The Spovangelist

Last night was the last night I agreed to host a fun little get-together called the Great Food Swap. On the menu was a spicy couscous with local spring herbs and cheddar from North Idaho, an Olsen Farms potato salad with a dill and lemon vinaigrette, savory red beans and rice with almonds and onion, and [...]

I think it is high time Spokane opened a hostel. You know what I’m talking about. Those low-rent hotels that offer communal accommodations with bunk-style bedding. Great for young people, those traveling long distances for long periods of time, and those that just don’t want to commit to anything pricier. If Portland can sustain 5 [...]

Some people on the sidelines may wonder, is  Earth Day still necessary? Sometimes I have mixed emotions about a day that purists think doesn’t do enough to get the message across about what individuals can and should be doing to conserve resources. Perhaps what founder Gaylord Nelson started as a groundswell of sit ins, be [...]

Too often I feel like I’m in a room full of the most amazing creative people and the majority of them are sitting around with these awful, suffocating blindfolds on. They feel isolated and assume that no one else is in the room, so they don’t have any incentive to get up, walk around, bump [...]

I grew up in Spokane. I also successfully convinced myself to hate it for two (admittedly lame) reasons: All the cool kids were doing it, and There wasn’t much that was appealing for anyone under 21 to do. My disdain for Spokane has since turned to delight in no small part due to the explosion [...]

It’s official, it’s a mania. What started as an earnest effort on behalf of the City and some key partners has finally hit the mass consciousness of everyday citizens in a mad dash to impress before Friday’s finish line.  What is going on here? In case you live under a rock, Google is planning to [...]

There once was a rag tag group of young folks that sought to carve out a bit of quality time to share updates about their mutual interests. They often felt overwhelmed with obligations to multiple jobs, transitions between living situations, the impossible number of worthwhile community events that take place in Spokane on any given [...]

Peaceful Valley is a gem but the secret is out and running up the hill. The scenic location and closeness to downtown are too much to resist for developers. For several decades, the neighborhood has resisted drastic changes and remained a sweetly paced, unique community in the heart of Spokane. Our first Indians fished here, [...]

Just one year ago a handful of Spovangelites cemented my resolve to start a (mostly) young women’s group called the Spokane Shrinking Violet Society. It is startling what has grown in its place since that time. Hundreds of participants, dozens of lifelong friendships, and nearly 80 events later, we have firmly established what we set [...]

Recession be damned. Young entrepreneurs in Spokane are taking the opportunity to switch gears, plan smart, and open up the small businesses they’ve always dreamed of running.  And why not? Retail space is plentiful and relatively affordable in downtown Spokane, offering a variety of price points that make starting a new business a bit less [...]