Blog Posts

Swimming Pool Safety and Etiquette Tips

Take a break from the heat of Tacoma, WA or even the comfort of your apartment at Nantucket Gate by heading to our community swimming pool for a refreshing cool-down this week. Help make the pool area a good, safe, clean place for all to enjoy by following these important safety and etiquette tips. Stay aware. It’s always a good idea to never swim alone, but it’s also important to remember not to forget about or lose track of those you’re with! Children, especially, are prone to wandering or getting into accidents in pool areas, so keep an eye on them at all times. Take breaks. Stay aware not only of your surroundings and where your fellow swimmers are, but also how you and others are doing. Take breaks to rest, to hydrate (it’s easy to neglect this when you’re having fun in the water), and to visit the restroom. It might seem inconvenient, but waiting for the pool to be cleaned is much more so! Dress appropriately. Dressing for the pool is helpful because it staves off the discomfort of getting splashed in your everyday clothes. It also prevents your clothing from getting caught in suction outlets or drains by accident. Avoid these areas and tie back long hair to better avoid issues. And of course, don’t forget to wear sunscreen. Slow down. Always walk, and don’t run, in pool areas. Slippery surfaces lead to slips and scrapes, so remind any kids you have in the area to also walk and be aware of their surroundings. Slowing down also applies to those occasions when accidents occur and it’s tempting to give in to the panic. Take a breath and remember that the way you react can heavily influence a little one. Brush up on basic first-aid and CPR so you can feel more confident and calm in case of an emergency. You’ll feel better and you’ll be able to handle things better as you do. What other safety and etiquette tips are important for everyone to remember? Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment! We hope you enjoy visiting our pool this season.

Essentials for National Picnic Month

Welcome back to Nantucket Gate Blog! This week we want to help you celebrate National Picnic Month, a great excuse for getting out of the apartment and enjoying the rest of Tacoma, WA with a quaint snack or two. Read on for some essentials to remember as you plan your picnic! Pick a time and place. Sometimes the fun of a picnic comes from being spontaneous. But however far into the future your picnic will be, you still need to decide on a concrete time and place for it. This will lead to you thinking about who you want to include, which will determine the scale of your picnic, and inform all your later decisions. Confer with your fellow attendees and choose a time that works for everyone. If you’re unsure of where to host your picnic, think of what other activities that could supplement your time there. The City of Tacoma website is a great reference for finding community gardens, dog parks, and other parks in Tacoma you can try. Craft a menu. A picnic is a prime chance to go all out in terms of delicious food. Choose menu items based on the scope of your picnic so it can be appropriate for the type of outing you’re hoping to have. If it’s more of a small get together in the evening, consider finger foods or one main dish, such as these ham, cheese, and spinach puffs . If it’s a mid-day lunch, consider more filling dishes, such as this BLT pasta salad , this summer corn salad , or this caprese sandwich with parsley pesto . Ask your friends to contribute by making a dish or bringing along a side or drink to ease some of the burden off your shoulders. Gather your essentials. While you’re packing up your food, don’t forget the utensils, plates, containers for storing your extra food, napkins, cups, water bottles, serving spoons, garbage bags, and anything else you think you might need for eating and cleaning up. Also remember items for everyone’s comfort! Blankets are fun for lounging on and sweaters are important if you’re staying out late or if you’re worried you might get chilly. Bring along some insect repellent and sunscreen if you’re spending time in the glaring sun. Of course, remember to have fun and enjoy the last few weeks of summer! You deserve a break, and a picnic is a perfect time to have that. What are your favorite picnic recipes or spots near our apartment community in or around Tacoma? Share your suggestions with the rest of us by leaving a comment. Thanks for reading!

Fun Outdoor Summer Activities

July is the perfect time to get outside and play games with friends in Tacoma, WA. We have a few suggestions for outdoor activities you can try this summer to spend some time outside of your Nantucket Gate apartment. Read below for some of our favorites. Frisbee Ultimate frisbee is great for anyone looking to work off any extra calories they may have consumed at your picnic or barbecue. Find a frisbee and divide into two teams to play this twist on soccer. You can also play noncompetitively with the disc by tossing it around a group of friends or having your dog run after it. Picnic in the Park Enjoy a potluck style meal with some friends at your favorite local park. Make sure you don’t forget anything by using this picnic packing checklist from Real Simple. Get some picnic recipe ideas from Country Living. Water Balloon Relay Fill up lots of small water balloons and have fun with a water balloon relay. This game is perfect for a large group of people. Make two or more teams and create obstacles. Some obstacles could be to swing a water balloon to your teammates with a towel or tossing underhand from a certain distance. Have a team member at the end of the relay with a basket on their heads to fill up with water balloons. After a set amount of time, whoever has the most balloons in their basket wins. Glow-in-the-Dark Capture the Flag If you don’t think you can take the midday or late-afternoon heat, try a game that works well in the evening, when the sun has lowered and you feel a little less sluggish from the heat. Use large glow sticks in place of your flag for this easy twist on a classic game. What is your favorite outdoor summer activity? Let us know in the comments. Thanks for reading our post. Don’t be afraid to try something new this summer!

Books to Read during Summer 2019

Have you had enough screen time this month? It’s a great time to check out some of the top summer reads of 2019! This week, Nantucket Gate Blog is here to help you fill up your summer reading list with enthralling reads. Between relaxing vacation days by the waterfront and evening time unwinding at your Tacoma, WA apartment, there are plenty of new titles perfect for summer reading of all shapes and sizes. Check out some of these books this month: The Perfect Fraud by Ellen LaCorte “In this propulsive debut thriller, two women with deep secrets are thrown together by an unexpected meeting that plunges both their lives into chaos. But it’s a sick little girl whose fate hangs in the balance... When Claire and Rena meet by chance on an airplane, their carefully constructed lives begin to explode. Can these two women help each other and can they help Stephanie before it’s too late?” The Dry Heart by Natalia Ginzburg “Finally back in print, [this is] a frighteningly lucid feminist horror story about marriage. The Dry Heart begins and ends with the matter-of-fact pronouncement: “I shot him between the eyes.” As the tale―a plunge into the chilly waters of loneliness, desperation, and bitterness―proceeds, the narrator's murder of her flighty husband takes on a certain logical inevitability. Stripped of any preciousness or sentimentality, Natalia Ginzburg's writing here is white-hot, tempered by rage. She transforms the unhappy tale of an ordinary dull marriage into a rich psychological thriller that seems to beg the question: why don't more wives kill their husbands?” Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston “When his mother became President, Alex Claremont-Diaz was promptly cast as the American equivalent of a young royal. Handsome, charismatic, genius―his image is pure millennial-marketing gold for the White House. There's only one problem: Alex has a beef with the actual prince, Henry, across the pond. And when the tabloids get hold of a photo involving an Alex-Henry altercation, U.S./British relations take a turn for the worse. Heads of family, state, and other handlers devise a plan for damage control: staging a truce between the two rivals. What at first begins as a fake, Instragramable friendship grows deeper, and more dangerous, than either Alex or Henry could have imagined. Soon Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret romance with a surprisingly unstuffy Henry that could derail the campaign and upend two nations and begs the question: Can love save the world after all? Where do we find the courage, and the power, to be the people we are meant to be? And how can we learn to let our true colors shine through? Casey McQuiston's Red, White & Royal Blue proves: true love isn't always diplomatic.” Vintage 1954 by Antoine Laurain “When Hubert Larnaudie invites some fellow residents of his Parisian apartment building to drink an exceptional bottle of 1954 Beaujolais, he has no idea of its special properties. The following morning, Hubert finds himself waking up in 1950s Paris, as do antique restorer Magalie, mixologist Julien, and Airbnb tenant Bob from Milwaukee, who's on his first trip to Europe. After their initial shock, the city of Edith Piaf and An American in Paris begins to work its charm on them. The four delight in getting to know the French capital during this iconic period, whilst also playing with the possibilities that time travel allows. But, ultimately, they need to work out how to get back to 2017, and time is of the essence…” Which books are you anticipating enjoying this summer? Share your favorite summer novels with our apartment community by leaving a comment below. Happy summer reading!

July 2019 Netflix Releases

This July brings not only nationwide celebrations and summer weather, but it also brings a whole slew of Netflix Original releases! Nantucket Gate Blog is sharing with you some of the series we have waited for with the most anticipation. Sometime this month, get together with a few of your closest friends in your Tacoma, WA apartment to binge one of the following: The Last Czars (Season 1) Release date: July 3rd For anyone that is ready to try out a new drama, docuseries, or both, The Last Czars won’t disappoint. It follows the Romanov family as they fall from power in Russia in the early 1900s. As their docuseries with the largest budget, Netflix has been teasing its release since late 2017; it’s sure to be worth the wait! Stranger Things (Season 3) Release date: July 4th After nearly two years since the release of its second season, Stranger Things is back for more monster-filled adventures. This time, it’s looking, sounding, and feeling more 80s than ever! Join your favorite teenagers from Hawkins, Indiana as things take yet another turn for the stranger — this time, during the summer! Knights of the Zodiac: Saint Seiya (Season 1) Release date: July 19th Are you a fan of anime? While this reboot is technically computer generated animation, Knights of the Zodiac is based on a 114-episode anime from the 80s. With the earliest wind of this project being as early as 2016, it has been highly anticipated. If you’re not familiar with the original series, this month is a great time to dive into the universe of Saint Seiya. Orange is the New Black (Season 7) Release date: July 26th This month, the final season of Netflix’s longest-running original series Orange is the New Black is set to be released. In this series conclusion, join the famous inmates of Litchfield for one last season, but this time, under an entirely different set of circumstances.

Independence Day Events in Tacoma, WA

Independence Day is just three short days away! Have you finalized your plans yet? This week on Nantucket Gate Blog, we’re here to help you out by letting you know about all the great events happening near your Tacoma, WA apartment this year. Be sure to check out the following festivities: Point Ruston Independence Day 5k Have you ever participated in a 4th of July 5K? If not, this year is the perfect year to create a new tradition by running the Point Ruston Independence Day 5k! For anyone new to fun runs, this is a great race to start on because the whole course is either flat or downhill. Whether you decide to run at a leisurely or competitive pace, by yourself or with others, a 5K is the perfect way to join together with fellow runners in the spirit of freedom and maintaining good health. Tacoma Freedom Fair If you haven’t had the chance to attend Washington’s largest 4th of July celebration, then you won’t want to miss the Tacoma Freedom Fair this year. Check out what this event’s official website has to say about it: “Whether this will be your first year at Freedom Fair or your 40th, we hope you will be a part of the 3rd Largest July 4th Event in the USA…with 80,000+ in attendance. This “destination” event has it ALL…Multiple Stages with National & Regional Music Acts, Amazing Air Show, Huge Fireworks Presentation, Camp Patriot with Military Displays to Honor Our Armed Forces & Veterans, Classic Car Show, Funtastic Kids Park…with Over 200 Arts & Crafts Vendors and Delicious International Food Courts & Beer Gardens…PLUS MANY MANY MORE ATTRACTIONS FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY! Located at Ruston Way on the beautiful Tacoma Waterfront…We build memories at the Tacoma Freedom Fair!” Gig Harbor Wings and Wheels For those of you with family plans that take you to other places this Independence Day, don’t worry! The weekend right after the 4th brings another local favorite event: Gig Harbor’s 9th Annual Wings and Wheels. On July 6th and 7th, head over to Tacoma Narrows Airport for an afternoon filled with delicious food, aerobatic performances, World War Two fighter planes, and fancy show cars galore. Whatever you decide to do this Independence Day, be safe, and have a great time. Thanks for reading!