The Slice: Not exactly a cheery atmosphere

You hear a lot about the attraction of shopping, sports events, shows and concerts.

But for many rural and small-town residents of the Inland Northwest, the quintessential visiting-Spokane experience involves sitting in a doctor’s waiting room.

I think this partly explains why a fair number of folks who live out in the sticks think people in Spokane aren’t friendly. (That’s something I hear from rural readers on a semiregular basis.)

It’s an understandable conclusion, I suppose.

But I ask you: Is that fair?

Think about it. Many people in medical waiting rooms are not having a four-star day. I won’t present a litany of what can go wrong with our bodies. But surely we can agree that often people waiting to see a doctor have a right to lousy moods.

And are wheezers and sneezers a truly reflective snapshot of Spokane’s personality?

No. Not really.

Maybe, on any other day, Joe Jones or Sue Smith would love to converse at length with some stranger from Tekoa or Creston. But if a bladder infection or torn rotator cuff is part of the picture, well, can you blame someone for not being chatty?

Admittedly, the person who lives out in the country might be feeling subpar as well. Somehow, though, it’s the city dwellers who have acquired the reputation for icy demeanors.

Of course, there’s another factor that might help explain why some rural residents head home after their appointments thinking that Spokane is less than congenial. But perhaps Slice readers — a cheerful, upbeat lot — would find it hard to believe that there actually are some unfriendly people here.

I know. It’s shocking but true.

•Separated at birth: Slice reader Kelly Welch wonders if anyone else thinks KXLY’s Susanna Baylon and congressional hopeful Cathy McMorris look alike.

•Memorable political moments: “In September, 1948, I heard Harry S. Truman speak,” wrote MaryBelle Thompson. “The kickoff speech of his presidential campaign was made at the National Plowing Match, held that year in Dexter, Iowa, my hometown.

“Although I was three weeks into my freshman year of college in Missouri, my father thought it was imperative that I come home for this ‘once in a lifetime experience.’

“I confess that I don’t remember the content of the speech, but I do remember the dress I wore as I stood on the recently plowed field on a sunny, hot, Midwestern afternoon and acquired a memorable sunburn.”

•Come again: This really has nothing to do with anything. But it cracks me up.

When Gloria Meaders’ son lived in Pasco, a street near his home was marked “23th.”

Try pronouncing that. It’s almost as hard as saying “16rd.”

•Today’s Slice question: What’s the most memorable (nondestructive) prank kids at one area high school have played on a rival school?