Great Falls, Montana is Electric

{Us in the photo booth at the part-ay mentioned below.

Clearly, Great Falls is fun.}

6 Par Farmer hails from Great Falls, Montana and therefore, I find myself spending quite a bit of my time here.  Amongst Montanans (and out-of-towners alike), Great Falls doesn't always have the most glowing reputation.  10th Avenue is filled with chain stores and casinos, the dining options are pretty limited, the demographics aren't friendly to "bachelors on the frontier," and it doesn't border Glacier National Park or Yellowstone...  Because of all of these things, some people have given up on The Electric City.

{Love brick}

But I think the electricity is just below the surface and is starting to rise  (And they have always had FABULOUS people.)  I am making it my new mission to shed some light on all Great Falls has to offer.  Downtown Great Falls has SOOO much going on and should be the focal point of the town:  Historic brick buildings, solid anchor businesses, the Civic Center, and lots of opportunities for new businesses to move in.  The cost of living in Great Falls is very low too.  Are you getting ready to move here yet?

{The Blue Rose}

Right on Central you will find The Blue Rose which is one of my favorite shoppes in Montana.  (Up there with The Village Shop in Whitefish.)  Tracy, the personable, down-to-earth owner, has a great eye and carries stylish pieces for all ages.  (3J Workshop, Hudson, Nicole Miller, etc.)  She even has free shipping, so you can shop from wherever you are.  Last week I went to a party just down the street from The Blue Rose at The Living Room (by far, the most fabulous, chic spa and salon in GF) and Cindy Cieulich Photography.

{Gush.  I have a girl crush on Cindy.  

She is talented, sweet, and so cute.}

{Gratuitous dog photo Cindy 

took of Dolce's friend Baxter. Love.}

{Boutonniere}

At the party, there were fabulous apps from Bert and Ernies.  They have new owners and are making some big changes. (It was not run-of-the-mill, boring stuff either; think salmon panko balls.).  We also enjoyed tasty brews from Bowser Brewing Company, lots of beautiful wedding hair and makeup on the ladies of The Living Room, and flowers from My Viola, which is a great place to find modern, simple flowers.  (I hear they teach fun classes too!)  

{THE cover.}

Katalin Green from Bozeman, the publisher of Montana Bride put the whole shindig together to celebrate Cindy's cover photo on the mag, and I have to say, I was quite impressed. Tres chic ladies!  Way to make Great Falls shine.  

{Yum!}

Oh!  I almost forgot the best part.  The macaroons from Crooked Tree!  I am a macaroon snob (Le Panier in Seattle and Ladurée in Paris/NYC are a couple favs.)  The pistachio macaroons from Crooked Tree are top notch.  Delish!  Go buy some.  You can thank me later.  

This is just a sampling of great things in 
GF.  More next time.  The River's Edge Trail...
Eddie's... The list goes on.   

The Electric City. Come. You'll like it.  

Something Tasty: Where to Eat in Great Falls, Montana

Since I spend a lot of time on the road, I like to profile different places along the way. My hope is that our travels will overlap and you will have some good recommendations to take with you. For today's, "Something Tasty" we head to Great Falls, Montana. You might travel here for the C. M. Russell Art Auction in March (a world class event), if you are following the Lewis and Clark trail, if you are fond of bird hunting or fishing, or maybe on your way to Glacier National Park.

Great Falls is not known for its dining options. I would call it the mecca of chain restaurants. The best place to eat in town is my boyfriend's sister's house. Followed closely by the produce aisle at the natural foods store. (One of my biggest concerns about the possibility of living in Great Falls has been the food.) That being said, there are a few diamonds in the rough. Suki Cafe offers darn good asian food. (I am excited about their new steak and seafood restaurant.)



A real find is Wines by Wednesday. You can order discount wine online and pick it up in the store. They also have fab olive oils, cheeses, crackers, pastas, beer, and local beef. A picnic (either indoors or out) from Wines by Wednesday might give my boyfriend's sister a run for her money.



Last week we went to try Crooked Tree Coffee and Bakery for breakfast. They had a nice herbed biscuit with salami for a savory option and the latte looked like it was straight out of Seattle with a cute leaf design. (And coffee from Seattle's Herkimer Coffee.)



They did a great job with the decor and they are downtown, which I love! With a few more grab and go food options for breakfast and lunch and they will be set.



And today we are going to try out Faster Basset which sounds fantastic. Savory and sweet crepes and Stumptown Coffee. They used to run their business out of a food cart and now they have a cute, cute, cute brick building over by the river. Um, yes please.



If someone could just open up a decent dinner place, I could live here. Anyone? Anyone...

Next time you are in Great Falls, check these places out.