The voicemail went something like this:

“Dude, a big tree just went boom at the end of your street.”

The tree is located at Division and J Street next to the First Congregational Church. So… Division Street has been closed between I and J Street since 5:00. The last time we checked, it looked nearly clear. Big tree go boom.

10. May 2008, 19:23   ~   Comment [2]

The Rialto was packed last night for the screening of the 72 Hour Film Festival and its epic 3 hour marathon of 5 minute movies. As with previous years, there were certain restrictions on the movies. In addition to being shot, edited, and delivered in a (rainy) 72 hour period, every film had to include the the line “I feel like I’ve been here before,” a fortune cookie, a person blowing bubbles, and a museum.

It’s always hard after an evening like that to recap the entire night succinctly. 28 films. A range of topics. The usual stuff… Zombies. Drug Deals. Scenes of people running through the streets of Tacoma. Several awards. I’m happy that my garage wasn’t used for a climactic murder scene in somebody’s film this year…

So…

From the guys that brought you South 5 and South 5: True Grit, here’s the winner of “Best Use of Location” Tminus72.

“T-town’s got 72 hours left… what would YOU do?”

What would you do?

More coverage, results, and commentary at The Spew

Bonus

Here’s the Tacoma Gnome submission… that didn’t quite make it to the festival.

And the 2008 Winner, Army of Two.

And another one… Perkins Window.

10. May 2008, 10:10   ~   Comment

A mobile crane lost control on the 15th Street hill downtown and crashed into poles and trees before finally stopping on a concrete barrier at 15th and Pacific. The accident happened just after 1:00 pm. No injuries were reported.

More at The News Tribune and lots of pictures at KFnet in T-Town

Man, we chose the wrong time for a long meeting …

9. May 2008, 14:23   ~   Comment [1]

We’ve touched on it a few times, but it’s important enough to call out again: Wright Park will have its Grand Opening celebration Saturday, May 10, from 1:00 to 3:00.

Check out the new paths, see the lakes, the new statues, play some basketball or horseshoes or even some lawn bowling.

Do you remember when Exit133 used to play bocce in Wright Park? It’s a new bocce season! We’ll be out there. Bring your set. Join the fun.

It’s a beautiful park. Go out and play.

Previously on Exit133

9. May 2008, 10:38   ~   Comment

We just received word that Serenity Spa, the long awaited business on the first floor of the Roberson Building, will be opening May 15th.

Check out the new space during Art Walk on Thursday, May 15th. Or … there’s the open house on Saturday & Sunday, May 17 & 18th from 10am to 4pm.

Welcome to the neighborhood!

9. May 2008, 10:37   ~   Comment

Lynn Di Nino has an opening at Mineral next Thursday (Third Thursday already!). The show is called “No Good Deed Goes Unpunished” and features “conceptual neckwear that explores a theme close to the artist’s heart: Martyrdom.”

Sounds intriguing. The show will continue through June 17.

Mineral is located at 301 Puyallup Ave, Suite A, formerly the site of Icebox Contemporary.

9. May 2008, 10:35   ~   Comment

We noticed on the Inside the Editorial Page that Wright Park will have free wireless access in time for their Saturday “Grand Opening.”

Wait, scratch that. As Seago notes, free wireless is already installed and working. We took it for a test drive, and so here we are … it’s a beautiful sunny day in the park, we’re here in the middle of it (with full Internet strength) writing away.

Nancy Johnson at MetroParks tells us that they will let Wright Park serve as a pilot program for up to a year as they assess whether this gets people out into parks. The servers will be able to count the number of log-ons and a survey will help them crunch the data as well.

It’s sunny warm(ish) and there are people all over Wright park. Ask your boss, maybe you can work from here too …

Link to Inside the Editorial Page

8. May 2008, 15:47   ~   Comment [13]

Tomorrow at 7:00 pm, roughly 30 short films will be screened at the Rialto Theater. This is the 4th annual 72 Hour Film Competition, and we can tell you from past years that it’s a pretty fun night.

All the films were all made during a 3 day period last weekend—written, shot, edited and scored in 72 hours.

One of the films has already been released on YouTube after some technical difficulties prevented it from being submitted back to the Grand in time. You can find it on the Tacoma Gnome blog, as it stars the Gnome in his first “talkie” motion picture.

Tickets for tomorrow night’s event are on sale at the Grand now ($9 for members of the Grand, $11 for non-members).

What: 72 Hour Film Competition
When: Friday, May 9, 7:00 pm
Where: Rialto Theater

8. May 2008, 11:03   ~   Comment [2]

Callaghan joined the Davita discussion today with a few questions.

He starts by tracing Davita’s possible move back past Russell to Boeing and sports franchises who threaten to pull up roots and relocate. And then he looks forward and asks, “who’s next?” Which companies are we willing to lose? Does the ability to move determine when policymakers start sending out the incentives? Is it fair to not collect taxes uniformly?

What do you think?

Link to The News Tribune

Previously on Exit133

8. May 2008, 08:58   ~   Comment [21]

Do you have a Bank of America credit card? Check your wallet, because if you do, you can get in to Tacoma Art Museum for free on the first Friday and Saturday and Sunday of every month between now and May 2009.

TAM is one of three museums in the state (and the only museum in Tacoma) that is a part of BofA’s “Museums on Us” program. 70 museums across the country are participating in the program. All it takes is a BofA check, credit, or ATM card.

FREE!

Link to Tacoma Art Museum

7. May 2008, 16:48   ~   Comment [7]

This listing came through our inbox and we thought… it looks kinda nice. Sure, it doesn’t have a garage, but it’s architecturally interesting and includes a spice rack, clawfoot tub, and a $60k price reduction. $269k for 2100 square feet of house near UPS. Who wants it?

Listed with ReMax

7. May 2008, 11:16   ~   Comment [25]

If you haven’t clicked over to the Tribune yet, Dan Voelpel covered Suite133 in his column today.

He was in the office for a couple hours with us talking to some of the people who were in that day. We think he captures the benefits of the space pretty nicely … He also calls out a few local artists who grace our walls—Chip Van Gilder, R.R. Anderson, and Beautiful Angle posters. All this publicity makes us blush… (Hi Mom!)

Link to The News Tribune

Link to Suite133

7. May 2008, 08:25   ~   Comment [6]

The Political Buzz blog at the TNT has reported on a discussion from the Committee of the Whole meeting at City Council. Councilmember Ladenberg has proposed extending or removing the term limits for Council. Currently, Council is limited to two, four year terms, but under Ladenberg’s suggestions, the limits would be changed to three or removed all together. Her justification is the inability of Councilmembers to truly see projects to fruition.

Julie Anderson expressed concern that the possible move to a full time Council, and a removal of term limits would create career Councilmembers, who may be driven by a combination of incumbency, a big salary, and endless terms.

What do you think? Are Councilmembers unable to be effective because of leaving office? Or is the turnover necessary for new ideas?

Link to the Political Buzz

7. May 2008, 07:59   ~   Comment [14]

Okay, I’m about a week late on this one, but they’re still available… so… Element 20, the condo project in the 2300 block of Yakima Avenue and Court G is now available for sale. The units on MLS so far range in price from $389k for a 2 bedroom with 2.5 baths to $429k for 3 bedrooms 3.5 baths. They all seem to be in the 1500 plus or minus 200 square feet range. The project’s fourth floors are framed up.

With Lexington Square – down the hill at 23rd and G – also framing up, this neighborhood is continuing to evolve. Give us a little commercial and we may have something here.

Listed with Urbane Developments

5. May 2008, 18:36   ~   Comment [15]