I feel so transgressive placing an exclamation point smack dab in the middle of a sentence. But here goes. If you’re looking to slake your wine thirst in public, Cork! is a very good place to do so. There. I did it. Still, I feel a little unsure about the punctuation. What is its point? Does Cork! warn about the possibility of errant, airborne champagne stoppers? Is it a command? A new expletive? Whatever the case, reports are coming in that Cork! is a lovely place to spend the evening, sipping wine by the bottle, glass or two-ounce taste and munching on small plates of food. And the friendly staff leaves all pretense at the door. In the sometimes snooty wine world, that is definitely something to shout about.

–James

Matthew Scott was one of the first servicemen to join the fight in the War on Terror. Just days after 9/11, as an Air Force Staff Sergeant, he left for Afghanistan and watched the very first B-1 bomber take off on its bombing mission. He served well and later was given an honorable discharge. Still, his battle experiences, like those of so many others, left deep scars on his psyche. In the midst of a particularly dark night of the soul, he took up a paintbrush and began documenting the lineament of his trauma in paint – cataloguing both the regret over having inflicted pain and the gratitude for having found a way out of his own suffering through art. An exhibition of Scott’s paintings at The Lark Gallery, runs through October 12.

–Dale

Live theater has had a bit of a struggle in Tacoma these last few years. It was a sad day last year when the lights went out for good on the Tacoma Actors Guild troupe. As usual, money was the issue. But now, the new Theatre Northwest has taken the stage – this time, with the help of Broadway Center for the Performing Arts.  According to the News Tribune’s blog, sees itself as a production partner, providing incubating services for the fledgling theater company in the form of “administration costs, stage labor, and rent of performance venue, Theatre on the Square,” until it can stand on its own. Let’s hope they can make it. Better yet, let’s support live theater in this town by including it in our entertainment choices. We’ll be glad we did – and we’ll be doing our part to ensure its success.

-James

The Blue Mouse Theater, located over on Proctor Street in Tacoma, has a unique claim to fame. Back in the day, world famous glass artist Dale Chihuly created the glass tubing for the blue neon mice that “run” around the perimeter of the theater. Cool stuff. Before it was the Blue Mouse, the theater was called the Bijou and before that? Oddly enough, it was, simply, the Proctor.

–James

If you see visitors staring intently at the ground around here, they probably aren’t looking for spare change. They’re more likely reading one of the multitudes of brass plaques that have been set into the concrete sidewalks around Tacoma. Sometimes they give you a little bit of history about the ground you’re standing on, like this one…

…or this one:

Maybe they’ve got a whole story to tell:

Or maybe they’re even a part of history, like this drinking fountain:

A couple of weeks ago I told you about my recent “addiction” – to the Sea Bass at Fujiya, just steps from our front door. One of our esteemed guests returned with a picture of this lovely dish. Fujiya has such a warm and friendly staff, and the food is fresh, delicious and unpretentious. Try it once – and you’ll feel what it’s like to be “in the know.”

–Dale

This is in from our lovely front desk staff Janette and Danielle. Let’s say you’re out traveling and you need to do a quick swipe for lint over your clothes. Maybe you’ve forgotten your lint roller. What to do? Go to the nearest office and ask for a FedEx shipping slip envelope – the clear plastic slipcase that sticks to the outside of the package. Peel off the paper backing and voila! You’re on your way to lint-free living.

–James

After they’ve been there a while, some restaurants become part of the furniture. And then there’s the danger that they can become forgotten. And then we can lose them to out-of-town chain eateries. Those were our thoughts recently when we lunched at 29-year-old Grassi’s Garden Café here in Downtown Tacoma. The service was phenomenal and though we passed on the amazing fresh-baked pie, the Country Cobb salad (see above) was huge and scrumptious. (Now, there’s a word we don’t see enough!) And the fresh-cut rose that came on the bread plate was a wonderful touch. Here’s to the next 30 years!

–Dale

Mindy Barker just opened a new show called “Slice,” at Fulcrum Gallery.  The show, which ranges from a large painted glass installation to other, smaller, works has been described as having a uniquely archaeological feel, while, in the Weekly Volcano, Alec Clayton suggested something more geological, that the photographic transfers and collage images are sandwiched into “rocklike forms” and “cave like openings.” I like that. The glass paintings remind me, though, of giant microscope slides, bearing images that are like brief (i.e. microscopic) moments in the artist’s life – at once concrete and abstract, revealing a part of the story, but never, ever, the full plot. Fulcrum gallery is at 1308 Martin Luther King Jr. Way and “Slice” runs through September 14.

–Dale

Tacoma is, of course, an old railroad town. No wonder the movers and shakers at City Hall are doing their part to keep the dream alive that our fair city will remain a railroad town. Some ideas stick, while others don’t quite make it out of the gate. So it goes with visionary plans. The latest incarnation of that dream is Train to Trek.  The idea is simple. Hop the train at Freighthouse Square and ride to Eatonville. From there you’ll make a transfer to Northwest Trek, the Metro Parks animal sanctuary, where you can ride a tram that will take you within arms’ reach of caribou, bison, mountain goats, bighorn sheep and other animals. Take a video tour here.  And then mark your calendar for the next Train to Trek excursion on September 27.

–James