Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

The largest city in the Idaho Panhandle - a real stunner -is located about 30 miles east of Spokane, Washington with about 42,000 residents. It shares the name with the lake and the local Indian tribe. The Indians were dubbed "Heart of an Awl" by French traders in the area because of their shrewd trading skills.

Barbara Walters called the city "a little slice of Heaven" and included it in her list of most fascinating places to visit. With a luxurious resort on the shore and a charming downtown, Coeur d'Alene is a must-see city.

French Canadian fur traders allegedly named the local Indian tribe the Coeur d'Alene out of respect for their tough trading practices. Others think the phrase was more of a slur or an insult to the tribe. Cœur d'Alêne literally means "heart of the awl" which might mean hard-hearted or shrewd. Others interpret "Heart of the Awl" to translate to "Eye of the Needle", perhaps referring to the narrow passage through which the lake empties into the Spokane River on its way to the Columbia. Today, however, it is the name for the tribe, the city, the lake and many businesses in the area, and the alleged insult is ignored. The area is just too beautiful to dwell on that, don't you think?