Impressions Of Downtown Coeur d’Alene, Idaho

thefootloosescribbler

My Husband and I spent five days in Coeur d’Alene Idaho. This is the second of several blogs about this wonderful north-Idaho town.

A Late Weeknight in Summer – Downtown Coeur d’Alene

Downtown Coeur d’alene is full of shops, restaurants, and bars. Depending on the time of day, it can have different moods. For instance, late Thursday night the main street of Sherman Avenue was fairly quiet. Most activity was confined to lively restaurants and bars, while the rest of the avenue was walkably peaceful. We even saw a street poet!

The Coeur d’Alene Street Poet

Kevin Devaney of kevindevaneypoet.com is a talented poet who sets up base on the sidewalk with a couple of folding tray-tables, a typewriter, and a chair. He sells small collections of poetry and will even write poems on the spot. We didn’t test him, but we did buy two collections of poems. One was casually bound together by a bobby pin, and the other collection was held inside a cleverly made paper matchbox. And the poems are good! I am enjoying reading them.

A Holiday Afternoon – Downtown Coeur ‘Alene

On July 4th, Sherman Street was full of people, yet it was not so crowded that it was uncomfortable. I think this is because everyone was nice. Like I said in my last blog, there were no homeless, no druggies–everyone just wanted to have a good time. My husband and I enjoyed exploring the shops, checking out different restaurants, and buying delicious ice cream from Bear Paw Cookies at 312 E. Sherman Ave (I also appreciated their background jazz music).

 Figpickels Toy Emporium

We discovered the best toy store I’ve seen since the days of F.A.O. Schwartz. It’s called Figpickels Toy Emporium (210 Sherman Ave). What a great name for a toy store! Inside it was filled with all kinds of cool, non-digital or electronic toys: old-fashioned and wonderful. There was even an animatronic plush moose head on the wall that turns and looks at you.

A Summer Weekday – Downtown Coeur d’Alene

. . . was nicely populated but not too crowded. We had some decaf coffee at this great veteran-owned coffee house called Best Life. I loved the vibe: patriotic and spiritually inspiring. The coffee was delicious and they also sold some cool stuff. I bought a couple of scented candles and we both coveted some of the framed quotes.

Coeur d’Alene Public Library

You can tell a lot about a town through their public library. For instance: in our sad state of California, I have to walk by several homeless people before I even get through the entrance door to the library. And years ago, the library removed all the comfortable couches and chairs in order to discourage the homeless from sleeping inside. Not that this stops them. I often see them asleep in a hard-backed chair or head down on a table; the library does nothing about it. They did, however, add a security guard to keep an eye on things. Sheesh.

In contrast, the CDL library is large, clean, and empty of people suffering from alcohol or drugs! They back up to a beautiful city park with a wonderful children’s playground. And no homeless people camp there! (OK – you get my grievance.) Check out these photos:

In Conclusion

In conclusion, I recommend visiting downtown Coeur d’Alene, Idaho any day of the week. One day, I’ll come back in the fall or winter and tell you about that. I’m sure it’s attractive in a different way. In the meantime, keep an eye out for the next blog about downtown Coeur d’Alene. I’ll write a bit about their amazing city park as well as the Coeur d’Alene Resort.