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LA Times Spotlights Coeur d'Alene in Sunday's Travel Section

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Real Estate Agent with Keller Williams Realty Coeur d'Alene AB37665

Coeur d'Alene IdahoFrom LA Times to the Lake City - LA Times Spotlights Coeur d'Alene in Sunday's Travel Section

This past Sunday there was a wonderful write-up in the Los Angeles Times about the wonders of Coeur d'Alene as a vacation destination.  Reporter Christopher Reynolds spent some time in town and wrote a delightful feature on our little part of the world.  I loved his introduction -

"Say yes to huckleberries, yes to lazy days by the lake, yes to fast bikes on long trails.

Say no to fancy French pronunciation. Say no, also, to white supremacy. And say no, thank you, to the Rocky Mountain oysters at the Snake Pit restaurant east of town, unless you like bull testicles.

Follow this simple advice, and you'll probably do just fine here in the middle of the Idaho panhandle, where the lakeside city of Coeur d'Alene (pronounced core-DA-lane) draws travelers and second-homers from all over the West."

I loved growing up here, running amok in, on and around the lake in our little obscure tourist town.  It was a paradise. Good-bye, obscurity. The cat's been out of the bag for a long time, in a large part due to publicity like this LA Times article and frequent placement on a myriad of Best Of lists. 

There is a noticeable segment of our friendly population that are California transplants.  This article is certain to garner more attention from potential California escapees. Not everyone here is thrilled to welcome the slow and steady influx of new neighbors, but most do recognize the benefits that the newcomers bring with them.  As for me - my mom and dad loaded up five kids in the station wagon and fled southern California for beautiful Coeur d'Alene in 1965.  Thanks mom and dad!

As a tourist town in a sluggish economy, things are not quite booming, but around town folks are saying that the decline isn't much, maybe 2%.  Hotels and tourist attractions are seeing a big increase in regional tourists from around the pacific northwest.  Families are taking vacations closer to home, to destinations where they can reach by car on a day's drive.  For anyone considering purchasing a vacation home, there are more waterfront homes for sale right now on area lakes than anyone can ever remember.  It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that slow moving + high inventory = incredible bargains.

To read the entire Los Angeles Times article, click here.  It's a great article and paints a very pretty, and accurate, picture of the reasons why I feel so blessed to call north Idaho home!

Janna Rankin Scharf provides a superior level of real estate services to home buyers and sellers in Coeur d'Alene and Kootenai County, Idaho. Visit www.JannaScharf.com to search for homes in the Coeur d'Alene MLS for anywhere in spectacular North Idaho.

No matter how grand or modest your real estate dreams may be, you can turn to me in confidence.  Give me a call today and let me know what I can do to be of service to you!

Janna Rankin Scharf, AB, GRI, CSP, CNS, CLHMS  208.651.9700  

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Janna Rankin Scharf provides a superior level of real estate service to home buyers and sellers in Coeur d'Alene and Kootenai County, Idaho. Visit www.JannaScharf.com for area information and to search for all homes in the Coeur d'Alene Multiple Listing Service. 

No matter how grand or modest your real estate dreams may be, you can turn to me in confidence.  Give me a call today so I can  be of service to you!

Janna Rankin Scharf AB, GRI, CLHMS, PMN, SFR  208.651.9700

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Brian Brumpton
Keller Williams Boise - Boise, ID
Boise Idaho Real Estate

I guess you have to be a local to enjoy the rocky mountain oysters.  There are very few things I won't try and that's been one of them for years.

Jul 28, 2009 07:38 AM
Janna Scharf
Keller Williams Realty Coeur d'Alene - Coeur d'Alene, ID
Coeur d'Alene Idaho Real Estate Expert

Brian - I'm with you!  Rocky Mountain Oysters were big in Colorado but I figured that if I never came face to face with one as long as I lived it would be okay with me.  I was at a fancy catered affair and unsuspectingly ate one from a platter of assorted good things to eat.  I couldn't figure out what it was, but it was delicious!  I asked around until I found out what it was.  I almost died!  I would never, ever EVER knowingly eat another one, just the thought makes me gag.  But I have to admit they were GOOD!

Jul 28, 2009 08:04 AM
Greg Knowles Santa Barbara Ca.
Fidelity National Title Group-Santa Barbara - Santa Barbara, CA

Janna, one day I hope to visit. It does sound like a very cool place to live or vacation.

Jul 28, 2009 11:01 AM
Andrea Swiedler
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices New England Properties - New Milford, CT
Realtor, Southern Litchfield County CT

Janna, great post! You have tempted me with all of your posts about Couer d'Alene, it is beautiful!

I grew up on a cattle ranch. Mountain Oysters were part of the deal.... we never put the word Rocky in front of them, just mountain oysters. Waste not want not I guess. There were other parts that I prefered not to eat, but I will say no more.

 

Jul 28, 2009 11:53 AM
Caren Wallace
Premier Property Group LLC - Tualatin, OR
Portland Caren Real Estate

Janna, your area is so beautiful and you do tempt us to make a visit....it is one of the states I haven't visited yet!!!

Jul 29, 2009 12:25 AM
Jim Frimmer
HomeSmart Realty West - San Diego, CA
Realtor & CDPE, Mission Valley specialist

I think that whole area there -- Idaho, Montana, Wyoming -- is a standard non-smogged-in-city destination for L.A. residents. Many of my friends' families when I was growing up used to vacation there.

Aug 02, 2009 01:36 PM