My Spokane
By: Ashley Beausoleil, Senior Majoring in Biology and Minoring in Spanish
After finally settling in my freshman year, I realized I had spent much of my time figuring out my classes, clubs, and exploring all of the social opportunities on campus. I had been living in a new city for over a month, and I knew absolutely nothing about Spokane, WA. Now I am a senior, planning for my future and I find myself nostalgic towards this beautiful, little city I now refer to as home.
Initially, I thought that because I didn’t have a car, I was stuck to exploring within the Logan neighborhood, but I was wrong. First, there are many great things about the Logan neighborhood that are often overlooked. Mission Park has tons of room to throw a Frisbee or play pick-up basketball and The Academy Retirement Community, which is a fun place to volunteer with elderly Spokane residents, is located nearby. Also, campus is within walking and biking distance from lots of other great places. We are connected to Downtown by the Centennial Trail, which gives us quick access to Riverfront Park and River Park Square, which has shopping and a movie theater, and numerous coffee shops, like Atticus, for socializing under the guise of studying.
For distances that are a bit further, we have many great options for exploring. Our student ID doubles as a free bus card giving us access to all of Spokane. As students, we can pay to access Zipcars, and in my experience, I have lots of friends with cars that are more than willing to go on an adventure. These simple facts, give us a much broader radius in Spokane. A little over a mile away, Kendell Yards has fun restaurants and a local ice cream shop that are great for an evening out with friends. The South Hill has many unique things to offer as well, such as Manito Park that is beautiful during the warmer months, Rockwood Bakery that has delicious treats and comfy seats. The Perry District has a thrift shop, juice bar, a Thursday night Farmer’s Market, and one of my favorite study spots, The Shop. Up north, the Garland District lies nestled at the top of the Monroe and Post hills, and is one of my favorite gems of Spokane. The Garland District is home to several thrift stores, a guitar shop, a coffee shop, a place for 21+ students called Beerocracy, home to Marylou’s famous ice cream at The Milk Bottle and the Garland Theater, which hosts $2.50 movies on Tuesday evenings and special events like the Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Outside of stores and restaurants, Spokane has many great outdoor places to offer. To name a few, Bowl and Pitcher, Iller Creek, and Boulder Beach are fun places to go do some easy hikes and hang out with friends. For weekend adventures, Liberty Lake and The Cove are just outside of Spokane and are fun places to swim when the weather is nice. Rock climbing is also a popular pastime of GU students, which is easily accessible at the indoor gym, Wild Walls, but if you have your own gear it is fun to go to the Rocks of Sharon. As winter approaches, many students get ski passes to Schweitzer Mountain or go to our local hill, Mount Spokane, for skiing, snowboarding, and tubing.
As my time at Gonzaga University comes to a rapid close, I am flooded with all of the great memories that will forever be associated with this place and some of my best friends. I am thankful to have lived in a place where I could live out my passions and be exposed to new things. If I would leave behind one piece of unsolicited advice to young GU students, it would be that Netflix and naps are great, but live up your time in Spokane while you have it. The city has adventures just waiting for you to find them!