Tacomarama

North End Walking

2010-02-28T01:55:00Z

I took my first walk through the north end with my daughter in a stroller and my faithful puppy dog earlier today. While it has always been apparent that the neighborhood is walkable, it occurred to me that I couldn't ask for a better place to raise a child in this region.

During a 45-minute walk, I encountered very few cars, enjoyed smiles from several other walkers and enjoyed the nice, smooth sidewalks some of us may take for granted. Never have I lived anywhere with better sidewalks. The city recently forced many residents to pay for sidewalk repairs, mostly due to tree-root damage. At first this seemed unreasonable to me, but today I realized the benefits.

Little kids, skateboards, strollers, inline skates, wheelchairs... whatever it is you use to travel our sidewalks, you should have no trouble getting from point A to point B. Just another reason North Tacoma is the best neighborhood in the world.

What's With Puget Sound Area Banks?

2010-02-28T01:43:00Z

Washington Mutual and now Rainier Pacific. Both have gone from riches to rags and both originated in our backyard. While not as spooky as the WaMu debacle, the Rainier Pacific dissolution seems to be exactly what this region needs to avoid. This pattern of 1 step forward and 2 steps back is not going to take our economy where it needs to go anytime soon.

Rather than a bank named Umpqua, I sincerely hope that something fun will go into the corner space at N 26th & Proctor previously used by Rainier Pacific Bank. North Tacoma needs more places to have fun and less places to do business, in my opinion. Take your business downtown!

The global economy still wavers. The stock markets are as fickle as my 5 day old daughter. Real estate may or may not be picking up steam. What are your thoughts on the economic health of the region? I give up trying to make my own predictions. Hopefully some of you will step up and risk an opinion.

Happy Sad

2010-01-31T00:03:00Z

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.

WANTED: Bagel Shop in Tacoma

2010-01-07T14:37:00Z

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.

You'll Like Tacoma

2009-11-24T23:30:00Z

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.

Partridge District?

2009-11-08T19:30:00Z

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..

Ask. Ye Shall Receiveth.

2009-10-22T22:17:00Z

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 Breakfast Sandwich from Pacific Grill

2009-10-22T05:00:00Z

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.

Bankruptcy in Pierce County

2009-10-16T08:00:00Z

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.

Amazing 2009 Seattle Sonics Video

2009-10-16T06:00:00Z

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.

Seattle Supersonics. Remember them?

2009-10-13T16:00:00Z

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

Sonicsgate HD Part 2 of 2 from sonicsgate on Vimeo.

Old Does Not Equal Good

2009-10-10T17:06:00Z

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.

Central Treatment Plant Visitor Center and Tagro Office Upgrades

2009-10-08T21:37:00Z

Tacoma has unleashed cutting edge technology on the city's waste water. Ever heard of "ballasted sedimentation"? This new process allows the plant to process more waste water faster, allowing for zero overflow even in the event of a big storm. The old system would back flow into the Puyallup River when overwhelmed with heavy rain runoff. Not anymore.

Micro sand and polymers (hopefully natural ones) mix through the dirty water, settling all solids quickly to the bottom, leaving clean water above. The new waste water facility, Tagro office and Visitor Center are located at 2201 Portland Ave near the Port of Tacoma. The project totaled $95 million and provides excess capacity to the city, now capable of handling future growth, to the tune of an additional 75,000 residents.

Sunny Day Real Estate Playing Hell's Kitchen

2009-09-16T21:32:00Z

Tonight! $5 will get you a Sunny Day Real Estate show in the heart of Tacoma. Hell's Kitchen hasn't formally announced anything and their sign is still mysteriously void of any details, but I'm on my way back down there now to see what I can see. If all goes well, I'll be reporting back in less than an hour with a pocketful of tickets and more information on how the ticket process works.

Sunny Day Real Estate was one of the first bands to go by the categorization of "emo" in the early 90's, before breaking up after 2 albums. This recent reunion marks the first time all original members have returned to participate. Should be a lively one.

Wednesday on the Water Tuesday

2009-09-15T01:00:00Z

We're running Wednesday on the Water a day early this week. Instead of the usual routine on Ruston Way, we're launching 3 boats at Chambers Bay at 8:15am tomorrow, 9/15/09. If you are interested in taking the tide for a ride, park by the bridge and drop next to the chain link fence. Extremely low tide around 8am means you'll get one heck of a free ride back to your car after riding the current out into the bay. Haven't checked the weather - don't care! I'm bringing a raincoat and a hat with me, but I hope to keep those tucked away in the dry bag.

There's nothing like a steaming breakfast sandwich, a hot cup of coffee and morning mist on the sound in a kayak. Give it a try.

CAUTION: We have been experimenting with different drop times to see what we can learn about the tide flow in Steilacoom. There is a chance you will run aground in the mud for a few minutes due to the extremely low tide tomorrow. This is, of course, no big deal as worst case scenario means you will be back afloat within a few minutes. You could even get out and walk a bit if you're impatient.

Russell Leaves Tacoma in Transition

2009-09-11T15:42:00Z

Often all is not as it seems. This is especially common in business. Perception management is the true art of business, and urban planners of Tacoma, you have failed to sustain the perception that we are on the rise. Wired City, you have listened to a loud minority over the past 10 years and that should now come to an end. Fire up the grit and start reinventing yourself again. Back to the future we go.

Opposite and equal to our local right-wing ideology is the "let's make Tacoma rad!" idealist. They have somehow justified and acted on principles that do not fit our region. Not yet anyway. Link light rail's minimal positive contribution to our downtown has left a trench in the middle of the area's potential commerce. The traffic flow between UWT and "old" downtown near the "old" Russell building is a joke. The idea of keeping cars to a minimum in downtown is a joke. The idea of Tacoma being rad right now is a joke. First comes infrastructure, then comes rad. This is just how it has to work.

Trying to model Tacoma after New York or San Francisco or Seattle is where the idealists' rationale ends and their fantasy begins. We don't have the established bustle of vibrant culture in our urban space and therefore need to focus on the ugly, brick & mortar details like traffic flow, destroying decrepit buildings (no matter their significance to rogue architects), courting big businesses to town, and simply doing all the things necessary to make downtown Tacoma attractive to big business.

Preserve that which is rationally preservable, and think green when convenient, but for now focus primarily on growth. Big growth. Professional services and administration, sure. Better yet, corporate headquarters and influential retail anchors like Whole Foods, REI, Costco, Best Buy, Safeway, Sports Authority, Nordstrom, Macy's... dang, even Ross, TJ Maxx, Ikea or KMart could be a great start!

Boutique shops, record stores, salons and quaint cafes in Tacoma are the true favorites and the overall goal for most people. I still believe these businesses can't make it on their own. You can't have business without traffic. We have little traffic because we have few significant retail businesses. Chicken? Egg?

We slow the creation of profitable traffic when we cater to students and alternative methods of transportation. Most people would certainly agree that, in a perfect world, public transportation and walking or biking to work are all preferable to the single-occupancy vehicle operators clogging our thoroughfares. Cars are ugly, they're loud and they smell funny. Unfortunately, they are also the primary means for people to buy things and take them away. It's awfully hard for a guy to buy a TV or a computer or even a new wardrobe and take it home on his bicycle.

Tacoma seems an incubator for one thing and one thing only: food and drink. Why are bars and restaurants the only noticeable, new downtown businesses? NOT counting schools or government, try to come up with 5 significant, downtown retailers currently in business. I asked a few people to answer quickly:

    "That cool antique toy store... you know the one I'm talking about? Um... retailers?" - N.C., Lakewood resident

    "[laughs] 5 BIG retailers? In downtown Tacoma? Um... goose egg." - P.C., route driver in downtown Tacoma

    "Bullseye shooting range sells stuff." - C.O., local web designer and prior tenant of downtown Tacoma office space

    "Ha! This isn't gonna be quick. Significant? LeRoy Jewelers?" - C.T., commercial real estate broker in South Tacoma

Extended sighs and pauses followed all of the above comments. The one person I asked who did name several downtown retailers included many that I certainly do not consider significant. If you succeeded in naming 5, my guess is that you either work downtown or you are currently enrolled at UW Tacoma or Bates Technical College. Most of us have a tough time naming 3.

The previous era of progress has waned; it is now time to fortify our stronghold. Repair, replace, regroup and reclaim. If you're purebred Tacoman, you've been through this before, at least twice. For those of you who suffer from a "staying the same, means going backwards" mindset, think of this as a lateral move toward future success. Enhancing Opera Alley, the museum district, the light rail line, the north end of Pacific Ave or the Dock Street waterfront are all possibilities for commercial improvement. I say we start with one area and FOCUS on it. We need a large capacity for moving automobiles quickly and in large quantities, we need convenient proximity to freeway ramps and we need parking. We do NOT need more rail lines, bike lanes, parks or high-dollar condos.

P.S. Russell Investments, good luck in Seattle. I hope that aside from allowing you fancy, new digs, WaMu's demise has also taught you plenty about deception, smoke n' mirrors, and the idiocy running rampant on Wall Street.

Town Hall Meeting

2009-08-25T18:36:00Z

I'm from Tacoma. The area where I grew up is now called Lakewood, but it was Tacoma when I lived there. As a result, I've kept a close eye on what's been going on since the incorporation. Something big is brewing in L-Town tonight.

A town hall meeting with US Representative Adam Smith is scheduled to take place in Harry Lang Stadium (formerly Lakewood Stadium) tonight, August 25, 2009, from 7 - 8:30pm. The meeting was originally planned for a smaller venue, but the overwhelming interest in health care has attracted hoards of local residents to the conversation. Aside from moving the meeting to a STADIUM, it is also necessary to RSVP if you want to attend. Call (253) 593-6600 for more information.

Personally, I will plan on being nowhere near there. If you should happen to be in attendance for the ruckus, please remember the following:
    a) a summary email to admin@northtacoma.net
    b) camera
    c) kevlar vest
    d) combat helmet

Bike Lanes on 21st Street

2009-08-17T16:00:00Z

The new bike lanes on North 21st Street are a good idea. Barely. The road is wide enough, and they were able to add turn lanes at some crucial intersections where drivers under highway hypnosis still insisted on sitting and waiting to turn left at green circles, while corking the traffic flow behind them for blocks.

The number one goal of all roads should be to make traffic flow smooth and fast. Many people believe safety should be the first priority, but I emotionally disagree. Every area, no matter how residential the idealist would like it to be, needs thoroughfares. Those who are concerned with pedestrian safety should certainly not be walking on North 21st. Even the bravest of walkers would agree that there are much better roads for walking than North 21st; it has always been and always will be a major arterial across the north end. Personally, I'm afraid that this road will be dangerous for cyclists, even after the lines are painted. Hopefully, I'm wrong.

Only Way to "Save the Luzon"

2009-08-12T14:56:00Z

The Luzon issue is really starting to get old. How many different groups do we want to look at this before we move in one of many new directions? Personally, I would've given up on it long ago. Unlike most of you reading this, I've been here my whole life and the massive void in the middle of downtown created by the DaVita parking lot and the Luzon building has long worn out its welcome with me.

On the news of Igor Kunista moving in to try and save the day, I will wait a small while longer before calling for the outright demolition of this dangerous, useless structure. If we DO want to continue pondering ways to salvage the Luzon building, then I will offer my final idea on this matter.

Are you familiar with The Brooklyn Seafood, Steak & Oyster House in downtown Seattle? It is a rather upscale restaurant in a rather small, very old building adjacent to the relatively new and magnificent Washington Mutual Tower on 2nd and University (The WaMu Tower may now be called the Chase Tower, but you won't ever hear me call it that). The old building that houses this fine restaurant reminds me a lot of the Luzon building.

When the WaMu Tower was built, they kept the little old building on the corner and even incorporated it into the new building, providing it with STRUCTURE and PARKING and a PURPOSE!! Anyone who wants to save the Luzon should take a close look at the Brooklyn.

In the picture below, you can see the Brooklyn's old building incorporated into the base of the new super structure. From the street level, it works seemlessly, and the precious architecture from yesteryear is preserved.

Seaweed, Crocodile Cafe, Seattle, 8/7/09

2009-08-05T20:00:00Z

Tacoma's greatest band is playing The Crocodile Cafe in Seattle on Friday August 7, 2009. They bring their powerful brand of pre-grunge punk to the Emerald City amid suspicion that they are prepped and ready to embark on recording a new album. Hopefully we'll get more information on that in a couple days. Last week they played Portland, so expect them to be ready and firing on all cylinders.