Tacoma: the city named after mount Rainier- originally called Takhoma or Tacoma, and the place Erin and I have called home for the past two months. This was definitely not enough time to fully explore this great city, but we tried our best.
This is the view from Ruston way trail. To the right you see the tips of the buildings at the top of downtown (The majority of downtown is down a steep hill). Behind, you can see Mt Rainier. Behind us you would see views of the Olympic mountain range. Directly to the left of downtown is the largest port servicing the northwest of the united states. This is the port that Erin and I somehow got directed through on our way to Tacoma originally. Its a huge and confusing place!
We lived about a mile and a half from downtown, in a revitalized neighborhood called the 6th avenue district. There aren’t any high rises in 6th avenue like there are in downtown. Instead, there are many condo units, apartment blocks, and single family homes that line the streets. 6th avenue itself is a 6-8 block stretch of shops, restaurants, and bars. Some of our personal favorite places include the local donut shop, legendary donuts, the pub that serves what I would consider the best cheesy tots in the milky way, dirty Oscars annex, and the Vietnamese street food bar and grill, la ca bar. There are altogether too many places to try in only two months, and that’s just in our neighborhood! The neighborhood between us and downtown is the same story: teeming with things to explore. Walking to the park one day I passed a German themed bar with a mini golf course inside- never seen that before.
We made it downtown once or twice to check out the glass museum and have dinner. Downtown Tacoma features a museum walk, on which you can visit six museums all within a mile or so of each other. Every third Thursday is free museum night. I imagine this is a very popular attraction in warm weather months. We could spend a year here and still not have finished exploring what the city has to offer!
Traffic in the greater Tacoma Seattle area is a major issue. Around where we live and in downtown Tacoma it’s not too bad at all, but if you try to get on the highway at rush hour be prepared for intense traffic. What locals told me used to be a 40 minute drive to downtown Seattle is now often closer to 1.5 hours, especially at rush hour. So if Erin and I ever come back, we know to live close to where we work!
We worked the weekend shift, Friday through Monday, at a local short term stay skilled nursing facility and rehab facility located at the end of 6th avenue- about a 10 minute car ride away from where we live. Friday and Monday tend to be rather chaotic, with everyone buzzing around. Saturday and Sunday, however, are calm and generally very pleasant days to work. Plus, on a clear day, I can step out the front door and look at mount Rainier!
Being the city named after mount Rainier, the city features views of the mountain from many different angles. We have been told that gig harbor, the peninsula across the bay from Tacoma, has some of the best views of mount Rainier. I would personally recommend point defiance and the Ruston way waterfront trail on a clear day as you can see downtown Tacoma on the backdrop of mount Rainier to the east, and the Olympic mountain range to the west.
One of the more impressive city projects that Tacoma has put together is point defiance park. Within the park is a zoo, aquarium, and a local science oriented public school. When I say park, do not think city park. This park is massive. 760 acres massive. Within the park you can find rose gardens, rhododendron gardens, and even some beaches to relax on! The vast majority of the park is untouched old growth pacific northwest forest, with a few trails through. Running through the trails, you would never expect that you could find a coffee shop and deli counters a mile away. It feels like total wilderness.
We still have a few things on the agenda for Tacoma. Erin’s sister Annie is coming to visit us! In fact, when this post goes live Annie will be in Tacoma.
Our last planned adventures include going to snowshoe at mount Rainier National Park, visiting Seattle again, and going skiing at Crystal! Tacoma, and the Pacific Northwest in general, is an awesome place, filled with stunning nature and geography, a temperate climate, and plenty of culture, food, and events. Erin and I agree that, given the opportunity, we will gladly return!
Absolutely beautiful. Glad you experienced such a lovely city
It was great!