The Swiss Restaurant & Pub in Tacoma is closing permanently, the restaurant announced. The restaurant was in business for 27 years and was known as one of the best destinations in the area for live music, a great selection of beer and excellent pub food. What could and should have been a different story was […]
Broken Dreams, Shattered Promises, Denigration, and Assimilation . . . Maybe
Written by Don and Peggy Doman Immigrants, slaves, illegal residents and indigenous people all have reason to share bad memories of our American history. The land of the free has as many nightmares as it has dreams of success. How do we work our way through our past, our present and enter into the future? […]
The Last of the Octopus Wrestlers
In the late 1950’s and early 60’s, the Giant Pacific Octopuses that live in Puget Sound became television stars as World Champion Octopus Wrestling took the stage. All eyes, literal and electronic turned to the Pacific Northwest. There was the story of a giant octopus that lived beneath the Narrows Bridge. Closer to home, Ron […]
Pacific Grill in Tacoma has closed permanently
Ahh, man. Pacific Grill in downtown has announced it is closing permanently. Here is a message from owner Gordon Naccarato of Naccarato Restaurant Group. I will miss this place so much. “TACOMA, WASHINGTON, September 10, 2020 – With a heavy heart, The Naccarato RestaurantGroup (NRG) announces the permanent closure of Pacific Grill restaurant & Pacific […]
Wondering about the Poodle Dog Restaurant? Here’s an answer
Poodle Dog Restaurant general manager Charles Amner told me once that he calculated how many butterhorns the famous Fife diner had served in just the previous 30+ years. That’d be more than 1 million. That was before the restaurant shut down in March 2020 when pandemic restrictions limited restaurant service. Can we please just get […]
Across the Fence: A German Voice in America
The first time I heard about The German Radio in San Francisco was about a year ago. The radio station was looking for German immigrant stories, and my Californian Facebook-friend Karen told them about me. The connection was made, and a few days later I had radio host Pamela Lenz Sommer on the phone. As […]
South Hill gets another much needed locally owned eatery
Pour Me Bar & Bistro has opened. The 21-and-older-only restaurant and bar opened last week on the border of Graham and Puyallup/South Hill (Graham-allup? Graham-Hill?). That’s an area with a small but growing locally-owned restaurant scene. Hot tip: Oliver’s Fish and Chips in Graham announced it will reopen soon. Check its social media for updates. […]
Safe Parking Coming to Pierce County Communities
Most everyone has heard about people living in their cars, trucks, vans, or RVs. Those people are just one towaway from complete collapse and perhaps even worse. The Safe Parking program coming to Pierce County will offer a secure space to sleep overnight for vehicle residents and much more. Community volunteer Jan Runbeck explains, how […]
Nice House for Rent – A Short Story
I’m always looking for a nice house to rent. A decent house, not a fancy one, with a backyard and a carport. Apple trees would make it almost perfect. I look in decent neighborhoods, not too nice, not too rough . . . just decent. It was a nice mid-morning day. As I drove down […]