The take: The Spokane spring break

Spring break for me is very traditional: I head home for a week after doing some literal spring cleaning of my apartment, and hope the Greyhound bus line that rides 270 hard miles to the idyllic city of Spokane doesn’t afford me any memories whatsoever. It’s best to forget such things. When I arrived this year, I wondered what happened to the roads. I now understand why that side of the state is red; I too would vote for whoever was telling me we’ll rebuild our infrastructure “bigly.” Because by God, I didn’t want to feel like I was in a cheap strip mall pay-by-the-minute massage chair every time I rode shotgun to get a coffee, but endure I did. Looking out the window on the bumpy ride, I found the entire city dedicated to one singular source of pride: Gonzaga basketball. Signs left and right reading “Go Zags!” or “Congrats Gonzaga” filled almost every single advertisement, right under “mattresses 50% off” or “file taxes for free* here.” Eventually, I had to go through a set of chores that I go through nearly every time I visit quaint Spokane. I see all my old friends individually and catch up on what direction their lives are taking them, and toward the end meet up with my supportive and wonderful grandparents. Then I hit the high notes: going to my favorite coffee shops, wandering through downtown, and taking my camera to Riverfront Park or Manito Park to add a few shots to my portfolio. But I found Riverfront to be leveled and Manito to be recovering from a hard winter, so I was left with street photography, which, given the vacancy of downtown’s streets during the work day, left me with all but interesting captures. It’s a bit surreal whenever I leave. Every single one of my family members lives in Spokane, and here I am with an apartment across the entire state with no return visibly in the future. I called Spokane home for most of my life, so the feeling of leaving is inexplicable and dichotomous, as I both want to leave for my new home but consider this Spokane to be home-home. Either way, I arrived back in Seattle to a clean apartment (thanks, past me) and a fresh new set of overpriced textbooks to buy. My take: While the Spokane life is no longer the life for me, visiting makes for a nostalgic spring break. Reach writer Zackary Bonser at opinion@dailyuw.com. Twitter: @ZackaryBonser

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