Tag Archives: downtown

Interesting Art in Auburn

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bird head with forks

Gear Art

 

 

 

 

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Auburn has some terrific public art and today I braved the cold rain to capture two of the best. The delightful piece is called “Gear Ball” and it is by Jenny Ellsworth. It is made of truck parts and is part of the Auburn Downtown Sculpture Gallery.

Greg Bartol and Deborah Drllevich’s Silverware Ostrich earned the People’s Choice award in 2015. It is a great piece from a car drive by, but I’m so glad I got out of the car to really take a look at it. It is made out of silverware!

More about art in Auburn can be found here. I plan to go back when the weather turn nice (hopefully soon!) and see all the other pieces!

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“Colored” Art Exhibit

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I read about the “Colored” art exhibit located in the Carpenters Building at 1328 Fawcett Avenue, Tacoma, on the King 5 News Website. Dear daughter, her friend and I arrived around 4, which apparently was well after it had closed for the day. When I mentioned that dear daughter was returning to college and that this was her only chance to see the exhibit, they kindly allowed us to go through. It was a great exhibit and I plan to go back and spend more time. The murals, by Chris Jordan, were painted in inverted colors. We looked at them normally and then with our iPhones set to reverse colors and the difference was amazing. Chris Jordan even spared us a moment to visit with us about his art.  When I go back I’ll be sure to spend more time and to appreciate the other artists as well.

My understanding is that the exhibit has been extended to run an extra few weeks.

The exhibition space is in the Carpenters Building which had been the Carpenter’s Union Hall which was designed by McGuire and Muri, architects and was constructed in 1955. The Kiro article said “The inside ones (murals) will soon be hidden by the upcoming Carpenters hall renovation“.

#colored2017

 

 

S’mores at First Night

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As we often do, dear daughter and I attended First Night to usher in the new year. And her friend, Z, came with us as she so often does. It was extra cold, but not raining, so we were happy and did all of our normal First Night things. This year we were offered long wooden sticks and a S’More packet (two marshmallows, a chocolate square and two graham crackers). It was such gooey sticky fun to make our own.


 

Downtown Moscow, Idaho

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MoscowEvery time I visit dear daughter at WSU, I pop across state lines to visit Downtown Moscow, home of the University of Idaho’s Vandels. It really is a charming downtown with a selection of restaurants and shops. I love the bookstore, Book People of Moscow, and Cafe Artista. This time I also tried Moscow Bagel and Deli and it was yum. The Moscow Downtown Historic District includes 60 buildings and was placed on the National Historic Register in 2005.

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imageimageimageimageDowntown Moscow

Tacoma Historic Society

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imageThe Tacoma Historic Society at 919 Pacific Ave, Tacoma, WA 98402 has been at this location since March 2014 (two years) and today dear husband and I finally made it for a visit. I was eager to see the Tacoma Candy exhibit (Sweet Success) before it went away on March 26th. While it is not a huge museum like the Washington State History Museum, it is well curated and so very interesting.  I really loved seeing the machine that makes ribbon candy. I thought it was a musical instrument at first! The Mission Statement of the Tacoma Historical Society is as follows “Tacoma Historical Society is dedicated to the preservation, promotion and presentation of the history of the City of Tacoma and its people.” 

While the exact number of Tacoma Candy makers isn’t known, there was about 75 of them. The three remaining ones that I can think of are Brown & Haley, Johnson’s Candy and Emily’s. There is a press release about the exhibit here and the website for the museum and historic society is here.

Thinking about the proposed Tacoma Methanol Plant

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I was standing in Fireman’s Park looking out over the Port of Tacoma wondering where the proposed methanol plant would be located. Once home I read that it is to be situated on the prior site of the Kaiser Aluminum Smelter on the Blair Waterway. So that would be on the far side of this photo, realistically out of sight. And I added the fog to the image for the drama.

This proposed plant would be the largest of its kind in the Pacific Northwest. Plants are also proposed to be located in the Port of Kalama, Washington and Port Westwood, Oregon. Tacoma’s plant could be operational as soon as 2020 and would produce 20,000 tons of Methanol daily. The Methanol would then be shipped to China.

I’m not going to offer an opinion before I know more, but I did find some interesting reading and sites.

I personally think we should all quickly study this issue and act accordingly. Our voices should be heard. To that end, there is a public meeting this Wednesday and it should be well worthwhile.

While I was there I photographed the classic mountain framed in the Murry Morgan Bridge and a lovely tree.

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Lan Su Chinese Garden, Vancouver

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IMG_3681The Lan Su Chinese Garden in the Chinatown neighborhood of Vancouver, BC. is a little piece of serenity in a very busy downtown. All of the garden’s materials were brought in from the city of Suzhou, Vancouver’s sister city and built by citizens of that city. I took the 45 minute tour lead by a wonderful docent while my other family members wondered off to find their own adventures. One of the interesting facts I learned is that the decorative windows in the walls are all different and they are called leaks because they lead in light and air. More information can be found here.

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Cafe Vincero

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imageToday  I enjoyed an impulsive lunch with my good friend. We went to a new to us place, Cafe Vincero at 714 Pacific Avenue in Tacoma. The Cafe  pictures Italian dining and specializes in wood fired pizza. The space is lovely with the abundant tile working well with the historic building. Our waiter was attentive and funny! Because of a tiny mix up, which was graciously handled, we ended up with two pizzas.  They were both delicious. Really, they were so good I would happily go back tomorrow!

The building is known as the Kaufman-Wolff Building and was constructed in 1888 with Farrell & Darmer being the architects. Occupants have included: Sperry & Spengemann, G.L. Holmes Furniture, Wallerstein Candies, Edwin Chambers Auto Supplies, Soldiers & Sailors Club House, War Camp Community Service, Edward B. Rhodes Post – American Legion, Sutherland Tire Co., B. Wingard &
Sons Butchers’ Supply Co., United Service Organization (U.S.O.) and the Footprinters’ Club (seriously, what is a Footprinters’s Club?!). As of May 2014, the Vincero was in place on the Pacific Avenue level of the building.

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Grandpa’s Soda Fountain and Ice Cream Parlor

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15236516533_6152cb9e3e_kGrandpa’s Soda Fountain and Ice Cream Parlor at 208 4th Avenue, Olympia is a fine place for a sweet treat. We had stopped in a while back only to learn that they are closed on Sundays, but today after a hoagie at Merconi’s and a little shopping, dear husband and I visited for some ice cream. I had a small Sundae and he had a cone. Grandpa’s have specialty hard packed ice cream, soft serve ice cream and delicious looking candies. We were the only customers for a while, which makes sense at 5 pm, but I hear that in the summer the line goes out the door. I especially appreciate the care that they took to make the space into an old fashioned parlor, the checkered floor tiles, the metal stamped ceiling, the seating and more. The other photo features the handmade glowing jellyfish hanging in a tree a few doors down.

 

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Lan Su Chinese Gardens, Portland

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When I told people that went to visit the Lan Su Chinese Gardens in Portland, Oregon they corrected me and explained that I meant Japanese Gardens. No, they are Chinese Gardens, the most authentic Chinese Gardens outside of China. My friends and I got to the gardens by hopping the light rail in the rain. A short walk from our stop took us to downtown Portland’s China Town/Old Town where the gardens occupy a city block. The cities of Portland and its sister city, Suzhou, China worked together to create this tranquil and lovely oasis. The gardens opened in September 2000. They feature 500 tons of rocks from China, but no plants because of import bans. Instead all of the plants were located in Oregon nurseries and gardens. The tea room featured a menu of teas making me wish I could have tried several.