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Saturday in the Park
Every day’s the fourth of July
I find myself humming that tune whenever I head up to one of the Tacoma Parks myriad events. The Summer Sounds and Cinema series has started again, so I guess it’s time to roll up the blanket, throw a bottle of red (or white) wine in the basket and head up to the movies.
–Dale
Let’s face it. In the dog days of summer nobody wants to work up too much of a sweat. Instead of tackling a big project, why not take a few minutes to regroup? Put together a checklist that will seed your plans for back-to-school and the ever-looming holiday season. And be sure to put a little you-time at the top of that list. For many of us, there’s never a convenient time to take a vacation. But if you don’t carve out even a small getaway, you may suffer. You can even get away while staying close to home. If you have kids, this article at Kaboose.com http://travel.kaboose.com/vacation-at-home.html will help you get started. Be sure to scroll down to its links to other great summertime tips!
–Dale
Don’t get me wrong, this place lowers the, er, bar when it comes to dive bars. Sticky carpeting, lawn furniture in the dining room and all. But you have to give them props for coming up with the best happy hour name in the city: Lush Rush. During said Rush, all wells are two bucks. I guess people ain’t going there for the fancy wallpaper. Check out this article on Weekly Volcano to find out more.
–James
There’s only one Nordstrom. The selection, the famed service. The only problem with this store was that you had to drive where? Seattle? to get to one. Finally, the newly renovated Tacoma Mall Nordstrom is reopening. And, in typical Nordstrom style and flare, they’ll be celebrating with a Grand Opening Gala on Tuesday, Sept. 30. Tickets are $75. And the best part is ALL proceeds will benefit the Tacoma Art Museum and Museum of Glass. (Thanks to Steph DeRosa at the Volcano for alerting us to this.) http://www.weeklyvolcano.com/2008-07-10/fix-main/2434/http://www.tacomaartmuseum.org/Page.aspx?nid=176
–Dale
I’m no stranger to street fare. And the offerings at some cities’ rolling restaurants (inaptly dubbed roach coaches) are some of the best eating around. Mexican cuisine seems to have cornered that market in this neck of the woods, but go to other cities like Portland, Los Angeles and New York, and you can take a culinary world tour and never actually sit down to eat. Still, I sometimes yearn for something a little more ambitious from Mexican food. Enter Vuelve a la Vida. (Literally translated “Live once again,” this biz name must have an intriguing story behind it.) Since this Mexican eatery opened over a year ago, it has acquired a cult of devotees addicted to its authentic moles, carnitas and abodabe, as well as the soft tacos made from fresh, hand-made tortillas. I could go on about this place, but check out the kudos pouring in through Yelp. http://www.yelp.com/biz/vuelve-a-la-vida-tacoma
–James
Hard to believe it was just a year ago that our friend Josh trekked across the newly opened span of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. http://www.tacomahotelblog.com/2007/07/ In honor of that event (July 16, to be exact), I thought it would be fun to share a rather breathtaking shot of the bridge from its 1950 construction celebration. I have enough trouble climbing ladders - this guy is plain crazy! http://www.flickr.com/photos/8461938@N06/2559053162/
–Dale
The Grand Cinema wants you to take a shot at designing this year’s Tacoma Film Festival poster. The winning poster will receive $350, two festival passes to the Tacoma Film Festival and a joint membership to the non-profit Grand Cinema. Runners-up receive four passes to any movie at the Grand Cinema. Oh, and the winner will also get his or her poster stapled all over telephone poles and scotch taped to coffeehouse windows all over the city. Entries due by July 31.
–Dale
Okay, it’s a tiny bit south of here. But so is the cuisine. I’m talking about the good old-time southern cooking at the aptly named Jambalaya, at 508 Garfield Street in Parkland just a few minutes South of the Hotel Murano. It’s a whole mess o’ catfish, seafood gumbo, po’boy sandwiches, red beans & rice and crawfish salad, all moderately priced at 7-10 dollars. Not too spicy and totally worth the drive. All this and a touch of New Orleans is enough to have you saying, “Y’all come back now, ya hear?”
–James
Okay, so after wandering around the Broadway Farmers Market and loading up on the best and freshest local produce and meats around, you might be wondering what exactly you will do with all that yummy goodness. Market organizers are there to get you started. Each Thursday, they present a local chef who will demonstrate a few delicious cooking ideas, using ingredients that just possibly might be in your grocery bag. Hang out with the best and pick up a few pointers! Here’s what the near future holds:
July 10: Marlene’s Deli
July 17: Primo Grill
Eat Up!
- Dale
Looking to fill your evening in a lip-smacking, honest-to-goodness, stick-to-your-ribs kind of way? Head down to Cheney Stadium this summer for their monthly live music series Blues, Brews and BBQs . The music’s all that – and the barbecue won’t be bad either.
The event will be held once a month throughout the summer. Next up: on July 25, Nick Vigarino will take the stage to offer up his high energy, danceable blues guitar stylings. For dinner, a no-host bar and the music show, tickets are $45 for one show. Tickets for the music and one drink are $20 each. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.tacomarainiers.com or call (253) 752-7700.
- James