Spokane.

I love Spokane. If one only listened to the news you'd think it was a gang-ridden, crime filled, drug addicted city, but we spend a lot of time there and I've never seen any of that. Not to say it doesn't happen, it happens everywhere, but Spokane is a gorgeous, walkable, friendly city. My friend teresa and i came down to see the Broadway Show "Wicked" and to do a bit of shopping. Our hotel was right beside Riverfront Park and Teresa and I spent a pleasant morning there.

Canada geese and a Canadian flag...how welcoming!

Wow! Spokane is lucky enough to have an original 1909 Looff carousel. It's still operational and just awesome! 54 horses, a giraffe, a tiger and 2 Chinese dragon chairs. It's on the National Register of Historic Places, and I can't imagine how much money it's worth, but kids seem to love it as much today as they probably did in 1909.