The Teapot Dome Service Station I either got from Atlas Obscura or a book called Weird Washington…read morebut I can't entirely be sure but this place has been on my bookmark list forever and finally got to go to it while on vacation. It's Yelp classification of Local Flavor fits the bill precisely! Historical and unusual this tea pot dome service station was actually a functioning one at one point in time and the building has been kept up and maintained perfectly so it looks quite pristine! Antique gas pumps are nearby to admire, a pic nic table and a memorial nearby. Admission is free and the day I was here I visited with a very congenial gentleman about the nearby area and took some info home about the building and the area. Definitely a cute place to stop! The attraction isn't anything that would be too terribly time consuming to stop at and a good place to stretch your legs and enjoy a service station of the past.

For anyone who appreciates history, architecture, scandal and the Venn diagram where all of them…read moreoverlap, the historic Teapot Dome service station in Zillah, Washington is for you! Located on the main drag in downtown Zillah, this iconic structure is both hard to miss and a poignant reminder that if you are an elected official and do something dumb, it will probably be memorialized forever... Perhaps in the form of an old gas station! For those who are unfamiliar with the teapot dome scandal (like I was until about three minutes ago) - here is a link to a Wikipedia article that will give you some background. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teapot_Dome_scandal In a nutshell, the presidency of Warren G. Harding was rocked by some illegal activity where leases to drill for oil were granted inappropriately. One such place was in teapot dome, Wyoming... Hence the name. Wouldn't you know, those rascals in Zillah, Washington were on the ball and constructed this novelty gas station as a reminder of the past and to give your kids something fun to look at when you would stop for gas. Unfortunately, this place doesn't have active pumps anymore, but they do use it as a welcome center for the community. There's a nice little parking lot out front, some restrooms if you need to stop, and plenty of opportunity for a picture that will remind you of those clever people down in Zillah! Also, I can imagine architects may appreciate all that goes into a place like this. At present, I don't have a good enough appreciation for the complexities of architecture to know whether not this place is a masterpiece or a piece of crap. Either way, it looks like something out of a nursery rhyme and is unique in the service stations that I have ever been privy to. If you're going through the area, it's worth taking a three minute detour to go see this place!

Tip #1: Get a map book, they're available even when the office is closed. We got into Toppenish…read morewhen the Chamber of Commerce was closed, this is where the mural visitor information is, and there are brown signs that sort of guide you. They have a rack outside that has a bunch of guide books and these are key. Tip #2: plan a few hours, and do yourself a favor, get out of your car and walk around. We're going to have to go back because we under-estimated the time we would want to spend. These are surprisingly high-quality art pieces and a remarkable quantity. A lot of towns SAY they are a "town of murals" so I expected same-old same-old and am happy to say I was wrong.

The newest addition to the outdoor art scene in the area is quite a cool one! Not withstanding, the…read morefact that my better half is one of the 167 people that had their picture displayed on the outside of one of the historic buildings in town. This project is one that is part of a larger international movement called inside-out which aims to help communities see what makes them unique by highlighting pictures of residents. It's a really neat project that has gone on in over 200 cities and realize largely on volunteers in the community to help complete the project. It's very fun to get to walk by and see giant portraits of people you recognize, and some you don't, but that you know are from your city. It's amazing to see how similar everyone looks with a smile or making a funny face. A great addition to downtown, and something that has turned an otherwise ordinary alley into a spot that you can take your friends to!

A must visit if in Ellensburg -- interesting pieces of art -- my favorite is the bear! Street…read moreparking is plentiful and it's near downtown as well.

Dick and Jane's Spot is a must-see in Ellensburg. Directly across from the Ellensburg police…read morestation, it is an eclectic house and yard that is full of art created by its owners, Dick Elliott, and Jane Orleman, who had a dog named Spot. Dick and Jane, who are both artists, bought the home in 1978. The rest is history. Dick passed away in 2008, but Jane continues to add to their masterpiece. I stumbled across the home while driving through town one day. It was one of the highlights of my week long trip. I made a point of walking all around the house, taking photographs of everything I saw, with the goal of giving those who may not have the opportunity to visit a sense of what a magical place this is. Enjoy! Highly Recommended!!!

For a while the Parkway in Richland languished. Unless you wanted furniture or financial services,…read moreor wanted to hit a divey bar, there was no reason to go there. Over the years unique shops such as Greenies and Areils and cool restaurants such as Cheese Louise and Frost Me Sweet have made the Parkway fun. Add the Farmers' Market starting in the Spring and the Parkway is a nice alternative to the mall, and something we need more of in Richland. The unassuming Richland Parkway has more to offer than you might think and is worth checking out.

It's hard to think of a "downtown" area for Richland, but if we were to have a central location, I…read morethink The Parkway serves as a decent choice. The Parkway is a street where a lot of local businesses call home, and we're lucky for it. It's pretty small, but this avenue serves as a nice little area to walk around and see some pretty cool and diverse shops. The Ave is parallel to GW Way, and is just a few blocks from Howard Amon Park. On Fridays during the summer, The Parkway is home to arguably one of the best Farmer's Markets in the area (dare I say, even better than the Pasco Farmer's Market!). During the winter they have lights strewn around the trees along the street. The Parkway is also fairly pedestrian friendly. Lee is just a one-way street, and there is a roundabout at Lee & The Parkway. This isn't thorough, but as of this writing, here is a list of the businesses which are at The Parkway: Richland Farmer's Market (http://www.yelp.com/biz/richlands-farmers-market-richland) Frost Me Sweet (http://www.yelp.com/biz/frost-me-sweet-richland) Richland Players Theater (http://www.yelp.com/biz/richland-players-richland) Casa Mia (http://www.yelp.com/biz/casa-mia-of-richland-richland) Ariel Gourmet & Gift (http://www.yelp.com/biz/ariel-gourmet-and-gifts-richland) Cheese Louise (http://www.yelp.com/biz/cheese-louise-richland#query:cheese) Victorian Tea Garden (http://www.yelp.com/biz/victorian-tea-garden-the-richland) Greenies (http://www.yelp.com/biz/greenies-richland) Subs & Jean (http://www.yelp.com/biz/subs-n-jean-richland) Things Worth Keeping (http://www.yelp.com/biz/things-worth-keeping-richland) Strandz Salon (http://www.yelp.com/biz/strandz-richland) Fringe At The Parkway Salon (http://www.yelp.com/biz/fringe-at-the-parkway-richland) Smoovies (http://www.yelp.com/biz/smoovies-richland) The Book Worm (http://www.yelp.com/biz/bookworm-the-richland-2) Stone Soup (http://www.yelp.com/biz/stone-soup-richland) Richland Bell Furniture (http://www.yelp.com/biz/richland-bell-furniture-inc-richland) Granzel's Barber Shop

It's not comparable to neighborhoods like the French Quarter (New Orleans), Beacon Hill (Boston),…read moreor the Jersey Shore, but who woulda thunk MY neighborhood here in Richland, WA was a "Historic District". But my neighborhood of Alphabet Houses surely has a history tied to this country, and it is kind of cool to put your residence in a historical context. Now, what drove me to write this Yelp was my noticing of historic signs popping up on Van Giesen during my drives to work in the morn. One by one, I started to see little black signs magically appear on the corners of various streets: McPherson Ave, Marshall Ave, Warren Ct, Mahan Ave, etc. Now these signs are due to the effort of a local group honoring veterans, so isn't totally Historic District-related, but it certainly helps for telling the stories history. As for the Alphabet housing. During the war effort of World War II, the small farming of town transformed from a small farming town to a metropolis of secrecy (fuel for the first atomic bombs were built on the Hanford Site). Richland Population: 1943: 500 1945: 25,000 (!!) The huge change in population needed to be handled quickly. Yes, many soldiers were housed in tents and temporary barracks, but scientists, technicians, and management (along with their families), needed honest to goodness homes. An architect from Spokane was given 90 days to design homes and neighborhoods for the huge influx of people: enter the alphabet houses (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/z_1wFu2h3fGTsjBo6jfv2A?select=TfltN_vfiTmYtBImYep2tg). Each home design was assigned a letter (hence the term "alphabet houses"). The houses range from tiny 1-bedroom houses to huge two-story duplexes. (for the record, I live in a 2-story 3bedroom, home known affectionately as an F-House). It's over a half century later, and many of these houses are still around and generally in their original state. Some areas of the district are quaint and DO look historical, but other neighborhoods do look a wee bit ghetto (like my 'hood!). This is home, and it's nice to know the history behind the area. If you ever get the chance, you should drop by the CREHST Museum (http://www.yelp.com/biz/crehst-museum-richland). There's a cool exhibit about the Alphabet Houses.

The alphabet housing "district" in Richland is interesting to say the least - the new small metal…read moresigns giving some history about the street names are neat, but unless you go on a walking tour of the area I can't see how you would read them. This part of town is probably the least expensive part of northern Richland, the houses have been remodeled and modified, a least most of them have, but the area still retains its unique vibe.

You are driving down I-82, in a very "different" Washington state than the one in which one Seattle…read moreis located, and you see a sign. It says "Welcome to Yakima, the Palm Springs of Washington" in various tacky fonts and colors. Instead of evergreens and gray skies, you are surrounded by sparsely vegetated hills strewn with sagebrush and the sun may be beating down on you or your dashboard ... and you begin to process the following: One star for the effort to erect this billboard. Another star for latching onto a calling card of sorts although, at 9:00 p.m. Pacific Time on December 16, 2016, it is 12 degrees Fahrenheit in Yakima WA ... and 59 degrees Fahrenheit in Palm Springs CA. Another star for making you laugh, causing you to shake your head, and/or waking you up. The "Yakima, the Palm Springs of Washington" sign, albeit a stretch, is A-o.k.! It may not change the course of your life, but you probably won't forget it.

Surely the Rat Pack took trips to Yakima, WA. That's the only way someone could have come up with…read morethe connection: Yakima = Palm Springs. Regardless, Yakima is its own beast. It's located just below the Cascades and just downriver from the beautiful Yakima River Canyon. It is centrally located in the rectangle we lovingly call Washington. For me, Yakima (aka "Crackima") is a nice place to take a break if you're coming home from hiking. It's a small town with Palm Springs aspirations (is this really a good thing??).