My boss’s boss’s boss’s boss, Howard Jacobs, chief operating officer of Provenance Hotels, was in town a few days ago to check on the progress of the renovation, and the News Tribune caught up with him for an interview. Here’s a highlight from the article that I thought you might like to see:
Tribune: Have you thought about the effect of the Murano on Tacoma – the ongoing renaissance of the city?
Jacobs: I think the Murano is the catalyst for the next generation. Look at light rail, the LeMay Museum. Tacoma is in the midst of a great transformation. On the Murano Web site, there are visitors from around the world. To us, it’s all an extension of Tacoma. It’s putting Tacoma on the map for some people who may never have heard of Tacoma, or the Pacific Northwest. We think that is really cool.
Tribune: You mention the LeMay. It hasn’t been publicly announced, but there’s talk that the Murano will be the official hotel for the museum.
Jacobs: The LeMay is going to be huge for Tacoma. That was a no-brainer for us.

- James

Somewhere between the precious realm of figurine art ala Lladro and the crazy mixed media planet of Robert Rauschenberg lies a tiny world inhabited by glass sculptor Susan Taylor Glasgow. Time stood still in this sun-dappled nook around 1952, and her pieces celebrate that era of frilly aprons, towering wedding cakes and torpedo bras. To my knowledge, she’s just about the only artist who works in “sewn glass.” After kiln-forming several separate pieces, she literally sews them together and the effect is like cross-stitching – a perfect analogy for the faux domesticity of the Leave it to Beaver era. Step off the 15th floor and her work will be right in front of you.

-Dale

Sure, Doyle’s and Paddy Coyne’s are great places to tip a pint. They exemplify all that we hope to find in an Irish pub, and you can bet your bottom shamrock that they’ll be crowded to the ceiling on St. Pat’s Day. Instead, why not zig where all others zag and head for “neutral” territory? I’m talking about the Swiss Pub, of course. With dozens of beers on tap and by the bottle, they can well keep you occupied any night of the year. And while I love trying out new places, I’d like to raise a pint to The Swiss, who have been at it for 15 years.

-James

When Pat Nagle opened the Harmon Brew Pub 11 years ago (where did all THAT time go?), he permanently changed the landscape of downtown Tacoma. These days, if you use the name “Nagle” and “visionary” in the same breath, most Tacoma-ites will know exactly what you mean. And it looks like he’s at it again. Pat recently purchased the former St. Helens Café at 203 Tacoma Ave. South and plans to open his own eatery by St. Patrick’s day. The place will serve wood oven pizza and Harmon’s own beer (plus wine and cocktails) in a full-service atmosphere. He’s got everything he needs, it seems, except for one thing: a name. Got any suggestions? Post them here on the blog and I’ll be sure to pass them along to Pat.

-Dale

The Tacoma art scene just got another boost. Impromptu gallery recently opened as a cooperative gallery for local artists. Conveniently located just around the corner from Corina bakery, Impromptu aims to serve the local art community. Best of luck to them, and watch this space for details of coming attractions.

-Dale

Dante Marioni is a glassblower’s glassblower. He says that his work “is, if anything, about the art of glassblowing itself.” Before you get stuck on the self-reflexiveness of that statement, take a look at some of his work. His pieces – often formal structures that refer to Greek and Roman vessels – are intrinsically about the process of glassblowing. He stretches the technique to, literally, the breaking point, and then dials that back half a notch so that the object can actually survive on its own outside the studio. In the glassblowing world, the artist must work quickly, decisively and with courage; otherwise an attempted sculpture can fail. That can end up costing a lot of money. It’s a jagged edge, a world in which you must go for broke – without actually going broke. Find Marioni’s work on floor 14.

-Dale

We regularly hear two things from our guests: (1) Tacoma is a great walking city and (2) they’d love to see more places to visit that are within walking distance. Visitors are getting their wish, as more and more restaurants and tourist spots open nearby. The latest addition to our walking tour is Corina Bakery, a mere 10-minute walk away at 510 6th avenue. It’s just the kind of place that Tacoma is becoming: a great bakery coffeehouse with a young entrepreneur owner, serving politically correct (fair trade, organic, etc.) coffee from Café Mam. The News Tribune had some nice things to say as well. I’d tell you more about it, but suddenly I feel the need to go stretch my legs….

-James

“In producing this body of work, it was important for me to incorporate my interest in fibres, my love for the natural Australian landscape and my commitment to creating works that document a personal journey.” That’s how Cobi Cockburn describes her new series of works that will be showing at Bullseye Gallery Beginning February 19. She adds, “These patterns were inspired by the harsh colors and soft movement of low-lying grasses found throughout Australia” along with its “beautiful old trees.” Her work celebrates such simple, natural beauty. You’ll soon be able to see what she means by this when you step off the 12th floor elevators.

-Dale

Move over, ladies. You’ve been keeping this whole spa experience a secret for much too long. I just had a glorious massage at Savi Spa (conveniently located inside the hotel) last week. They worked knots out of my back that I didn’t even know existed. It was my first trip. But, man oh man, it won’t be the last. Now, if you could replace the soft music with Sports Radio, this could be the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

-James

This just in from Tacoma Gnome:

Our very own Bridge of Glass is going to be featured in a series of national ads purchased by the Tacoma Regional Convention and Visitors Bureau. Looks like they’ll start running just in time to give our new beds a shakedown cruise.

-Dale