It’s easy to see why. They’re retro. They take you straight back to those birthday parties in second grade. And – they’re cake! But in a cup! And just in time for school, Hello Cupcake is opening TODAY and ready to satisfy your most decadent cake-in-a-cup cravings.

Peace, love and cupcakes,

Josh

As I’ve mentioned, Hotel Murano (what we’ll be calling ourselves once the renovation on our little Tacoma hotel is complete) is named after the famed island city of the same name, which lies just outside Venice. For centuries, Murano has been the world’s leading glass art center, and now you have a chance to find out why.

Now and continuing through September 9, the William Travers Gallery is hosting its 4^th Annual International Glass exhibition. This year they’re featuring several artists from Murano (the city, not the hotel), including Massimo Micheluzzi, Silvano Rubino, Davide Salvadore, Lino Tagliapietra and Claudio Tiozzi. Each one of these guys is a master at his craft. Taken together, these glass slingers are sure to leave you, er, “blown” away. I’m going to head down there this weekend. I’ll let you know what my favorites are.

Cheers,

Josh

Speaking of parks, did you know that the Tacoma Park system just turned 100? In fact, the Metropolitan Park District of Tacoma is Washington State’s first independent park agency. Now that’s something to be proud of. Tacoma Weekly did a nice write-up on the occasion. So, if you made it to the Ben Stiller movie over the weekend, I hope you raised a glass to the founders of the park and their visionary ideas.

Brian

Let’s say you’re recently home from your vacation. If you’re like me that means you’re broke. Nevertheless, you’ve still got a few weeks of sun and freedom before school starts. What do you do? You go looking for free entertainment. That’s what you do. Fortunately, in Tacoma your tax dollars are at work, helping to solve that very problem. I’m talking here about the free Saturday night shows happening in various parks around town. If you’re in town Saturday, August 25, head down to the South End Recreation Area of Point Defiance Park and catch the Latin and Caribbean grooves of Bochinche, followed by an outdoor screening of “Night at the Museum.” I’m only a marginal fan of Ben Stiller, but I am a big fan of free.

UPDATE: Thank you to reader Jen for keeping me accurate. In her comment she pointed out that if you went to Point Defiance Park you would miss the free party. So you should actually just go straight to the South End Recreational Area just off of South 56th Street.

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Josh

In my book, nothing compares to the flavor of a locally grown tomato. Or cucumber. Or any other vegetable or fruit. The best way to buy produce is to deal directly with the farmer and to select your favorite “just picked” produce. With the Tacoma Farmer’s Markets, Tacoma-ites get two choices. Here they are:

Dome District Location:
Where: East 25th Street between D and G (end of the Link line)

When: Tuesday Market hours: 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Season: June 5-Aug. 28

Look for: Fresh, seasonal produce; nursery stock; prepared and packaged foods like jams, jellies and sauces.

Broadway Location

Where: Broadway, between Ninth and Eleventh streets

When: Thursday Market hours: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Season: May 17-Oct. 18

Look for: Fresh, seasonal produce from Washington farmers; seafood; meat; wine; nursery stocks; prepared and packaged foods; concession vendors; artisan vendors selling jewelry, woodworking and other artisan items.

Dale

Very exciting news everyone! Our little hotel blog with curious little tidbits about things to do in Tacoma (for visitors and locals alike) is now a contributor to FeedTacoma. For those who are not familiar, “FeedTacoma is a community focused and supported resource for those that live in and/or love Tacoma.” Which is perfect because we live in AND love Tacoma - we are excited to be a part of this community and help spread the word about our venerable city. So check them out everyone and show them some love.

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Josh

The final pages of good novels are tricky things. After investing a couple of dozen hours in reading a book and getting to know its characters, sometimes you don’t want the story to end. If you’re like me you’ll want to savor the last few pages and ease gently out of the narrative. If you want to end a novel properly, timing is crucial. I suggest setting aside the mid-afternoon of your day off. That way, you can hang out with the last few pages or flip back to a random chapter and reread it without worrying about the time. Maybe you’ll want to reflect a bit as the fiction deliquesces back into the paper and ink it came from. There are few better places to do that than at Tully’s coffee on Broadway. Recently, after finishing up a half-day of parking cars, I ambled down to the wedge-shaped Bostwick Building, ordered a French press of Tully’s House Blend, and planted myself in the shade at one of the sidewalk tables, where I took my leave of Cormac McCarthy’s Billy Parham, of The Crossing. Great way to savor a masterpiece. The coffee wasn’t bad, either.

Josh

What I love most about living here in Northwest Washington is getting to experience its unique combination of civilization and wilderness. Day in and day out might be spent in the fray of urban life—which I admit I’m crazy about—yet, all I have to do is hop on my bicycle and within minutes I’m on the shores of Puget Sound, where it is so easy to escape the noise and chaos of the city. Well, forget this Zen-like, evergreen rain forest beauty. I’ve been reading Cormac McCarthy’s The Crossing, which takes place on the arid, hot-as-an-anvil border between Mexico and New Mexico. Makes me really appreciate the Pacific Northwest….

Ciao for niao,

Josh

If you feel that you were unfairly passed over in the latest American Idol search, never fear. There’s always a second chance. Local talent has been lining up for the last four years to participate in Tacoma Idol for exposure, cash and a chance to perform at the Puyallup Fair. First-round winners have been performing each Saturday for the last couple of weeks. Upcoming shows are August 11 at Heidelberg and Aug. 18 at Stewart Heights Park. It’s too late to sign up, but you can still participate by going to the shows and casting your vote for the person you think should be the next Tacoma Idol.

Brian

When I’m hoisting a chunk of steel or wielding a blowtorch in service of my own metal sculpture, I sometimes think of glass artist Charles Parriott. The chock-a-block gravity of his heavy, semi-opaque work suggests that he might be a metal worker in disguise. When I heard he had a show down at the William Traver Gallery featuring a collection of sculptures based on the characters from The Wizard of Oz, I made sure to be among the first to go see it.

What I didn’t expect to find was a bleak redrawing of one the world’s great bedtimes stories. Imagine the Yellow Brick Road with potholes.

With its color cues taken from the bilious smoke of a coal engine, Parriott’s Dorothy is a homeless Goth chick whose mind couldn’t be farther from what’s over the rainbow. Gone too are the loopy woofs and slurps of Bert Lahr’s Cowardly Lion. The amber heart of this show’s Promethean Lion throbs with sulfurous ferocity. When these Oz inhabitants don’t brood, they lurk in the shadows. Forget Kansas, Toto, we’re not in M-G-M Studios anymore.

Alternately scored, scuffed and mottled, Parriott’s surfaces are anything but glassy smooth. Once light enters these pieces, it has a hard time getting back out. The bleak early 20^th Century Futurism embodied in these characters is more at home in Fritz Lang’s Metropolis than Munchkinland.

A bit abstract, a bit opaque, Parriot’s Oz doesn’t give much away. And that is its strength. These sculptures entice you to muse on the darkness that is at the heart of most fairy tales. Who knew Dorothy could be such a tease?

Sometimes it takes something as simple as a children’s story to remind you of what you don’t know. Alice’s journey of discovery in Wonderland began when she entered a looking-glass. Parriott’s riff on The Wizard of Oz lacks a polished surface to reflect my image back at me. Nevertheless, these statuettes have a way of causing me to peer into my own heart of darkness.

And that, Dale, is my report. It’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Over and out,

Josh