Heavy, warm coat – check
Hat – check
Gloves – check
Scarf – check
Camera – check
Daughter + Friend – check
First Night Tickets – not yet, but I’ll get them there
Today’s new place will be First Night 2010/2011, but I won’t get around to posting new photos until tomorrow. Happy New Year everybody!
We ordered a latte for me, a vanilla Italian soda for the teen and a full monty bagel sandwich minus the bacon to share. They forgot the drinks, but felt bad about it and not only gave us our drinks but a get two free card. In addition to coffee, they offer wine and beer. The sandwich was very tasty and so were the drinks once they arrived.
http://beyondthebridgecafe.com/
http://www.facebook.com/bbc4life?ref=ts&v=info
Note: I’m sad to say that Beyond the Bridge Cafe closed its doors on May 14, 2011.
http://www.weeklyvolcano.com/entertainment/spew-blog/2011/05/The-last-day-of-Beyond-the-Bridge-Cafe-tacoma-coffee-shop-closes-ben-and-patricia-rubke/
Because I was traveling, I missed recording a new place of the day on Tuesday. But we went to Waterfront Pizza in Port Townsend for lunch and it was a treat. The two of us had a small pizza and I had a side salad. Pretty much what they have is pizza, basic salads and assorted beverages (beer, wine, soda). The Yelp reviews sometimes complain about the service, but our server was great!
The main level store front area is very tiny and used as a kitchen and a place to buy a slice. The upper level is a small traditional restaurant of about six tables.
951 Water Street
Port Townsend, WA 98368-5732
(360) 385-6629
http://www.yelp.com/biz/waterfront-pizza-port-townsend
We got out of town for a day in Port Townsend. Of course, Port Townsend is a fully functional city with grocery stores, gas stations and medical offices, but it is their historic district that is exceptional. Per MyNorthwest.com (see below) “Port Townsend is cited as one of only three National Victorian Seaports on the National Register of Historic Places (along with Galveston and Cape May, NJ) and is the only one on the West Coast”. Considering its excellent harbor, Port Townsend was going to be the northwest terminus of the railroad lines. In anticipation of the rail coming, many lovely Victorian residences and commercial buildings were constructed. But then the depression arrived and the rail was not extended and the town languished. Now it is a destination spot, combining the natural beauty of the bay and nearby Olympic Mountains with the appeal of the historic buildings. There is an abundance of interesting stores and restaurant. I’m sure that later I will make individual places my new place of the day, but today it is the entire downtown historic district.
http://www.mynorthwest.com/?nid=464&sid=296529
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Townsend,_Washington
Originally uploaded by Gexydaf
Today was all about the practical. I needed to order new eyeglasses before my benefit went away. I went to a new place for me, Pearl Eyecare Center near the Tacoma Mall. My husband has been going there for years and said they would treat me right. He was right! They spent the time I needed and actually understood how the insurance worked. I ordered two pair. The top pair have a little design on the frames and will be sunglasses. The bottom will be my day to day pair, when I’m not wearing contacts.
2505 S 38th St # A108
Tacoma, WA 98409-7372
(253) 472-1188
I would donate my older pair to charity, but my dog ate them! Rotten dog.
Originally uploaded by Gexydaf
On the way home from the almost last holiday gathering my family stopped to admire the City of Tacoma’s holiday tree in front of the Pantages Theater. We also tool a quick peak at the art displayed in the windows across the street. It was a lovely Christmas for us and I hope the same is true for all of you. Peace.
Today we went to see the Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader in 3D My dear daughter and I had recently rewatched the first two movies in the series and were looking forward to this recent installment. We really loved it. Much of the movie was set on the ship and the visuals of the sea were stupendous.
Anyway, we had 30 minutes to eat lunch. My dear daughter gets rather grumpy when not feed, so it was important to eat. While large chain restaurants are not our first choice, it was Ruby Tuesday or a Sports Bar and Ruby Tuesday was the clear winner. We had an appetizer each (a single crab cake for me and spinach dip for her) and also sodas. With the tip, it came to $30, which seemed kind of expensive. The food was good, but not that special. Service was pleasant and understanding about our short time frame.
There are 890 Ruby Tuesday locations, including several overseas spots (Chile, Iceland, India, Egypt, Hong Kong, and more). The original restaurant opened in 1972 in Tennessee. The chain is named after the Rolling Stones song.
Update 12/12 Both this Ruby Tuesday and the one in University Place have closed.
As of January 31, 2011, Tacoma Public Library System will have eight locations instead of its current ten. Both Swan Creek Branch and M.L. King, Jr. Branch will be closed. The main branch will also have its hours reduced from 66 to 54.
Swam Creek is the smallest of the libraries and shares its space with Tacoma Community House, which runs a literacy center for the local population. Per the library’s website, Tacoma Community Center has significant experience working closely with persons with little or no English language and comprehension skills, or without significant education experiences. Classes include English as a Second Language and computer skills. The library has an expanded foreign language materials selection and bilingual assistance is available in Russian and Cambodian, as well as Spanish and Vietnamese upon request. The door count (patrons entering the building) was over 4,000 in November, the last full month available. Many of the patrons walk to the branch and will soon need to take one or more buses to reach the next closest branch. It is true that Swan Creek had the lowest circulation statistics, which makes sense since they also had the smallest collection size.
http://www.tpl.lib.wa.us/Page.aspx?nid=58
Library materials and equipment from this branch will be redistributed to other branches, but the fate of the building and the Tacoma Community Center lease remains unknown. Although the building was built in 1989, there is deferred maintenance.
The closing of these two branches made me think of this Asimov quote. “When I read about the way in which library funds are being cut and cut, I can only think that American society has found one more way to destroy itself.”
More info about the Martin Luther King Library closure can be found here
Ever since one of my Flickr friends posted a photo of a lovely pair of earring that he purchased at Traditions Cafe & World Folk Art in downtown Olympia, I’ve been wanting to try it out. The place has two components, the store and the restaurant but there is an easy flow between the two. We ordered our delicious and filling paninis at the counter and the staff brought them out to us. Afterward we shopped a bit and I purchased a green hat that I love and some dead sea salt soap. What struck me about both the store and the cafe parts is how happy every one seemed to be, both the employees and the customers. I’m sure we’ll be back 🙂
Their website is here
http://www.traditionsfairtrade.com/pages/tradhome.html
An explanation of the concept of Fair Trade is here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_trade
