Shop A granddaughter of the Nordstrom department store family, Suzette Nordstrom has created a retail tradition of her own at the bijoux antique store Lillian Conn (1001 W. Augusta Ave., 509-329-1005, lillianconn.com), where a carefully chosen-and very reasonably priced-selection of crystal, silver, furniture and art decorates the rooms of the former home of the vicar of St. Paul’s church across the street.

More vintage flair for the home awaits you at Revival Lighting (14 W. Main Ave., 509-747-4552, revivallighting.com), where the ceiling sports hundreds of fixtures ranging from art deco glass to antique chandeliers. They also stock unique hardware and other home wares (like an eight-place-setting set of intricately floral-motifed silverware for $550 U.S.) sourced from the Pacific Northwest and beyond.

Cooks should head to the Kitchen Engine (621 W. Mallon Ave., 509-328-3335, thekitchenengine.com) in the funky restored industrial building the Flour Mill. It has a bespoke salt bar and local goodies like huckleberry syrup and grainy, tangy Gonzaga University tailgate mustard. Serious shoppers should pick up the Nosey Parker guide to all the best places to leave your money in Spokane and environs.

Play The hottest ticket in town is a courtside seat for the Gonzaga Bulldogs (800-325-SEAT, gozags.com) basketball team. If you can’t get your hands on one of those, settle for a browse through the Bing Crosby memorabilia room in the Crosby Center (502 E. Boone Ave., 509-328-4220), fronted by a statue of the campus’ proudest son.

Take a drive through the mostly Tudor-style and Americana classic mansions of the South Hill area, then a stroll through Manito Park (1702 S. Grand Blvd., 509-625-6622, manitopark.info) with its award-winning roses and English-style Duncan Garden.

Spend your Saturday at one of the locally famous bottling parties hosted weekly at Dry Fly (200–1003 E. Trent Ave., 509-489-2112, dryflydistilling.com), a "farm to bottle" distillery. Not only will you hand-sign the labels you attach to bottles of small-batch, craft-distilled vodka, gin and whisky, you’ll get a cool fly-fishing logoed T-shirt or hat in thanks-and maybe a sip of the goods. You can purchase full-size and mini-bottles of the spirits here to take home. Continue the fun at Bistango (108 N. Post St., 509-624-8464, bistangolounge.com), an urbane lounge that makes a mean martini or French 75 cocktail with Dry Fly gin. If beer is more your thing, some great local microbrews are on tap at the very pubby Northern Lights Brewing (1003 E. Trent Ave., 509-242-2739) or the upscale Steam Plant Grill (159 S. Lincoln St., 509-777-3900, steamplantgrill.com).

Stay Think of plunking a mini-Waldorf Astoria in downtown Spokane and you’ve got the Davenport Hotel (1050 Post St., 800-899-1482, thedavenporthotel.com). Rescued by local financier Walt Worthy in 2002 after sitting empty for 15 years, this restored 1914 palace has gilded ballrooms to die for and gorgeous new rooms (including a presidential suite with gleaming stainless steel kitchen and opulent alligator-skin armchairs) on the top floors. Rumour has it the famed dish Crab Louis was invented here-and that there’s at least one ghost, a woman who fell to her death through the lobby skylights in 1920.

In the category of vintage-chic, the Montvale (1005 W. 1st Ave., 509-747-1919, montvalehotel.com), with its art deco-style marquee, converts a heritage apartment building into snug and chic contemporary rooms. A cozy library with a big fireplace is like the hotel’s communal living room.

Eat Chocophiles will want to try a chocolate tasting at the Chocolate Apothecary (419–621 W. Mallon Ave, 509-324-2424, chocolateapothe
cary.com); ours had a green theme, featuring a dozen eco-friendly, fair-trade bars from around the world. Nibble through the tastings, and take your own chocolate doggie-bag home.

Breakfast at the Satellite Diner (425 W. Sprague Ave., 509-624-3952) is a must. Owned by three sisters, it’s comfort food redux: good strong coffee, crispy shredded hash browns, thick juicy bacon and the best sausage-gravy biscuit we’ve had north of the Mason-Dixon. For lunch, grab a slice or a pie at local icon David’s Pizza (829 E. Boone Ave., 509-483-7460, davidspizza.com; there are also two locations at the Spokane airport); it pretty much has a lock on the city’s best pizza honours. Dinner at Wild Sage American Bistro (916 W. 2nd Ave., 509-456-7575, wildsagebistro.com) means a menu heavy with local ingredients like cascade mushrooms from Dan Jackson Farms, plus a killer coconut cream cake for dessert.