WSU Art Museums - Pullman WA

WSU has several art galleries and one actual museum on campus. The exhibits change out often but you can always find the latest information on their websites. http://museum.wsu.edu/ http://www.wsu.edu/~finearts/galleries.html https://studentinvolvement.wsu.edu/cubgallery I didn't realize that it took several webpages to find out all the information. WSU definitely needs an all encompassing art exhibits website but not all the galleries are run by Fine Arts. I can't guarantee that the galleries at the Fine Arts building and the one at the CUB are the only galleries but they are the most advertised.

The CUB (Compton Union Building) gallery is located in the CUB entryway on the far eastern side of the 1st floor (just outside the auditorium). It's a small space and you have to pay attention to the entire room because exhibit pieces can be anywhere. The CUB gallery used to be it's own room but I think that having the gallery actually in the entry way makes it more open and visible. There still isn't as much attendance as I think there should be but maybe it just feels that way.


This current exhibit is titled Origami Unfolded and is amazing. It's a small exhibit and should only take about 5 minutes to enjoy the art. You are welcome to linger but if you are in a hurry go out the east exit and enjoy some art on the way.
The Fine Arts building (kitty corner to the CUB) houses a gallery and a museum. Outside of the building is some art and may be a changing exhibit in it's own right but I can't say with certainty.


You enter on the main floor and if you go in either direction and turn down the hall opposite the entry way (the halls are split by a stair case in the middle) and come around the corner you will be at Gallery 2. I assume this is gallery 2 because the museum is gallery 1 but I don't know. Currently gallery 2 is empty to prepare for an exhibit opening this week. I have seen artwork in the little foyer across from the gallery. The pics here are of art work that I believe is in the area to dry but I liked it anyway.


Heading to the south of the building and down the hall to the right you will be in alignment with the Museum entrance.

To the left of the entrance is a hallway with the most amazing art from reflectors. I really want one of these.


The fuzzy pic is mine so I borrowed another from the museum website to give everyone a clearer picture of the art work.
From there - enter the museum. Currently Cynthia Finch is represented at the museum. I found her work to be more bizarre than I like but someone obviously likes her. I was asked not to take pictures so I am just including one from the promotional pictures on the website.

Pullman Parks pt 2

Kruegel Park and Lawson Gardens are two of my family's favorite parks. Located on opposite sides of Derby street, these are two popular parks.
Currently Lawson Gardens is closed for the season but it's a great place worth visiting when spring comes. The park is located at 705 Derby Street (kinda behind the Scout House). The land was donated in honor of Alice Walker by her husband in 1985 and houses a lovely blue pool. It was known as the blue water place by my brother when we were younger (careful the blue water is dyed and will stain your hands if you play in it too long).



It has trails for walking or gentle biking as well as a covered sitting area to observe the world going by. It's a peaceful and beautiful place to spend time in. Weddings have been held in the park. But it doesn't have much in the way of amenities.
Across the way is Kruegel Park which is huge and a great place for family activities. The park has a covered picnic area with a nice stone fireplace and BBQ pits. Just down the hill is an open grassy area great for Frisbee or a game of touch football. Next to that is a playground with a variety of structures for swinging and climbing. There are tennis courts and areas for other sports. There are open restrooms during the warm months and running water.


These pictures are from a visit last summer and aren't they still beautiful (late August).

Downtown Moscow (pt 2)

There's something really fun about the main area of downtown Moscow. It's an eclectic group of shops surrounded by pedestrian friendly walkways. Parking can be a pain but with patience often comes a parking space. Moscow does not have as nice of a transit system as Pullman but may be worth looking into. Moscow is also very bike friendly and encourages riding your bike to enjoy the downtown area. On the weekends, we often go to Moscow and walk down main street. It's free entertainment if you can resist shopping. But then, a little treat here and there is still an affordable outing.
The downtown "district" is pretty much Main Street from 3rd to 6th. The west side of that block is one long walkway where the east side is broken up by 5th street. (4th street is a small culdesac that ends in the fountain.)
At the far end (near 6th street) on the west side is Wheatberries Bakery.

Wheatberries is a Moscow favorite. Early in the day (they close at 3 in the afternoon), stop in for some of the best baked goods. They offer incredible sandwiches on homemade bread. They do offer espresso and other drinks but you are really there for the bread. In the summer, you can find them at the Farmer's Market with fresh cinnamon rolls and breadsticks. The prices are good but the food is better. They are so good I had them cater my wedding - and the prices were so affordable.
Going down the street just a little bit and you find a little "mall". On the left side is Moscow Pawn - a great place to find good deals on electronics and what not.

On the left side is Mikey's Gyros.

I discovered Mikey's when I was pregnant. I had a coupon for a free gyro and being pregnant made me hungry all the time so this strange food was appealing. I feel in love. A gyro is a warm thick pita (not to be confused with a pita pocket) that has been lightly grilled and wrapped around slices of lamb, lettuce, tomato (etc) and topped with a yogurt sauce. There are variations of the gyro at Mikeys from falafel (a spiced bean patty that is fried to perfection) to other things I can't remember (they don't have a website either). Don't want a wrap - get the pitas with hummus. The pitas are buttery and warm so any way you get them is great. They also have soups and other specials. The atmosphere is very "hippy" and perfect for eating greek food in the Pacific Northwest.
Don't stop there - continue to the back of the store and look for Tie Dye Everything. I didn't think to take a picture of the shop so there isn't one for the blog but the shop is wonderful. They tie dye each item in the back of the store (it's tiny so you can watch them process the clothes if you time it right). They have a strange assortment which makes it really fun or they will tie dye special orders (they buy it or you bring it in). This past Christmas we found tie dyed long underwear. My son wasn't that impressed but he insisted on a pair of tie dyed bamboo socks (he's had a pair of socks from them since he was quite small - it's like shoes, he outgrows them and we have to buy another pair). He loved them so much he put them on that evening and slept in them. It was really funny to find his feet had turned orange so be sure to wash the clothes before wearing them.
Back on Main Street are two fun shops that I can't remember which comes first after Mikey's - Bookpeople and Natural Abode.

Bookpeople is a local bookstore that specializes in being a small bookstore. There are not many around anymore and having one locally is awesome. They have special events and I need to get better about checking them out. They do have some used books but mostly they showcase local authors and local books. I found my copy of Daytripping Around the Palouse there (years ago) which led to me doing this blog so how's that for kismet. I actually bought the book when I worked for a local newspaper (now gone) and had hoped to write about things to do in the area. So stop in - your future may be sitting on those bookshelves.

Natural Abode is a not so guilty pleasure. As those of us in the Palouse move to be more green the Natural abode is there to help us along the way. On one half of the store they sell building supply sort of stuff (flooring, paint, etc) but the other half draws me in. They have children's items (great for drooling over baby stuff), clothing, kitchen items, etc. The store is rather small so the inventory is not vast but still so much fun.
Well that gives you some more ideas of what to do in Moscow. Take the time to tour the downtown. Take it slow and wander in and out of shops you wouldn't have given time to - who knows maybe you'll find your next favorite.

Pullman Parks (pt 1)

I was going to continue downtown Moscow but the sun is shining and it is so beautiful that all I can think about is spending time in Pullman parks. Now it's still winter so not all the parks are open at this time but many of them are. My pictures are from this past fall and I hope to add new ones as the spring flowers start but pretty much the parks are what the parks are.
This area of Washington seems to have more parks per capita than any other area I have been in. Maybe that's because the Palouse is home to really small towns with lots of little parks so in the square footage department it may not be true. However, Pullman parks have a lot of variety and are just fun places to spend some time. I picked some of the more obscure parks to start with because as I was planning this blog, I wanted to see all the parks. I made my family spend a couple of days tracking down parks we had never been to.
According to the Pullman Parks and Rec website (http://www.pullman-wa.gov/DrawOnePage.aspx?PageID=728), Pullman has 14 parks, numerous green spaces (Well 7, Cougar Plaza, Pine Street Mall, etc.), three city cemeteries, R.V. park and the City trail. Now some of the green spaces actually have park names so this may get a little confusing (for example, there's the Scout Park behind the library not listed as one of the parks).
Officially the 14 parks are: Military Hill Park, Sunnyside Park, Terreview Park, Woodcraft Park, Harrison Tot Lot, Itani Park, Kruegal Park, Lawson Gardens, McGee Park, Reaney Park, Spring Street Park, Conservation Park, City Playfields and Petry Natural Area.
The two parks for today are Itani Park and Conservation Park. These two parks are nice for walking or just enjoying nature. Conservation Park is nothing but trees where Itani park does have a covered picnic area. I envision these as great places to visit in the spring when the grass is green and the flowers are blooming, in the fall they are not quite as interesting, being that they are filled with native grasses that do not stay green.
Conservation Park - 799 NW Darrow St. Finding this park is a little tricky even for Pullman natives like me. Darrow Street is a little residential street on the back part of Military Hill (not the new district but the older one). Darrow actually ends at the park so once you find the street - keep driving til the end.

The entrance into the park.

View of the street from the entrance.



Fall images of the park.

Itani park is hidden in one of the new developments on Sunnyside Hill at 905 SW Crestview Dr. It's a newer park and the pictures on the Parks website shows a beautiful green pasture with lots of flowers so I may have to take pictures in a few months and share.

Hanging out in downtown Moscow ID

Moscow, Idaho is only 7 miles from Pullman and practically sits on the Washington border. I wanted to share a few of my favorite places to go to when I need something to do.

The Moscow Food Co-op has been a favorite place of mine since I discovered it during my pregnancy. 14 years later, I am a lifetime member and can't imagine ever not having a co-op in my life. The co-op is a grocery store that caters to the more natural and organic but it's so much more.


They have a full service deli with sandwiches, deli foods, espresso and some of the best baked goods you will ever eat. Want something that tastes like a combination of your childhood and luxury - go for a sandwich on their in-house pesto rolls. These rolls look like cinnamon rolls but are stuffed with pesto and cheese. My husband says they taste like Bologna but I think they taste like something out of a fancy Italian restaurant. I remember one year, my friends and I tried to recreate these but nothing comes close to the original.
If the food doesn't draw you in - the co-op has nights with music, arts and crafts and even wine tasting. Most events are free to the public. You don't have to be a member but members have great perks - not only do they get discounts at the co-op but many local businesses offer discounts to co-op members (and once I was able to use my membership at a co-op in Port Townsend).

Just down the block from the co-op is the Prichard Art Gallery. This gallery often features work from U of I art students and is amazing. I haven't seen a show there that didn't take my breath away. I love the gift shop (seen behind the window) which is full of work done by artists. I haven't asked if they are local artists but I should. The work there is just as stunning as the gallery.

Further north on Main street is Gem State. It's not really on the must see list for touring Moscow but it's a family favorite. I can't remember how we discovered this store but every time we are in the area my son begs to go in. How can a store full of rocks be interesting. Well the rocks themselves are fantastic. Some are carved in intricate drawings and some are just plain interesting.

The reality is - the snake is what draws most people into Gem State.

The story goes - this rattlesnake was discovered in a parade entry that was full of hay. Somehow the snake got to the store (I can't remember this part of the story). The owner decided to give it a home and use it as an educational tool. He said that people who go rockhounding needed to know what a rattlesnake looked like. The snake is really mellow and disappoints onlookers with it's casual manner. My son once sat watching for an hour as a mouse ran around the "cage" while the snake just watched. He finally left because the snake just was not going to perform.
Next to Gem State is a little open area with a nice little fountain. In the summer, this fountain is full of children playing in the water.

Down a little further and across the street is Hodgins Drug which has been entertaining children large and small for ages.

When you walk in you forget that somewhere in this wonderland is an actual pharmacy. It nearly startles me every time I come upon that counter. The front of the store is a magical playland.



There is an aisle dedicated to Playmobile and another to Legos. It makes everyone want to be a kid. Hidden (just a little) is a stairway leading to the "hobby" floor.

That floor is filled with games and things for model building. I think there's role playing stuff as well but who knows.



I think what's best about it is the store is full of possibilities. It reminds me of movie toy stores where magic can be a reality. That's what this place reminds me of.

Well that's just a few places in downtown Moscow that are worth taking the time to stop in.
As the weather gets warmer, these would be good stops for after the Farmer's Market.