Sorry to sound redundant from my previous post, but I truly think the Varsity Grill is quite possibly the finest sports bar in the Northwest. But the piece de resistance – or should I say, the grand slam feature – is the theater, which has been dropped squarely in the middle of the restaurant. Walled off by soundproof glass, this room features 17 plush, theater-style seats and a 125” projection screen with digital surround sound. I’m guessing this spot has been reserved for every Super Bowl Party between now and 2073.

Let’s say you like sports. I mean, let’s say you like sports a LOT. Like, almost as much as church. Let’s say you also like to eat. What better way to combine the two than a trip to Varsity Grill (1114 Broadway). Calling this place a sports bar is like calling the Queen Mary a boat. Large, high-def plasma screen TVs have been placed on walls around the perimeter of the restaurant, each tuned to a different sports channel, giving you several choices of sports games to watch from any table. You can also rent a portable radio tuner-like device that will pick up the TV commentary for any game that you see on the screens, allowing you to listen to the game that you’ve chosen to watch. A little slice of heaven for sports junkies.

Not only that, but it is within walking distance to the Hotel Murano, great place for us to go after work. Many of us locals end up there, ironically we end up seeing many of our guests there as well after a long day at the Tacoma Convention Center.

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If you take time during the weekend to tour downtown Tacoma, you can experience these old buildings in their quiet, stately elegance. It’s like walking in the midst of a herd of sleeping elephants. Lacking the midweek frenzy of SUVs, hybrids and other post-modern means of conveyance, it’s easy to imagine that you’re back in, say, 1966. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a milkman come around the corner.

As I walk these streets I sometimes feel that I was born at the tail end of an era more refined than my own. In a way, I hope that feeling remains. If not, it could mean that something precious has been lost in the name of progress. With other cities, the future usually marches in to the clank of construction cranes bearing wrecking balls and steel girders. Harbingers of “revitalization.” So far, Tacoma has managed to do it right. For instance, when developers retrofitted Union Station into the Federal Courthouse, they added glass sculptures by Dale Chihuly that perfectly complemented the old while bringing in the new. And when the Washington State History Museum was added to Union Station, it was a beautiful match. Here’s to the future—and to not losing the things that are most important.

-J

There’s one thing you don’t see a lot of in downtown Tacoma: construction cranes. Not to say that the city isn’t thriving. It clearly is. Instead of tearing down older buildings and replacing them with McSkyscrapers, however, the trend here is to take existing buildings and retrofit them to current needs. As a result, the downtown area is like a museum of late 19^th to mid-20^th Century architecture. My current favorite building is, in fact, vacant. It’s the 1916 Elk’s Temple. All three stories and one city block of it. With its white Belle Époque façade and smallish windows, it retains an aura of inscrutability and intrigue. What goes on inside those walls? Currently the perimeter of the building is girdled with chain link fence; vagrants must go elsewhere for the night. It’s as if the old temple is being given breathing space to ponder its next move.

Josh

It’s easy to see that when he was young, Dale Rush was a comer. Now, with more silver in his hair, as Hotel Murano’s Bell Captain, he is the consummate welcomer.

Dale sees himself as the gatekeeper to a city institution. He told me, “When people check out of our hotel, I want them to be in love with Tacoma.” Sure, he’s won more service awards than just about anyone around here, but he is just as generous with his wisdom as he is with his smile. As the venerable Sheraton transitions to the bright new Hotel Murano, Dale is just one of the features here that legitimizes the whole enterprise. He’s old school all the way.

-J

…..that’s what Bell Captain Dale Rush told me the other day during a break. Dale is articulate, poised and totally connected to the Tacoma business community. Based on his education and experience alone, you could say he’s slightly overqualified for his job. So, like David Byrne once sang, How did he get here?

Late in his career, Dale did some deep sea soul searching. When he came up for air, he was holding one simple truth in his hand: what he likes most is meeting—and greeting—people. Think: hospitality industry. He also likes to keep his face forward to the public and let the bean counters worry about stats like “occupancy.” Once he figured that out, his career solution was as obvious as daylight. Now think: Bell Captain at the largest luxury hotel in his hometown. And that’s how he ended up at the Tacoma Sheraton, soon to be the Hotel Murano.

Three years ago, Dale walked into the lobby of this hotel and approached his long-time business acquaintance, Guest Services Manager Brian Correll. He pointed at the bell desk and told his friend, “I want that job.” Brian said, “Are you sure?” Dale said yes and within a couple of days he was outfitted in full Bell Captain regalia. And, as he likes to say, it was show time!

cheers,

Josh

Every once in a while you meet the Real Deal. A guy who’s been around the block, learned a few lessons in life and has long ago found that the pretensions that he once used to get a job or a girl make lousy long-term strategies. I work with a guy like that. Dale Rush.

Dale is about 60 years old. He had a successful chiropractic practice for many years, then, when he found it no longer satisfied him, closed it and embarked on other ventures. As his retirement years began approaching he looked at the man in the mirror and asked: “Who am I?” Good question. We should all ask that from time to time. I’ll let you in on Dale’s answer when I come back……

Here’s one of the coolest things you can do to get around Tacoma: hop on our very own light rail, a.k.a. the LINK. Right now, the line is only a mile or so long, but that’s all you need to get from the far end of downtown out to the Tacoma Dome. You’ll run right through the Theater District, past Hotel Murano (we’re only a block away from one of its stops), along the Museum District and on out to the Dome. The train runs about every ten minutes, and best of all, it’s FREE. Not a bad price for clean, convenient and easy travel.

-J

On the other hand, if you ARE thinking of finding another way to get here, there’s the Tacoma Amtrak Station that you can almost walk to, and SEA-TAC airport which is about 15 minutes North of here, between Seattle and Tacoma. (Get it? That’s why they call it SEA-TAC.) If you’re thinking of arriving by these means, drop us a line. We’ll leave the light on for you!

-Josh