Blog Posts

The Best Trick-Or-Treating Alternatives in Tacoma

In our last post, we focused on neighborhoods that either offered storefront or house-to-house trick-or-treating options in town. But what are your other options when it comes to local festivities? Whether youre looking for something indoors, a trunk-or-treat, or a festival in lieu of the usual door-to-door, weve got you covered in our recommendations below. Local Trick-Or-Treat Alternatives Tacoma Mall In the past, the mall has held indoor trick-or-treat alternatives for those that want to stock up on candy and festivities in a more controlled environment. And all of the stores will have candy for anyone thats twelve or under. Just remember no toy weapons on costumesand that anyone over twelve isnt allowed to wear masks for safety. It usually runs from about 5PM until 7PM. LeMay Trunk-Or-Treat The LeMay Foundation runs a trunk-or-treat option outdoors earlier in the dayusually from about 2PM until 4PM. For anyone thats never been, a trunk-or-treat swaps out houses for decorated cars. Admission is free. There will be both costume contests and contests for anyone that decides to dress up their cars. Expect to see some collectiblesand maybe even a hearse or two. You can find more information about the event over here . Factoria Square In the past, this event has been home to Disney and Pixar themeswith Radio Disney at the helm of music, themed games, live entertainment, and treats. While the details on this years event arent as clear on the event page yetoutside of WARM 106.9 hosting this yearyou can be sure their track record shows an environment thats perfect for kids. In two posts, weve covered a few of our favorite places to trick-or-treat or celebrate Halloweenwhether you have kids in tow or want to decorate your own car and get to know your community. But we want to know what you think. Are you planning on trying any of our recommendations? Or do you have any tips you want to share with our readers? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!

The Best Trick-Or-Treating Neighborhoods in Tacoma

Whether youre finishing up costumes, or finalizing party plans for the end of October and Halloween, you might be wondering what your options are for trick-or-treating in and around Tacoma. With more and more opportunities at local malls or through other community events, you might be looking for a more traditional house-to-house experience on top of it all. In two posts, well be focusing on all your options for trick-or-treating in and near South Sound. First, lets focus on what long-time residents often suggest for a traditional house-to-house experience. The Best Trick-Or-Treat Neighborhoods Stadium District This district utilizes many of its locally owned businesses to act as perfect makeshift trick-or-treat stops. But once all the festivities done, or youre ready to try your luck with houses in the area, we highly recommend taking advantage of Yakima Avenues historic mansions and large homes. Everyone knows theyve always got the best candy and door-to-door treats or elaborate holiday decorations. Fircrest Those looking for something in the central part of downtown that feels just as small and approachable as it does quaint will be pleased with the cute charm of this neighborhood. Wed recommend checking the Fircrest Community Center during the day for festive events. But the real allure of this neighborhood is how popular it is at night to other trick-or-treaters. Proctor District Every year, this neighborhood is a good bet to get a healthy mixture of business and local shop-sponsored trick-or-treating events. And the streets are often closed to traffic for a few hours. Plus, once the events end, the houses in the area are just as easy to visit. This area is usually known for pulling out all the stops. Whitman Elementary Neighborhood Houses that live closer to schools are likely to have kids of their ownand likely to be a popular destination for those looking for quantity. Stick to the areas between S 38th and 48th streets and South K Street for homes that deck themselves out.

The Beginners Guide to the Seattle Seahawks

Whether youve lived here all your life and havent ever watched a game, or just moved here and are wondering what all the hype is about, we figured that now is as good of a time as any to fall in love with the Seattle Seahawks. From their first appearance in the Super Bowlto their back-to-back appearances that resulted in a sweeping victory and controversial loss, theres plenty of reason why this season could be the most interesting yet. In two posts, well show you why you should care and give you the resources you need to understand the game and keep tabs on the team throughout the year. But first, lets focus on what makes them so alluring. An Introduction to the Hawks Joining the league in 1976, playing their home games in the late Kingdome up until 2002 when the new Century Link Fieldwhere they play todaywas completed. In that span of time, theyve appeared in the playoffs in fourteen different seasons. Though theyve featured a good group of noteworthy and hall-of-fame football players, their first appearance in the Super Bowl was led by Coach Mike Holmgren, Matt Hasselbeck at quarterback, and legendary powerhouse backbones like Shaun Alexander in Super Bowl XL for the 2005 season. But they went on to lose that game to the Pittsburgh Steelers. It wasnt until Pete Carroll came in to coach the Seattle Seahawks in 2010and starting over with a younger team and Russell Wilson at quarterbackthat they would go on to win their first Super Bowl in 2013. With many of their players being late-round draft picks and undrafted free agents that many other teams didnt believe in, including explosive players like Marshawn Lynch, this is now a team that thrives on no one believing in them. But after the last play of the following Super Bowl resulted in a loss, and a controversial play call on the one yard line that cost them the game, they enter this season in a similar way they entered their best season yetwith a chip on their shoulder and everything to prove. And in our next post, well talk about how you can understand what you need to get everything you need from this storybook season in progress.

Oktoberfest Themed Recipes That Are Perfect All Month Long

Fall is filled with dishes that are based on harvest vegetables. But for those that are already tired of pumpkin showing up in their coffee and food, there are seasonal alternatives that offer the perfect cure. Oktoberfest-themed meals are known for robust traditional flavors. And whether its the hand-crafted beer, homemade pretzels, or a juice grilled brat, youre bound to find something that provides the needed relief from pumpkin-itis in our list of ideas below. Oktoberfest Recipes Beer Braised Cabbage Pairing perfectly with other standard recipes like spaetzle, this tangy and smoky dish finds its character in the added apple slices and thick-cut bacon. With just a bit of brown or amber ale, fresh green cabbage, grilled onions, and apple cider vinegar, this is an easy dish. And itll take you just forty-five minutes in total to make. You can find the recipe and short list of ingredients in full over here . Bavarian Pretzels Theres not much that goes better with your favorite fall ale or lager than a traditional soft pretzel. And because they only take about thirty-five minutes to make, theres not that much holding you back from making that a reality. With the right amounts of flour, baking soda, active yeast, and coarse sea salt, youll have enough for six servings. The recipe and step-by-step can be found over here . Bavarian Lentil Soup Onions, sweet leeks, lentils, carrots, yellow potatoes, and bacon all work together to bring this chilly weather cure-all together in a memorable way. Though this dish will take about an hour to make, its a cheap dish thats worth the patience as it simmers away. With a little sautee skills, you can easily get this dish started and have enough time to finish the cabbage and pretzels by dinner time. Youll find the recipe to this one over here .

Wine Tours in Tacoma

For the casual wine connoisseur, there is no better home base than Nantucket Gate Apartments. Several of the areas finest vintners are located within a few minutes drive. Whether youre interested in wine tastings, walking tours, or chartered bus tourstake your pick! The city of Tacoma borders both the Woodinville and Puget Sound Wine Country trails, and is only a few miles from hundreds of other Northwestern Washington wineries. The wines of Washington are rapidly growing in prestige around the world because of their high quality and unique flavors. For starters, 21 Cellars is a lovely little boutique winery located on the North end of Tacoma. Head down there and you might find yourself visiting with Philip Coates, of the Coates Winery. Mr. Coates is known for producing only 300 cases of premium wines each year, and hes located in your very own backyard. The Vino Aquino Winery is also just a short walk or drive away and offers a traditional Italian, family-style atmosphere. They will even let you host or attend a tasting or bottling party! If you are interested in a walking wine tour, you can visit the LeMay Wine & Chocolate Affair in Tacoma, one of the various Wine Walks in Sumner, or Auburns Classical Connoisseur events at the local golf course. Each of these out-door walking style events are located less than 20 minutes from your front door! Can you imagine having the ability to enjoy so many succulent vintages, within such a short distance? Its surely heaven for anyone who appreciates a fine wine. For the more adventurous connoisseur, with more time to devote to the making and tasting of wines, sign up for a Wine Trail Tour ! The Commencement Bay area is located at the crossroads of several different trails. First, you will want to choose which region youd like to tour. Then, you can take your pick of the length and style. There are literally hundreds of wineries to visit in and around Tacoma! If you are feeling extreme, you could plan a friendly outing on a Winery Bus . If you want to just sit back and enjoy the ride, without any planning necessary, try Woodenville Wine Country, or Barrel Wine Tours.

Music Lessons in Tacoma

Music is one of the common languages of all mankind. Every civilization across the globe, no matter how isolated, has developed forms of music unique to them. Weve designed hundreds of different instruments over the centuries (just take a look at this list), and have written more songs than could ever be counted. Listening to music is one of the worlds most popular pastimes; and if you ask the musicians, theyll tell you that listening to music rarely compares to the experience of making music. Making music, whether writing or performing, is something anyone can do. Whether you have a particular instrument in mind or just want to sing your heart out, there are plenty of places in the Tacoma area to learn and improve your musical abilities. Here are a few suggestions: Ted Brown Music Ted Brown Music stores are native to Washington, with the first having opened its doors well before the Second World War. They grew from a simple piano store to a full-service music shop, with sheet music, instruments for sale or rent, and private lessons on a variety of instruments hosted in their store. If youre interested in learning musical performance, Ted Brown Music is a great one-stop solutionyou can buy or rent your instrument of choice and find a certified instructor in the same place. The Tacoma Ted Brown Music store currently hosts instructors for the following lessons: Banjo, Bass, Cello, Clarinet, Double Bass, Drums, Euphonium, Flute, French Horn, Guitar, Harp, Mandolin, Music Therapy, Oboe, Percussion, Piano, Piccolo, Recorder, Saxophone, Trumpet, Trombone, Tuba, Violin, Viola, and Voice. Instructors set their own rates and schedules, so for more details or to schedule lessons, youll need to contact them directly. You can look up instructors on the Ted Brown Music website here . Community Music at the University of Puget Sound The Community Music program at the University of Puget Sound offers a variety of musical instruction to students of nearly any agetheir youngest student is 18 months old and their oldest is 92 years. In addition to private music lessons in a variety of instruments, the program also offers chamber music classesthat is, the opportunity to learn and perform with a small orchestra of your fellow studentsmusical theater classes, and special, age-appropriate Kindermusik classes for kids. Students can register in person or by mail, and you can find the proper forms on the Community Music webpage here . Need-based financial aid is available for all programsyoull need to contact their office if you want to apply. Other Options Other options for musical instruction in Tacoma range from the less formal to the very formal. Thumbtack.com is an excellent site for looking up people and places offering music lessons, and even allows people to post ads for the type of teacher they want to find. On the other hand, if youre really serious about your music, both Tacoma Community College and the University of Puget Sound offer a full range of musical instruction in their respective music programs; you can look up their respective programs here and here .