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.

See you soon,

Dale

How do I love thee, Hotel Murano? Let me count the ways.

Can you believe that Valentine’s Day is coming up already? And we’ve got a great special at the hotel for all you lovers out there. For starters, it includes a late check-out; how nice is that? Along with the infamous (don’t tell me you haven’t heard about it) “Naughty” Love Box, we’ll also have all the other romantic stuff like chocolates, wine (red or white), or champagne if you prefer.

You can enjoy yourselves in our Lobby Bar, with all of its beautiful artwork; or you might want to choose to order room service and just stay in for the evening (ooh la la). For art lovers, our rooms are especially romantic. We also have the “Help Me” button on our room phones for your convenience. Your wish is our command! Don’t you wish everything in life was like that?

Enjoy!

Danielle

I don’t know why this is such a well-kept secret, but I have just discovered a fantastic venue here in our own Historic Stadium District. I saw the funniest play at the Tacoma Little Theater last night and it was even family-friendly.  I was surprised to find out they’ve been in that same location for over 50 years.

Right now they are showing Over The River & Through the Woods, written by Joe DiPietro, a tale of an East Coast guy who tries to move to Seattle. His aunts and uncles are not crazy about the idea and do everything they can to convince him to stay in New Jersey. I sort of expected it to be corny, to be honest, but I laughed so hard that I actually slapped my knee once (kind of embarrassing, but true). It’s only running through the first week of February, so don’t miss it.

See you soon,

Dale

I don’t know why I haven’t mentioned this; maybe it’s because I love my job and I’m afraid it will sound like I’m bragging. But I really think I should mention that our hotel, the Murano, was rated number 6 by Conde Nast Traveler’s Reader’s Choice Awards. It’s a pretty big deal.

If that makes you wonder what’s so great about the Murano, you know I’m going to suggest you see for yourself. There’s a great hotel special right now, where you get the third night free, and that’s a perfect way to come check out Tacoma, the restaurants, the museums and, of course, the hotel.

Even if you never left the Murano, you could sip a drink in one of Tacoma’s best-looking bars, enjoy first-rate meals at one of its best restaurants, see some of the most spectacular art in town, and even get a massage. Enough hints, now it’s up to you.

See you soon,

Dale

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.

Happy New Year!
Dale

If you golf, you know that fall means the end of sunny days on the links. So, get it while the getting’s good. The Hotel Murano has a great hotel package right now, with a tee-time included to play on the course Travel & Leisure Golf Magazine named the best of 2007 and Golf Digest, in 2008, deemed the best new public course.

I guarantee that the Chambers Bay Golf Course is one of the most spectacular you will ever see. Right on the Puget Sound, you’ll enjoy magnificent views, grass-covered dunes, and not a golf cart in sight. That’s right, you duffers, it’s a walking course (with caddie-service available).

After a day on the greens, head back to the Murano for the night, $60 toward the Savi Day Spa (hey, I could use a massage these days after walking 18 holes), breakfast and parking. Fore!

See ya later,
Dale

Cork Wine Bar, a fantastic Tacoma wine bar, which took second in the South Sound Magazine Best of South Sound wine list, is definitely worth checking out. A friend and I recently hit it up Wednesday night—all flights $8. We sampled two of their wine flights, with generous two-ounce pours.

Love the names, too: Forgive Me For I Have Zinned, with Alexander Valley Temptation zin, California; Tobin James Ballistic, California; and Writers Block zin, California and You Had Me at Merlot, featuring McGavick, Washington; Napa Cellars, Napa Valley, California; and Shooting Star, Kelseyville, California.

They offer a simple yet satisfying menu, featuring mainly Italian goodies like bruschetta, antipasti, yummy cheese plates, a delicious Caprese salad, and a great variety of topped flatbreads. Tuesdays and Fridays are all-night happy hour, Thursdays feature complimentary wine tasting, and Saturdays there’s live music.

Oh, and leave room for dessert. We had Amaretto Almond Biscotti Torte, layers of biscotti soaked in amaretto with a smooth amaretto almond mousse filling. In fact, maybe it’s just safer to start with dessert!

Ta ta,
Danielle

I don’t how I’d live without mani/pedis. Not sure how I survived before. I justify them by telling myself that foot and hand massage and treatments promote all-over health. It does. But it doesn’t hurt that it feels good and looks good. Plus, being at the Murano, I’m right down the hall from Savi, our hotel spa . I’ve been to others, but Savi is my favorite set-up in town, and not just because of its convenient location.

Savi offers the usual—manicures, pedicures, facials—but also includes a warm, lavender neck roll and an eye pillow (some treatments even offer a complimentary cocktail!). There are private rooms and special chairs with many of the services. You can also get a foot treatment (without the pedicure) and a cryotonic foot and leg treatment that helps circulation and sore muscles. And who doesn’t have those?

There’s also the option of ordering from room service and/or the bar while you’re getting the kinks worked out. Pampering at its best.

Ta ta!
Danielle

It’s a special delight to run across an interesting and unusual spot in your own town. I just learned that right in Old Town Park, just a block from where it originally stood, is a replica of Job Carr’s cabin. Um, who? And, what?

Well, turns out that old Job was Tacoma’s first Euro-American settler, plopping himself down, in 1865, in what is now Old Town Tacoma. A permanently disabled veteran of the Civil War, Carr made his way from Indiana to Commencement Bay, purportedly exclaiming “Eureka! Eureka!” when he spied the future Tacoma.

He built himself a cabin, got himself a cat—Tom, of course—and got down to the business of making his claim. His cabin is now a museum with all his pioneer stuff, some great old musical instruments, and some audio musical samples of the music of Carr’s day.

If you ever wondered what Old Town looked like when it wasn’t so old, a visit to Job Carr’s home will give you a glimpse. You can also check out the Job Carr Museum as well.

Cheers,
Dale

This favorite spot of UPS students has long piqued my curiosity. My goal with a visit to the Goofy Goose on 6th Ave. was to try to get to the bottom of why it’s goofy, and also if there is actually a goose involved in any way whatsoever.

Although there are hamburgers at this hamburger joint, the thing to get is the pseudo-Japanese fare. The yakisoba, for example, is very tasty, with plenty of perfectly cooked veggies, and enough meat for a family of four. The hand-dipped fried mushrooms, at less than two bucks an order, are worth the trip alone.

So, I guess the goofy part is that this hole-in-the-wall actually offers something different than you might expect, and that the hamburgers are good and reliable. And I can confirm there is not a goose in sight.

See ya!
Danielle