spokane: a digital nomad’s messy escape from the cold

i woke up to a sky that looked like it had been painted by someone who’d never seen a sunset. the temp was 7.98 and i had a coffee that tasted like regret. i’m a digital nomad right now, which means i’m constantly moving between cafes and hostels and somehow still haven’t found a place that doesn’t charge for wifi. i just checked the app and it’s...there, honestly, it’s either love it or hate it. i heard that once someone tried to start a fire in a park because the wifi wasn’t good enough. don’t ask.

the place i’m staying in is called ‘the gray cabin’ and it’s exactly what it sounds like-gray walls, a single blanket, and a neighbor who plays accordion at 3 a.m. if you get bored, there are other towns just a few hours away. i heard that once a local told me this place is haunted. i didn’t believe them until i saw a shadow in the hallway at 2 a.m. maybe it was just my coffee fuel, but i’m not sure.

the weather here is this weird mix of cold and desperate. i just checked and it’s...there right now, hope you like that kind of thing. the humidity is 56% which is almost as bad as the mood of everyone here. i asked a guy in a yellow coat where to get warm soup and he gave me a look like i’d asked for a nuclear war. maybe he was just tired.

i heard that the coffee at ‘the rusty spoon’ is the best in town. i went there and it was middling. i also heard that the owner is a former chef who left because he couldn’t handle the noise. i don’t know if that’s true but i’m posting this on a forum now: https://www.tripadvisor.com/restaurant/the-rusty-spoon-spokane. it’s probably not helpful but i had to try.

there’s a place called ‘the forest trail’ that’s supposed to be great for hiking. i went there once and got lost for 10 minutes. the map on my phone kept glitching. i found a sign that said ‘you are here’ but it was pointing to a bush. i laughed. i still laugh.

i saw this photo of a mountain with snow on top and it made me want to cry. not because it was beautiful but because i realized i’d never seen snow. i’m a digital nomad, not a snowball. i just checked and it’s...there, there right now. i hope you like that kind of thing.

i heard that the neighbors here are all ex-military or people who once ran a start-up. i’m not sure if that’s true but i saw a guy in a coat at 4 a.m. trying to fix a drone. he was waving it like a sword. i asked if he needed help and he just said ‘no’ and kept flying it into the trees.

i’m not sure if i’ll stay here. the temp is 7.98 and i’m tired of the gray. maybe i’ll go to a city where the sun is actually a thing. i heard that https://www.yelp.com/biz/cafe-del-monte-spokane has good pastries. i haven’t tried it but i’m putting that on my list.

someone told me this place is getting too touristy. i don’t know if that’s true but i saw a group of people taking photos of a sign that said ‘do not enter.’ i don’t think they were mad. maybe they were just practicing for a movie.

i bought a book about local history and it was terrible. it had a picture of a barn and a caption that said ‘this is where pioneers slept.’ i couldn’t tell if they were kidding. i also saw this photo of a mountain at sunset and it made me want to cry again. not because it was beautiful but because it was so obviously fake.

i’m writing this from a couch that’s probably 20 years old. it creaks when i sit down. i asked the house if it was magic and it just said ‘no’ in a voice like a broken radio.

i heard that the best way to survive here is to pretend you’re not there. i tried that for a week and now i’m just here. i guess that’s the point.

i saw this image of a mountain with snow on top and it made me want to buy a jacket. i did. it’s heavy. it’s blue. it’s the same color as my soul.

if you’re reading this, thanks. i’m probably already gone. i heard that https://www.localgovernment.org/spokane-border has info about crossings. maybe it’s not helpful but i wrote it down.

i just checked and it’s...there, there right now. i hope you like that kind of thing.

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