lakes that I know of anywhere near here.  Only thing is that you have to know someone with a cabin or it isn't any fun, because their public beach is pretty much non-existant.  So make some friends with cabin dwellers....ask around.  I'm sure you'll find them!  :)



Priest Lake is the big name to watch for.  It is the furthest away of all three, but its totally worth the drive.  From what I can tell, the public beaches double as campgrounds...and that is pretty much the way to go if you are heading up this way.  My favorite spot is Lions Head, which is also relatively close to the natural water slides!  :)  And huckleberry ice cream is a must have.  I was actually watching a show on TV the other day where one girl asked if huckleberries were even a real kind of berry.  Poor, misinformed girl.

So what else is worth seeing?  I think it's important to note the best summertime eats....or at least my top list.....

1) Madelines : You could have this all year, but there is nothing better than sitting on the patio in the sunshine eating their yummy food.



2) The Ram:  This is one the way back from Diamond, and it is another Spokane tradition.  You are basically being sacreligious if you go to Diamond without also stopping at the Ram.  (it's a typical old-school burger place!)

3) Molly Moons. This is my favorite spot outside of Spokane....but considering how close we are to Seattle, chances are pretty high that you will end up there at some point this summer.  This place has several locations (one in Wallingford, one in Capitol Hill, and one in Madrona).  I'm all about the Wallingford one, but this is what the line will look like every night.  Be prepared.  Despite the long wait, it is COMPLETELY worth it.  They have some pretty radical flavors, like salted caramel, balsamic strawberry, and mandarin chocolate sorbet....and they allow you to taste test.  Take advantage!



4) My new favorite, and possibly the location of my next birthday dinner is Texas Roadhouse in Coeur D'Alene.  Its a chain, but holy cow....they do it right.  I'm basically just a sucker for good BBQ food, and considering that we don't live in the South, I figure anything with the name Texas in it is bound to be pretty successful. 

5) Last but not least...let's throw in a South Hill favorite....Benniditos.   This long standing South Hill tradition has a great outdoor seating area and although I'm not that big on pizzas....I will give this two hearty thumbs up.  It is located about 2 blocks from where I grew up, so we used to walk up there constantly to grab a $2.00 slice of pizza and get fountain drinks (which always taste better shot out of the fountain "wand" rather than the normal, boring machine).  They have a bunch of pizzas named after specific South Hill entities (like the L.C. Primo, the Grand Boulevard, and the High Drive.).  So great.

There you have it. 

My summer must-dos.

Seize the world!