We arrive in Pullman around 6 p.m. Parents and incoming first-year students wearing crimson crowd the hotel lobby. Our freshman, a big sports fan, is wide-eyed and excited as we pass Gesa Field.
We eat dinner at Birch & Barley and then crash. Orientation is at 8 a.m. My sleep is intermittent because the pillows are always too soft and the mattress too hard.
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The complimentary breakfast always features people from disparate places sharing space in flip-flops and summer wear. I thoroughly enjoy the polite camaraderie as we silently maneuver the bacon tongs and Fruity Pebbles dispenser like good Americans.
We dropped him off at orientation and explored the campus and Pullman. The modern Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, also known as the “Crimson Cube,” is a standout building designed by architect Jim Olson of Seattle-based Olson Kundig. Schnitzer is a prodigious art collector and philanthropist of the arts.
There is a variety of public art on campus, such as “Technicolor Heart” by art Jim Dine, installed in 2008—or “The Caring Call” by Larry Anderson to commemorate the university’s veterinary program and centennial in 1990.
Veterinary medicine is an example of land grant schools focused on practical education like agriculture and science, a mandate of the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890 that provided land and funding during Reconstruction after the Civil War.
I believe land grant funding continues to be vital to education. Practical skills and trades are in high demand again as people turn to computers and fragile digital careers. Our son will study architecture, a timeless trade that requires adaptation to climate change and new environmental realities.
We walk to the Voiland College of Engineering And Architecture. The triptych of bas-reliefs over a set of doors harkens to 1920s design and depicts engineering, science, and the literal fruits of industry.
Ellie and I enjoy walking the campus and can picture our son thriving in an environment that will challenge his intelligence and curiosity. A striking white sculpture of wavy vertical columns is situated at the top of a grassy hill. It's called “Palouse Columns” by Robert Maki and symbolizes the landscape of the Palouse. From different vantage points, the waves interact with each other and the setting to create the movement of rolling farmland.
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Main Street, currently a dirt road, is undergoing a significant infrastructure upgrade. Project Downtown Pullman is creating a people-centered shopping district to benefit local businesses, students, visitors, and residents.
The Jackson Block building was erected in 1915 and housed The Grand Theater until 1928. In 1930, the theater was remodeled as the Audian; the marquee is still present today.
Sidewalk detours direct us to N Grand Avenue, where the Cordova Theater, a silent picture house, once entertained Pullman residents. It was the first theater in Pullman to screen “talkies,” when films featured sound and dialogue. It’s now the Pullman Foursquare Church.
Across the street, the Regional Theatre of the Palouse (RTOP) is performing Broadway shows.
Near Palouse Games, a woman wears a faded t-shirt that says, “Biden Quit.” In light of recent events, be careful what you wish for. We cross N Grand at Olson and walk through Cougar Plaza, a well-manicured welcome for WSU students and families.
The owner of Dregs, a vintage clothing store, says the summer months are quiet, but tens of thousands of students arrive in the fall, and the town almost doubles in population. I get a Grateful Dead tee. The kids love the selection of faded and dusty Gen X clothing we wore without being ironic.
A walking path along the South Fork Palouse River connects River Park near the Wazzu campus to NE Kamiaken Street next to Porch Light Pizza. An eponymous bus stop is in front of Porch Light.
Angsty graffiti covers a skatepark near River Park. The message is less important than the vibe.
South Fork Palouse River
