"Picking Up In Tacoma" Top 5 Page for this destination Tacoma by coneyislandgreen

Tacoma Travel Guide: 205 reviews and 623 photos

All in a year - Tacoma
All in a year


I have lived here in Tacoma for a little over a year now and believe it's time to write something about it. I'm not from here so it 's been brand new to me and since I'm a bit of a traveller I have had ample opportunity to seek out different nooks and crannies. I learned from others that Tacoma has a bad reputation and many Aliases like Tacompton, The Armpit of Washington, and it's famous Tacoma Aroma.

Just like any other place Tacoma has it's nice places and not so nice places. It's a city that is crawling out of the woodwork and years of urban decay. With the rising cost of living in Seattle and other places slowly people are migrating here, investing in affordable housing, opening businesses, attending school.

Tacoma at Times feels more like a group of neighborhoods, independant, meager, each with a few things to offer but nothing that screams excitement. To our famous northern neighbors Tacoma is the annoying middle child with no outlook or goals just resting between the cultural, elaborate, Seattle and Calm, good natured, Olympia. Tacoma is Industrial and blue collar, it is also military but when you stray off I-5 and wander north into it's neighborhoods you see we like Parks, Coffee bars, Breweries, Music Venues, and Restaruants just as much as any other place in the state of our Union.

Tacoma is not so bad, This city affords me the opportunity to live comfortably in a decent neighborhood with numerous outlets for entertainment and culture on an average scale. What makes it interesting is the question of what is in store for this town and city. Will it faulter and fall into decay once more? Will it continue to thrive at a steady pace slowly becoming a cultural magnet? What will it take for this to occur? What will happen if it does? These are very real questions in town at the moment.

More often in the year I've been here I met locals who are proud and determined to keep Tacoma alive and growing, creating reform, spreading good word about their town, telling you of new things to do and places to see. So with that I will tell what I know and learned so far here in Tacoma for you.
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Picking Up In Tacoma - Tacoma

Pros and Cons
  • Pros:Lots of free parking
  • Cons:Desolate city at night
  • In a nutshell:A very underrated place...
  • Intro Updated Oct 12, 2006
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Reviews (34)

Not just another coffee house... - Tacoma Not just another coffee house... Restaurants (11)

A new venue for good talks is the Satellite Coffee House. It's located above Supernova salon/ tattoo and Tricky's... more travel advice

Where coffee wine & music come perfectly togehter - Tacoma Where coffee wine & music come perfectly... Restaurants (11)

The Cafe: A rich atmosphere filled with exotic art as vibrant as a worldly melting pot of expression. The Coffee: The... more travel advice

Movie geeks I beckon you - Tacoma Movie geeks I beckon you Shopping (4)

This place saved me from my first year of loneliness and rain... A great, the best around, genuine to character movie... more travel advice

A good Irish pub - Tacoma A good Irish pub Restaurants (11)

This place has just opened a few months ago but is an additional branch to one that is located in Seattle and 2 others... more travel advice

Comments (4)

  • Reply
    mtncorg's Profile Photo
    Aug 1, 2008 at 8:13 AM

    Let those who don't know continue to head north to the Emerald City. Tacoma is not that bad now that the aroma has gotten better :-] And there is that new bridge too.

  • Reply
    kevanrijn's Profile Photo
    Sep 14, 2006 at 6:22 PM

    So glad you did a review of Ravenous--place is great! My husband and I have eaten there and the food was wonderful.

  • Reply
    sarahandgareth's Profile Photo
    Aug 28, 2006 at 12:24 PM

    I lived in Seattle for a couple years and, have to admit, that I was definitely one of those people who looked down on Tacoma. Your input has definitely made me regret that! Thanks for the tips.

  • Reply
    GuthrieColin's Profile Photo
    Jul 13, 2006 at 8:13 AM

    It's great to see someone enjoying Tacoma. Being a non-tacoma resident i really didn't know that their was anything that i would want to do there. Sounds like their are at least a few things. Plus you are very close to Mt. Rainier.

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