Black Friday in Spokane, Washington

Not much sightseeing was done on this trip, so I will instead highlight the shopping experiences. Spokane is a great place to shop, and has endless stores for doing so. Take Division street northbound all the way to "The Y", the fork which locals' refer to as the end of Spokane proper.

Also, take in some of Spokane's excellent multicultural restaurants. The newly opened Bombay Palace is sure to please, and a review of which can be found in this journal.

For more detailed info on Spokane's highlights, visit my other review of this city from this past summer.

Quick Tips:

When looking for a hotel, always book online. A worthwhile hidden secret is the fully publicly available, but never mentioned or advertised, Little League Baseball rate with Choice Hotels. This is a 15% discount (as opposed to the 10% you will get with AAA, AARP, or Corporate), and proceeds help local Little League teams!

For example, my room at the Rodeway Inn was in person, online, and only plus change with the baseball rate. It will not show up on Expedia searches and the like, so make sure to go to choicehotels.com to book!

3 night stay at under is unbelievable, especially at this great hotel. Prices don't vary much, either.

Best Way To Get Around:

On a cold winter day, I found that my car was the only reasonable method of getting around Spokane's massive shopping street, Division, which runs for around ten miles north to south. Unless you really have the energy to walk, bring a car. Or, take the cheap and frequent public transit from downtown.

My second stay at what is possibly Spokane's best hotel deal was excellent. This time, I was in room 214, a nice wide room with fridge, microwave, and cable t.v. The rooms were cozy with excellent heating on the cold November nights.

The breakfast was top-notch, with hot waffles, danishes, fresh orange juice, and hot coffee. The staff are warm and friendly, and are able to offer some excellent deals on rates if you only ask.

This hotel has a good points program, where you stay ten nights and your next is free. Discounts on stays start after three nights.

Very comfortable and safe. I really like this hotel. Excellent downtown location. Prices start at around $30.

This moderately priced motel is huge, with 5 buildings making up the motel. Each room is well furnished, with huge armoire for the television, king-sized beds as well as bathrooms, and excellent recliners for watching television.

The only problem I had with my stay were the meager breakfast (worth missing) and the broken ice machine (which took around 15 minutes to fill a bucket). The staff were far from friendly, too, but the stay was alright if you stayed in the room and ignored them. The area was not as safe-feeling as the Rodeway Inn a couple blocks down the road, due to the Econo Lodge's Interstate access and proximity to the poor areas of downtown.

Spokane's newest Indian restaurant aims to please with its high quality, delicious Indian food. I went on Saturday night, where we had a delicious buffet, which is not available on other nights. The $9.99 buffet featured tandoori chicken, vegetable biryani, stewed lentils, and freshly baked naan - in whatever flavor you wanted. The buffet even had a free flowing Chai tea tower, where patrons could sample this spicy tea to their hearts' content.

The waiter of this establishment is a young boy, around 11 years old, but don't let that discourage you. The service is good and the food is even better. Just don't laugh at the young boy when he serves you, as I did, as he didn't seem to appreciate it.