Tag Archives: downtown

The Russell Apartments

13895520896_912f160b09_bThe 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.

13895517731_3c6bd7b7da_b

 

 

 

The Roosevelt Hotel, Seattle

13132435144_93d487c7e7_b When Dear Husband and I first came to visit Washington State we stayed at the Roosevelt Hotel at 1531 7th Ave, Seattle, WA 98101 in downtown Seattle. I remember the hotel stay as being a good experience, but I was so happy to be exploring Seattle for the first time, that it would have been hard to dampen my excitement! It was completed in the deco style in 1929 with John Graham and Harold Lockland as the architects.

 

 

 

13132265273_c5bdf6faf3_h 13132261773_04ab8531df_b

 

Olympia Olive Oil Company

11897946696_4cfb7da4ac_bI like stores that do one thing well and that is the case with Olympia Olive Oil Company at 321 4th Avenue East in Olympia. Crafted extra virgin olive oils (on the left) and flavored balsamic vinegars (on the right) and a small collection of salts and seasonings are what the store features. The vinegars and the oils maybe tasted in little disposable cups, which was a wonderful opportunity. Once you make your selection, the owner pours the oil/vinegar into the bottle, puts on a label and corks it. I left with two olive oils (blood orange and garlic) and a lemon balsamic vinegar. They have a second location in the South Hill Mall in Puyallup. It’s possible to order online at their website.

11897993143_a4752431a3_b

The State Farm (previously Frank Russell) Building shining at night

10864887284_e009b980c9_hFrank Russell moved out of this major office building at 909 A Street in 2009 and in April 2013 the property was purchased by State Farm, which is in the process of moving in. I read somewhere (now where was that?) that as a show of good intent, State Farm is leaving the lights on at night to enhance the ambiance of downtown Tacoma. The building was constructed in 1988 for Russell Investments (Jack Russell Company).

Terrified in Tacoma Tour

10670982786_1de98b5a50_bWow, what a night. Cold with a strong breeze. But the stories we heard on the Terrified in Tacoma Tour were so fascinating and well presented that I (hardly) noticed the weather. We started at the Pantages Theater, strolled down to Fireman’s Park, crossed over to hear about Old City Hall (pictured), walked up the Spanish Steps and then through Antique Row back to the theater area. Along the way we heard about jealousy, murder, accidents, sightings, history and even UFOs! There was so much to take in that I would love to go again! Thanks to my good friend for this great idea! Terrified in Tacoma’s Facebook Page is here.

10651278405_7f3294c108_b

 

 

Buck’s Fifth Avenue, Olympia

8476851353_b6c04c8f7b_zBuck’s Fifth Avenue is a splendid spice store at 209 5th Ave SE  Olympia, WA 98501. There website says “We have every imaginable spice” and they told me the same thing in the store. They did indeed have a great selection of spices in hand labeled mason jars and apparently they can get anything else. The joy of the store is that all of the dry spices can be sniffed and most smell wonderful. And you can buy a pinch of anything, which is great for recipes with something unusual. Really, I loved the atmosphere of the store and the outstanding customer service. The owner, Anne Buck, said the store had been around for 43 years.

http://www.culinaryexotica.mybigcommerce.com/

Never Never Land Figures, continued

8421328035_c7e54787ee(2)The Never Never Land figures that I saw on November 24, 2012 are now for sale at Broadway’s Best Antiques, 742 Broadway, Tacoma in the Antique Row area of Downtown. Of the 85 figures available, 43 have sold in the three weeks they have been available. The most expensive was the Big Bad Wolf at $2,000 and I noticed a coupe of small figures for a couple of hundred. My understanding is that some of these figures are from Tacoma’s Never Never Land and some from a different children’s park in Canada, but that the figures were often switched around for maintenance. Nobody is really sure which ones came from where.

I really enjoyed the store, it was full of some great stuff, not the knick knacks I’ve seen in some other stores.

http://www.broadwaysbestantiques.com/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Broadways-Best-Antiques/100537730018321

Mural on South 14th & South ‘G’

8348273446_30b03401aa_z(2)Coming home I made a quick stop to snap this photo of the mural at the corner of South 14th Street and South G. Street. I was going to take the mural along South G Street in the same area, but there was a car that made me nervous so I decided to wait until another day. Safety first. The mural says St. Ignatius Immersion 2012.

LeRoy Jewelers and Happy New Year

8334865058_63066c71dd_c

Happy New Year. Dear daughter, her friend and I went downtown to First Night to ring in 2013. The theme is the Year of the Snake and the unofficial mascot seems to be Quetzalcoatl, which is cool since I had just checked out Tacoma’s Quetzalcoatl art in November. http://blog.firsttries.com/quetzalcoatl-mask/

LeRoy Jewelers had a wonderful Quetzalcoatl Mask in their store window. at 940 Broadway and they were welcoming people in from the cold for First Night. Besides wonderful jewelry, they offer arts and crafts in their Art Shop. It is always a pleasure to see their wares.

http://ljewelers.com/

The site for the building had originally been occupied the Far West Lodging House, which was demolished. By 1928 the Metropolitan Chain Stores, Inc. was in place and then in 1961 it was the Lundquist Lilly Men’s Wear, which closed in 1968. LeRoy Jewelers moved into the building in 1970 and the clock on the sidewalk was installed in 1988. LeRoy means king in french.

8334858690_fb60c6184a_c(1)

 

 

Sarah Bernhardt in Opera Alley

This interesting statue is located at 765 Court C in Tacoma and represents Sarah Bernhardt, the famous French actress. The most interesting thing that I learned about Sarah Bernhardt (1844-1923) is that as an adult she often slept in a coffin! Also she performed at our very own Pantages theater and visited Wright Park. What little information I can find said the statue’s artist is unknown.