Latest Entries
Photos ~ Backyard Grass Removal
Photos ~ Frost Park Chalk Off Season 3, Episode 0.1
Photos ~ Momofuku Milk Bar and Leaving NYC
Photos ~ Evening NYC Wanderings
Photos ~ Flight and Evening Wander in Mid-Manhattan
Mon. September 10, 2007, 09:33am PDT
Lunch visit to Matador
Paid my first visit to downtown's Matador restaurant yesterday with Sarah and friends Galen and Reena. We stopped by for lunch on a stunning day and after I had a chance to take in that "Yellow" event. The place looks great inside and out with custom ironwork and table top work catching my eyes most. Large open windows let in a slight breeze and connect well the restaurant inside with the sidewalk seating outside.
The complimentary chips were warm, nicely salted and awesome especially with the mild-ish red salsa provided. We tried a quesadilla appetizer that came with four pieces and wouldn't overwhelm any meal you'd order. For lunch I had their spicy chicken sandwich. The sauce dripped over my fingers and onto the plate but was tasty enough that I didn't let any of it go to waste (but instead to my waist). The chicken was tender and balanced well with the other flavors including those onions. So yum. A skillet of meat and veggies for Galen's food looked amazing as did the ladies' food.
I've heard amazing things about Matador's happy hour and, now that I'm over the hump of getting there to try the place, will certainly stop by once in a while.
Mon. September 10, 2007, 01:14pm PDT
Guiding principles toward Tacoma streetcars
The push to bring streetcars back to Tacoma is still alive and well. KFnet friend Chris forwarded me this doc of principles of how a system here in town should look/work/be. The document was created by Spencer Beier who's an engineer in the Public Works Department for a meeting with city manager Eric Anderson last Friday. In it are some solid ideals and decent price points for creating a core of streetcar routes to later branch from toward a more comprehensive system.
Link to "Tacoma Streetcar - Principles" (PDF, 560K)
The initial slew of routes suggested seems an apt one especially given that they considered desired ridership factors like folks with lower incomes, who are elderly, tourists and local commuters. For the plan to play out fully including contingencies at just over $1 billion for 89(!) miles of track seems pretty dang reasonable especially if you consider how much regional light rail lines cost.
I sure hope the capitol and vision is there locally to see at least an initial line created. Once that's up and running, as with the Link downtown, I imagine selling policy makers and taxpayers alike will be a breeze.
Thanks Chris!
Comments (0) | To Top