‘Tis the Season for Giant Spiders in Your Bathtub
October 9, 2018Every year in late Summer or early Fall an old and wise spider crawls to the top of a large oak tree in Wright Park and proclaims, Rafiki style, “It is time.” Then all the biggest hairiest spiders Tacoma has to offer find the nearest bathtub, crawl inside, and wait patiently for you to come…
Here’s the Plan for Old City Hall
September 26, 2018If you’ve been following the saga of Old City Hall, you’ll know that just last week the City of Tacoma announced its favorite from the five most recent proposals for revitalization of the historic structure. The winner was Surge Tacoma. Their proposal hit all the right points and negotiations will likely be going through this…
Paying Last Respects for the Unclaimed Dead of Pierce County
September 15, 2018On a remarkably clear day at the end of August I watched the cremated remains of 40 people drift into the waters of Puget Sound. The cremains belonged to people who had died in Pierce County over the previous two years and whose bodies were left unclaimed. The ceremony was organized by the Pierce County…
This Is What It Looks Like When Nature Reclaims a Piece of Tacoma
August 28, 2018Have you ever wondered how long it would take nature to reclaim a neighborhood if everyone just got up and left? It’s hard to say how long an average house would last, but if you wiped the neighborhood off the map and left the ground bare, 67 years is, evidently, more than enough time to…
Paying Homage to the Murray Morgan Bridge
June 28, 2018A while back we asked some of our readers what symbolized Tacoma in their eyes. While “Bikini barista stand” gave us a good chuckle, the most popular answer was the Murray Morgan Bridge. Tacoma is full of symbols, some more obvious than others. The Murray Morgan Bridge was our easy favorite though. It’s been around…
All the Cool Things You Didn’t Know About Fort Nisqually
June 20, 2018If the last time you visited Ft. Nisqually was on a fourth grade field trip, it’s time you got reacquainted. Summer is a great time to go, especially with all the events going on. The first after hours 21+ Homespun Happy Hour is happening at the end of this month, on June 29th. But even…
Here’s the Story Behind Puget Creek’s Hidden Sculpture
June 15, 2018Have you ever noticed the mysterious sculpture near the northern trailhead of the Puget Creek Natural Area? If not, don’t feel bad. It’s pretty easy to miss. If you have seen it though, you may not know the whole story attached to it. This sculpture is actually part of a multi-piece installation with identical markers in…
An Introduction to Tacoma’s Peregrine Falcons
June 7, 2018You may not know it, but Downtown Tacoma has played an important role in the recovery of peregrine falcons for nearly 20 years. The tall buildings emulate the rocky cliffs falcons naturally gravitate to. That, combined with a ready supply of pigeons, makes for prime falcon real estate. The resident falcons of the downtown corridor…
Tower Bells to Jail Cells: A Rare Look Inside Tacoma’s Old City Hall
May 18, 2018Old City Hall is one of the most prominent structures in Tacoma, but for the last decade it’s been little more than a curious ornament on the city’s skyline. Before the city bought the building, it had fallen into disrepair after a failed attempt at converting it to condos. Throughout the building, remnants of past…
One of Tacoma’s Best Radio Stations Broadcasts From a Tree
May 15, 2018Recently, two Low Power FM stations started broadcasting over the Tacoma airwaves. They are located on the FM dial at KTAH 101.9 and KTQA 95.3. Between the two unique signals, much of the Tacoma area is covered. Although still in the testing phase, they play noncommercial programming twenty four hours a day. Both stations have…
Exactly How High Can You Get in Tacoma? We Investigate
April 20, 2018Getting truly high in Tacoma isn’t as easy as one might expect. Sure, there are pot shops on quite a few corners, but we just can’t compete with the likes of Denver, Colorado. This is sea level, man. Being a waterfront city, it’s no surprise that on average Tacoma only gets to about 243 feet…
Ruston Way Piling Bikes Spread to Downtown Tacoma
April 1, 2018The phenomenon which was previously confined to the Ruston Way waterfront has now shown up in downtown Tacoma. Whether or not it’s the same person(s) responsible for the original guerilla art project is unclear. Whoever it is, though, seems to have stuck to the theme of mid-century folding bikes. The bike stuck to the giant W…