T-Ville

downtown Tacoma, Washington, stamp size 1.5"

OK, even though I don't live in Tacoma proper, I am there the majority of my time, it would seem!

Carved for the latest My Town project, "Tacoma  is a mid-sized urban port city in and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington State. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, 32 miles southwest of Seattle, 31 miles northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and 58 miles northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. Tacoma is the second-largest city in the Puget Sound area and the third largest in the state."  (wiki)

And, it's about a half an hour away from my house...shorter if I'm late getting to an appointment.  :-)

There is some great things in Tacoma; the glass museum that features a glass walkway filled with the work of Dale Chihuly, the Washington State History Museum and an extension of the University of Washington.  There are countless shops, boutiques and kitschy bars that like to highlight local bands (my friend Josh and his friends play at Doyle's Irish Pub frequently - too fun!).  Down on the Commencement Bay waterfront you can walk, jog, skate and bike along Schuster Parkway; or if you don't want to actually exercise, there are many very nice eateries with decks overlooking the water on which to lounge.  Old Town Tacoma overlooks the Parkway, and is the birthplace of Tacoma.  I love to just drive through and look at the unique (and antique) homes that line the streets.  Just up the hill a bit will land you in the Proctor District, which has antique and book shops, coffee shops and my favorite high-end grocery store, the Metropolitan Market.  Mmmmm...bakery!

At the end of Schuster Parkway you can find yourself in Ruston, which is just a little neighborhood that welcomes visitors to the shining gem of Tacoma - Point Defiance Park.  This park is stunning with a gorgeous, tree-lined 5-mile drive offering breathtaking views of Puget Sound.  And speaking of Puget Sound, you can't miss the famous Narrows Bridge, which is actually two bridges now.  They had to build a twin bridge to accommodate all the traffic that crosses daily.  Oh, and did I mention that there are quite a few letterboxes in Tacoma?

Tacoma has really re-invented itself in the last two decades, as so many urban centers have done across the country.  Without a little TLC, these aging downtown centers get run down, broken down and abandoned.  Tacoma started an aggressive revitalization program that has really breathed new life into the downtown area.

More information about SHH's Town

Welcome to T-Ville!