Boise Is Back

BY HEATHER HAMILTON-POST

Like most Idahoans, Boiseians are anxious to get their city back. For some, the small pleasures of working from home are beginning to seem like chores. For others, the feeling of normal that accompanies a regular customer stopping in for coffee or an unchanged traffic pattern on a daily commute beg for a return. And, while we will never be the same, Boise Convention & Visitors Bureau wants you to know that BOISE IS BACK! Or getting there, anyway. 8th street has closed to automobile traffic to allow more space for diners. Photos by The Grove Hotel

“It’s a little bit of a shift for sure, and people are going to be the most apt to utilize accommodations and go into restaurants and start to go into attractions that are most familiar. So we’re targeting within 300 miles of Boise to start off with,” explains Carrie Westergard, executive director at Boise Convention & Visitors Bureau. During the pandemic and city reopening, the Visitors Bureau has served as a resource for businesses, often providing information or linking organizations with others where it made sense. They’re also promoting, as usual, businesses and events, even as they shift to accommodate a changing landscape.

Now, the Boise is Back campaign (learn more at Boise.org/boise-is-back) seeks to endure the City of Trees to those who already love it best--the people that live here. Westergard explains that the Visitors Bureau chose to focus on attracting more local tourism from places like McCall, Sun Valley, Mountain Home, and Idaho Falls so that people who might be reluctant to vacation can sort of ease into it. Eventually, the campaign will expand to encourage visitors from areas like Salt Lake City, Utah and places that have direct flights to Boise, but for now, they’re thinking local.

Westergard says that things are picking back up in Boise, growing slowly but steadily, though she acknowledges that things may be different for a while. “It’s been a sacrifice for everybody, but they don’t want to go back to not being open at all. Hopefully, with these precautions, there’s a comfort level now,” she says.

A comfort level that comes from a lot of innovative thinking and hard work from local businesses. Westergard suggests. Hotels hoping to attract guests

“It’s been a sacrifice for everybody, but they don’t want to go back to

not being open at all. “ - Carrie Westergard, Boise Convention & Visitor’s Bureau

are implementing waiting periods between guests, extra cleaning procedures, and individually wrapped items like wine openers. Gone are the buffet-style breakfasts, replaced by simpler grab-and-go items for guests. She says that some businesses are even holding temperature checks for employees, or in the case of Roaring Springs and Wahooz Family Fun Zone, for customers.

If you’re more inclined toward nature, Westergard says the Boise River is bound to be popular, which might be a reason to look elsewhere for your fun in the sun (or shade). Although Boise pools are closed for this summer, local hotels have lots of options for swimming both indoors and outdoors for couples and families alike.

To allow for appropriate social distancing, Boise’s 8th Street has also closed to automobile traffic to provide larger outdoor spaces for diners at local restaurants on the block. Westergard says that other streets may follow in the coming days. Ultimately, businesses of all kinds have been forced to get creative, and they’ve really stepped up to show their concern for safety.

Westergard notes The STIL, an ice cream shop, as one that has been particularly fun to watch thanks to their weekly videos that keep them on people’s minds. “It’s not just about their business--the videos look at what’s going on around the city and you just look forward to seeing them. They make you think, ‘yeah, I want to support that business’. They’re innovative. It’s during these times that we really need to support these businesses if we want them to be here in six months,” she says. A task that, given the city’s reopening, will be easier.

“This is a great community because of how much people care about each other, and we’re encouraging people to check out what’s happening. Businesses are taking extra precautions so you can feel safe,” Westergard says.