Riverside

Riverside is what everyone just calls “downtown.” It mainly includes the commercial area on the south side of the Spokane River, as well as Riverfront Park. Riverfront park is huge, with land on the riverbanks, as well as two islands, both connected by walkways. In the summers, there are quite a few events and festivals in the park.

Most of downtown is located between Monroe street to the west, Division to the east, I-90 freeway to the south, and the Spokane River to the north. For such a large city, it’s a relatively small downtown, though it is slowly creeping southward.

River Park Square Mall is the shopping focal point, located just off the riverbank. Outside of the mall, as Spokane has been slowly rejuvenated over the past decade or so, new restaurants, coffee shops, and stores have been opening all around. There’s plenty to entertain you for a day of shopping and eating.

Food/drink recommendations:

--Europa Restaurant: Delicious gnocchi, and a wonderful setting. Love coming here with friends and family.
--Soulful Soups and Spirits: my favorite lunch spot. Their food specialties are soups and salads, and they are REALLY good at them.
--Atticus Coffee: this super cute coffee shop has a gorgeous selection of gifts as well.
--Bistango Martini Lounge: a fun spot to start a girls night out with delicious, over-the-top drinks. The chocolate martini doubles as a dessert!

Other recommendations:

--The Knitting Factory: THE place for concerts in Spokane. There are some great bands that come through (mainly on their way to or from Seattle). I’ve seen some incredible shows here.
--Boo Radley’s: a Spokane classic toy store that’s fun for grown ups too.
--The Ridler Piano Bar: this dueling piano bar is a good change of pace from the usual bar scene. They take requests from the audience.
--Riverfront Park Ice Skating: the park has tons of activities (ferris wheel, merry go round, IMAX, etc), but the best is the ice skating in the winter.