Tacoma, the times they are a changin. Here are a couple things of which to be aware.

Happy: 1022 South
Hilltop is home to a craft cocktail lounge. Have you ever been to a bar that takes the art of making cocktails VERY seriously? It is interesting to see what they can do with alchemy and infusion. This is not something out of the movie Cocktail, mind you. We're talking about scientific, laboratory-style concoctions that fizz, smoke, bubble, and glow. 1022 South is the type of place where cocktails transcend being just a beverage. Ordering a drink can be quite a complex experience: choosing a drink, ordering it without feeling stupid, watching the process it takes to make it, and of course, enjoying your selection. If you are out and about looking for a place to "just have a drink or two" I highly recommend 1022 South, located at 1022 South J Street in Tacoma.

Sad: Rector's Antiques
My favorite antique store in Tacoma has closed. Located across the street from MSM, Rector's was usually my go-to spot for funky furniture, antique lighting and old clothing/costume items. Being far removed from the official antique row downtown has taken its final toll on Rector's. If anyone should hear that they are planning on relocating, please post follow-up information here.

I had to make a run to Sea-tac airport this morning. Early. Aside from my morning pot of coffee, the chief motivator for me today was the notion of actually enjoying a fresh, authentic bagel for breakfast. Of course, there aren't any fresh bagels to be had in Tacoma. How did I do it? What's my secret?

Big Apple Bagel in Des Moines is a godsend. Every time I drop someone off at the airport in the morning, I find myself at Big Apple selecting 6 warm, soft bagels and a tub o' cream cheese to bring back to the City of Density with me. Today it was 2 onion, 1 blueberry, 1 tomato basil, 1 cheddar herb and 1 swiss melt, all still warm. By this evening I will feel like a turkey, stuffed to the gills with bread. I look forward to this feeling.

For those of you who don't know, the bagel is more than meets the eye. To the uneducated, it is simply a donut-shaped piece of bread. To those of us who know better, it is a precise concoction, boiled then baked, chewy, moist, soft. This is not found in just any bagel. Most bagels you find around here ARE simply bread in the shape of a donut.

Tacoma needs a real bagel shop, ASAP. Cascade Bagel didn't make it downtown... but that was because they picked the worst location ever: inside a museum. Their Lakewood location isn't very good, yet they've managed to keep that one open for years. Somewhere on Pacific downtown or 6th Ave would be a perfect place for the next great bagel shop in Tacoma. Offer fresh bagels, good coffee and a great sandwich lineup and you CANNOT fail.

Someone. Anyone. Please.

Several of my relatives plan to move back to Tacoma in the near future. This has me thinking about the City of Density and how it is here today compared with how it was here 10 years ago.

I regularly complain about all sorts of things in Tacoma ranging from traffic cameras, to bad urban development, to the lack of useful retail downtown. That being said, I think Tacoma is much cooler today than it was 10 years ago. Does this mean Tacoma really sucked in 99? Or is it actually cool here now? The answer to this question depends largely on who you ask.

I moved back to Tacoma in 99 and I've had no regrets. I love my neighborhood, we have several great bars & restaurants to enjoy, traffic and cost of living are manageable and the geographic location and climate are ideal. What more do you need?

While it's been interesting to watch the city grow to this point, I'm even more interested to see where it goes from here.

I had a conversation with myself and decided to go ahead with this thought. Before I begin, let me just say that I love the Proctor District, especially when it's not crawling with middle schoolers.

The honorable Proctor District has left a sour taste in my mouth lately. There is considerable traffic, delay, construction and hassle abound in the area. I'm starting to wonder if the time and money spent on the intersection at 26th & Proctor is ever going to pan out. Currently, it looks terrible. So far we've got a raised, white concrete circle (fit for a roundabout, god forbid), pink masonry, black asphalt patchwork, white curbs and green poles.

One thing comes to mind when I look at this work in progress these days..

 

I asked Facebook for its favorite Tacoma landmarks in the rain. Within minutes Facebook provided me with a list: Harvester, 509 suspension bridge and Frisko Freeze. I set off to capture these images, and feel as though they turned out very mediocre. After some hesitation I decided to put them up, just to end the suspense. The Harvester is not very photogenic, I chose a poor vantage point for the bridge, and Frisko Freeze looks better at night. That being said...

    

Thanks for the ideas.

Forza has emerged from the depths of coffee anonymity with me. They have done exactly two things to win me over from a non-loyal, post-Starbuck's, nomadic wandering.

First, they offered 24oz. drinks. Thank god. Often 20oz. is not enough.

Second, they began serving grilled breakfast sandwiches prepared by Pacific Grill. These are the very best breakfast sandwiches in Tacoma, and nothing else comes close.

Ordered together, they become a satiating force of apocalyptic proportion.

Pierce County's bankruptcy rate increased over 40% from 2008 to 2009. King County's increase of more than 60% was the worst in Washington (33% increase in the state overall). These comparisons are for the Jan-Sept range, so it should be interesting to see how the 4th quarter goes.

High definition interviews with Gary Payton, George Karl, and numerous local sports media members, as well as a great historical look at Seattle, the Sonics, the Kingdome, the previous owners, etc. Narrated by John Keister. This is 2 hours of essential footage for all Seattle historians and Sonics fans.

Sonicsgate HD Part 1 of 2 from sonicsgate on Vimeo.

Check out part II of this high quality documentary of the Seattle SuperSonics saga.

Sonicsgate HD Part 2 of 2 from sonicsgate on Vimeo.

Where do you draw the line between preservation and hoarding? What makes the crazy lady on Dr. Phil with 3 year old cabbage in her refrigerator any different from the guy who insists on saving the Luzon or the Murray Morgan? The gap between them is diminishing, much like their common sense. Safety, practicality, health, intelligence and fiscal responsibility are being ignored, all in the name of... keeping old stuff around...  for the sake of preserving old stuff... because it's old.

Old does not equal good. I am increasingly tired of the notion that something needs to be preserved at any cost because it has years under its belt. The concept of age and importance being synonymous has the potential to keep me up at night. If this is true, I will stop trying to be good person, and focus on aging. Apparently, the older I get the more respect I will garner from many people in Tacoma.

This will be great for me. I will become more important, significant, interesting and beautiful as I fall apart internally. Failing health, poor attitude, and lack of morals aside, I will be better than I was yesterday, apparently by definition. All I need now is for someone to start fundraising on my behalf. For an unjustified sum of money, I can get plastic surgery and some counseling to revert back to the way I was yesterday, but I am confident I can get back to the way I am now very soon.

Tacoma needs to focus efforts and money on the preservation of things that haven't already passed the point of no return. The Luzon and the Murray Morgan were/are both ugly and dangerous and expensive to maintain...  and by maintain, what I really mean is maintain in a state of dysfunction. Look at all the money thrown at both of these structures, for what? Neither of them has contributed anything positive to our society in years.

City planners, please get back to work on fixing things that actually have life left in them. There are plenty of historic buildings in downtown that are not in a state of disrepair yet. Fix them NOW. Fascination with the hopeless must cease. This is a classic case of "careful what you wish for", people. If this infatuation with the hopeless continues, you will soon have the entire downtown corridor on which to focus.