Category Archives: WA State – Pierce County

Yikes! Jack In The Box now has the calorie count

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I try not to go to fast food restaurants very often, but I was taking a class today and only had an hour for lunch and there was travel time involved. So, Jack in the Box it is! Oh my, they are putting the number of calories next to each menu item! Yikes! So, I guess the bacon ultimate cheeseburger (920 calories), curly fries (280 calories) and a large mint oreo cookie shake (1,310 calories) are out!

I must say that Jack In The Box does have a pretty amusing website!
http://www.jackinthebox.com/

The one I went to is at 3402 E Pacific Hwy, Fife, WA 98424

Hello, Cupcake

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It’s my dear daughter’s birthday and instead of a cake she wanted a cupcake from Hello, Cupcake in the University of Washington, Tacoma area. They have the best cupcakes that any of us have ever had! Dear daughter prefers the red velvet, I like the vanilla on vanilla and my husband likes the carrot cake version. But, really, you can’t go wrong!

They are located at 1740 Pacific Avenue, Tacoma, WA 98405. A single cupcake, which is large enough to share, costs $2.55.

Their website is here
http://www.hello-cupcake.com/

Hello, Cupcake is located in a building owned by the University of Washington. The property had originally been known as the Birmingham Hay & Seed Co. Warehouse and was constructed in 1903.

15th Street Cleaners, Five Stars

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There are many dry cleaners in Tacoma, but only three have been awarded five stars (the highest) by the Tacoma Pierce County Health Department for their environmental stewardship and their outreach and education. A more complete write up can be found here:

http://www.tpchd.org/files/library/ac6f1e99e7983eff.pdf

The 15th Street Cleaners is located at 1352 South Fawcett Avenue, Tacoma, WA.

The Tacoma Public Library has this cryptic note about the property that was there prior to the current building. TNT (Tacoma News Tribune) 11/10/1948 p.1 Asphyxiated in his office (apt. of Wm. H. Holloway).

Ford Building and Crescent Ballroom

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Originally uploaded by Gexydaf

 

The Ford Building and Crescent Ballroom have always been a mystery to me. They are located on the edge of downtown, but not on a main drag and have been beautifully restored. According to the Tacoma Public Library the Ford Building portion of the structure was built in 1918 with E.J. Bresemann as the architect. The building originally housed the Manley-Thompson Ford Agency.

The Auditorium (that was its original name) had opened January 11, 1922. The Gothic structure was designed by Roland Borhek. It was the home to many dances, as well as appearances by such diverse performers as Rudolph Valentino, Duke Ellington, Paul Revere and The Raiders, Soundgarden and Nirvana. In 1931, the two buildings were remodeled, combined and renamed the Crescent Ballroom. This part of the property now functions as a warehouse. The mirrored ball from the original ballroom has been restored and now hangs in the South Park Community Center.

The importance of the Crescent Ballroom can be gleaned here.
http://pnwbands.com/crescent.html

TRA Medical Imaging purchased the property in 2007 for $2,500,000, and after considerable renovation opened it as their administrative office in July 2008.

Hilltop Mural

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At 1012 South 11th Street in Tacoma’s Hilltop area there is a mural of four individuals against the background of Mt. Rainier. Per the Tacoma-Pierce County Public Art Tour website (Taylor.http://wspdsmap.ci.tacoma.wa.us/website/Art2/viewer.htm), “This mural memorializes key contributors to the Hilltop Community. Including, Alberta Canada, Ernest E. Brazil, Frank Russell, and Virginia Taylor”. It was created in 2004 by Bob Henry, who has other mural around town.

The artist’s website can be found here:

http://www.muralmastersnw.com/index.html

   

Freighthouse Art Gallery

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Originally uploaded by Gexydaf

The Art Gallery at Freighthouse Square has some lovely Northwest art. We have purchased several pieces here and appreciate that we can have some original art at a doable price. It is located on the upper level of Freighthouse Square beyond the food court. It is run as an artist cooperative and usually at least one of the artists is on site.

602 East 25th Street, Suite 60
253-383-9765

http://www.freighthousesquare.com/

http://www.freighthousesquare.com/Merchants/Freighthouse_Art_Gallery.html

Slavic Christian Center, Tacoma

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I’ve often admired the golden dome of the Slavic Christian Center at 2014 South 15th, Tacoma. Today I caught the dome in the morning light and then later in the day I went back for some more photos. The first service was held on Christmas Day 2001 and the building has a capacity of 1,160 people.

The church has an extensive website
http://slaviccenter.com/

 

Welcome to Oakland/Madrona

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This scenic mural is located at 3265 South Union just north of Center Street in Tacoma. It is painted on a retaining wall and features Mt. Rainier and lovely madrona trees. The artist is unknown and I also couldn’t readily find any information about the date of the art.

Norton Memorial Park, Tacoma

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The other day when going to King’s Books, I noticed a delightfully compact city park. Yes, I must have been by it hundreds of times, but that day I really took note of it. And today in the freezing cold I went back to take some photos. The triangularly shaped park is located at 99 Tacoma Avenue South and fronts on Tacoma Avenue South, Saint Helen’s and South 1st. It has been around since 1927 and was named in honor of Percy Dunbar Norton, a Tacoma businessman and city counsel member who died at the age of 44 in April of 1900. The small park includes a commemorative column, a concrete bench, a couple of planters, an old fashioned street light and a bright blue street clock from 1993, which was not keeping accurate time.

More information about the park, including a photograph from 1927 can be found here.
http://search.tacomapubliclibrary.org/images/dt6n.asp?un=1&pg=1&address=99+TACOMA&stemming=&phonic=&fuzzy=&maxfiles=

Small parks like this one are often called pocket parks, as defined here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pocket_park

Brown & Haley, Home of Almond Roca

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For Valentine’s Day I stopped at the Brown & Haley outlet at 110 East 26th Street, Tacoma, WA 98421 because my guy is fond of Almond Roca and he is always happy with a deal.  Actually, I already had his present, Night of the Living Trekies (see below) because nothing says love like zombies and Star Trek.

Brown & Haley has been in Tacoma incorporated in Tacoma in 1914. There most famous candy, Almond Roca, was invented in 1924.

Their website is https://www.brown-haley.com/index.php

Update: 3.12.2016 – Dear husband and I stopped in again (he still likes a deal!) and we learned that the outlet building was originally a ticket booth during the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair. And Elvis was there! How cool is that? I added a picture of the plaque below.

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