One thing I miss seeing on playgrounds that I used to love is see-saws. Do that many kids get hurt on it? I reflect on my schoolyard years and recall all the stunts I’ve pulled on see-saws and it’s easy to understand why it’s finally been deemed a hazard. But Palisades Park has a feature with the same concept, just closer to the ground and with a little more resistance. Just as fun for us! I’m glad there were other kids close to her size who took over my job of trying balance out the other side

Baby is climbing EVERYTHING nowadays. At home I just want to trap her from harm, but at Palisades Park I feel like we can indulge in her newfound skills. The park has a rock climbing feature that is just perfect for kids. Though I still have to help her, the concept of this part is so new and attractive to her so she’s quite content climbing the same six holds over and over.

Besides the playground, the park is gorgeous all together. The playground is actually at the very end of the park, a whole luscious green field separates us from the scanty parking lot and the playground. There’s a large walking path circling the path, perfect for Baby when she starts learning to ride bikes. A small basketball court, picnic areas, trash cans are basics that the park possesses, but no bathrooms. Your best bet for potty emergencies is Dash Point State Park down the street. Thankfully, we’ve never found this park to be overly crowded with kids, but always pockets of cute families to keep my only child company.

You can buy bread to feed animals from admissions, but we learned from our first visit and bought our own bread at cheaper rates from a local grocery store. A helpful hint: When you print off their map from their website and turn it in at admissions, you get two free loaves of bread. It may seem excessive, but DO IT. We began the slow drive through the farm with five loaves, and the slices disappeared quickly toward the end. When the animals come up to your car so sweetly, how can you not be generous?

They encourage you to move along, I’d say at a steady 5 MPH. But when there was no car in back of us, we lingered at my favorite animals. I love the zebras the most! They trot over and greet us at our car windows; they sound like horses when they mumble. And they are absolutely gorgeous up close; the black and white contrast of their coat is stunning in pictures as well.

The buffalo and reindeer are the most startling because of their size. But, I guarantee you that they are so docile. The buffalo are just sweet, wooly things, and looking at the pictures can make them seem daunting, but they are very passive. Imagine my thrills when I heard a series of playful roars. It was a tiger! And it looked as if he was conversing with a couple of children roaring at him from their SUV. (The tiger and lion are in a cage you drive past.) The bears are like big, fluffy teddies. They sit up, actually smile, and hold their paw up. It was like they were posing for my camera! My husband told me that a lot of these animals are retired ‘movie stars’, or extras. I just thought it was so nice that they were given a loving home and weren’t thrown away like most celebrities past their prime.

The first time we were here was on our way back from our honeymoon. Now that we have our toddler, this experience has a richer enjoyment. We look forward to watching her at peace with all animals forever. Despite the hour drive out of Tacoma, we have no regrets at all, all we do have are wonderful memories. When you do find yourself having to drive out, you’ll be immediately planning the next time you drive in.

Olympic Game Farm
1423 WARD ROAD, SEQUIM WA 98382
360-683-4295
OPEN 9:00am DAILY
Driving tours are open year round, except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Days.

Some strip malls are so boring, laced with commerce related to utility or healthcare. But Proctor has a lot of eye candy and stores for nibbling. They have two coffee places that I really like. One of them is actually a snack shop with a living room that I simply know as ‘Ice Cream and Espresso’ based off the building sign. I originally was drawn here for their $2 mochas, no charge for extra shots. After meeting the owner, a sweet and older gentleman, I decided this was a regular stop. He said he was retired and just wanted a safe place for the kids after school. Once I inquired about some poster boards with names listed and prices following. It seems he doesn’t want to decline any student, and his colorful, unimposing list was a running tab for each one that they can pay later. So sweet!

Proctor has a small bowling alley called Chalet Bowl and it is the oldest operating bowling center in Washington State. But the coolest thing about this little place is that they have top of the line equipment, including glow bowling with disco lights and black lights. Proctor has a toy store with a lot of European toys that I let Baby play with but simply cannot purchase. So, I count myself fortunate that there is a children’s consignment store a block away called Blooming Kids where I can find baby stuff in my price range.

If you feel like eating, my girlfriend has been begging me to try Europa. She claims this restaurant has the most delicious and authentic Italian recipes. I promise I will go there! But I can’t break from the fresh spring rolls and curry that I find so irresistible at East and West, a very hospitable and homey Thai restaurant. I used to call in my orders and walk some blocks to pick it up like I was going to Grandma’s.

The Blue Mouse Theatre is a delightful little joint that shows movies for a fraction of the price of standard theaters. Across the street is the Harp and Shamrock that features Irish imports. My husband is very proud of his Scots/Irish descent and we visited this store regularly to see new things they’ve got. I miss pushing Baby in her jogging stroller and walking through this charming town. So, I go back to visit frequently, and bring visitors for a tour even though we have moved. Today, my sister is visiting from San Diego and we travel out of our own community to stroll through Proctor District for a good time. I encourage anyone to take an afternoon and promenade through this charming little district in North Tacoma.

Directions: 

Take WA-16W.
Take Union Ave and head north.
Turn left on North 26th St.
As you cross N Proctor St., you should find parking all around.

My husband introduced me to Varsity Grill after he downed a couple seasonal ales on a guys’ night out. Varsity Grill is a far cry from the venue that used to be in its spot. Now, instead of a billiards joint, we’ve got a great restaurant in Tacoma that everyone can love, even the kids. Getting a babysitter is seldom an option for us, so it’s such a relief to be introduced to a nice restaurant where we never feel like we’re compromising the dining of innocent bystanders. At the entryway, there is a wooden toy chest loaded with a variety of small toys to keep the kids entertained. My daughter’s favorite is the bubbles and the stickers. I don’t care where she sticks them; it keeps her quiet and occupied.

All their burgers are good-sized and full of flavor; I seldom finish a whole burger which is good news since my husband and I can share one only if willing. My newest favorite is the California Buffalo burger. At first I was put off, I mean, I know beef is cow. But buffalo just sounded too animal-y, the poor sweet thing. I thought I’d inquire the server about this travesty. Her very skilled reply was that the buffalo burger was just like eating a regular burger, just that it was a leaner and cleaner meat. There wouldn’t be a lot of fatty bits in it. The lovely server was right, it was a winner.

I always bring visitors or big groups here because they’ve got such an accommodating menu that can satisfy every palate. My friend ‘B’ and I recently brought a couple California transplants and they LOVED it. Instead of going meaty like me, two of them did Turkey B.L.T.’s and one girlfriend did a baked potato skin type of appetizer. I was going to give that skinny girl some rap, but when her large plate arrived I realized it was as big as an entrée anyway.

Besides the awesome food, I really just simply like this restaurant. At least 15 huge flat screen TV’s lace the perimeter and you can request a table remote to control channels and increase volume on the remote speaker. There’s even a mini movie theater to enjoy games on the big screen or reserve it for a meeting or party. The bar is actually pretty big and it has a living room area with a large TV and an adjacent pool table. They hospitably offer free WIFI throughout the restaurant, even at the outdoor seating. A helpful hint: Sitting on narrow Broadway, Varsity Grill has a decent amount of parking. But on full nights, they have more parking in the open alley in back and you can just enter the restaurant from the backstage door. The incredibly minor inconvenience is totally worth having one of the best burgers and fries in town.

Varsity Grill
1114 Broadway
Tacoma, WA 98402
(253) 627-1229

This park was perfect for the occasion because it was partially fenced in and walled so that it naturally encouraged her to stay within the play area. What I liked was that there were four slides, she loves slides. So that meant that she would have to climb up the structure over and over again, only to slide down and down again. Thus, she would expel more of her energy that I wish I had half of.

This playground structure was so much fun for her because it was like a maze. There were always new avenues to enter it and she could deviate ‘off-course’ and end up at a totally different slide. The variation of features attracts kids of all ages. So in this social soup, I was either keeping Baby from dominating younger ones, or watching her eyes widen at the skills of the big kids. Kids are so curiously baffling. The last 10 minutes of our visit, Baby abruptly abandoned the slide jungle and began to walk back and forth, back and forth on the low interior barrier wall. Go figure, these kids.

At one point, my mocha had me screaming for a potty break, and thank goodness there are bathrooms on site. Actually, this park has a lot of positive features. It’s a very BIG park. Besides the children’s play area, it boasts four softball fields, four soccer fields, a walking trail, too much parking, bathrooms, not to mention being within walking distance to Federal Way’s best local roasted espresso. Until I had to peel my screaming toddler away from this colorful and inviting park, I was in Lazy Town, sipping my mocha on the sidelines while she burned her beautiful energy from both ends.

Celebration Park
1101 South 324th Street
Federal Way, Washington

Fortunately, they have an array of fresh pastries that they make right there. There’s sandwiches, soup, salads, pie, scones, toffee bars, even some good old rice crispy treats. Baby was in the mood for a snack. She ordered a danish and her soy ‘mocha’, which really is just a kids soy chocolate milk. As for my triple, 16 ounce, iced soy mocha with whip… it was divine! I thought about grabbing some fresh roasted beans to have coffee at home, but instead I spent my last dollars on a warm raspberry scone.

The baristas were very friendly, they gave Baby a monkey sticker.  They were also very knowledgeable about their coffee and fielded any questions I had. After we got our drinks we casually hung out on the couches, there was no reason to be concerned about my daughter because it was very low-key there, like a big sunny living room. I imagined that if I somehow acquired a downtown loft and renovated it, Commencement Bay Coffee Company would look just like it. It would be a perfect place to crawl up in with a book and coffee if I had to stay close to the downtown area. That’s pretty much what we saw, some guy on his laptop, a couple of ladies gossiping quietly on the couch, and I believe I even saw some kids toys.

Free WIFI here! (Any coffee house that charges for WIFI is beyond me, really.) A perk for any woman is that they have clean bathrooms. And a perk for any mom is that they have designated parking attached to their building so you don’t need to walk far. It don’t look like much from the outside, but what they’ve got inside is 100% satisfaction.

Location:
(253) 274-1173
2354 Jefferson Ave
Tacoma, WA 98402

Hours:
Mon.-Fri. 6am-6pm
Sat. 7am-4pm
Closed Sun.

Yesterday I had the chance to go sight seeing with my father and he was going to look at the Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum in Tacoma, WA. I was not really sure what this place was when he asked me if I wanted to go, but when we got there I was amazed at first by the building with it’s Six large Greco-Roman columns and portico form. Once inside I found that it was a nice quiet and cozy place. I felt like I took a walk back in time while looking at all the wonderful pieces they had. I will have to say that one of my favorite pieces was getting to look close up at the edition of Mark Twain’s Tom Sawyer, being that it was always one of my favorite stories. My father said that his favorite thing was getting the chance to look at the maps from the Turkish Hence, one of the main reasons we took a look at this museum.

This quiet little place faces Wright Park, an arboretum of hundreds of mature trees from throughout the temperate world. Its also just across the street from the Victorian-styled Seymour Botanical Conservatory. With such views, it offers an ideal environment for the exhibit of original papers of historic importance. Both adults and children alike get the chance to look at the papers in some 50 oak and glass cases. With this they will be able to gain an appreciation of their heritage. The primary sources of history displayed in the museum provide the means for increasing the cultural literacy of the population.

The current exhibits are the Educational Turkish Maps. The collection has the renowned Turkish “Admiral’s Map.” Also in the museum you can see copies of Columbus’ maps, maps representing the False Sea of Verranzano and the track of Magellan’s voyage around the world. Many of the maps include drawings of animals found in all parts the world, drawings of the Great Wall of China, and even drawings of the European heroes of the Holy Crusades; King Richard the Lion-Hearted, King Phillip Augustus and Emperor Frederick Barbarossa.

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.

Exhibits, which are always admission free, are normally on display for three months at a time.  The founders of the museum actually have nine of these museums throughout the US, and these exhibits rotate from region to region.

Hours:

Open Tuesday thru Sunday 10 am - 4 pm

Closed only on Mondays and Holidays

Directions:

Take Highway 5 from Seattle.
Turn onto Highway 705 to enter the City of Tacoma.
Take the “15th Street South” exit and proceed west (up the hill) to Tacoma Avenue.
Turn right onto Tacoma Avenue and proceed until you reach “6th Street South”.
Turn left onto “6th Street South” and proceed 1 short block until you reach “G Street”. Turn right onto “G Street” and proceed on “G Street” for 1 and 1/2 blocks to reach the Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum at 407 So. G Street.

So if you would like to learn a little about history, arts, and other subject then please take a trip to this little forgotten wonder.

It’s hard to tell whether the bistro is open when you drive by because they are on the second floor of a building which appears to be more office suites than dining. However driving around the block for a second look, we decided we might as well go in and take a peek. Thankfully there is tons of parking to be found all around the building.

Once you get to the top the stairs, turn left and you will enter the bar area of the bistro. While small, it’s very intimate and warm, with friendly wait staff and bartenders. However, on this day eating inside would have been crazy since there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.  We followed the hostess out onto the deck and picked a table on the corner with the best view.

When they brought the menu, we were very impressed. Not only was their regular menu diverse and interesting, but their beer and wine menu was just as substantial. While my mom tried to order her go to Bud Light, Jake’s only carries microbrews and the waiter was kind enough to suggest a Pilsner from a local brewery that might be comparable. Then we ordered some delicious appetizers including clams steamed with beer and a crab cocktail that was amazing.

Our main course was lovely as well, with a gourmet jalapeno burger and a bratwurst sandwich. As we ate, it was lovely listening to the band in the distance who plays down by the water on Sundays. When we were done, we relaxed in the sun a little longer because really how often do you get to sit on a deck with that kind of view and be able to order beer after beer. At this point, it occurred to me that I should have taken a picture of the food before I ate all, but of course hindsight is 20/20 and I was hungry! So you better just go for yourself.

Directions:
From I-5, take exit 127 onto South Tacoma Way.
Take a left onto Steilacoom Boulevard SW and follow for about 10 minutes.
Steilacoom Boulevard will turn into Starling and lead you into downtown Steilacoom.
At the four way stop, go straight and you will see Jake’s Bistro & Bar on your right.
There is parking in back.

215 Wilkes Street (2nd floor)
Steilacoom, WA 98388

Some of the other things that are a big part of the collection and can be found here include the seventy ton “Guardian Rock” that was created by California native Gordon Newell. You can also find a hand carved Kwakiutl Indian Hamatsa Mask that is from British Columbia, a large permanent display of oil paintings that date back as far as 1900, portraits of Weyerhaeuser executives, and finally two trompe l’oeil tapestries that were made by using photos of an old growth Pacific Northwest rain forest pattern.

Collection Hours

March 1 - September 30 Friday - Wednesday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Thursdays
October 1 - February 28 Saturday - Wednesday, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Thursdays & Fridays

Closed:
March 1 - September 30 – Thursdays
October 1 - February 28 Saturday – Thursdays & Fridays

Admission is free at the Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection. Open daily except Thursdays (closed both Thursdays and Fridays, October through February), closed most holidays. The collection is handicapped accessible. and guided tours are offered every Sunday at noon.

Some of the simple rules for this wonderful place are:

While visiting, they ask that no one touches the plants or walks in planted areas. The Collection is a smoke-free area and they do not allow the use of cell phones, toys or electronic games within the premises. While there is no picnicking allowed, they provide maps of local parks and restaurants in the gift shop. Service dogs are permitted however no pets are allowed.

Directions:

From Tacoma:
Head south on Tacoma Ave S toward S 21st
Turn left at S 21st
Take the I-705 S/I-5 ramp to State Hwy 7/Seattle/Portland
Merge onto I-705 S
Take the exit onto I-5 N toward Seattle
Take exit 143 for 320th St toward Federal Way
Turn right at S 320th St
Turn right at Weyerhaeuser Way S

From Seattle:
Head northeast on Broad St toward Taylor Ave N
Slight right onto the ramp to 9th Ave N
Turn right at 9th Ave N
Turn left at Mercer St
Take the ramp to I-5 S
Keep right at the fork, follow signs for I-5 S and merge onto I-5 S
Take exit 143 for S 320th St toward Federal Way
Turn left at S 320th St
Turn right at Weyerhaeuser Way S

The Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection is a breath of elegance and serenity. And an insight to drama and passion.

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 giving up and heading to the Lobster Shop restaurant that shares the parking lot. 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 still fantastic. The plus about this pier and park is that they’ve got bathrooms and a good-sized parking lot. There’s even an open cabana if you want to have a barbeque with some friends.

After we walked back, we hung around on the shore, playing in the sand. The family next to us was more prepared. They had shovels and buckets, the kids were trying to dig the biggest hole they could. Mothers with their children sat on large towels or they brought a folding beach chair, read a book or gossiped with other moms. A lot of kids were running all around the sandy beach, you couldn’t tell who belonged to whom. In the middle of all this chaos and fun, it still was relaxing for me and Baby. We were alone, but not alone, you know? People-watching is fun!

Trudging through the sand made me tired, but it didn’t faze Baby at all. She could sit in one spot all day and dig through the sand. She was living off the energy of the kids around us for sure. Thankfully, there’s a little park there too. There’s a big climber with a slide and a set of swings. I stood back and let her burn her energy off with the other kids. We stayed there till sundown when my husband finally came back with his hands full of everything except a fish. “It’s okay, honey,” I told him. “We’ll go home, clean up, and I’ll fry you some chicken.”