Every city worth its sense of place has a commission to preserve historic buildings. And, over the years, definitions of architectural merit change and evolve as one style displaces a previous trend. Our own hotel was once derided as a Cold War-era eyesore, but very smart designers have re-imagined it into a true landmark. With that it mind, it was fascinating to read Exit 133 ask the question: “Which [Tacoma] building do you want brought down and what’s your justification for such a selection?” The answers they gave were very interesting – and it looks like they’ve left commenting open for you to weigh in with your choice for the swing of the wrecking ball.

–Dale

The Brazilians have a word for it. Saudade. It describes the feeling of longing or sadness for something lost, like one’s homeland in times of war or natural disaster. It’s no wonder that, as a culture that doesn’t naturally cozy up to such dark feelings, we don’t have an English-language equivalent. Saudade is found in Portuguese Fado music, Native American chants, the Brazilian samba along with its jazzed-up nephew bossa nova and, of course, African-American blues. Tacoma artist Lorraine Toler has tapped into that sense of longing. During the Japanese occupation of Korea in the 1940’s, her mother was forced, at age 12, to flee and soon found herself alone in Seoul. She never saw her family again. Some time later, she gave birth to Lorraine, who grew up never knowing the large family her mother had come from. All she had were a handful of memories that her mother retained from her childhood. Lorraine’s series of paintings on show at Tacoma Art Place aims to scrabble together a coherent story from those meager recollections. These works’ poignant drama stems from what is left out as much from what is actually portrayed.

–Dale

The fashionisti at Nordstrom know a lot about retail. Reports are rolling in that they also know a thing or two about how to party. Just a few days ago, Nordstrom reopened at the Tacoma Mall, adding 4,000 square feet to its already-huge retail space. And to celebrate, they threw a gala benefit for the Tacoma Art Museum and the Museum of Glass. Worthy causes, both. And now those two institutions have $85,000 that they didn’t have before. If you weren’t there, you can see how the festivities went by checking out the Weekly Volcano’s Flickr page.

–James

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