Discover Walla Walla

Photo courtesy Brian Gaines Photography

It brings me a few goose bumps, when sitting in my car at the stop light heading north on the corner of First and Main, thinking that just a few weeks ago I was standing in the middle of the same street under a large tent with chandeliers above me. And even better I was holding a glass of Walla Walla wine and noshing on a crepe. Okay, so that wasn't a dream. It was a feast - - a big party in a tent!

It was the second annual Feast Walla Walla located in the beautiful and historical downtown Walla Walla. Inside the large tent, bringing tourists and locals together, there was an assortment of talented winemakers, chefs and artists showing their best and allowing us a taste or two - - or three... Proceeds from this fabulous event went the Downtown Walla Walla Foundation to continue their work.

This is the kind of event that makes me happy. It adds to my faith that the survival of downtown Walla Walla will continue to flourish.

I was born and raised in Walla Walla and I still carry with me many fond memories of our downtown-past. My father was a "foodie" and loved taking his family out on a Friday evening to dine and shop downtown Walla Walla. My siblings and I would put on our "almost-Sunday" finest and line-up on the white Naugahyde couch (does the couch give you a hint of the timeline?) listening to the instructions of the kind of behavior that was expected of us for the evening.

Sometimes my mother and her friends would dress-up in cotton shifts and heels for a "girls night out" to see the latest Paul Newman ("Ol' Blue Eyes" they would refer to him) movie at the Liberty Theatre (now part of Macy's) on Main Street. I remember my father reaching into his pocket for an extra dollar so she could "sit in style" in the balcony-lounges. There are also the memories of my Grandmother dressing up to shop downtown on a Wednesday afternoon. She often wore a hat and would shop at the fine stores of the past, such as Gardners Department Store (now AmericanWest Bank), A.M. Jensens (Macy's) and The Beehive (Starbucks).

Alas, like many downtowns throughout the United States, downtown Walla Walla fell on hard times during the late 70's and 80's. But once again, downtown is our brightest jewel on the Walla Walla crown. And once again, it is a gathering place for unique shopping, dining and this time with the addition of several tasting rooms featuring many world class wines. Oh sure - - there have been critics of the many tasting rooms downtown, but I often ignore the narrow craniums, as the wine begat tourism and tourism begat revenue and jobs. Which reminds me -

Just around the corner is another Walla Walla event, bringing tourists and locals together - Spring Release Weekend, May 1-3. Walla Walla will be packed, and especially our downtown, while we will be the first to taste the fruits of our newly released vintages. I am resting my palate now so my taste buds will be ready!

Catie McIntyre Walker