The restaurant feels like the famous Brown Derby in Hollywood where all the stars, directors, and movie moguls dined in the thirties, forties, and fifties. We returned to the hotel one night and were greeted by guests in the lobby wearing tuxedos and sipping champagne. Both the hotel and the restaurant are quite elegant . . . but I still wore jeans.
The meal felt like being back in Italy. Our last Culture Vulture trip to Portland resulted in five couple Rotary trip (Donn Irwin, Rob Erb, and Don Doman plus wives) to Tuscany. We planned the trip for about a year and a half talking to people like Roy and Susan Kimbel who have vacationed there several times. Roy Kimbel said, "The Serratto brought back memories. The tagliatelle was incredible. Could have been in Italy. I saw some others who didn't finish their dinner. I wanted to reach over and help them." The lamb shank was also a favorite of the evening. I know exactly what Roy meant as I watched Nita and Robert leave some sauce in the bottom of their dishes. I actually had the sea scallops and half of my wife's tagliatelle. The answer is yes. I planned it that way. Sort of, anyway. I just knew that Peg would order the scallops and I would order the tagliatelle, but she threw me a curve by ordering the tagliatelle herself. In travelling, you should always remain flexible, specially if you expect to eat half of your wife's meal.
The Serratto presented us with our own "Tacoma Rotary" printed menu for the evening. The food was excellent, and the conversation was lively as we learned more about each other. Betty Ann Pope introduced her husband John and told how they met. We all laughed as she described their first dates over fifty years ago. "No spark," she explained. John just shrugged his shoulders and smiled. They each met and married someone else, but remained friends. Eventually, after the deaths of their spouses and close friends Betty Ann recognized John's qualities. They fell in love. Betty Ann, who is a published author of romance novels, hasn't written one since. I think she's living the romance.
Karen Seinfeld later reported that she had walked here and walked there and walked here and walked there . . . at the sound of the first "walked" I was glad I took a nap and watched PAC-10 football. Peggy went to the Portland Art Museum, but just missed Betty Ann and John Pope there. Karen visited the Japanese Garden. Friend Judie Guthrie reminded me later that former Tacoma #8 Rotarian Stephen Bloom is the executive director there now. If I had remembered that I would have made an attempt to visit him . . . but I would have taken a cab . . . not wanting to "walk there."
One of the problems with assembling a group of community and business active people is that they all have things to do and their schedules and itinerary sometimes overlap. Driving to Portland and arriving in the afternoon were Bill and Sharon Kaufmann. They had attended and enjoyed a performance of Orpheus in the Underworld at Tacoma Opera the night before. People coming and going was a constant happening on our trip. Thank god for communication tools like cell phones, the internet, and old fashioned talking.
We found an interesting piece just across the street from our hotel. It was a tile construction of what looks like a breakfast nook. From a few feet away it appeared to be a nice picture of a tea pot and cream pitcher pouring into a tea cup. However, up close it turns out to be a fountain. Water is flowing from both the tea pot and the pitcher into the cup. The bright colors of the tiles, the scene, and the fountain all act together to make an interesting and soothing presentation.
I love art in public spaces. In downtown Tacoma my absolute favorite piece (I tell everyone about it!) is the sealions on the corner of 11th and A streets across from the post office. The sculpture features brass sealions floating in a block of stone. Leaves from surrounding trees allow shadows to play over the surfaces giving an impression of motion and a feeling of being underwater. As the trees grow and the seasons pass, the scupture constantly changes. It's a beautiful piece. I would love to have it at my home. With Peg's love for tea cups, it would also be nice to have the tea cup fountain on the stucco wall of our deck.
You can tell a very good restaurant by their vegetables. The Daily Grill had steamed carrots that were done perfectly. They were sweet and had just the right toothiness. The grilled asparagas was also the right consistency and had an excellent flavor. Peg and I shared much of our food. I like to sample and figure other people do, too. Karen enjoyed the asparagas and Rob and Bill indulged with the carrots. The problem was that everyone else had full plates and fuller stomachs.
For those of us that stayed, we had quite a treat . . . and that had nothing to do with sweets. This was our second time seeing Chocolate Confessions. Some of had seen the show three years ago at the Portland Art Museum. The theatre at the World Trade Center was more ideal for the production. The stage was larger and there was not a bad seat in the house. You could hear well and you could see everything . . . and those are important qualities in a visual presentation. We had center seats in the fourth and fifth rows.
Once on the train, we settled down, continued discussion about the plays, the trip, the shopping, the food, the camraderie and then many of us slept our way to Tacoma . . . dreaming about our good times.
Sharing thoughts, viewpoints, ideas and good times . . . isn't that what travel is all about? Okay, throw in food, lots of laughter, and businesses that provide great customer service then it's perfect.
A group of Rotarians and friends traveled to Portland on the first weekend of November. The weather could not have been better. We carpooled and met at the Tacoma Train Depot on Puyallup Avenue. The day was gorgeous. The majority of us took the noon Amtrak on Friday for Portland and returned on the evening Amtrak back to Tacoma on Sunday. Leaving Tacoma we all sat in the Bistro car as we enjoyed the views and chatted in small groups of 2 to 4. Jan Brazzell was delighted to see the water views along Puget Sound. You see so many sights traveling by train that you miss when you travel by car, plus you get to talk about them to eveyone. The return trip was much more subdued. With early boarding we pretty much sat together, but many of napped our way back to Tacoma.
Once we arrived in Portland we took taxis to the Hotel Deluxe Portland. We made arrangements from their sister hotel, The Murano (the renamed Tacoma Sheraton). The Hotel Deluxe Portland features a Hollywood decor with black and white photographs from classic feature films in hallways, the lobby, and in the rooms and suites themselves. The hotel features movie nights where they show classic films in their one of their dining rooms.
Friday evening we walked a few blocks and caught the trolley to within two blocks of Serratto, our restaurant for dinner and then walked another two blocks to ComedySportz.
In planning the meal, the manager of the Serratto mentioned they had just changed their menu. I was appalled and said, "You didn't take off the tagliatelle with wild boar's sauce did you?" He scoffed and said, "That's a rustic classic and there is no way our patrons would allow us to remove that." It was excellent. Tagliatelle are wide noodles, which you never see in America, but the boar was of generous American portions.
After dinner we went to ComedySportz. Their video monitors welcomed Tacoma Rotary to their Friday night "improv" show. They saved seats in the front two rows for us. We giggled and groaned for nearly two hours straight. Afterwards some of us trekked with bleary eyes back to the hotel and bed, while some stayed for a second improv show.
Morning saw a small gathering for breakfast at the hotel and then heading out to the Saturday Market. We found bargains and good things to eat. Rob bought a walking staff giving him a look between Rafiki of the Lion King and Gandalf of Lord of the Rings . . . without the wise comments and magic of course. Robbo used the staff to keep me in line. I still have the bruises to prove it. Robert came back with an Aussie hat. Nita and Vickie Erb bought very cute similarly styled hats and bought one for Peggy, who stayed behind sleeping. Returning we set a time for meeting before dinner and then we all went our separate ways.
Construction is going on everywhere in Portland and many of the projects incorporate art. It is so nice to see art almost everywhere you look. It reminds me of part of the instructions for ComedySportz, "If it's funny, laugh. If it's not funny, it's art."
Late in the afternoon we left for dinner at the Daily Grill. Some walked and trolleyed, some drove, and some mostly walked. The Daily Grill not only served excellent food, but huge portions. Peg ordered the Lobster Pot Pie. It was so big you could have drawn a mouth and eyes on it, turned it on edge and used it as a Jack O'Lantern to frighten teenage girls suffering from anorexia. Kathleen who had recommended the restaurant simply ordered the Berry and Peach Cobbler. I would have ordered that for dessert, but I had no more room to accommodate fine food after a prime rib dinner and half of Peg's Pot Pie.
After dinner we hustled off to the Portland Center Stage for Steve Martin's The Underpants. We were warned on entering the theatre that the production was 95 minutes long with no intermissions, no late seating, and no returning if we left during the play. I sat and watched The Underpants while my mind kept repeating, "Don't think about peeing . . . don't think about peeing." So, of course thirty minutes into the play I had to leave. Banished to the lobby. Never to return. An usher had the sound booth turn on the audio for the PA system and I watched the production on a monitor. As a bonus since the production was produced in the "round" I was able to see the actors as they rushed off stage and out one door, through the lobby, and back into the theatre through another door. Kinda cool. Everyone else had to watch from their seats. Too bad for them. I was special.
After the play we returned to the hotel. Since Peg and I had a suite, we invited everyone to join us for some fun. Nita and Robert had purchased some wine, beer, bottled water, and salty snacks. On the way up the stairs Robert found the hotel supply room. We borrowed seven extra chairs for our party. People drank a little, talked a little and laughed a lot . . . until ten minutes after twelve. By then our group had dwindled to four: Nita and Robert, and Don and Peg. We answered the phone. It was a noise complaint. We were busted. We shut down the party and went to bed. In the old days two bottles of wine and six bottles of beer would not have been enough for a party. Now, each bottle of wine was half full when we left on Sunday. Or were they half empty? Also, we left two bottles of beer for the maid . . . and seven extra chairs.
Sunday morning saw the last of our group join us. Vickie Pratt's husband TJ, a retired railroad conductor arrived by Amtrak in time for lunch at the Greek Cucina. Being cute and gregarious, Vickie found dates for herself for both Friday night and Saturday night events.
We all checked out of the hotel. Our baggage either went with us, or was transported back to Tacoma by Rick and Kathleen Olson, who returned early to Tacoma (emergency phone call) by car. Roy and Susan Kimbel returned by Amtrak and the rest of us went to see Chocolate Confessions at the World Trade Center.
The one-person show starred Joan Freed as Coco Bliss. Joan sang about 18 songs and assumed different characters on stage as customers at a chocolate shop. Joan wrote new lyrics to old tunes and sang them well to the 90% female audience. The other 10% were entertained as well. In addition to the males in our group I counted four other men. Obviously the show is being marketed to women and women's groups. I saw a lot of red hats. The audience make up was the same on the first time we had seen the performance. Joan knows her audience and she did great job. She has a nice voice, she's cute, and she moves well on stage. In addition to her one-woman shows Joan has also appeared in the last year in Menopause the Musical. He sound technition has also worked the touring version of Menopause. Menopause also features reworked popular songs and great lyrics. I really loved the lyrics from Chocolate Confessions, "Come on in, go berserk, 'cuz stressed in reverse spells desserts."
"Welcome to the chocolate shop of Coco Bliss, where a mixed assortment of hilarious customers share their deep, dark secrets. In this one-woman musical comedy, you'll meet over a dozen unique characters and hear amusing anecdotes about chocolate, like how M&M candies came to be, the surprising origins of the chocolate chip cookie, and a courtroom drama of chocolate on trial for its sins."
Afterwards Joan and her husband Bruce along with three of her support crew joined us at The Macaroni Grill for dessert. They mixed in with our group and talked about their profession. We had a great time talking to the walkers of the "great white way" if you can consider Portland just a little off Broadway. The wait staff at the Macaroni Grill indulged us by sitting us, serving us, and billing us in time for catching a cab to the train station for special boarding by friendly Amtrak personnel. We left Joan and her friends with warm smiles and waves.
Bill and Sharon dropped Peg and me off at the train station where TJ and Vickie had already quick stepped to. Rob's group missed their first cab and had to call for another. Although we straggled in, we had boarding passes secured for our group. We all sat within a seat or two of each other. Although Vickie Pratt had scouted out Verdun, a chocolate shop in downtown Portland, we were unable to visit there and sample. A little dark chocolate to nibble on for the train trip would have been nice. In the end we ran out of time. We did, however find time to visit Powell's for books and magazines, so we were able to feed our minds between Portland and home. Vickie Erb was able to control Rob for the northbound ride and his walking staff was put away on the luggage rack.
A trademark of our trip was excellent seats whatever show we went to and the smiles on everyone's face. Peg and I drove home from the Tacoma train station and rejoiced to find our suitcase on our doorstep. We added one more big smile to the journey. I need to give Rick a tip.
Rotary #8 Activities | Oral History Video Taping | Rotarians Affected by Hearing Loss
Don Doman
4701 North Huson, Tacoma, WA 98407
253-752-8262 - trainingmedia@yahoo.com
