March is one of my all-time favorite months. Why, you ask? Well, it’s Oscar season of course! For all you movie buffs out there (and those who watch to see the fashion show on the red carpet), it’s time to gear up for the television event that decides the cream of the film crop of 2009. The Grand Cinema at Tacoma’s Broadway Center is hosting a glamorous bash to celebrate this momentous event, filled with food, raffles, an auction and fellow movie-lovers like yourself.
The cinema is also holding a contest for who can guess the most correct number of Oscar winners. Whoever gets the most right receives a year of free movie tickets to the Grand. Not interested in the Academy Awards? No worries. The Grand Cinema has a regular schedule of art-house films, showcasing lesser-known, yet attention-deserving, movies. Also, check out the free family flick they show every third Saturday of the month.
See you soon,
Dale
March is one of my all-time favorite months. Why, you ask? Well, it’s Oscar season of course! For all you movie buffs out there (and those who watch to see the fashion show on the red carpet), it’s time to gear up for the television event that decides the cream of the film crop of 2009. The Grand Cinema is hosting a glamorous bash to celebrate this momentous event, filled with food, raffles, an auction and fellow movie-lovers like yourself.
The cinema is also holding a contest for who can guess the most correct number of Oscar winners. Whoever gets the most right receives a year of free movie tickets to the Grand. Not interested in the Academy Awards? No worries. The Grand Cinema has a regular schedule of art-house films, showcasing lesser-known, yet attention-deserving, movies. Also, check out the free family flick they show every third Saturday of the month.
Among my friends, we joke that just about every story we tell starts with, “I heard something interesting the other day on NPR…” I sometimes sit in my car to listen to the end of a show, and This American Life is one of my favorites. At the end of January, Tacoma is lucky to have the show’s host, Ira Glass, at the Broadway Center for the Performing Arts Pantages Theater. For one night only, Glass will present a behind-the-scenes look into the making of This American Life, and explain what makes it tick. He’ll play clips from the program, and give away a few secrets about sound and editing. For me, part of the thrill is just watching such a familiar voice come to life.
The show is part of the Pantages’ Laugh Out Loud series, which will feature the Smothers Brothers and Defending the Caveman in following months.
My 3-year-old grandson, Hayden, recently visited me here at the hotel (he loves it when I ride him around on a bellcart). He was wearing big sunglasses he got on a recent family trip to Hawaii. When I asked him why, he said, “’Cause, Grandpa, there’s so much shiny glass in here!” Sometimes I need to be reminded that I work at one of the most beautiful hotels in the country (just ask Conde Nast). It got me thinking—why not spend New Year’s Eve at the Hotel Murano?
Start the night in the Lobby Bar with a good, old-fashioned drink, like a gin martini, to remember the past. Next, a great dinner at Bite, maybe fresh grilled salmon, to celebrate the present. Take a walk around the neighborhood, stopping in here to warm up. Back to the Lobby Bar in time for a midnight champagne toast, in hopes of a great 2010. Head up to your room, leaving the rest of the party to keep going. Sounds perfect.
Maybe it’s not a huge club, but folks who are into model trains are really into model trains. So, I’m probably preaching to the choir, telling the groupies about Tacoma’s 14th Annual Model Train Festival. But for those of you who have never been to one of these before, they’re definitely worth a visit.
On December 26 through January 2, the History Museum will be filled to the brim with all things train. Come check out the miniature villages and the play area just for little engineers. Since it’s the holidays, the place will be especially done up. There will be no less than 10 full layouts by the major model train outfits, including The Pierce County Lionel Club and the Sound Model Railroad Engineers. So, get on board! (Sorry, couldn’t help myself.)
On the rare weekend when I don’t have something else going on, sometimes a friend and I will just hop in the car and hit the road. We don’t care where we end up, it’s always an adventure. If we’re really lucky, we land in a small town with a local theater production going on.
If you live in Tacoma, or your road trip brings you here, you’re in for a treat. The Dance Theatre Northwest will be performing the seasonal favorite, The Nutcracker, at the Mount Tahoma High School Auditorium the first weekend in December. Sure, every city in the country (the world?) will have The Nutcracker showing somewhere, but here’s your opportunity to see it in a more relaxed, a more small town, kind of atmosphere. I, for one, am really looking forward to Clara, the Prince, the Mouse King, and easy parking.
Remember when people used to go caroling? When I was a little girl, I used to love it when the doorbell would ring and suddenly, like a gift, the house was filled with song. Carolers don’t come around much any more, people don’t like to open their doors to strangers. Lucky for us, for one night only, we can all still get into the holiday spirit with the Seattle Men’s Chorus.
SMC’s specialty, for over 30 years, has been putting a modern twist on the traditional. This year’s show, Santa Baby, will give us their take on TV Christmas specials. Not quite sure what to expect: I’m hoping for the classic Charlie Brown Christmas Time Is Here. Oh, and a rendition of Snow Miser/Heat Miser would make my night. No matter what they choose to sing, it’s always super fun, just as good as when I was a kid.
Like most people, I look forward to Thanksgiving with a well-seasoned mixture of gluttony and guilt. I can’t help but look forward to that big, well-browned bird and its friends—the mashed potatoes, the stuffing, the gravy, the green beans with those crispy onion things. I’ve learned over the years, that I can enjoy the gluttony, with very little guilt, if I get out and burn off some calories before the feast is on the table.
And this year we can do it together. Come on down to the Centre at Norpoint on Thanksgiving morning, November 26, and join me in the Turkey Trot Fun Run. It’s only a 5-k run, or a 2-mile walk (with a special walk for the kids), but you’ll feel righteous for having done it. There are also prizes (Prizes? Who needs prizes with a 20-pound turkey at home in the oven?) and snacks (ditto). Then we gobble.
Have I told you that Indian food is my absolute favorite? I haven’t? Well, it is. The spices, the sauces, the chutneys, oh my. So, I’m always on the lookout for a great place I haven’t tried. We’re lucky, here in Tacoma, to have the Bombay Bistro, and luckier still that they’re having a special event.
Tonight (Nov 6, 2009), head down to Sixth Avenue. The Bistro is hosting a limited seating dinner at a cost of only $30 per person. The night will feature a buffet of their specialties (which I really hope will include Ragani Ghost, a delicious lamb curry) and traditional Indian music by Pandit Debi Prasad Chatterjee and Ravi Albright. They also have a full bar and you’re crazy if you don’t try the mango martini; it’s just the best.
Oh, and by the way, Bombay Bistro was also voted best overall restaurant in Tacoma. That should sweeten the deal.
If you’ve ever been to Mexico in October, you know that the Day of the Dead, or Día de los Muertos, is such a cool, colorful holiday. On November 1 and 2, Día de los Muertos is a way for family and friends to celebrate the lives of loved ones who have died.
This year, you can come check it out, too. On October 17, the Tacoma Art Museum began a two-week observance of the holiday, and is holding a community-wide celebration at the museum on Sunday, November 1. In the museum lobby, local artists will be creating a colorful tapete (sand painting). Everybody is also invited to join in on building a collaborative altar, or ofrenda.
If you’ve never seen the amazing folk art, altars, dance, and music associated with this holiday, here’s your chance. It really is a great, life-affirming experience. And don’t let the skeletons scare you!
As soon as I heard about this event, at the Tacoma Dome, I was reminded of a day when I was a little girl. It was late November and my mother took me to the huge hall at the county fairgrounds. We spent the entire day visiting booths at this giant “Christmas Fair.” We made gifts, bought gifts, got ideas of what to make later on our own. It was one of those magic days that you have as a kid.
Well, maybe your magic day is awaiting at the 27th Tacoma Holiday Food & Gift Festival. I’m hoping that the art and crafts booths, the sparkling jewelry, and the tables overflowing with Christmas ornaments and decorations inspire a bunch of great gift ideas.
If not, I can always just get an eggnog latte and gawk at the 45-foot hanging Christmas tree and get my picture taken with Santa.
March is one of my all-time favorite months. Why, you ask? Well, it’s Oscar season of course! For all you movie buffs out there (and those who watch to see the fashion show on the red carpet), it’s time to gear up for the television event that decides the cream of the film crop of 2009. The Grand Cinema is hosting a glamorous bash to celebrate this momentous event, filled with food, raffles, an auction and fellow movie-lovers like yourself.
My 3-year-old grandson, Hayden, recently visited me here at the hotel (he loves it when I ride him around on a bellcart). He was wearing big sunglasses he got on a recent family trip to Hawaii. When I asked him why, he said, “’Cause, Grandpa, there’s so much shiny glass in here!” Sometimes I need to be reminded that I work at one of the most beautiful hotels in the country (just ask Conde Nast). It got me thinking—why not spend New Year’s Eve at the 
Remember when people used to go caroling? When I was a little girl, I used to love it when the doorbell would ring and suddenly, like a gift, the house was filled with song. Carolers don’t come around much any more, people don’t like to open their doors to strangers. Lucky for us, for one night only, we can all still get into the holiday spirit with the 
Like most people, I look forward to Thanksgiving with a well-seasoned mixture of gluttony and guilt. I can’t help but look forward to that big, well-browned bird and its friends—the mashed potatoes, the stuffing, the gravy, the green beans with those crispy onion things. I’ve learned over the years, that I can enjoy the gluttony, with very little guilt, if I get out and burn off some calories before the feast is on the table.
Have I told you that Indian food is my absolute favorite? I haven’t? Well, it is. The spices, the sauces, the chutneys, oh my. So, I’m always on the lookout for a great place I haven’t tried. We’re lucky, here in Tacoma, to have the 
