On Thursday, I stopped for an oil change at Auto Lube and Espresso at 1202 S 38th St, Tacoma, WA 98418. The Auto Lube always take about 10 minutes and they always do a good job. While waiting I went over to the onsite coffee kiosk for an iced tea. They serve coffee from the locally based (Sumner) Dillanos Coffee Roasters.
Today I finally went to the new Pierce County Library at 3609 Market Place W. University Place, WA 98466. What a welcoming library it is! It is, the layout is open with lovely light (on a rainy day). I’m not use to self checkout, but it was so easy to grab the book I had on hold and scan away. I especially like how the space flows into the entry area. Based on the number of patrons, other folks are also enjoying the space.
I love Chevys (there is no apostrophe!) for their fresh chips and salsa. Yum. I’ve not been to another Chevys, but I see on their website that they have restaurants in 14 states, with 2 in Washington. They have been here for over ten years.
In December 2010, Tacoma received a new piece of public art known as the Projecting Drop by artist Jill Anholt. It’s located at 1250 Pacific Avenue and is part of the South Park Plaza Garage, a green facility. The art stands 25′ high and I appreciated it even more when I got close enough to really study it. I love the ripples!
Spaceworks Tacoma says it best, “The soaring wall is covered in 1″ hexagonal, blue and green tiles that cascade from top to base, then ripple outward toward the street. Embedded in the sidewalk tilework is a quote from an 1891 edition of the Tacoma Ledger : “From amidst a sombre forest of firs a city has arisen as by a stroke of an enchanter’s wand. Tacoma looks forth like a new Venice over the glassy waters and prepares to handle the commerce of the world.” The art was installed on the site of a Turkish Bathhouse! For the full story, go here:
http://spaceworkstacoma.wordpress.com/2010/12/17/a-watermark-for-tacoma-art-and-architecture/
Today the family went to the Harbor History Museum at 4121 Harborview Drive, Gig Harbor. I hadn’t even realized that they had built it, but its been there for a couple of years now. It’s really a nice museum, well thought out with plenty for the kids to do and a nice variety of exhibits for everybody. I especially liked the Shenandoah, a local fishing vessel that was built in 1925. The ship is being publicly restored and will eventually be available for tours. Looking at it, I could just imagine all the stories that it could tell. http://www.gigharbormuseum.org/ShenandoahProj.html
Also of interest was the restored one room school house. There were about 30 desks, close together with the teacher’s desk in the front and the heating stove in the back.
More info on the museum can be found here.
http://www.harborhistorymuseum.org/
The 160 acre, 18 hole Fircrest Golf Club opened in May 1923. While I don’t play golf, I still appreciate the lovely grounds. I was there for an event and the meal I had, the three salad plated, was very tasty.
I was out and about unusually early this morning and just loved the light on Union Station at 1717 Pacific Avenue. The station was constructed in1911 by the architectural firm of Reed and Stem (who also designed Grand Central Station in New York City) and was originally used as a passenger station. In 1974 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The building was abandoned in 1984 and in 1990 – 1992 it was renovated for use as a courthouse of the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington. The statue out front is called New Beginnings and was sculpted in 1984 by Larry Anderson.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Station_%28Tacoma,_Washington%29
http://www.unionstationrotunda.org/
And here is one more photo taken 5/2/14
Syd’s Shoe Repair is housed in a very small building at 4605 Pacific Avenue in Tacoma. The 420 sq.ft. structure was constructed in 1925 and renovated in 1975.
There aren’t many places to have your shoes fixed nowadays. Most of us wear our shoes until they have a problem or we’re tired of them and then we buy new.
The mural celebrating Doyle’s Public House is truly glorious! It is large scale reproduction of one of the original Guinness advertising signs. Per Wikipedia a slogan associated with Guinness in the 1940 was “Toucans in their nests agree/Guinness is good for you/Try some today and see/What one or toucan do.”
Doyle’s is located in the Stadium District at 208 Saint Helen’s Avenue and is a well regarded traditional Irish Pub which celebrates Saint Patrick’s Day every month on the 17th.
http://www.doylespublichouse.com/
It was such a lovely day that I took a quick stroll along Les Davis Pier at 3427 Ruston Way. There were all types of folks out and about enjoying the day. They were fishing off the pier, jogging, pushing strollers, walking hand in hand and one poor guy was sitting in his fancy car facing the water and working on his laptop. Per the Metro Parks Tacoma site, there is an artificial reef created with piece of the old Tacoma Narrows Bridge under the pier, making it popular with scuba divers. Les Davis was a Tacoma fisherman.
