Harbor Lights has been a staple on the Tacoma waterfront for decades. Over the years very little has changed here and its patrons love the consistency. Most people were a little nervous when they heard that the classic seafood joint planned to undergo a facelift starting today, March 11, 2013. It is rumored that the bar will be expanded and reoriented to maximize the water views from the inside. The signature food (crab) and the “strong pour” in the bar are rumored to be sticking around.
It’s rare to be stagnant in today’s world and be rewarded for it, but that’s what has happened with Harbor Lights. What a luxury, to have most of your loyal patrons prefer you NOT update with the times. This update seems like a roll of the dice to me..but I’m hoping for the best. See you on the other side!
| tacomarama |
 a true picture of the city of destiny.. |
If you’re from NY and missing the pizza you grew up with, or are just looking for a new adventure in Pizza, Ah Badabing is for you. Tucked away in Lakewood on 100th Street, across from McDonald’s in the little brick shopping strip, it is worth the effort to find. Owner/operator Brian D’Millo introduces the authentic NY style pizza that North Westerners have been missing out on! Hand-crafted with fresh ingredients and signature sauce created from Brain’s childhood memories, this pizza is perfect whether you are hosting the gang for Monday night football, grabbing lunch, or just enjoying a quiet “pizza and a movie” night at home. Pizza from $4.99 a slice that easily feeds two, to a 30″ multiple topping pizza that feeds 8-16 people, depending on the number of teenagers! Try it once, and Ah Badabing Pizzeria will become your “go-to” Pizzeria!
Ah Badabing Pizzeria, 6101 100th St SW, Lakewood, WA, (253) 582-2170
Wednesday on the Water is finally catching on. It’s taken many years and countless posts for this never-going-to-be-a-household-name event to catch on. At least a dozen people have now participated and there’s no telling where inertia might take us.
In Tacoma we gather on Wednesday nights half the year to paddle around Commencement Bay or the Thea Foss Waterway downtown. Sailboats flock to the East side of the bay near Browns Point for a couple hours on Wednesday nights, often traversing the bay to round buoys near Ruston Way. They provide quite a show and so we started plopping down and watching a few years back. It makes for a relaxing evening of sights and sounds. Live music even shows up in various forms where you least expect it.
Of course not everyone has a boat, kayak or paddleboard. There are ways to fix that..
The subject of kayak rentals in Tacoma has come up repeatedly over the years so I figured I should let you know what we know, as of the time of this writing, 8/15/2012. Dock Street Marina (on Dock Street!) will rent boats on the Thea Foss Waterway until approximately 9pm and a group affiliated with Metro Parks rents kayaks at Owen Beach until 7pm.
If you are looking to buy a kayak or two, and you are new to this craze, I recommend Sports Authority. They have a large selection of affordable kayaks and everything you need to get started. Costco is another place for entry-level equipment that won’t break the bank. Keep in mind you will also need a good way to transport your boat.
If you already know what you like, perhaps check out Paddling Gear at REI. They always carry really nice outdoor gear.
Finally, I wanted to let you in on a bit of an obsession we’re cultivating around here. I want to start saving pennies in a jar to help pay for what will likely be our next big purchase. When the finances and the time and the stars and the moon align, we will be acquiring a kayak kit from Pygmy Boats in Port Townsend, Washington. With their help, we will be building our own kayak or two or three.. So light, so long and so pretty, I’ll probably need to take a sedative the first time it scrapes on the beach. Pygmy ships you everything you need to make your very own luxury kayak; all you need is space, time and a little elbow grease. Oh, and $1000 or so.
See you on the water.
It’s been a few years since we had this much snow on the ground. Had to get the rock skis dusted off and ready for 36th hill. What a joy. There are quite a few people out playing in the snow today. Terry’s Office Tavern was bustling and the turns on the east facing slopes were… nice.. for urban skiing. Where will the big snowball fight be tonight? I hear Jane Clark Park is going off. Point Defiance never disappoints. So much to do and so little time. Have fun out there and be careful. Here’s a clip of 36th:
Tacoma’s Trevor Moawad gets 2nd national championship
on January 10th, 2012 at 9:43 am
Trevor on Alabama sideline in 2009
(photo courtesy of IMG Academy)
Trevor Moawad grew up in Tacoma, Washington. Of course the family home sits on land now known as Lakewood, but it was still Tacoma when he lived there. Trevor’s father Bob was a nationally renowned motivational speaker and Chairman of The Edge Learning Institute in Tacoma, which continues to teach his principles on positive thought to this day. I had the opportunity to see Bob speak a couple times and he had me captivated. Bob was a storyteller. By nature his perspective is motivating. You wanted to be motivated when you listened to Bob.
The acorn does not fall far from the Garry Oak. Trevor Moawad is currently bringing the power of mental conditioning to college football’s biggest stage. He was on the sidelines in 2009 when Alabama won a national championship. And it happened again last night. The kid from Charles Wright Academy just earned his 2nd title ring in 3 years when Alabama shut out LSU 21-0. The previously unbeaten #1 team in the nation was trounced by a wave of defensive perfection. To pull off this level of performance, a team needs to do everything right. They need to execute their plays exactly the way they draw them up. That is where Trevor comes in.
Vision. That’s all it takes. Envision perfection consistently and you will be successful. It’s a relatively simple principle that is perhaps revolutionizing the way college and pro teams prepare for competition. Trevor Moawad works with athletes to visualize success and proper execution and he works with multiple teams. Just last month he was on the sidelines helping coach Florida State to a victory at the Florida Citrus Bowl. As far as I know he’s the only coach winning 2 or more division 1 bowl games in a single season.
Moawad’s personal brand of mental conditioning requires athletes to ignore all distraction and focus solely on the goal and how to achieve it. Trevor’s teaching transcends the sports arena and ultimately aims to make his athletes better people on and off the field of play. As their personal lives improve, so does their athletic performance. Trevor calls himself a coach and he works with athletes, but his real goal is to make players better people who have the tools to succeed in life, long after their playing days are behind them.
Just in case the 3 high-profile college bowl wins aren’t convincing enough, I present another example. The NFL’s Tom Coughlin brought Trevor in to work with his New York football Giants in 2007. Eli Manning was starting to take a lot of flack for living in the shadow of his brother and possibly being a bust. The Giants were said to have no shot against the seemingly invincible and also undefeated New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. Against all odds, the team that worked with Trevor came out on top. Super Bowl champs. Eli Manning happened to be voted MVP of that game. Evidence of Trevor’s effectiveness keeps piling up and will soon be undeniable. I believe more universities and professional teams will take notice before long.
For me, this is a local story. The teams he coaches may be thousands of miles away, but Trevor Moawad and the principles he’s always believed in are fruits of Tacoma, Washington. ESPN and Sports Illustrated have been following his career for years. I can’t figure out why this hasn’t become a bigger story in our local sports media. College football teams are changing the way their players prepare mentally as Bob Moawad smiles down on Trevor’s accomplishments. He always envisioned success for his son, and what do you know? It happened.
[Videos of Trevor from the IMG website.]