No matter what America's retailers would like to believe, Hanukkah is not "Jewish Christmas." (Let's skip over the history and theology that makes this notion oxymoronic at best, shall we?) It is, however, a holiday often marked by the exchanging of gifts, and these days there's plenty of savvy marketing intended to spark Hanukkah-present inspiration.
December 21, 2005
WENATCHEE - Just when did museums become all blinding laser
shows and annoying computer exhibits that beep and buzz? The best
thing about the North Central Washington Museum is that few of its
exhibits actually move.
Moving is good, though, when it comes to the vintage 1925 apple
sizer, a remarkable gizmo that sorts apples, flinging them across
the room in the process. And the scale model of the Great Northern
Railway, which runs through a display of the Stevens Pass tunnel
system.
But the overall sense of calm here is increasingly rare among
August 4, 1999
Every now and then, even the most dedicated city dweller has to
get away for a little break. Enough already with honking car horns,
dollar-an-hour parking meters, waiting in line for a cup of coffee.
Sometimes you just need to get out of the big city, and go to, well,
a smaller city.
I nominate Spokane.
If Spokane were a person, he'd be a quiet sort; set in his
ways, polite to strangers and old acquaintances alike. Alert to
new-fangled things, but not at all apologetic about who he is.
Spokane is an honest place. During my four-day stay I got used
June 13, 1999
Pack your sunblock and brace yourself, that big yellow thing
overhead in Spokane is the SUN, and it stays out for ENTIRE DAYS at
a time. July temperatures in the Lilac City are 83 degrees on
average, and less than 17 inches of rain falls in the average year.
(OK, so they get 50 inches of snow, but that's another story . . . )
Plan to stay for a weekend at least, which is the minimum
amount of time you'll need to rid yourself of that Western
Washington mold.
Getting there and getting around
June 13, 1999
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