When it comes to dining out, I have to admit that I’ve had my fill of the chop suey/industrial complex that represents Chinese food that came of age during the Cold War. I’m looking for something a little different. More importantly, I’m looking for something authentic. (I heard recently that China does not have a big restaurant take-out business, ironically enough.) And then I popped open a recent issue of the Weekly Volcano only to discover Ken Swaner’s review of Tacoma Szechuan at 9601 S. Tacoma Way:

“Hot Pot, a Chinese favorite, epitomizes both Sichaun cuisine and Tacoma Szechuan. Practically hedonistic, the fondue-like meal of meats and veggies dripping with orange oil from the chilis brings the table together in conversation and camaraderie. I’d start there with a group of friends, then return to [Tacoma Szechuan] often, traveling through the menu like Marco Polo, experiencing China without the 17-hour plane ride.”

Yeah. That’s what I’m talking about.

–James

You’ve heard the news, I’m sure. 2015 will see the U.S. Open come to our own Chambers Bay Golf Course. This will be the first-ever U.S. Open to be held in Washington, and ESPN is about as excited by this as we are. Start practicing your swing now, because the Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Center will be hosting the AAC 19th Hole Premier Golf Trade Show July 24-27. Unless you’re in the business, you may not be able to get in, but with thousands of golf pros and insiders descending on our city, (making this one of the top convention events of the year) you just might find yourself shaking hands with someone who has shaken hands with some of golf’s greats.

–James

Architectural photographer Toby Weiss recently visited our hotel and gathered some fantastic photos of our museum-slash-hotel. You’ve simply got to see them and read his blog about his visit here. While you’re there, check out his visits to other architectural marvels around the country like this one, which redefines the meaning of “trailer park.”

–James

Native American glass artist Preston Singletary blurs the lines between the traditional and the contemporary; his heritage and his modern life. As a member of the Tlingit tribe, he creates works that depict his family’s animal symbols, such as the wolf. But these highly refined pieces use modern techniques to recontextualize these ancient symbols for the modern experience. As such, he is adding a new chapter to the Native American story – one that takes into account both its rich history and its current reality. Singletary does not lament; he accepts and celebrates. Watch an interview with the artist here. His work is in the collection of the Corning Museum of Glass, the Heard Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Seattle Art Museum and now, on the 20th floor of the Hotel Murano.

-Dale

More and more of our guests are asking us to direct them to eateries and grocers who can accommodate various food allergies and diet needs. Gluten intolerance seems to be the leading dietary need, and Tacoma is admirably stepping up to the plate to help. (I don’t know which is worse: having a food allergy or dreading eating out because of the strange looks you get from onlookers while asking wait staff to guide you through the menu choices.) Tacoma Mama has a special page set up for wheat-free dining choices. Her latest addition points visitors to The Red Hot, where there’s always a wheat-free brew on tap and where they serve Vienna Beef hot dogs, which contain no wheat, dairy and other potentially harmful ingredients. Chow down!

–James

I don’t really believe in reincarnation. But if I did, I know who I was in a former life: Allen C. Mason. Back in the day (we’re talking the 1880s), Mason was Tacoma’s most vociferous promoter, spending upwards of $5,000 per month on a national ad campaign touting a list of 120 positive attributes in what he called “Tacoma’s Star of Destiny.” Included on the list: “No Tornados Nor Hurricanes,” and “Less Average Rainfall Than Chicago.” Mason will soon get his due. According to the News Tribune, “a full corner of North 26th Street in the Proctor business district will get transformed into Mason Plaza, including Mason’s statue and six Wilkeson sandstone columns that originally held up the portico to Mason’s 1892 North End mansion.” You’ll also get to read 120 of Tacoma’s high points in a special bronze plaque. For a sneak preview of the new plaza, click here. Now, where did I put my stovepipe hat and walking stick?

-Dale

“I use the vessel as a way to enter the work, a starting point if you like, but the vessel also acts as a metaphor for the container of ideas,” so says Bruno Romanelli. This glass artist has pared his work down to its bare essentials: cylinders, disks and cones and he infuses them just one simple color – or no color at all. The result is that his pieces are so easy to “get” that you could walk right by them. That would be a mistake, because, as he says, “Each piece is an exploration of the relationships between form, color and material.” Very true. If Piet Mondrian had been a glass sculptor, he would been Bruno Romanelli.

–Dale