Seems like it is always an early flight out of Sarasota because it is always a flight to Atlanta to go anywhere. Limo pickup at 4:45 am, stop to pickup Russ and Megan, and arrive at SRQ with plenty of time. Summer travel has begun – almost sold out flight and lines, common place this time of year.

It’s nice we are traveling together on the same flight to Spokane. Of course in ATL arrive at terminal E and depart out of a gate in terminal A—just under a mile.

The flight from ATL to GEG is 4 hours and 40 minutes. Lots of time to read, watch movies, and play games.

Once we land at Spokane airport, no gates available so we now sit on the runway for 20 minutes. Ugh. Reminds me of my business travel days landing in Chicago. Next, baggage claim and then Uber/Lyft. Many more available but they keep bumping us off. Eventually we are able to get our ride or the Centennial Hotel.

Drop our bags and head out for a walk. The Riverfront Park always has something going on every time I have been here. Guess what? Pride weekend. Strolled through the festival enjoying the variety of attire.

The Spokane River runs through the city. It is lovely and has walking bridges that make either side or the river and the park very accessible. People are really enjoying this wonderful cityscape. Eye-spy a couple of marmots munching in the grass, too

Strange sculptures everywhere but these especially caught our eyes

We find a strange local bar and grill called The Viking. It’s 2PM in Spokane….5 PM in Sarasota. Stop in for a beer tasting.

Next we wander to the iconic Clinkerdagger Restaurant in an old Flour Mill located with a nice view of the Spokane River. We are hungry and enjoy a nice meal and some wine. Been here before and still a ‘go to’ in Spokane. The building has maintained some of the historic features, like the wooden beams that used to hold up a loading dock on the outside as you walk up to the entrance.

It was nice way to spend our first day enjoying the Spokane Riverfront. Looking forward to tomorrow and another day in the area exploring downtown Spokane.