Blog Archive
A New Side of Yakima - 2009-01-22
I've been living in Yakima for about 6 weeks now and finally had my first out-of-town visitor. When my best friend decided to come and visit, she told me not to worry about planning anything, that we could just hang out in my apartment and spend time catching up. Don’t plan anything? Just stay at home? Then I realized that she hadn’t been to Yakima for a while, and had no idea of the side of Yakima I have been experiencing since I’ve moved here.
I knew that I needed a “Welcome to Yakima” gift, and felt it was important to give her something that was made right here in the Yakima Valley. I headed off to the Little Soapmaker, and browsed the store with the shop’s owner, Julie Brown. I settled on an orchid-scented candle.
When my friend arrived, we decided to walk downtown. We turned the corner onto 3rd Street, and could see a large group gathered together. The group was congregated in front of the Lofts, waiting for their turn at the Open House. She couldn’t believe the Lofts were here in downtown Yakima, because she had never seen it before! Then it was time to head off to a late lunch, and set off to the Second Street Grill.
I wanted to show her a little walking tour of downtown, passed Belu Salon, the historic sign in front of the Sports Center, and down a little further to Garden Dance. We decided to pop into Gilbert Cellars to try some local wine. We sat among tables of other patrons, and enjoyed our wine and conversation. From there, we went up to Buhrmaster for a snack. We decided to head back to the Second Street Grill. As soon as we walked in to the bar, crowded with many young adults like ourselves, and she said, “This is a side of Yakima I’ve never seen before.” Exactly what I thought.
So the next time you are looking for something to do, head downtown and explore some of the businesses that are new here, and some of the older businesses that you already love!
