MICHAEL SWAN: WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2009 >>>

1. Local hip-hop night "Fresh Blends" continue at Hell's Kitchen with Eprhyme, Puget, Afrok, DJ Reign and DJ Slimrock hitting the stage at 9 p.m.

2. Every Wednesday Doyle's Public House in Tacoma hosts Knowledge Night where individuals or teams answer two pages of brain teasers, trivia and current events for shirts, tickets and gift certificates.

3. Billy Farmer's American band Rockin' Chair Money plays at all-ages 7 p.m. show at The Mandolin Café

4. Randy Oxford Blues Theatre open jam starts at 8 p.m. at Jazzbones.

5. Vicci Martinez and Friends will be jamming at The Swiss tonight around 9 p.m.

LINK: Live music and DJs in the South Sound

MICHAEL SWAN: I WANT TO RIDE MY BICYCLE BICYCLE BICYCLE >>>

May is National Bike Month, and from May 11-15 in particular, cyclists are encouraged to bike to work. If you live close enough to where you work to be able to make your way on two wheels, now's the time to ditch the excuses and get some fresh air. It really is an incredible way to start your morning, even if you do get to work a little sweaty and breathless.

TODAY’S SOUTH SOUND BIKE WEATHER: Mostly cloudy. A chance of rain in the afternoon. Highs in the 50s to lower 60s. South wind near 10 mph.

BEFORE YOU HEAD OUT: The folks at feed >>tacoma created a Google map of Tacoma bike routes.

BIKE TO WORK WEEK TACOMA-PIERCE COUNTY: Details regarding the Bike to Work Week Commuter Challenge, Bicycle Commuter Guide and events calendar are at PierceTrips.com.

BIKE TO A BETTER TACOMA: Bicyclists and City of Tacoma folks will discuss their dream of a more bike-able Tacoma at The Hub from 5-8 p.m. Rumor is The Hub will offer a raffle and valet bike parking.

BIKE WEB SITE OF THE DAY: Tacoma Bicycle Scene

TODAY’S RECOMMENDED BIKE ATTIRE: Bellwether Aqua No Bike Jacket

TODAY’S BICYCLE SONG:

TODAY’S BICYCLE REPAIR TIP:

TODAY’S BICYCLE STUNTS:

JAKE DE PAUL: WEDNESDAY FOOD LINKS >>>

Azarra Salon begins selling wine today.

Tacoma native and owner of Argyle Winery Cal Knudsen passes at the age of 85.

Bacon flavored vodka on the way

Wednesday is half-price wine night around the South Sound.

Today’s South Sound Specials

Wino Wednesday $3 pours and $5 Rainier Pitchers Night, The Red Hot, 2914 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.779.0229.

Sample two beers for $1, 4-9 p.m., 99 Bottles, 35002 Pacific Hwy. S., Federal Way, 253.838.2558.

LINK: South Sound Restaurant Guide

MARK THOMAS DEMING: POINT RUSTON IS STILL ALIVE >>>

Dock Street, midday. A handwritten sign outside Johnny’s Seafood reads, “Seafood cocktails $5.” A workman downs a carton of cioppino at a picnic table in the shade. The stench of creosote rises from the Foss Waterway and hammer blows ring from a boatyard.

This is the old Tacoma.

Down below, a fully-restored antique ferry boat, the ultra-fancy floating sales office for the Point Ruston development, nods quietly by the gangway.

This is T-town 2.0.

Anybody home?

Inside the ferry showroom I’m greeted by Jessica Volkman â€" a realtor with Solution Partners NW. She seems surprised to have a visitor. But maybe it’s just my Goodwill duds; I obviously don’t have 500 large to throw at an un-built condo. Even so, she happily gives me the tour.

We check out the model kitchen. (“Stainless appliances, eh? Niiiice.”) We peruse floor plans on a flat-screen TV. (“Ooh, walk in closets!”) We gaze at artists’ renderings of shit-grinning Tacomans frolicking on the reclaimed superfund site. Riding bikes! Shopping! Strolling hand in hand!

Hot damn! The future!

“So how’s business?”

Uh. Better ask Mike.

Point Ruston developer Mike Cohen is either a fool or a visionary, I can’t tell. Either way, I’m sold.

“We just have to rely on our confidence and optimism,” he tells me over the phone.

Sure, sales are down. Sure, they’ve had to readjust expectations. But just look at this piece of land! Look at this incomparable opportunity! Behold tomorrow! PEOPLE ... WILL ... FROLICK!

Point Ruston is a long-term project. So a short-term downturn, while far from ideal, isn’t the guillotine, either.

“Good things are starting to happen” in the economy, Cohen says. “The statistics are starting to turn.”

Interest in Point Ruston commercial spaces has been better than expected, he adds.

Still, I don’t see anyone else on the boat. Might be a good time to ask the financing guy about a loan. I hear they’ve raised their standards over at Countrywide, though. Maybe in a year …

Until then, I’ll settle for the five-dollar special at Johnny’s, here in the old, enduring Tacoma.

PAUL SCHRAG: KRISTIN LYNETT VS. CARBON EMISSIONS >>>

The City of Tacoma’s green ambitions now have a champion. City Manager Eric Anderson announced recently that Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Resource Conservation Manager and Sustainability Coordinator Kristin Lynett is on her way to Tacoma to head up efforts to reduce carbon emissions. For those of you who haven’t heard, carbon emissions are bad when they get out of hand, contributing to all sorts of environmental malaise, including pollution and global warming. Lynette will take her position as City of Tacoma’s new Office of Sustainability manager June 1, having beaten out a strong group of candidates from across the nation.

Lynett’s first tasks will be to carry out some of the goals outlined by the city’s Green Ribbon Climate Action Task Force, which bundled them up nicely in a Climate Action Plan. The action plan is a road map for reducing carbon emissions within the city, says city spokesman Rob McNair-Huff. Some of those goals, he says, will involve changing the way the city of Tacoma does business, fuels its fleet, etc. Other efforts will reach out to citizens for help. A report presented to City Council in July outlines 40 strategies for reducing carbon emissions, which will be overseen by the Office of Sustainability and the Sustainable Tacoma Commission, an 11-member board created in spring of 2008. Lynett will work in conjunction with a partner at Tacoma Public Utilities, who has yet to be hired, but will play a similar role as the City’s new sustainability manager. 

Lynett currently works for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife where she serves as resource conservation manager/sustainability coordinator. She has a masters degree in Environmental Studies, a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science as well as a Sustainable Building Advisor Program national certification. She is well suited to fill this role, says McNair-Huff, having worked for years on similar efforts at the state level.

For those wondering how we can afford to fill this position in an age of hiring freezes and economic decline, the answer is simple â€" it was already built into the city’s budget.

“Clearly this has been a priority for the council,” says McNair-Huff.

Once she takes her place, Lynett will be responsible for balancing the city’s commitment to management of environmental impacts; planning and implementation of the city’s long-term sustainability goals; and for refinement and implementation of the city’s Climate Action Plan. She will also be charged with integrating sustainability and environmental values into city plans, programs and policies.

MICHAEL SWAN: HAPPY HOUR DISCUSSION TOPIC >>>

LINK: South Sound happy hours

MICHAEL SWAN: THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2009 >>>

1. Horatio Theatre's Cabaret Night will be a mix of comedy, dancing, belly dancing and music â€" traditional cabaret fare â€" with adult-appropriate “bawdy” humor tonight at the Hub Events & Gallery Space beginning at 7:30 p.m.

2. Nicholas Nyland’s Objects of the Mind show at mineral consists of one ambitious three-dimensional work and about a dozen smaller and more modest wall hanging paintings and sculptures.

3. Classics Book Club at Borders Books discusses Tobacco Road by Erskine Caldwell at 7 p.m.

4. Doyle’s Public House's free “On The House” series continues with Colby Sanders and Mason Hargrove laying down some righteous jazz from 7-9 p.m.

5. The Mix celebrates its one year anniversary with a “Porn Star Night” party that includes a suicide karaoke contest, porn and drag names, free food, giveaways and prizes beginning at 9 p.m.

LINK: Live music and DJs in the South Sound

ANNOUNCER: THE BOYS VISIT AMICI ITALIAN EATERY >>>

Being familiar with South Sound geography, I’m well aware that Graham is not in Idaho. However, driving along infamous South Meridian from the Tacoma area on a Friday evening can make it feel as though it is. As one patron familiar with the Graham area cautioned humorously about the drive, “If you hear banjos you’ve gone too far.”

Located in the hub of Graham’s main shopping center, the popularity of Amici Italian Eatery has been going strong since opening in 2005. On a recent road trip Jake and Jason de Paul saw this evidenced by full dining room, full waiting area and quickly filling adjacent lounge.

Owners Pat and Kim Nicholl pay attention to detail, customer service and quality. What appears to be the most happening place in Graham co-caters to families looking for a fairly priced tasty dinner in the restaurant and those wanting to sip creative martini cocktails and relax in the lounge.

Read the boys' thoughts on Amici here.

PAUL SCHRAG: BOOTSTRAP OPERATION >>>

It’s time we got real about where we are and who is coming to our rescue. The economy is not turning around. It’s finally becoming clear that the market isn’t “normalizing.” It’s tanked, and it’s getting worse. The same people who remained forcefully optimistic about a mere “market correction” are now out looking for jobs, starting new careers, or are huddled in the fetal position on the floor somewhere waiting for the federal stimulus package to fix everything. Let me say this clearly: it’s not going to fix everything. It may help keep everything from falling apart, but the road to recovery is our own. Read the rest of my thoughts here.