Tacoma, WA

If you love huge, juicy burgers and a free onion ring trade, you’ll want to make a pit stop here when you’re in Tacoma. After experiencing Varsity Grill, I have since been cured of my commercial chain burger restaurants. If you are like me, you don’t want to sacrifice grown-up accommodations just to take the whole family to a kid-friendly place. You also don’t want to empty your savings once you’ve got to pay the bill for everybody. That’s why Varsity Grill will be serving my wants and needs on a regular basis.

After getting a minor sugar high from her soy chocolate milk at Poverty Bay Café, I desperately needed a place where Baby could release some energy. As lazy as it sounds, I needed something she could do that didn’t require me getting up much. The last time I was here, I was making a weak attempt to take Baby on a jogging stroller expedition on the park’s B.P.A. Trail. But realistically, this day I needed a park to take her where I could just sit and watch her. Ta-da! Federal Way’s Celebration Park, 10 minutes away from Tacoma, was just one intersection away.

I just wanted a good mocha. When she pointed the cafe to me, I fell into disappointment. It looked like an abandoned building that was waiting for UW to snag it for a renovation. As you can see in the picture below, the building front isn’t even close to your typical corporate joint. But, after walking in, I felt like I was home. The smell of fresh roasted coffee and pastries that hit my senses turned me into an immediate convert.

Many of the subjects of interest are as followed: Thesaurus, Twain: Mark Twain’s Tom Sawyer, Webster’s Dictionary, Bill of Rights, Columbus Confederate Constitution,
The Declaration of Allegiance of all the Indian Tribes in America, Emancipation Proclamation, Hancock: John Hancock’s Cover Letter to the Declaration of Independence
Lincoln Olive Branch Petition, Thanksgiving Proclamation of the United States, and
George Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclamation. Also you can see Darwin Decartes Treatise as the Father of Philosophy, Einstein, Evolution: Theory of Evolution, Galileo,
Locke: John Locke, Lindbergh, Newton, Star of Bethlehem, Theory of Relativity, Armada and Custer. And that alone is just the surface of what can be found within the walls of this quiet place.

About a week ago, when the last sunny days of summer were making outside activities a priority, my family and I decided to stop by Jake’s Bar & Bistro in Steilacoom because of their large open deck overlooking downtown and the Puget Sound.  Of course the sign announcing 42 tap beers added to the intrigue [...]

the Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection in Auburn, Washington with my Aunt and Uncle. My first thought was great I get to go look at tree, not much fun. But once we walked in the whole place was more then I thought it would be, and I instantly fell in love with the place. My youngest son who is only 1 was very excited to see what he calls, “Twees.” I really enjoyed seeing the 2 ton redwood root ring that was not only polished, but sculpted by J.M. Blunk. My husband would say that his favorite part was the 7×35 foot tapestry that was created by Mark Adams, in a mill in Avusson, France. This tapestry was inspired by a close up look at a monarch butterfly.

My daughter LOVES water and it was just a pleasant walk anyway delivering her daddy some coffee. We met and greeted other friendly folks who also had high hopes of catching that ‘big one’. I wanted to joke about everyone just putting up their fishing poles and heading to the Lobster Shop restaurant on-site. But, I figured I didn’t want to be so insensitive. There were other children there too, and Baby joined them at the edge of the rail, looking through at the water. The water is absolutely mesmerizing! My husband had gotten there earlier in the afternoon, and still around 5:30 pm, the atmosphere was fantastic. The plus about this pier and park is that they’ve got bathrooms and good-sized parking lot. There’s even an open cabana if you want to have a barbeque with some friends.

With the weather report prophesying no rain, impulsively I knew I wanted to take advantage of this day with water in any way we could. This last minute plan to spend the afternoon at Flaming Geyser was worth it! It wasn’t super sunny, but boy, was it muggy enough. We didn’t have a raft or any other reliable floating device. But, the previous night’s forecast was enough to make me pack the basics and head out to three miles of freshwater paradise half an hour from Tacoma. Today, I simply just wanted my little water baby to have fun in water! This state park is one everyone should visit, even if you don’t want to raft.

The Puyallup Fair in Septembers used to be a G-force ritual for me. I looked forward to waiting up to even 30 minutes in line for the Zipper or the Wild Cat. I remember when the Extreme Scream was brand new and I paid the $10 to ride that drop. Now that my husband and I have a toddler, I wondered what the fair is even going to be like without the good rides. What else could I do? Will it be fun, or will I experience it this year in all-about-Baby mode? Food and animals made my first two visits a Puyallup pleasure. That’s right, so far I’ve been twice and I’m eager to explain why the fair is more than just rides, and why you will run into me on the last day.

Tucked into an upscale neighborhood just south of Tacoma, Lakewood’s Lakewold Gardens is a 10 acre estate with amazing gardens and an interesting history. If you are looking for a fragrant, visually stunning stroll, these gardens should definitely be your destination.