Lunchtime in Tacoma...

So, yesterday we spent a lovely afternoon in Tacoma's Opera Alley, having lunch at the Over the Moon Cafe & browsing through Urban Alchemy's beautiful shop. Before, during & after, I took a few shots of this interesting little street, filled with little shops  & studios:

Wall across from the cafe, filled with texture & possibilities,  yet to be realized...

Door with a 253 design painted above it, artist unknown. 253 is the area code for the Tacoma area, products have been showing up all over the area...

I'm not sure what this graffiti originally said, maybe initials, but it looks a little like 'opera' to me

Rustic doorway

More texture...Pipes (for what?) coming out of the wall, across from the cafe

The view from the other end of the alley. Great old office buildings

Over the Moon Cafe: Tasty food served in what looks like an old tea room, decorated in ornate velvets & fringe, old books scattered about for a bit of relaxing reading. I had a grilled chicken sandwich with bacon & avocado, served with a bit of potato salad & on the side, a rhubarb Dry Soda to drink, all quite tasty, though, next time I might try a different flavor soda, like lavender. The rhubarb was quite subtle, but still refreshing. My husband had the grilled tuna salad sandwich special, with hot tea to drink. His sandwich was tasty, though not what you normally expect when you order tuna salad. The salad would be great on a bed of greens & is more of an Italian salad, than the standard American style. There is no mayo or relish, but a tasty blend with olive oil. It ends up a little soggy, even with the grilling, so maybe a bed of greens would work better, with some rustic bread on the side? Tea is served as hot water with a variety of tea packets, from which to choose. Afterwards, we tried the banana cream pie, without the pie. Served in a little Mason jar, with a generous dollop of mascarpone  & a little sprig of mint & made with real bananas, it was quite tasty, a delicious end to the meal. all in all it's a lovely place to sit & relax, mid day. They serve lunch or dinner & prices are moderate.

Urban Alchemy: A sweet little store filled where fluffy clouds float overhead & the delightful creations of local artists fill your eyes & tickle your mind. Along with all kinds of jewelry & one of a kind clothing, you can find things to fill virtually every need or want: furniture (there's a great table I have my eye on, as well as sweet, velvety chairs), photography of all kinds (I love the photos printed on pieces of old wood, currently displayed in the store. I wish I could remember the artists name) & paintings, bath & body products, sweet children's toys & clothes & even a great antique chest that I wish I had. Products vary, over time. Stop by & check it out, if you're in the area. It's a great place for a bit of 'retail therapy' or artistic eye candy, for a relaxing afternoon.

We ended the afternoon at The Poison Apple (not in Opera Alley, but in downtown Tacoma). Check it out, if you have the chance & a penchant for pulp fiction/old horror films/comic books & wild novelty items. They recently have gotten in a large selection of vintage clothing & accessories, that are fun to browse. My current favorites: a Bigfoot air freshener (the toast scented one is a close second), an inflatable beard of bees & a blue tee covered with octopi & stars. The store is currently surrounded by construction, but take time to come support another fun, local business & say hi to its owner, Jooley Heaps, one of the areas friendliest shop owners.

How about you? Have you been out exploring your city lately?

*All photos are the property of Shelley McElhiney. Feel free to share the post & credit back this blog & the photo owner. Please contact the blog owner for any other usage.

Seen in Seattle...

So, I actually went to Seattle the other day. Even though it's less than an hours drive away, I rarely go there. It's not that I don't like it there. If I could live there, I would. There are tons of great neighborhoods, filled with great art, design, people & yes, food. We went there to pick up a mannequin. No really, we went to Seattle to pick up a mannequin. (Somewhere, I think Lewis Black's head is about to explode). It was in a neighborhood near (or maybe in) Fremont, self proclaimed "Center of the Universe." You can easily spend the day wandering around to look at the great, the odd, the unusual statues & artwork, like the statue of Lenin, from the Soviet Union or the rocket ship. I've seen public knitting & the annual go-kart race, with all it's wild & strange go-karts. There's an annual naked bike event. No, I've never seen it & I'm not sure I'd want to, but it's a hugely popular event. There's a troll that "lives" under the bridge & speaking of bridges, there's a talking bridge. Oh yeah! There's a chocolate factory (Theo), but not a Hershey's chocolate kind of factory (or a Willy Wonka kind ether, sorry). It's a factory as unusual as it's location, filled with amazingly strange, but delicious flavors. It's an amazingly creative community & I'd love to live there (except, during the bicycle thing).
The bumper sticker is one that I saw all over Seattle. I'm not sure if it's advertising for something, like maybe a sporting goods company. I like the sentiment, but then I don't see it everywhere I go...It's kind of like "Don't Worry, Be Happy," sounds great, but after you've heard it a million times, a could be a bit annoying.
Have you ever been to any hotspots of creativity? Where'd you visit? What did you see? Where did you eat? It's always amazing & fun to happen upon one of these places, active & ever changing communities, candy for the eyes & food for thought...SAM