"This town is like 'Twin Peaks'"

The latest weirdo-factor to crop up here in Spokane - a federal judge who was caught allegedly masturbating in Riverfront Park. A local teacher, who's entire last name is just plain "X," pleaded guilty to having sex with a 16-year-old female student in his first year on the job. Plus, since I've been here it's been nothing but gay mayors, serial sex offenders and abductions. My boss came over and pointed out the two strange stories and noted that Spokane is a little like "Twin Peaks." While I agree, there certainly are some sinister elements to this town, it seems that Spokane is a lot more like another fictional, eccentric and storied city of the pacific northwest. Continued ...

Cicely, Alaska in "Northern Exposure" rings truer to this city than the darker David Lynch hamlet. Every time I meet some quirky local shopping for groceries in their cowboy hat and glittery tank-top or spend some time watching bikers picking up their kids from school I cannot help but identify with Rob Morrow's character from the series - the neurotic, cosmopolitan Dr. Joel Fleischman, fresh out of college and completely overwhelmed by the locals. I often feel like this, especially when I find myself chasing a moose with a videographer in tow around Comstock Park.

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