Spokane, June 28: Our vacation was obviously not deep and moody all the time, despite our itinerary; a big part of traveling for us is finding fun spots to eat.
Frank’s was the first of two train-themed restaurants we stumbled on during this trip, located right next to an active railway line. Here’s what their website says about this space:
“During the golden days of railroading, Barney-Smith and Pullman vied for supremacy of the elegant rail car business. In 1906, Barney Smith manufactured this car as an “observation car”. It remained unsold until 1909, when it was purchased by the Northern Pacific Railroad and remodeled to suit their needs as a private car for the president of the railroad. Car NO. 1787 (downtown car) served as a presidential car until it was replaced in 1931. Stranded in Seattle at the height of the depression, NO. 1787 found a new home. Frank Knight, the brother and sometime partner of Jack Knight of Spokane, bought the presidential car and converted it into a diner car in 1931.”
Moses Lake, July 2: We almost considered ordering pizza to our dinky roadside motel on this evening; it had been a long drive and the diner that Christine had her heart set on taking me was already closed by the time we arrived in town. But we saw that this drive-thru was nearby & figured that we’d pick up something to take back; luckily, the sun was still shining that awesome desert gold and the air was balmy with moisture from the nearby lake, enticing us to sit and linger instead. After we ate, we went for a walk by the water, before spending the rest of the night watching INSP, a channel dedicated to old-timesy westerns.
Moses Lake, July 3: This is the diner that Christine had planned to take me; she’d been here before with her parents who lived in Moses Lake for a little while. It’s the second rail-themed restaurant of the trip.
Here’s what the menu says about space: “Car No. 53 of the Seattle-Everett Interurban Line pulled into the Seattle depot on the evening of Feb. 20, 1939, loaded with passengers feeling peeved over the trolley line’s demise. The Seattle-Everett Interurban Railway Car 53 has been converted into a diner in eastern Washington and has been a restaurant since 1946.”