Tag: City of Destiny

• December 31, 2015

  I Look Forth on a New Year

  

  In downtown Tacoma, tucked away between two buildings, is a sculpture of a drop suspended as it hits the surface of water. Tiles ripple out into the sidewalk. An 1891 newspaper quote about the city is written in cursive letters on the ground: “From amidst a sombre forest of firs a city has arisen as by a stroke of an enchanter’s wand. Tacoma looks forth like a new Venice over the glassy waters and prepares to handle the commerce of the world.” I first ran across this art installation a cool September night and I snapped a photo, because there was something about the quote that captured my attention.

  Now, I stand at the precipice of a new year. 2015 is fading away into memory and 2016 awaits, ready to be explored. In this moment, in the waning hours of another year, I find myself drawn back to what the Tacoma Ledger predicted for the City of Destiny almost 125 years ago. They looked to the future and saw nothing but endless promise. A transcontinental railroad was expected to build its western terminal in Tacoma and nothing but wealth and happiness for its citizens would soon come pouring in.

  In the end, the railroad changed its mind and the coveted Puget Sound terminus was instead built in Seattle. Tacoma never became the new Venice, as so many of our grand visions for the future fail to arrive.

  The future is always like that — simultaneously holding bounty and disappointment like a distant lamp — and you never know which one you’ll get until you get there. All we can do is hope that our successes will be great and our stumbles will be minor.

  Right now, on New Year’s Eve, I’m not worried about the misfortunes that I will surely endure. From amidst a somber forest of firs, I look forth. 2016 awaits. Let’s do it.

  — 30 —

  Jonny Eberle is a writer in Tacoma, WA. He wishes you a happy new year. You can follow him in the new year on Twitter.

  Sign up for his shiny, new mailing list for updates and special content straight to your inbox.
  Join the mailing list
• April 11, 2014

  City of Destiny

  

  They call it the City of Destiny or the Gritty City. It is a city of contradictions, loved and despised, where 19th century steeples share the skyline with 20th century smokestacks. A blue collar city choked in paper mill chemicals and cleansed by saltwater breezes. A city of potholes and community gardens.

  The second city, overlooked by glistening Seattle to the north, Tacoma is the dark horse. The people drawn here, the people like me, prefer it that way — we fight for the underdog. And yet, in spite of its reputation, I see it throwing off the shackles of its industrial past. I see it reclaiming the abandoned waterfront warehouses; nurturing a fledgling arts community like a flickering flame. I see container ships on the bay waiting their turn to unload the cargo from foreign lands.

  Years ago, it lost the railroad and with it a chance to stand on the stage of the world. For a hundred years, it shed its sweat in obscurity, but now, it calls those of us downtrodden and searching for a second chance. Now, it rises and claims its identity, not as the lesser of two great metropolises but as the place that destiny remembered.

  — 30 —

  Jonny Eberle is a writer, photographer and underdog supporter living in Tacoma, WA. You can follow his gritty Twitter feed @jonnyeberle or leave a comment below. Thanks for reading!