Bars & Clubs
Would it surprise you to learn that the history of legal American microbreweries began less than 40 years ago? In 1978, Congress and President Carter ended the federal restrictions and excise taxes on home brewing with H.R. 1337. Dozens of new breweries popped up by 1980, and now there are
Music
Somewhere in everyone's head," wrote Miller Williams, "something points toward home." For millions of alt-country fans, the music of that poet's daughter, Lucinda Williams, is one of those things. When Mary Chapin Carpenter covered her "Passionate Kisses" in 1993, it won Ms. Williams a Grammy for Country Song of the
Arts
Artist Shirley Klinghoffer is a cancer survivor; she has used her own and others' experience with this deadly disease to create haunting and touching works of art now on display at the Museum of Glass. Her large-scale installation pieces are inspired by hospital armatures used as support for women's bodies during
Stage
I fell in love with West Side Story when I first saw the movie starring Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Rita Moreno, George Chakiris and Russ Tamblyn in 1961. I was a romantic and idealistic college freshman engaged to a girl named Marie (almost like Maria, the girl in the film).
Music
There are few things more intimately connected in this world than love and music. The feeling you get when you fall in love, the songs that take on unreasonable importance over the course of relationships, the musical salve you apply to your wounds when you're going through a breakup -
Attractions
Sometime in the late 70s, my friend's mom took us to this cool new animal park that wasn't like the zoos we were accustomed to. Gone were the metal and concrete enclosures containing uncomfortable animals shipped in from completely different climates; instead, native animals roamed freely in what felt to
Outdoors
Long before Tacoma was a trendy art hub known for its downtown museums and culture, it was a port town bustling with incoming ships and trains the western terminus for the Northern Pacific Railroad. Maritime Fest, which will be held this weekend, July 18 and 19, started as a way to
Outdoors
Summer in the Northwest is all about festivals that take advantage of the long, warm days. Some are large and some are smaller, but all are a great way to get in touch with the region and enjoy some time outside. A great family festival taking place this weekend is
Reviews
There is no shortage of good seafood in the South Sound, but finding quality, fresh seafood at an affordable price is another story altogether. Anthony's at Pt. Defiance in Tacoma offers a casual atmosphere with great seafood options next door to the ferry terminal and popular Owen's beach. Complete with
Features
Some of the area's best food is no longer in brick and mortar buildings, but instead congregate on wheels at festival spaces around the country. The South Sound is no exception - there are a few food truck fests planned, including this weekend at Wright Park in Tacoma. Metro Parks Tacoma
Arts
The Southwest Washington Juried Exhibition at South Puget Sound Community College is better than your average juried exhibition. It's such a stellar collection of regional artists that I should be able to list the names and leave it at that, and readers would rush to see it. There are a lot
Attractions
You know those road movies where the characters stop to see some colorful attraction - something like the world's largest ball of string or maybe Graceland? While such scenes typically seem to be set in the South (Barney Smith's Toilet Seat Art Museum in San Antonio, Texas, for instance) or perhaps
Features
One of my favorite things to do is to walk the different events and festivals and partake in all the different tasty offerings. Each event always has a little different feel and taste appeal to it, and Art on the Ave this Sunday on Tacoma's 6th Ave is no different.
Music
We're entering the portion of summer where things really begin to pay off. I mean, some of you weirdos have been enjoying this hellscape we call Washington under the thumb of climate change, but we reasonable people have been locking ourselves indoors. But now, the truly exciting parts of summer
Attractions
The Puget Sound is a maritime region. Even if you're not a boater, you can still delve into the local maritime heritage in plenty of ways - some of the best of which are festivals, museums and actual water vessels. Get up close and personal with submarines, Navy destroyers or
Stage
Strindberg's classic play Miss Julie was extremely controversial when first produced in France at the end of the 19th century. This newly adapted version by Niclas Olson's New Muses Theatre Company and performed in Tacoma's Dukesbay Theater in the Merlino Arts Center building, is dark and slightly confusing, but definitely
Outdoors
The Fourth of July is one of the busiest days of the year for any theme park. That's especially true if the holiday's unseasonably hot or lands on a Saturday. Imagine the mayhem if a park boasts, not only roller coasters and thrill rides, but also a full-size water park.
Outdoors
Summer in Washington means warm weather and clear skies. This is the perfect time of year to get out and explore the beautiful scenery of the nearby lakes and inlets of the South Sound. Whether you want to sit down and kayak or stand up and paddleboard, there are several
Arts
The Roger Shimomura painting exhibition at Tacoma Art Museum mines the tradition of pop art and the history of Japanese-American relations to skewer prejudice and stereotype with painfully satirical paintings. Shimomura, an American artist living in Seattle, was born to a Japanese family shortly before the outbreak of World War II.
Music
An unfortunate thing that music fans in the South Sound have come to expect is for fun, new venues to bite the dust. Noise ordinances, safe-guards (damn those necessary sprinklers!), and generally obscene costs of upkeep tend to get the majority of new venues to bite the dust. This is