I’ve always wanted to take a vacation to drive the entire Pacific Coast Highway, from the top of Washington, down to the bottom of California. I kept putting the trip off, since it would require so much time off of work, and because trips to Europe or other international destinations always seemed to take priority when we could afford weeks off at a time. With COVID impacting international travel, and Eric and I able to work remotely from anywhere for the time being, we realized it was the PERFECT time to finally make the trip.
Instead of flying to the top and renting a car, we opted to drive from Denver to the start of the 101 in Olympia, Washington. Along the way we made pit stops in Cheyenne, WY, Bozeman, MT, and Spokane, WA. After a few days of LONG driving, we decided to spend two nights in Spokane so we could truly do some sightseeing.
Day 1:
We checked into The Davenport Tower – there are a gazillion Davenport’s in Spokane, and we went to the wrong one first, so make sure when you’re booking you note which one you chose! The hotel is absolutely beautiful, and had an animal/safari theme, complete with massive stuffed animals in the lobby. We checked in and got settled, and then decided to head out on the town with the little evening we had left.
We walked across the street to The Historic Davenport, which was the first of the Davenport hotels in Spokane and has the most beautiful lobby. We initially were planning to go to their rooftop lounge, but it was closed on account of how swelteringly hot it was outside.
We ended up instead at the Peacock Lounge on the main floor of the hotel, which was just as incredible. The lounge is huge and has such cool decor. They have an extensive menu of snacks, small plates, and delicious cocktails. We settled on our typical Expresso Martinis to give us a boost from driving all day.
Spokane was pretty sleepy, mostly due to the heat and COVID. We weren’t sure what was open or where we should head next, so we asked our bartender if he had any recommendations. Without skipping a beat, he told us to head down the block to Volstead Act, a prohibition themed bar with incredible cocktails. It was definitely the place to be, and we snagged the last table before the bartender had to start turning people away.
After Volstead, we walked a bit further down to Durkin’s Liquor Bar, which came highly recommended to us from everyone who had lived or been to Spokane. The upstairs has an old school diner feel, and we ordered cocktails and a fried bologna sandwich (because how could you not!).
After a few cocktails and a sandwich, we were pretty beat, and made our way back to the hotel for the night.
Day 2:
The next morning, Eric wanted informed me that we were getting coffee, but that I wasn’t allowed to know where until we got there. He had chosen the cutest themed spot: Atticus Coffee & Gifts. We perused the gift store, grabbed some coffee, and then sat outside on their beautiful patio to enjoy the incredible weather and plan out the rest of our day.
Post coffee, we began our journey over to visit Gonzaga University. We walked through Riverfront Park along the Spokane River, and I must say, the park is absolutely beautiful, and it was awesome to see people out enjoying nature.
We took a quick walk through the Gonzaga Campus (it’s not super large), and stopped to take a photo with the Bulldog to send back to a friend of ours who went there. Student’s had just begun coming back for the fall semester, and it was nice to see a campus just starting to liven up.
Post walk, we stopped for lunch at the Clover Restaurant. We saw the restaurant during our walk over, and it had also shown up on a bunch of lists for top restaurants in the city. The menu is incredible, and everything is locally sourced and as much as possible, made in house. The best part, was the Clover Lunchbox special – a half a sandwich, a salad, and a soup for only $18. It was a TON of food, but we loved it so much we both cleaned our plates. Eric and I were able to try two sandwiches, as well as both soups and both salads, and they were all absolutely incredible. If you only eat at one place in all of Spokane, this is the one.
After lunch, we began our walk back towards downtown along the Riverfront. The park is huge and there is a ton to see and do inside. Our first stop on the way back, was The Radio Flyer, which is a massive replica of the childhood classic wagon, complete with a ladder to climb up inside, and a slide to go down in the front.
Nearby, you can find The Garbage Goat, which was probably the coolest thing in the park. To encourage people to throw away their trash, and not to litter the park, the city built The Garbage Goat, which will “eat” small pieces of trash when you place them near his mouth. We found ourselves trying to find any small pieces of throwaway items we could in my purse to keep experiencing it over and over.
Our last stop in the park was The Spokane Falls SkyRide. As we walked the river from Gonzaga back, we noticed how active people were – we passed countless people on kayaks and paddleboards going up and down the entire stretch of the river. That is, until you get closer to downtown, where there are suddenly MANY intense signs telling folks to exit before the dam and falls. By the time you get to the falls, you can’t even imagine that this river was calm enough to paddleboard only a little ways upward. Taking the SkyRide was the best vantage point, and it takes you on a quick 15 minute ride over the falls, under the bridge, and back.
Post ride, we walked over to Auntie’s Bookstore, a super cute independent bookstore with both new and used books. Surprisingly, this was the first bookstore we stopped at on our trip (3 whole days without one!), and I stocked up for the days ahead.
After a day of INTENSE heat, we stopped back at the hotel to freshen up, and tried once again to hit up the rooftop lounge at the Historic Davenport, but alas, it was still closed for heat, so we ended up back with our friends at the Peacock Lounge.
We again asked the bartender for any new recommendations, and he suggested the Cease and Desist Bookclub Speakeasy, which if you know anything about me, is just about the most Lauren place one could ever recommend (books! drinks! speakeasy!). You enter what looks like a window display of books, and push through the bookcase to enter the very small, book-themed bar. We were the only two in the bar for about an hour, and the bartender made us drinks based on a few simple questions about what types of liquor and flavors we preferred. After a few (very strong) cocktails, we were ready to head to dinner.
Clinkerdagger is probably one of the most well known restaurants in Spokane, and calls themselves “A Spokane Classic. We had an incredible appetizer of fried brie, followed by baked scallops and a perfectly cooked prime rib. We mentioned that we were on day 4 of our month long PCH trip, and that the trip was our way of celebrating our anniversary without being able to leave the country, and they proceeded to bring us some champagne and a free dessert to celebrate. While the food was incredible, the views were even better – we grabbed a table outside right at the edge of the balcony overlooking the Spokane Falls, and got seated just in time to watch a slow sunset as we enjoyed our meal.
Completely full, and satisfyingly buzzed, we headed back to our hotel to get some rest before our long day of driving, the day we would finally reach the start of the Pacific Coast Highway!
Day 3:
After grabbing some Starbucks, we hit the road and made our final stop on the way to Olympia at the Gorge Overlook (or Columbia River Scenic Overlook). Every single person that we told about our drive through Washington told us that this was a must stop, and they were right. Even if you’re just in Spokane, it’s worth driving out to see this incredible wonder as a morning trip. Photos don’t do it justice, and you can’t help but be in awe of the majesty of something so grand created by nature.
Overall, Spokane was a great pit stop to regroup and do some sightseeing before continuing on our trip. Check out the full Pacific Coast Highway itinerary here!
