If you’re going, go to Tacoma today, boyo, I told myself this morning. Tomorrow will see bumper-to-bumper traffic on Interstate 5 for Thanksgiving (on Thursday).
And so off I went. I know of second-hand record stores on 6th Avenue, and mural artwork in the alleys there, and that’s where I stopped to spend a little time.
Sixth Avenue is in central Tacoma. This is the corner of 6th Ave & State Street.Bluebeard Coffee Roasters is right there, in this rehabbed building...A FunHouse pinball machine from 1990, by Williams Electronics. It stars a talking ventriloquist dummy named Rudy. The game is themed after the concept of an amusement park funhouse.This burrito/ taco eatery is not open, and is getting a make-over inside. This record shop is full of vinyl records, but they have a small selection of CDs as well. I bought CDs with Maria Callas and Ella Fitzgerald songs on. They are so cheap, it’s almost for free, I thought ($5 and $1).It’s been 13 years since the Seattle Super Sonics basketball team were sold and moved to Oklahoma City. Best I can tell, this mural is in honor of a guy that passed away recently and was a big Sonics fan.More art on the opposite wall. The wide-angle lens of my phone comes in handy for shots like these.Here’s the Seattle Kraken sea monster, mascot of the ice hockey team, emerging from the depths of Puget Sound, at the Tacoma-Narrows Bridge.Shakabrah is a casual breakfast spot around the corner with hearty egg dishes & pancakes, and burgers & sandwiches at lunch.The Baptist Church on 6th Avenue was constructed in1924 in the Gothic style with sandstone.Several utility poles have pink or green paint on to brighten them up.O’Malley’s Irish pub.Erin, Go Brah! says the artwork around the corner (Ireland Forever!).The eyes on the electric utility box are checking out the sun, sitting low and already well on its way back to the horizon at 3.30 pm (sunset is just an hour later).
