The Tri-Cities, which include Kennewick, Richland, Pasco all of Washington State, has never been a happening place to be. Well, ever since I've moved here, 1979, it has never been the place to be. I can almost say that before 1979, it's was pretty much the same. There are the local festivals that I'm sure all towns of moderate size have. Our little claim to fame (if you happen to know what a hydoplane is) is the yearly stop on the hydroplane race circuit, the Columbia River Budweiser Cup, at the end of July. Over the years it's evolved to a hydroplane race/airshow. It's pretty boring unless you're into flesh sight-seeing. But it's not the only boring thing here. Most events here are like that. Though we do have the Hanford Nuclear reservation. (People on the west side of the state say we glow here) That probably is our main claim to fame. It's been here since World War II where some radioactive stuff was made for the second bomb dropped on Japan. Not something I'm proud of, but I couldn't really control where I lived when I was younger. Our local economy really depends on the cleanup effort of the whole site. One little positive in a sea of red. Though once the cleanup is all done, what's gonna support the flow of money? That's debatable and something I'm hoping I won't be sticking around to find out.
The Tri-Cities have grown over the years. We've got a decent THX theater about 6 years ago followed with a 12-plex with great sound and seating. No word on a digital projection setup. The latter is my preferred theater. We have a bunch of blaw, generic, stores like Best Buy and Circuit City. No variety is offered. If one has it, the other will too. We have some specialty stores though. Nothing to shout home about. If you really want a good selection, hoof it over to Seattle where you could probably find anything you would need.
During the summer months, it's gets hot. And it's dry. Then you bring on the winds. This leads to dust all over the place. It's really not fun getting the dirt and grit to come out of your nose. Fortunately for me, I don't have any allergies so the blowing stuff doesn't bug me at all. It's just the breathing, driving in, cleaning of it all. Though one good thing arises from this blowing of the sands.
After the blowing crap has been doing it's thing all day then we get a good rain, I enjoy driving on I-182 on a section between Pasco and Richland at night. Looking south, towards Kennewick, right after the rain has stopped is the best thing about living here in the Tri-Cities. You can see all three cities' lights. It's on these nights where you can see for miles and miles. The visibility is great and makes for the best view in all of the Tri-Cities. It's a very soothing sight. Though not too soothing as I'm driving all the time when this happens. I hate to space off and drive off into the medium.
These nights make it almost worth it to live here. However, they are few and far between. But priceless when it does happen.
Edit: Update
I had to fix some wording. I really suck at proofreading my own work.
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