The guys over at Exit 133 have done a very cool thing. They interviewed our very own Tessa Papas, curator of our hotel’s art, and Costas Varotsos, the man behind the 100-foot-tall sculpture in our front yard. They videotaped the interview. Check it out right here.

–James

When visitors come to Tacoma, they can’t all go out and see the sights. Some want to stay in and take in the spectacular views from their room while curled up with a good book. Here are a couple of places that I recommend: the University Bookstore (Go Huskies!) at 1754 Pacific Avenue offers much more than just textbooks – they have a very nice general selection as well. And then there’s King’s Books at 218 St. Helens Ave., which runs its store the old fashioned way – by people who actually read books. You can go to Borders in any city, but I like to send people to these two places, where I know they’ll get a bit more of the Tacoma experience. Local readers, feel free drop me a line if you think there are other bookstores I should add to my list.

–Dale

Her name is Mary Ann, but you can call her Toots. I like this woman already. Toots Zynsky was one of the 16 original students to come out of the Pilchuck Glass School back in 1971. Known for her innovative technique for fusing glass called “Filet de Verre”, Zynsky’s bowl-shaped pieces utilize fine glass threads of ripe, luscious colors that look like spun glass. Her work is represented by more than thirty five museums world wide, including the White House Collection of American Craft. In 2005 she was one of the first artists to have artwork commissioned by the Museum of Modern Art. See her contribution to the Hotel Murano by stopping off on the 17th floor.

–Dale

For years, Tacoma has dubbed itself “America’s #1 wired city.” but in recent years that hasn’t been the case, as other cities have overtaken our Internet reach. (Atlanta, GA currently occupies the top spot.) Still, our wiredness doesn’t count for nothing. According to a Scarborough research report, Seattle/Tacoma is one of the nation’s top five blogging cities. But if you’re reading this, I’ll bet you already knew that. Maybe that should be our new slogan. Riffing on the ubiquitous bumper sticker our slogan could be: “Keep Tacoma Wired.”

–Dale

One of the pleasures of my job is introducing visitors to my favorite city and hearing them say, “I had no idea!” But it would be even better for people to show up from out of town, see all the great things that are happening here and say, “Even better than I expected.” Looks like the movers and shakers in Tacoma are on it. Right now they’re in the process of a rebranding effort. One working slogan is “Discover Tacoma.” Not bad, but maybe a bit cliche. I’d like to see what else they come up with. It’s all about spin. Think of Montana: “Big Sky Country” sounds much more appealing than “We’ve Got Very Flat Land.”

– Dale

I’m strolling down Sixth Avenue
Hey, It’s not New York, Chicago, L.A.
I’m talking Tacoma, W.A.
We do The Sixth Avenue Stroll!

That’s the hook from what just might become Tacoma’s own anthem. “The Sixth Avenue Stroll,” written by Christopher List and performed by his band Tuska is a real sensation. It’s even got its own dance. Give the song a listen, read the lyrics and contact Natasha to learn the dance moves by clicking here. If you see me jiving down 6th Avenue, don’t be surprised. Fred Astaire step aside!

– Dale

What a wonderful sense of humor. Too often, the air in the art world can get a little stuffy as artists try to secure elusive grant funding, gallery owners try to persuade clients that the artists that represent are doing something “important” and critics… well… try to justify their paychecks. Enter Flo Perkins. She spent years crafting exquisitely rendered floral pieces from blown glass. And then she had her eureka moment. Leaving that behind, she began creating sculptures of everyday objects, such as traffic cones and bowling pins. Make no mistake, these are beautifully executed. Yet, under her hand, such pieces as this one, “Conefrontation,” will also make you giggle. Can’t wait to see what’s on the 16th floor.

-Dale

Congratulations to airline mechanic Rocky Ross, who took first place in Popular Photography’s monthly “Your Best Shot” contest. When the Tacoma Narrows Bridge opened, Rocky got to climb to the top of the old Narrows bridge with press photographers and aim his lens at the antlike pedestrians celebrating the inauguration far below. Check out his winning entry on page 24 of the March issue.

-Dale

Maybe you’ve hiked around up there yourself. But it’s probably been a while. The Bonney Lake Urban Forest – 147 acres of wooded urban land – is a great idea. Unfortunately, it’s been tough to maintain and was closed in 2006. All that could be changing, as a group of investors, politicians, conservation groups and U-Dub are hatching a plan to revitalize the area. Right now, the idea is to do some residential/commercial development and park development. Let’s hope the final product emphasizes the latter.

-James

After a slight delay, the Costas Varotsos sculpture outside the hotel is standing tall and proud. Now that it’s in place you can see why there’s been so much talk. This really will put our hotel – and the entire city of Tacoma – on the map. Installation had to be put off for a couple of days when it was discovered that the brackets on the steel and glass sculpture didn’t line up with the holes in the side of the building. That’s been resolved (obviously) and we now have a new landmark. Woo!

- James