Spokane

Boulder Park Lane, Estate of the Day

Filed under: Estates

Sometimes it seems like the biggest and most extravagant homes in Washington state were created by Microsoft executives. Today's home is on 40 acres in Spokane, Washington. The home was built a couple of years ago and utilizes top-of-the-line materials including alder and black walnut wood, granite, marble, limestone and Venetian plaster throughout. The main home is 11,200 square feet with four large bedroom suites and seven fireplaces. It has cathedral ceilings, his and hers offices, fiber optic wiring, geothermal radiant heating and cooling, an Otis elevator and Lutron lighting system. There is a large kitchen plus a butler pantry and both formal and informal dining areas.

The daylight lower level has a full second kitchen, a second laundry room, rec room and theater room with leather seating for 12, steam room and exercise room. Other details for executive living include winter/summer hot tubs, an in-ground pool (heated by geothermal), shade pavilion with refrigerator, BBQ and fireplace, a heated potting shed and gated raised bed garden. There is also a separate 1,800-square-foot cottage that has a 1,000-square-foot conference room/office plus a separate one-bedroom guest suite. Another eight-car attached garage has two wood burning stoves, 12' doors, radiant floor heat and workshop. There is a large concrete pad that could be turned into a sports court, RV parking or helicopter pad. This home is listed at $5.9 million.

Gallery: Boulder Park Lane

Tags: estate of the day, spokane, washington real estate

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Call It a Trend: Cigar Stores Reclaiming Rights

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cigars

Maybe, society has had enough. In Spokane, Washington, even non-smokers came to the defense of the cigar community when public golf courses tried to implement a ban. Other places are relying on creativity, such as tobacconist De La Concha's cigar dinners. In New Hampshire, the legislature is getting involved – a bill may legalize the sale of liquor in cigar bars.

In most places, it's tough to find a social setting where you can enjoy a cocktail and a cigar at the same time. The "live free or die" folks are looking to change that. If tobacconists are able to receive liquor licenses, the resulting store traffic could offset much of the damage being done by the financial crisis.

For Two Guys Smoke Shop in Salem, New Hampshire – where I used to go when I lived in northern Massachusetts – sales have fallen since the state banned smoking in restaurants two years ago, with particular effect in the winter. The ability to sell drinks would make the venue more enticing to customers, keep them in seats longer and likely result in an increase in sales.

There aren't many cigar venues left in New England or elsewhere in the country where you can smoke and drink at the same time. In Manhattan, we have a few spots, and Boston has Cigar Masters. Many cities have their hidden gems, but you have to find them. For the cigar smokers of New Hampshire, however, this could change. And, if you believe that Dixville Notch chooses the president every four years, expect to see similar laws pop up in other states.

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Tags: boston, cigar, cigars, financial crisis, financialcrisis, massachusetts, new york, new york city, NewYork, newyorkcity, recession, smoke, smoker, smokers, smoking, smoking ban, SmokingBan, spokane, tobacco, tobacco industry, TobaccoIndustry, washington