Coeur d'Alene, ID

I need to start by admitting that I have not once spelled "Coeur d'Alene" correctly on my first try. Although limited correlation with quality of life, it is a deterrent for this town. Other early deterrents included a lingering smoke smell, despite perpetual rain and snow; less than 10 hours of daylight by early November; and a mini blizzard that lead to a power outage at the RV park we paid for primarily in hopes of recharging our (literal) batteries. 

Luckily, the last day we were there cleared up and we had a lovely time playing pickle ball, scoping out the seasonal ice skating rink, hiking up Tubbs Hill, and spending the afternoon with my cousin and her growing family. Honey was a delicious lunch spot, and the kid's section of the local library was excellent. For those who have been to Coeur d'Alene, it goes without saying that the lake is spectacular, and is a very obvious draw.

The Good

• Huge and beautiful lake, that attracts all of the water sports you might imagine.
• Nice woodsy walking trails within downtown, as well as others that expand out around the lake and city.
• McEuan Park serves as a great community center. It hosts an expansive playground, a dog park, trailheads to access Tubbs Hill, lots of green lawn spaces, marina access, a seasonal ice skating rink, and the city library.
• A good sized city that would surely have everything we needed, and if not, Spokane, WA is only about 30 minutes away.
• Easy access to our Washington friends and family. 

The Bad

• Virtually every other store or restaurant we went into had a Christian undertone. Despite not seeing many churches, this was the most religious feeling spot we've been and we'd prefer a more religiously neutral vibe.
• Bad bakeries – we tried two of the higher rated options and neither impressed. 
• Lots of ugly suburban sprawl that seemed heavily weighted compared to the cute parts of town. Maybe we just entered through the wrong side, but it did not seem well hidden like other spots. I expect it's because it's the only city in the Idaho Panhandle, so it has to provide all of the necessaries for anyone between there and the Canadian border. 
• Strong indications that this is a summer lake resort town. 
• Normally having art and statues downtown goes into the "good" category, but each statue we saw had a price tag on the label. It was odd. 

The Verdict

No. Cameron and I both liked it well enough, but I couldn't picture myself living my fullest happiest life here. 

Northern Idaho is beautiful, but the wildfire smoke was off-putting. 

Despite heavy snowing, smokey smells lingered in the air. I tried to do a hike at this Nature Conservancy but got so cold and soaked, and wasn't able to make it to the lake like I had hoped. 

We did get to see the lake the next day. I was amazed a the change in weather from one day to the next.

We spent a lot of time at McEuen Park. It's right next to downtown and seemed to be the hub of all outdoor community activities. 

As the day went on, the temporary ice skating rink filled up.

The whole town revolves around the lake. There's a lot of infrastructure around town making it clear that this is a summer destination. 

Tubbs Hill had some very nice walking trails, many of which had views of the lake. 

Views from the highest point on Tubbs Hill.

Certain things, like this totally unnecessary waterfall structure, indicated that there was some money going into this town. 

I liked some of the art we say, but they all had price tags. It made it seem less like a public amenity and more like an expanded gift shop.

The food we ate around town was good, but nothing was stellar.