Imagine Tacoma – Waiting for LeMay

COTW: From Sassy to Iran and Back ( 7. September 2008, 12:07 by Derek Young) ~ Relationships... The Big Ones.

It’s been a long while now since our last Comment of the Week. Well … we’re back. As you may know, our preferred COTW’s have some value. They are personal, informed, smart, and witty. They somehow drive the conversation, make us laugh, or, by some unknown means, latch onto the synapses in our head.

This week’s COTW somehow bridged personal insights with politics. It called us out. It deciphered the metaphors of Sassy’s column. It gave us a glimpse into the hopes and dreams of one of our commenters. For these reasons, rick gets our COTW. Here’s an excerpt:

I think Sassy—not unlike Steinbeck in “Of Mice and Men”—has presented larger social/geo-politcal questions in the context of individuals. “Kevin” is representative of McCain/Bush philosophies, while the “little brother” is symbolic of Iran. “Hit him until he stops” is code for a preemptive military strike to keep Iran from dabbling in nuclear proliferation, aka “listening to ska” …

Wow. Is that what you meant, Sassy?

Jump to the Comment of the Week

p.s. Rick – you’re now on the Gold Supporters list.

p.p.s. I think we’ll give a prize to next week’s COTW recipient. We have several boxes of 253 Heart t-shirts and a few extra Exit133 shirts in the office. One shirt for next week’s winner.

The Ghost of Sauro’s Cleanerama ( 7. September 2008, 11:19 by Derek Young) ~ If It Were Just One Thing ...

Dan Voelpel’s column today describes the ongoing negotiations between the City of Tacoma and the estate of Pete Sauro. Sauro’s Cleanerama used to sit on Pacific – just north of Davita – where there’s now a big hole in the ground. What’s the problem? Well, the ol’ dry cleaning business has created a dry-cleaning plume of pollution that extends beneath the city for four blocks. The City wants the land cleaned up now. The estate wants to take a slower approach. In the middle of all this is the potential Russell site owned by Haub.

All downtown stories somehow tie back to Russell.

Link to The News Tribune

Photo by Stephen Cysewski

Kids BACA Bash Tomorrow ( 5. September 2008, 14:12 by Nick) ~ Proper Choppers

We all know that bikers can be intimidating. So, what if they used that power against child abusers?

That’s the credo of Bikers Against Child Abuse (BACA), who will hold their 2nd annual Kids Bash tomorrow, Sept. 6th, at Fort Steilacoom Park in Lakewood from 10am to 6pm. Festivities include staples like live music, a silent auction, rock climbing, and a dunk tank, plus a kids’ “bike rodeo” and a motorcycle show. There’s even a Guitar Hero 3 competition for all you digital shredders out there. Of course, all proceeds go to BACA.

If you’ve never played a videogame to support a heroic biker charity before, consider this your golden opportunity.

Details
Saturday, September 6th, 10am – 6pm

Fort Steliacoom Park
8714 Elwood Drive SW
Lakewood, WA

For more information, call 253-228-6687
Link to Bikers Against Child Abuse

Will Wedge Neighborhood Go Historic? ( 5. September 2008, 13:22 by Derek Young) ~ Neighbors!

We’ve heard for some time now about a group of residents in the Wedge neighborhood wanting to turn their area into an historic district. But it looks like that effort is gaining some momentum. Today, Todd Matthews at the Tacoma Daily Index is reporting that the topic will be discussed by the city’s landmarks preservation committee next week. He got a copy of the application, and here are the highlights:

• The Wedge neighborhood includes 67 residential homes built between 1889 and 1928;
• The most unique residential home is the Titlow Mansion, which was built in 1899 and was home to Aaron Titlow, who built Washington State’s first tidewater hotel;
• Homes boast a range of architectural styles, such as Victorian, Craftsman, Foursquare, Dutch Colonial, and Cape Cod.
• The neighborhood – which stretches from Sixth Avenue to Division, and L Street to Sprague – was once home to Tacoma pioneer Aaron Titlow, candy company entrepreneurs Frank and Ethel Mars, and even Titanic survivor Anne Kincaid.

The last effort to create an historic district was in 1999, in Old Town, and it failed largely due to homeowner opposition. Will it work this time?

Link to the Tacoma Daily Index

Quiz Night ... What Do You Know? ( 4. September 2008, 11:10 by Derek Young) ~ Anything Useless But Fun?

This topic appeared in our forums, but we thought it could deserve a bit of front page attention. Besides, most of you don’t read the forums … so here’s what we want to know.

The new E9 quiz master is looking for some help …

I’m the new quiz master at E9 on Wednesdays. Which you all of course are cordially invited to. However, I would like some help coming up with topics, particularly Tacoma or Western Washington focused topics. We usually try to do one section of the three quizzes on Tacoma subjects.

For example, we’ve done Tacoma Parks, Washington State Parks, Major Tacoma Roads, Washington Rivers, and Islands. The structure of the quiz is that I’ll take a category, and ask questions to get the correct answer: This state park is entirely in Tacoma City Limits-Dash Point. This State Park features extensive old growth forest-Lewis and Clark.

However, I’m not a Tacoma local. I’ve only been out here six years, and most of that was spent in the UPS bubble, so I really don’t know a lot of the natural history and culture of the area I should. So, I implore the natives and longer residents to come up with topics to help me out.

We know that you have a lot of useless Tacoma trivia in your heads. Would you like to share?

OTM: It Doesn't Get Much Grander ... ( 4. September 2008, 11:06 by Derek Young) ~ Big Enough?

We hear from many of you about real estate. And we heard that not everybody wants a 32 plat chunk of land … so how about grand historic Italian mansion in the Stadium District?

The home was designed by A.J. Russell in a great neighborhood. 8 bedrooms. 8.5 bath. An amazing garden. 12,000 square feet … for that growing family. Plus, it’s only 3 blocks from the Parkway. At $229 per square foot it’s a lot cheaper than a condo in the area.

Now try to image this home when the old Buffelen Mansion was still situated next door. That would’ve been an impressive block.

(In case you hadn’t noticed we are dreaming big this week.)

Listed with John L. Scott

PARK(ing) Day 2008 ( 4. September 2008, 10:37 by Caitlin) ~ Make A Park!

If you drive, you’ve probably been frustrated at some point trying to find a parking spot, but have you ever been frustrated by a shortage of park spots? September 19th is the day to find a parking space, claim that territory as your own, and use it in any way you see fit – that is, in any way other than parking your vehicle.

Park(ing) Day is a chance to create your own park, or creative space, in an area reserved for metered parking. This event began in 2005 by San Francisco artist collective REBAR with the idea that a metered parking space is a short-term lease of public land, and it doesn’t necessarily need to be used for your car.

BCRA’s “Park” from April, 2008

So, grab some friends, maybe a blanket and frisbee, and roll out some turf instead of rolling up in your car.

Details
September 19
For pictures and background visit ParkingDay.org
For more information visit FeetFirst.info or email ellie@feetfirst.info

In the Seattle-specific info from Feet First, participants in some areas needed permits to set up their space. Please get legal issues straight before commandeering a parking spot as your own, although being cited for improperly Park(ing) would make a funny story.

Previously on Exit133

Bocce for Thursday - Sept 4th ( 3. September 2008, 18:48 by Derek Young) ~ Are You In?

Last weeks’ bocce game saw us playing down at Titlow Park before heading into the Beach Tavern. We had a new winner last week. With Justin and Caitlin going into a final, Caitlin dominated the evening and took an easy win. It seemed as though Justin thought he would catch her … but he didn’t. Still, with a second place finish, he’s taking quite a lead in our summer standings.

There’s just two weeks left before the summer season is over and we settle into our usual games at Wright Park. If you haven’t been following it, we’ve been playing in parks all over the city. Where to this week?

After careful consideration, we decided that we should head back to the north side of the city. Tomorrow we’ll be playing in Vassault Park (6100 N 37th St. / N 31st St. at N Vassault St.). We’ll meet over by the play toy – between the tennis courts and the basketball courts. Balls roll at 6:00 pm. We’ll teach the game to all newcomers. All are welcome!

Current Standings

#1 Justin (24 points)
#2 Derek (18 points)
#3 Rick (17 points)
#4 Aaron (10 points)
#5 Mike H (9 points)
#5 Ann (9 points)
#7 Whitney (5 points)
#7 Michael Buchanan (5 points)
#7 Caitlin (5 points)
#10 Doug (3 points)
#10 Rob (3 points)