Blog Posts

The Value of Classical Music

September is Classical Music month. Our Nantucket Blog is sharing some interesting research regarding classical music and the effect it has on people, and providing some suggestions of great classical pieces to listen to in your apartment this month in Tacoma, WA. Sadly, classical music is probably one of the most underappreciated genres of music. Rarely when you ask someone their favorite type of music is their answer ‘classical’. Yet some of the most beautiful musical melodies and harmonies have been created through the use of classical instruments like the violin, piano, cello, and more. It also requires an immense level of skill to play any of these instruments or intricate musical pieces. Classical composers such as Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, and Debussy were deemed as musical geniuses once upon a time. The effects of classical music Research studies have found several positive effects associated with listening to classical music. Some of these benefits include decreased stress levels, lessened anxiety, better sleep patterns, increased focus and motivation, as well as a heightened emotional state. Something about classical music has a calming effect on the brain. Listening to classical music while you study has even been suggested by research studies to improve student performance when examined over the material studied. Listening to classical music also can decrease blood pressure , improves sleep quality , and may even help fight depression . For most individuals listening to classical music while studying is less distracting than other types of music that contain lyrics. Classical Song Suggestions Clair De Lune , Claude Debussy Fur Elise , Beethoven Moonlight Sonata , Beethoven Four Seasons , Vivaldi 1812 Overture , Tchaikovsky Rhapsody in Blue , Gershwin You might just be amazed by how much more focused, motivated, and productive you are when listening to classical music while studying, reading, or working on a project. Give classical music a chance this month, and who knows, it might just become your new favorite genre. Who is your favorite classical composer? Tell us in the comments, and thanks for reading our post!

Tips for Minimizing Clutter

You clean and organize your apartment and two days later things are all over the place and a disorganized mess; we’ve all been there. In today’s Nantucket Gate Blog, we will be sharing some useful tips to help you manage and minimize clutter in your apartment and keep it that way. Read on for some great tips that will keep your Tacoma, WA apartment a relaxing place that you will love to come home to. Tip #1: Storage Bins By using storage bins to organize your things, you ensure everything has a place. This might just be enough motivation to get you to put things back in their designated spot which will result in less clutter and disorder in your apartment. Target has a great selection of storage bins and baskets to help you keep your apartment clutter-free! Tip #2: Minimize Stop holding on to items that you ‘might’ use, or rarely use. Keep things that are essential and sell, donate, or toss any items that you don’t need, want, or that are in poor condition or broken. Logically it makes sense that the less stuff you have, the less cluttered your apartment will be. Tip #3: Think before you buy Avoid impulse buying by really taking the time to consider the usefulness of the item, whether you have space for it, and whether it is a need or a want. You will avoid clutter this way because there will be less unnecessary items to take up space in your apartment. Tip #4: Replace, Don’t Accumulate Avoid accumulating multiple items that have the same purpose, by replacing old, broken, or worn items with new ones. Don’t hold on to those stained and torn oven mitts, toss them out and buy some nice new ones to replace them! Keeping items for purely sentimental reasons that no longer have any use is one of the quickest ways to accumulate clutter. For more ideas on minimizing and living a clutter-free life, check out this article by Apartment Therapy . Do you have any tips for how you minimize clutter in your apartment? Share them with us so we can put them to use! Thanks for reading our post!

Sweet As Honey

September is National Honey Month, and our Nantucket Gate Blog is here to help you celebrate in the sweetest way possible. We will be featuring a few different recipes featuring honey and sharing with you where you can find great local honey near your apartment here in Tacoma, WA. Keep reading for the buzz. Honey is a natural sweetener as well as a flavor enhancer, and can be used as a substitute for processed sugar in most recipes. Honey is the only food source that is produced by insects and eaten by humans. Honey has a wide range of uses — from skin care to food sweetener to home remedies. This incredibly unique substance is magnificent in every way. Recipes Honey Peanut Butter Protein Energy Balls Looking for a healthier snacking alternative? Try these tasty treats made with honey, oats, shredded coconut, chopped almonds, whey protein powder, dried apricots, and peanut butter. Strawberry and Honey Oat Scones Start your morning off right with these fruit scones that have somehow managed to achieve the ideal balance of sweetness. Honey BBQ Party Franks Give these a try at your next BBQ to surprise your guests with some delightful flavors and a little unexpected sweetness. You will need chicken or turkey frankfurters, barbeque sauce, honey, dry mustard, and ground ginger. Grilled Potato Salad With Honey Chipotle Vinaigrette Perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, this hearty meal mixes spicy and sweet to obtain a satisfying mixture of flavors that will keep your taste buds on edge. Honey Baked Chicken This lightly breaded, honey-glazed chicken very likely might become a new dinner favorite. For the honey glaze, you’ll need honey, orange juice, soy sauce, minced garlic cloves, hot sauce, black pepper, kosher salt, and fresh parsley (for garnish). Honey Bread Pudding This easy to make dessert calls for day-old egg bread, honey, milk, vanilla, eggs, evaporated milk, grated orange peel, raisins (if desired), and cinnamon. A soul-warming dish will make you feel right at home. Where to Find Local Honey Robbins Honey Farm (12 mins) 7910 148th St SW, Lakewood, WA 98439 “Best priced local raw honey in town!!!” — G Harvey, Google review Proctor Farmers Market (23 mins) North 27th & Proctor St., Tacoma, WA 98417 “The best farmer's market in town! Good variety, plenty of veggies, pleasant neighborhood, and very bikeable.” — B ryan Russo, Google review Make this month as sweet as honey by substituting fresh, local honey in place of sugar. Also, don’t forget to try out the honey-featured recipes above. Thanks for reading!

Complimentary Tanning for Residents

Summer may almost be over, but that doesn’t mean you have to lose that perfect summer tan you worked so hard for! Lucky for you, Nantucket Gate Apartments offers year-round tanning in our tanning salon, which is free to all residents. So you don’t have to say goodbye to your beautiful sun-kissed skin once summer ends! Fun fact: Tanning, whether from natural sunlight or the UV lights from a tanning bed, increases vitamin D production within the body. Vitamin D helps promote healthy bones and teeth, as well as providing defense against some diseases. Studies have found that higher levels of vitamin D may help to regulate your mood and prevent depression. Vitamin D also helps to boost weight loss and to prevent heart disease. Here are a few tips to help you get the best out of your tanning experience. — Start out tanning for short intervals and gradually increase your UV exposure. The goal is not to burn, but to tan gradually. — If you do burn, wait until the burn has fully healed before returning to the tanning bed. This will help you to avoid unnecessary pain and further damage to your skin. — Use a tanning lotion. It helps to boost your tan and keep your skin feeling soft and smooth. — Wait a couple of days between tanning sessions. Once you have reached your ideal level of tan, tanning once or twice a week will be enough to keep it from fading. Keep your hard-earned summer tan year-round! Keeping your year-round summer glow is no longer something that you thought was only possible in your dreams. Take advantage of this great benefit of living here at the Nantucket Gates Apartments in Tacoma, WA. You deserve to look and feel great all year, so head on over to our complimentary tanning salon and start boosting your vitamin D levels right away. Thanks for reading the Nantucket Gate Blog! Share any tanning salon tips or tricks with us in the comments!

Visit the Lakewood Farmers Market

It’s true that the freshest ingredients make the best tasting food, so head on over to the Lakewood Farmers’ Market today to pick up some in season fruits and vegetables to make the perfect summer meal. Not sure what is in season? No problem! Check out this A to Z guide to Seasonal Fruits and Vegetables from the Spruce to help you know what to look for. Why choose the farmers’ market? You may be thinking, “Why would I go to the farmers’ market when I could just make a quick stop by the grocery store?” While grocery stores are convenient, they tend not to offer the highest quality of fresh produce. Grocery store produce is often shipped in from all over the world, and as a result is either bruised, battered, or past its prime. Choose your local farmers’ market instead, where you will find the freshest, locally grown produce and where you can at the same time support local businesses and farmers. Where do I go? The Lakewood Farmers’ Market occurs every Tuesday from 10am to 3pm beginning Tuesday, June 6th, and ending Tuesday, September 12th. The market celebrates Lakewood’s strong sense of community while at the same time offering healthy and fresh food options to those who visit. What do I do with it? Stop on by and pick up some fresh ingredients and incorporate them into some of these fresh and easy farmers’ market dinners . Try something new and tasty this summer! We think this watermelon and arugula chicken salad sounds like the perfect, refreshing summer meal! Or fire up your grill and give these spicy buttermilk chicken and vegetable kebabs a try! No matter what you choose to make, you can’t go wrong with fresh ingredients from your local farmers’ market. Thanks for reading our post! What are some of your favorite summer recipes? Share them with us in the comments.

Visit LeMay - Americas Car Museum

In this Nantucket Blog post we will be featuring one of Tacoma’s many great attractions - Lemay - America’s Car Museum . Lemay’s is anything but your average museum! Learn about the history and progression of automobiles in the United States and view hundreds of classic, luxury, and specialty cars at Lemay - America’s Car Museum. Travel Tacoma has this to say about the museum: “ LeMay - America’s Car Museum explores how the automobile has fulfilled a distinctive role at the core of the American experience and shaped our society. The spacious museum with rotating exhibits is designed to be the centerpiece for automotive history as well as an educational center and library. The nine-acre campus contains a 3.5-acre show field, theatre, cafe, banquet hall and meeting facilities.” Unlike most other museums, Lemay offers interactive opportunities to give you a new perspective on automobiles and allow you the experience of what it would be like to drive one of the cars. Put yourself behind the wheel in one of their racing simulators or in one of their slot cars. Experience what it would be like behind the wheel instead of just an outside observer. Because the Lemay - America’s Car Museum is so large, there are always multiple fun and exciting events happening. Visit the website and check out what awesome events are happening before you make your visit. Come enjoy a free drive-in movie before the summer is over! Nothing captures the essence of summer quite like the drive-in theatre. Well, what are you waiting for? Start planning your trip today! Buy tickets online to avoid the lines and give you more time to enjoy all the fascinating exhibits and activities. Don’t forget to check out the gift shop! Share with the rest of the apartment community your favorite part of your visit to Lemay - America’s Car Museum in the comments. Thanks for reading our Nantucket Gate Blog post!