The Slice: The Crescent is gone but not forgotten

Every time I ask about local businesses that no longer exist, a lot of readers remind me of a Spokane fact of life.

The lingering affection for The Crescent department store is so deep and so wide that it cannot be dismissed as mere nostalgia.

People loved that store, and they always will.

OK, here’s a partial list of the restaurants Slice readers miss: Strick’s Donuts, Bob’s Chili, the Burger Basket, The Sizzler, TCBY, Town & Country, Thudpucker’s, Waffles ‘n’ More, George’s Coney Island, Hooligan and Hannigan’s, Partners, the Combine in Pullman, St. Regis Café, Mary’s, the downtown Black Angus, The Rocking Horse Saloon, Whistle Stop in Sandpoint, Burger Barn, Sea Galley, Gung Ho, Calgary Steakhouse, China Best, the Outlaw on Washington, Coyote Café, Chapter 11, Golden Wok, Howard Street Café and Beef ‘n’ Bird, among others.

“The world’s least amazing health secret: The South Hill’s Katherine Flores was watching TV. A commercial came on, so she turned her attention to a crossword puzzle.

Still, she heard a man in the commercial talking about his fitness regimen: “I work out, I eat healthy food and every day I take a leak.”

I would certainly hope so, Flores thought. But then, she found herself wondering if she had heard that right.

“I will be 90 years old in August and thought I’ve finally lost it,” she wrote.

Eventually, she saw that commercial again and discovered that what the guy takes every day is a product called Garlique.

“Fur-bearing lyric substitution: Moscow resident Steven Stehr’s suggestion would be tough to beat.

When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that’s a marmot.

But another reader came close with, Puff, the magic marmot.

“Thanks to readers of Friday’s column who wrote to lecture me about the realities of feline behavior: But here’s something for you to consider: I was kidding.

Maybe you folks had better take a Garlique or something.

Sheesh.

“If the S-R wanted to demonstrate that it has a sense of humor: It would acquire the big newsprint-skinned pterodactyl on display at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture and hang it in the lobby at the Review Tower. Then, the newspaper’s executives could essentially invite “extinction” jokes, all the while smiling because they know they have a secret plan for the S-R’s survival.

“Today’s Slice questions: What would your house be worth/what would your rent be in the San Francisco Bay area?