I was trying to squeeze the last little bit of summer in today and thought to take the five mile loop through Point Defiance Park. On my way in I noticed the amazing display in the rose garden. So I looked around, parked and took a stroll. It is mostly roses, of course, but there were a fair number of dahlias in bloom and other plants as well.
I finally stopped to snap a photo of one of the bicycle racks on Sixth Avenue. I love that an individual, Kassie Mitchell, has taken it upon herself to share some joy through yarn bombing. To read more, go here.
It seems like every time my family takes the Tacoma Avenue South Bridge, we wait for a traffic light. And if dear husband is in the car he starts griping about the bridge and how he hates it. He is convinced that it will go down in an earthquake. It’s to the point where even if he isn’t in the car, dear daughter and I will look at each other and say “I hate this bridge!”, but then we laugh.
It turns out dear husband is right (I hate when that happens!). According to a 5/25/13 article in the News Tribune, the Tacoma Avenue South over the NPRR (Northern Pacific Railroad) and South Tacoma Way has a sufficiency rating of 7. A rating of 100 means an entirely sufficient bridge, so 7 is really bad. In fact there is only one bridge in Pierce County that is worse and it is the SR 167 over the Puyallup River with a rating of 2. The Tacoma Avenue Bridge has two lanes and was constructed in 1930. It has a daily of over 10,000 vehicles.
Chris Larson, the city of Tacoma’s engineering division manager for public works, said the Tacoma Avenue South bridge will be closed for about 15 months starting in October 2014. The project is expected to cost $11.5 million, of which $11.2 million will come from state and federal grants.
Back on the homefront….. dear husband and I finally checked out Fablab Studios today. It is so cool, kind of like magic making something from nothing. Located at 1938 Market Street, Fablab is “The high-tech prototyping center enabling public access to laser cutting, 3D printing, plasma cutting, CNC machines, welding and much more!“.
I needed to get in a little more walking today, so I wandered into the mall (really an unusual for me). Apparently Yankee Candle at Tacoma Mall has been there about three years! Anyway I stopped and bought a hanging, scented thing for my husband’s truck and a few of those melting wax things (really, what are they called?). The clerk at the store was a big help. I’m looking forward to pleasant smells in the immediate future 🙂
Yankee Candle has about 560 locations, mostly in malls. They are based out of Massachusetts and incorporated in 1969.
There is a house near Lincoln High School that if full of red and yellow tulips, currently in full bloom. It is startling the number of tulips! What a labor of love that I appreciated seeing this fine Easter Day!
My pups look much better now that they have been to Balanced Dog at 4602B Pacific Avenue, Tacoma. The groomers were friendly and my two loyal dogs didn’t even notice when I left! Balanced Dog’s website is here.
The Russell Apartments at 1313 Fawcett Avenue have seen better days. They were built in 1929. Obviously they are in poor condition either awaiting demotion (most likely) or rehabilitation.
The Union Station Link Stop is situated on the median on in the center of Pacific Avenue between South 19th and South 21st Street in the Museum District in proximity of the University of Washington, Tacoma Branch and Tacoma’s School of the Arts. Presently the Link runs 1.6 miles, though there are expansion plans. The public art in the foreground represents shipbuilding in the area’s past. Below is another photo of the station and a few other near by shots.
There is a new restaurant in the Lincoln District in the previous Jubilee place. It is the Amp Coffee House and Frozen Yogurt, 858 S. 38th St., Tacoma and its been open for a couple of months. I finally stopped in and was impressed at how much it has changed, looking more like a sleek coffee shop that it is and less like a hamburger joint that it was. I ordered a Philly Cheese steak (a real treat) and next time I’m going for a Smitty Burger. I hear there are plans for a drive through and a patio.
The Jubilee sign will be removed as soon as it is feasible.
Their Facebook page can be found here.
