Travel
Even as a teenager I dreamed of becoming a writer. I had a particular idea of what that meant. I imagined myself in a lakeside room, a cedar fire crackling away as I pounded out breathtaking prose on the best typewriter money could buy. (It was the early '80s.) I
Bars & Clubs
First, there was coffee. Then, there was craft beer. Now, there are spirits. Washington state's insatiable thirst for unique and homebrewed beverages is driving a growing distillery scene throughout western Washington. The first annual South Sound Spirits Celebration is a sign of how successful distilleries in Washington are, and it gives
Features
More than fifteen hundred years ago, an English priest named Patrick made a name for himself by bringing the Christian faith to the pagan Irish. Legend tells us, that one of the miracles he did to prove that his message was from God involved driving poisonous snakes off the island.
Music
A few years ago, I saw a show at the New Frontier where multiple bands got together to cover the entirety of the late Jeff Buckley's classic album, Grace. What that night illuminated to me was that, no matter how iconoclastic and indelible the music of Jeff Buckley was, those
Reviews
Announcer: The boys are always reminded that there is good food and drinks in the Puyallup Valley, it's just that they aren't as well publicized. But, once again, they walked away from a downtown establishment excited to have discovered a new home for their tastebuds. Jake: One great thing about Crockett's
Features
Charlie Wilkins recently brought the cuisine and culture of the Hawaiian Islands to downtown Olympia. The Lanai Café, located at 514 Capitol Way South, opened at the end of August last year. "Hawaii is the only place in the world I know of that welcomes and sends away strangers with affection," Wilkins
Stage
The witty title Waiting in the Wings is the kind of turn of phrase playwright Noel Coward is famous for. Actors wait in the wings before going on stage, but in Coward's play, which runs this weekend only as a staged reading at Olympia Little Theatre, "The Wings" is the
Arts
By definition, "people's choice" shows are always well loved. When the works the people have to choose from include such giants of early modern art as Mary Cassatt, Jacob Lawrence, Edward Degas and Pierre-August Renoir, how can the popular choices go wrong? On the other hand, such shows tend toward
Stage
Roger Ebert enjoyed telling a story about sharing an elevator with Mel Brooks once, not long after the release of Brooks' film The Producers. A woman got in, scowled at Brooks, and announced, "Your film was nothing but vulgar." "Madam," a miffed Brooks replied, "my film rises below vulgarity." In some ways,
Outdoors
Cascade Orienteering and the City of Lakewood have joined forces to bring a quickly growing outdoor event to Fort Steilacoom Park for the first time this weekend. While the park hosts the JROTC National Championships this Sunday, March 6, Lakewood city officials will conduct an orienteering race of their own. The
Music
The name of French composer Claude-Achille Debussy may not rattle off your tongue, but you do know his work. "Clair de Lune," from Suite Bergamasque, boasts one of the most beautiful and adored melodies in Western history. Almost as well-known is "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun," a 10-minute
Arts
The unimaginable happened at Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, on a warm Wednesday evening last June. The members of the Wednesday night Bible study had welcomed the stranger with open arms, but he had responded to their hospitality by doing the unthinkable. Opening fire, he
Arts
The first thing to catch the eye when entering the gallery of new gifts to the Tacoma Art Museum is Guy Anderson's "Mountain Picnic," a moody painting in oil on paper mounted on plywood. Next to it is an equally dark and moody painting by Paul Horiuchi titled "Religious Heritage",
Stage
For two days, after which I was fired, I was a door-to-door salesman for a company that sold home security systems. It remains the worst job I've ever done. From house to house, I peddled fear - that someone would inevitably break into these nice homes and abuse the occupants
Music
Warmer months in western Washington are filled with outdoor festivals, especially beer and wine tastings. As the weather cools down and the rain shows up, many of these festivals go into hiding ... yet it's during the colder months that a beer fest really serves to cheer Northwesterners up. Never fear!
Attractions
Sure, you could eat lunch at your desk or go to that café down the street with the same old sandwiches every day or you can join the LeMay - America's Car Museum (ACM) and its If Cars Could Talk lunch series, held the first Tuesday of every month from
South Sound Cinema
Surely one of the foremost appeals of Hollywood's night of all nights is imagining oneself in attendance. The South Sound offers two big opportunities to share in the glitz and glamour of Oscar night this Feb. 28. I know; I've been there. In a break from current editorial preference, this writer's first-person
Features
Greek deli-style Gyro Spot boasts fresh, blue paint and stainless steel kitchen equipment. The business may look new, but the sticker on the front door tells curious passersby this place is the new home of longtime restaurant owner, Kenny Trobman. Trobman's signature image - a big-eyed chef with tons of frizzy
Features
There isn't a shortage of Thai restaurants in the South Sound, especially in Olympia. Choosing from quality options, you must factor in a key ingredient - ambiance. Every place has a different vibe, and The Lemon Grass Restaurant in downtown Olympia offers a lovely ambiance for a business lunch or family
Bars & Clubs
Obsidian sits in the space that the bars Jezebels and Bar Code once occupied, and before that a Gold's Gym. So in a lot of ways to many in Olympia, anything was an improvement, and why people still vote this as the best new thing though not quite so brand