All-Zags Road Trip

[CanadZag]

Hey Zag Fans,

After graduating, my buddies and I decided that we needed a road trip to celebrate. Where will we go? Well for me, there is one place that stands far above the rest, and that is Spokane, to see Gonzaga in person.

I know that it is summer and basketball is definitely not in full swing, but I'll take my opportunity to venture to Spokane anytime I get it, even if it means not taking a game in at K-2 or the arena.

We're leaving next week for Spokane, and the plan is to spend about two days of the seven-day trip in town.

I want to know that must-do's that a Zag fan can see or do in 48 hours in Spokane in mid-June. Besides going around campus and checking out the Stockton bar, I really don't know what else to do. Can you show up and shoot around on the K2 floor for a bit? Are the coaches around? Players? What are the best merch stores? Even non-basketball related stuff too.

Anything that could add even a little bit to the Zag experience would be awesome.

Thanks!

[zagmantis2001]

Spokane

Pete's Pizza near Jack & Dan's and get a calzone. Best one I've ever had.

Check out the falls in Riverfront Park, running at a 10 year high.

Have a beer at the Bulldog (next to Pete's).

Coeur d'Alene Lake in Idaho-about 34 miles for Spokane. Check out the town, the lake and the beach. Have a burger at Hudson's on Sherman Avenue.

[roxdoc]

If you were here a couple of weeks later (last weekend in June) you could see HoopFest the largest 3 on 3 BB tournament there is. Can't remember exact numbers, but ~ 7000 teams playing on 200++ courts, all downtown.

[krozman]

No offense, but Sonic Burrito > Pete's Pizza!

[Just A Zag]

No offense, but Sonic Burrito > Pete's Pizza!

I'm really sorry you feel that way because if you like burritos then "Ionic" is not the place to go. gick.

[zagporvida]

You can probably check out K2 but I highly doubt that you would be able to shoot around on the floor. There are two places on campus to get merchandise, the bookstore and the apparel store. Off campus on Mission is Kimmel athletics and they sell GU stuff as well. Definately go downtown and check out Riverfront Park to see the falls and walk around, there is an IMAX theater, and a mall as well.

Check out the Inlander to see what is happening in Spokane when you are going to be here.

Hopefully the weather gets better soon.

[BobZag]

Hopefully the weather heats up.

If you drive up to Coeur d'Alene, take in the beach, the park, Sheman Ave., catch a 90 minute lake cruise, wave to Zagmantis at his mansion, and if you're burgered-out try Tito Macaroni's and their lasagna. Ask CDC84 about the lasagna. A big bottle of Chianti is provided on every table.

Weather needs to warm, though.

[ZagNative]

You can check out a map of the campus on the Gonzaga's website, here, and see their page about Spokane here.

I love to walk the loop from the north side of the river (where hotels like the Oxford Suites, Holiday Inn Express, etc., are located, west to the bridge above the falls, crossing to the south side of the river and along the trail past the carousel, continuing east under the Washington Street bridge to the Don Kardong footbridge to enter the campus from the river side.

[Ibellibie]

If you're interested in seeing the beautiful Lake Coeur d'Alene and our city, I'd have to disagree with BZ's recommendation - the beach won't be hopping at this time of year, and the lake cruise's are boring (and too expensive) past the first 15 minutes. I would instead recommend taking a 2 mile hike (located maybe 5 minutes from downtown, and all the great restaurants down there) on Tubbs Hill. By hike, all you'd need is a pair of tennis shoes - I've done it in flip-flops easily many times. Wonderful nature trails; easily the best way to enjoy stunning views of the lake. Even if the weather is poor, it's still quite lovely. If you want to see the lake, but don't have time for Tubbs, the world's longest boardwalk on the lake (right off Sherman Avenue) isn't a bad walk.



Definitely 2nd Zagmantis' recommendation about Hudson's - try it once, you'll be hooked for life and will definitely find yourself there again (and in my case, again and again!). Come prepared to make some new best friends. Also recommend on Sherman Avenue: Moon Time (great Irish style pub), BRIX Restaurant, The Beacon, BZ's recommendation, Tito Macaroni's, and if you want breakfast, Michael D's Eatery is great. The Village at Riverstone also has a few restaurants.

Enjoy your trip to Spokane, and definitely think about making a stop in Coeur d'Alene!

[dim4sum]

chinese restaurants???

Will be there too. Any decent Chinese restaurants??? Any help will be appreciated. Dim sum places will be vastly appreciated.

[ZagNative]

Can you still get in on a pick up game at the City Park near the beach? I haven't been there in a while but always enjoyed watching some intense street ball there.

[roxdoc]

Somehow this thread got hijacked from Spokane to Cda! Don't get me wrong I love Cda but we have all kinds of attractions in Spokane. It depends on your age and tastes. From the increasingly lively downtown bar/resturant scene to the MAC museum, show at the Fox, or even the formal gardens at Manito.

The closest you can come to real Chinese resturants in Spokane are Tai. How I wish we could just get one resturant comparable in style and quality to several hundred (yes thats hundred!) you can find in Vancouver, BC. PF Changs downtown is a start. Gordy's on 30th is a little closer. Tai on First is good. However no Dim Sum that I know of. Lots of Sushi - Blue Fish downtown or Okane on the South Side are places I like.

[ZagNative]

ProudzagMom posted a report here a while back of a tour she took of the campus. This page from the Gonzaga site gives a phone number you can call to see about getting a group tour. A tour might ensure that you could see the inside of K2. Some pics:

From a pic posted here by Proudzagmom, the bronze bulldog statue in front of the McCarthey Athletic Center:



Inside the locker room (regrets that I neglected to save the name of the great Zag fan who posted this photo here!), something I'd really like to see one day:

View of St. Aloysius church spires and campus from the north side of the river:


McCarthey Athletic Center at night:

Note: In the past, we've rented bicycles in Riverfront Park and my kids and nephew rented rollerblades. The rental office was on the Howard Street Bridge, as I recall. From there, I'm thinking you can bike or roller blade all the way from the park to the campus.

[Ibellibie]

Can you still get in on a pick up game at the City Park near the beach? I haven't been there in a while but always enjoyed watching some intense street ball there.

Definitely. I've never been down there to watch, personally, but every time I drive by in the summer there seems to be a pick-up game or two going on at the basketball courts. The NIC/City Beach neighborhood is also a good place to play some beach volleyball at Yap-Keehn-Um beach, baseball/softball at Memorial Field or McEuen field, etc. There's also a skate park located down there, too. A great place in the summertime!

[mendiant]

You can rent bicycles at Riverfront Park and take an nice ride along the Centennial Trail.

Going East, the trail goes through GU campus and along the river...

if you care to tackle a huge hill, you can go off trail past Argonne and up to the winery that features the old Royal Ripley Mansion on a cliff, overlooking the Spokane Valley..Arbor Crest. I believe.

The weather is cool enough for such ride.

Regardless of your ventures, I hope you have lots of fun in town.

mendiant