Spokane, WA
We take an off day touring the birthplace of Father’s Day, Spokane, getting a look at Manito Park and Gaiser Conservatory before a good walk around Riverfront Park. We have brunch in a train car at Frank’s Diner and dinner at the creative Wiley’s Bistro.
Manito Park
It had been a busy week. Seven days earlier, we had woken up in Vancouver, on the coast of a different country. We had since toured five cities, seen five ballgames, taken two car ferries, visited a national park, and traveled about 1,000 miles. Time to tap the brakes for a day.While Dad got his laundry underway, I drove to Manito Park and Botanical Gardens, a 90-acre public park about seven minutes south of downtown Spokane. Ducks, frogs, and turtles sat in the shadowy shallows, enjoying a vibrant summer morning.
Gaiser Conservatory
Within the park complex is Gaiser Conservatory, a greenhouse and landscaped park with a healthy variety of exotic plants. The conservatory looks out on Duncan Garden, with its Renaissance-style, manicured layout meant for strolling.
Riverfront Park
I finished my morning at Riverfront Park, a wild jewel at the center of the city The park was built for the environmentally themed Expo '74 World's Fair (motto: "progress without pollution"). The event was a defining moment for modern Spokane, bringing 5.6 million visitors and pumping about $150 million into the local economy. The redevelopment reshaped the city.The churning tumult of the Spokane River runs right through the park, as does Upper Spokane Falls, the second-largest urban waterfall in the United States.
The area was a popular gathering point for the native Spokane people, who set up fishing camps at the base of the falls. By the late 19th century, industrialization brought sawmills and flour mills, powered by hydroelectricity generated from the relentless flow of water.
I finished my circuit of the park at the Looff Carousel. Built in 1909 by Charles I. D. Looff as a gift for his daughter and her husband, the carousel features a working German-made band organ that dates to 1900. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.
Frank's Diner
I picked up Dad for brunch at Frank's Diner, located in a rail car and "serving travelers since 1906." We sat at the counter and enjoyed a free chef-show celebrating the joy and beauty of fried eggs, hashed browns, and pastrami.Wiley's Downtown Bistro
Laundry complete and the two of us rested up for six straight days of baseball ahead, Dad and I drove to Wiley's Downtown Bistro to treat ourselves to something slightly more elevated than our nightly ballpark options.I had the crab-topped salmon with champagne aioli, a risotto cake, lemon, and red pepper. Dad had the portobello ravioli with chicken breast, bacon, and cream sauce. Both were excellent!
