Spokane, otherwise known as Spokamton

The last week of winter break, I decided it was time I visit my girlfriend in Spokane, Washington, where she attends college. Excited not only because I love her and hadn't seen her in three months but also because it's the year anniversary of our travels and meeting in Granada, Spain, I see me traveling to see her not only worth it but also as a vital part of our relationship. Travel - if it wasn't for it, we wouldn't have even met. Why not continue the tradition and keep exploring?

To the tune of Drake: Started from Granada now we're here.

Travel doesn't need to be international to be exciting and new. Certainly, those who live in the United States can understand that, as we live in such a vast, diverse, and exciting nation that most of us have not fully visited. And while I would prefer a one-way ticket to Granada over eastern Washington most days, I have to appreciate the travel and the experiences that come with it. Every lugar (place) and viaje (trip) brings with it its own unique experiences and challenges that force you to adapt and learn.
Examples: In Europe, I learned that they switch the month and date, leading me to buy the wrong airline ticket and postpone my trip to Germany. However, out of that error came my incredible weekend trip to Carnaval in Cadiz, something I am so glad I experienced.
Here in Spokane, I had a layover in Phoenix, Arizona. Yet upon my arrival in Spokane, it turned out that my luggage had decided to visit Denver instead. After a day with one pair of underwear, socks, and jeans, my luggage arrived, having visited Idaho before even I had! But it's in these experiences that you get to learn to adapt and ultimately have the best stories to tell later.

So, Spokane, or as the natives have called it, Spokamton. I haven't taken a lot of pictures, though I'll change that because I'm blogging again. It's super blue collar, that's evident. It's downtown is a mix of old factories, a huge railroad junction, and modern parking ramps and office buildings sprinkled within. It really is odd, because I can't, as an outsider, see where the nightlife heads to (my girlfriend insists there is some).

Pictures from the downtown river district.

 After visiting what I would consider the most hipster coffee shop I've ever been to (titled Atticus), we explored downtown and its sights a little. As mentioned before, it's a mix town, and we didn't visit any of the middle class suburbs. However the city was a lot larger than I realized and also appeared to have a lot of history due to its former status as a trade post in 19th century America.

That being said, despite it's visible poverty (there's A LOT of homeless people here) and more run-down old factory town feel, it's very pretty. Shoveled in between the mountains of Idaho and the vast forests of the Evergreen state, it's never-ending green scenery and rolling hills will make for pleasant hikes this week as well as hopefully a trip to Idaho. The Spokane River, while apparently very polluted, has some interesting falls in the middle of town that I can only imagine look like St. Anthony's Falls looked like back home before humans got to them.
I'm seeking to update this as I see more of the city, but overall, it's a city I'd like to visit, but not live in, and from those I've talked to here, most of the city feels the same way. Haha.

Jacob