Tacoma, WA

Dear reader,
One Thousand Things To-Do is in the process of moving to its new home on new servers. The result will be worth the wait, but in the meantime, please excuse the mess and please don’t hesitate to contact us if you see glaring mistakes, omissions, etc. We’re here to serve you and are dedicated [...]

Titlow Park & Beach is not only unique because of its tucked away location by the water, but because of its interesting history. A full size outdoor swimming pool is also a draw to this lovely park. I decided to make a trip to Titlow however to play a quick game of tennis with a friend.

6th Avenue in Tacoma has tons of shops that look interesting from to outside. However I am always intrigued by the colorful front window of The Bead Factory. After a friend had told me about the fun activities they hold there, I had to check it out for myself. I was greeted by so many beads from all over the world, I didn’t even know where to start.

One of the jewels of Tacoma is the Tacoma Nature Center. Seventy acres of wilderness makes it a perfect getaway on a sunny day. There are several trails which can accommodate whatever energy level you have that day. When I arrived, I was just looking to take a short walk, so I took the half mile loop.

Ever since I was in high school, I have been going to Tower Lanes for lots of indoor fun. Between the bowling, mini-golf, pool and arcade games, I have had hours and hours of enjoyment at this location on 6th Avenue of Tacoma. On this occasion, my friends and I were just looking for a place to play some pool and maybe some arcade games, and Tower Lanes was the perfect location.

Unfortunately, Wapato Lake has recently received some bad press because the lake is polluted. You still cannot swim or fish in the lake for health reasons. Somehow the lake still looks beautiful, and you can even walk onto the pier to take a closer look.

Driving through the Proctor District, you probably wouldn’t really notice this little diner, and that’s why I am here to point it out. It’s not very fancy on the inside or out, but the food is great, and the service is excellent. If you go there regularly enough, you will definitely get to know the servers, and figure out what your favorite meal is, like the Knapp’s Bennies.

I’ve got nothing against Budweiser or Coors. It’s just that I wanted my grandparents to expand their tour of Tacoma beyond sightseeing. I wanted them to ‘taste’ Tacoma. Also, I wanted a good excuse to expose him to some very good beer. Again, nothing against Bud. Being that my grandpa is a beer dedicate, I thought that I owe it to him taste Tacoma through local microbrews. So we brought my grandparents to The Harmon right in the heart of Tacoma.

I had heard of Black Water Café before, I knew they used coffee from Valhalla Coffee Company, just like Mandolin Cafe. So I had hoped that we wouldn’t be disappointed because it would be so convenient that they were so close. We were far from disappointed! Black Water turned out to be this tremendously cool and delicious place to be.

One of the best places in town to enjoy some karaoke or even participate in it yourself is The West End in the proctor district of Tacoma. Mostly a sports bar, in the evenings, the bar floor turns into a stage where the less inhibited belt out song after song.