Mention the name Dale Chihuly and it’s hard to avoid hyperbole. Brilliant. Amazing. Original. Miraculous. And, of course, the oft-misapplied (but not in this case) “genius.” And did I mention prolific? Keep going like this and I might start hyperventilating. Chihuly’s glass installations are more than mere art works. They are miniature worlds that seem to have plopped in from either the bottom of the sea or another universe altogether. (To see what I mean, take a stroll across our city’s Bridge of Glass.) Chihuly practically single-handedly brought glass art into the modern era – while also putting Tacoma’s arts scene on the map. So it wouldn’t be right to overlook including his work in our collection at the Hotel Murano. His piece is easy to find, occupying a pride of place on our main floor near the front desk.

–Dale

We knew that the Hotel deLuxe and Hotel Lucia in Portland, OR have recently staked their claims on Facebook, but this week we found out that our very own Hotel Murano has went and gone all web 2.0 on us. I can’t say any of us are surprised. After all if any hotel is on Facebook it should be the finest hotel in the nation’s top tech city! (Ok, so I’m a little biased.) But I gotta tell you, the page turned out to be well done. Again, I realize that I’m biased here, but unlike most pages on Facebook, the Murano page actually has some good stuff up there. You can find links to top review sites, an interactive map, photo albums, and other goodies right there on the page.

And yes, in true Facebook fashion, users can upload their own photos as well. You can leave reviews, post bulletins, and even right on the wall! I love the wall.

Anyways, you should check it out.

Good times,

- James

This, dear reader, is an awesome list. I challenge you to come up with items 86-100. In the meantime, here are a few of my favorites:

9. Sled down South Seventh Street.

22. Buy a book at King’s Books, go read at Wright Park, and then spend an hour at Stadium Video searching for the perfect movie and pick up dinner at Frisko Freeze on your way home.

32. Hang out at the Urban Art Festival at the end of June.

35. Walk the Rhododendron garden at Point Defiance on a rainy day.

36. Catch a film you’ve never heard of at The Grand Cinema.

71. Stare at Mount Rainier, downtown Tacoma and the North Tacoma cliffs during a sunset while sipping champagne at the Cliff House.

79. Make out in the Kissing Lounge at the Hotel Murano.

–James

In its annual readers’ poll “Top 25 Arts Destinations,” American Style magazine is quietly influencing the way we look at urban life. The great news is, Tacoma made the list for mid-sized cities! Our town is ranked 17, and I can’t help thinking that our little roadhouse made a contribution. Woo-hoo for the City of Destiny!

–James

Seems Davide Salvatore has quite a list of devoted students. For someone of his skill and stature, it’s great to see him passing his knowledge on to a new generation of glass artists. If you’d like to see how the master works, drop by the Beaver Island blog, where you can see Davide at work with his kiln. You can also see pics of his finished work in his studio gallery on the Venetian island-city of Murano. For the best effect, though, stop in to our hotel lobby, where you’ll see his work in real life.

–Dale

A benefit for Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital is being held on June 7th. The Stadium District is sponsoring its Art and Wine Walk. Drop by 19 local businesses and sip Washington wines while enjoying the work of local artists. $25 ticket price includes 10 tastes (you can get more for one dollar each), appetizers and a commemorative glass. Get info here.

–James

While surfing the “Internet” the other day, I ran across a fantastic blog from the folks at Beaver Island Jewelry of Michigan. The author says, “Glass beadmaking is my passion..and my business!” And she recently took what looks like the trip of a lifetime to visit Venice and its glassmaking city Murano. You can visit lots of official tourist sites, but to get a real street-level view of Murano, check out her blog. She also took a master class from Lucio Bubacco, whose work is on display in our own lobby!

–Dale

At Savi Day Spa, located inside our hotel, visitors begin getting special, personalized treatment from the time they make their initial phone call. Co-owner Sharon Kline tapped her husband, songwriter Myron Kline, to produce a jingle that callers would hear while on hold. (If you want to hear how it sounds, do what I did: call the spa at (253) 627-2000 and ask Stephanie to put you on hold. She’ll gladly oblige. Then do what I’ve also done: call back and make an appointment.) Myron also wrote the music that accompanied guests as they walked into “Museo”, the gala benefit that we hosted in March for the Tacoma Art Museum. Who knows? Maybe you’ll hear more from Myron around our halls or phone lines….

–James

The Venetian art world is both ebullient and poised; traditional, yet youthful. It respects its own illustrious history, yet no one takes its lore less seriously than the Venetians themselves. Lucio Bubacco understands such seeming contradictions. A Venice native himself, Bubacco is well-trained in the traditional lamp-working techniques of his forebears. Yet every piece he creates is like a breath of fresh air, keeping established traditions fresh and relevant. In his hand the exuberant paganism and of the Venice Carnivale takes center stage as masked men and dancing women cavort with devils and satyrs. His work is a toast to life in all its decadent and spiritual forms, and who can tell which is which? Take your guess by catching his work near the front desk.

–Dale

A few months ago, I mentioned that Narcissus Quagliata’s chimerical “Dreamer,” would be installed in our hotel. As it turns out, glass art is a family business for the Quagliatas, and his son, Orfeo, has earned a world-class reputation in his own right. Orfeo Quagliata spent his childhood in San Francisco, where he began working with glass at age 12 as an apprentice to his father. Since then he has moved on to appear in top-rank museums and galleries around the world. His work always makes a great first impression. Maybe that’s why he was chosen to design our front desk!

–Dale