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Washington State Fair near Tacoma

Fairs are a fantastic opportunity to enjoy something you love and try something newwith the plentiful array of attractions they provide, youre guaranteed to find both side-by-side. State fairs are all the more exciting, thanks to their size and the many activities they attract. And it just so happens that the Washington State Fair is on right now, not far from Nantucket Gate in Tacoma! The fair runs from September 5th to the 21st at the Washington State Fair Events Center in Puyallup. Types of fun available this year include: Concerts : This years performances include Clay Walker, Jennifer Nettles and Brandy Clark, Chicago and REO Speedwagon, Keith Urban, Jeff Dunham, Toby Keith, and Pentatonix. Rodeo : Featuring bull riding, bareback & saddle bronco riding, roping, steer wrestling, and barrel racing, plus the Rodeo Parade and Cattle Drive. Rides : Rides range from the Sillyville rides for kids 32 or taller to Midvale fairground rides for everyone else, and extreme rides such as the Classic Coaster, Extreme Scream, and the Rainer Rush inverted roller coaster. Food : Whether you are looking for a juicy burger, a traditional fair scone or something out of the ordinary, the Washington State Fair offers a variety of food options to excite your taste buds. Attractions : Unique highlights of this years fair include the Vision Dome, with the World Tour, Outdoor Adventures, and 3D Gaming; the Tibetan Photo Display art show; and the Friday Fireworks Spectacular. Animal Exhibits : Featuring the Piglet Palace, draft horse and driving demonstrations, and the Fair Farm. Art & Culture : Art shows, hands-on art instruction, giant pumpkin carving, Asian Cultural Day, and Fiestas Patriasa Latin cultural fair with contemporary music and performances. Shopping : With over 900 vendors at the fair, theres almost more to buy than you could wrap your head around. Whatever youre after, for yourself or for someone else, youll find it at the fair. Contests : Competitions this year include the Xfinity Daily Prize Giveaway, the Emerald Queen Casino Best of Fair Awards, and the Ultimate Fan contest at the Ultimate Tailgate party, not to mention fairground booths and prizes in abundance! For admission prices and other information, check out the State Fairs website here .

Outdoor Photography Tour near Tacoma

Every now and then, I get the urge to load up what little photography equipment I have and go take some beautiful pictures. Theres beauty everywhere, of course, but it never hurts to have a gorgeous place to go if you want to take some really first-class pictures. Our residents at Nantucket Gate are extra fortunate, however, because they have easy access to guided tours of the Seattle and Tacoma area through Shutter Tours. Shutter Tours was founded by professional photographer Terry Divyak. When taking photographs on a trip to New York in 2007, he began to wonder if there were any tours of the area that would cater to photographers, helping find the best shots of landmarks both famous and unknown. It turned out there werent, so he was forced to wander the city on his own looking for great shots. When he returned to his hometown of Seattle, he began putting together Shutter Tours so that he could share his intimate knowledge of the best photography locations in the city with other photographers. The companys most popular tour begins at Snoqualmie falls in the Cascade foothills, and then moves on to Seattle and some of its most historical and beautiful sightsincluding the Fremont Troll, Theo Chocolate, the Ballard Locks, and the best view of the Seattle skyline at Kerry Park. The tour is packed with stories about Seattle and its history, from the Klondike Gold rush and how the city got its name to how Starbucks became the company it is today. Tours are open to guests of all ages, and reservations need to be made ahead of time. The tour does require some light walking, so wear some comfy shoes. You dont have to bring a camera, but it would almost be a waste if you didnt! Fortunately, there are no requirements as to how nice your equipment has to bemany guests simply take photos with their phones or with disposable cameras. You can check out their website here to make reservations or for more information.

The Perfect Late Summer Sweet BBQ Recipes

In our last post, we covered some unique ways to add a flavorful kick to savory BBQ recipes. In this post, we tried to do the samebut with the sweeter side dishes and desserts. Some of which even incorporate the grill to bring out appealing textures and confident flavors. From ice cream to pound cake, theres something for everyone below. Summer Berry Ice Cream While some die hard fans of ice cream in the Pacific Northwest might still indulge in this cooler treat in the cooler months, it just hits the spot a little differently in the summer. And if youve just picked up some berries at the local farmers market, this is a great way to put them to use. Though the recipe calls for a little vodka, you can just as easily do without it. You can find this ten minute recipe over here . Grilled Rose-Water Poundcake If the grill is already still warm from cooking your savory dishes, you might as well capitalize on the remaining embers to add some extra flavor to your dessert. With just seven simple ingredients, including a little rose water, you can have this tasty poundcake ready for the grill after about an hour in the oven. While the recipe recommends peach compote, dont be afraid to experiment. Tamarind-Chile Ice Pops Popsicles are pretty easy to make, which is probably why theyre such a seasonal staple. But tamarind is a sweet and sour flavor from the border that will add some diversity to your usual store-bought popsicles. With just a little tamarind concentrate, a dash of chile powder, and a popsicle mold, youll have these ready for your BBQ before you know it. Saveur has the recipe and ingredients. Grilled Cantaloupe If you can grill poundcake, you definitely grill fruit. And why wouldnt you? Charred cantaloupe adds a new dynamic to this light summer melon. With a few blueberries and a sweet and sour peach agrodolce, this is a dead simpleand still equally classyway to serve a fruit-based dessert at any BBQ. You can find the recipe in full over here . Do you plan on trying any of the above recipes? Or do you have some of your own that youd like to share? Either way, wed love to hear about it in the comments below! And, as always, if you have suggestions for future blog posts, be sure to let us know what you have in mind.

The Perfect Late Summer Savory BBQ Recipes

Now that its nearly the end of summerand cooler temperatures are just around the corneryou might have a sort of carpe diem spirit thats entered into your summer BBQ resolve. Whether youre looking for BBQ recipes to use at the beginning of the month, the day before fall, or even the nicer days before winter shows up, our recipes below have you covered for all of the above. Grilled Mango-Habanero Corn While you cant go wrong with a bit of melted butter on some fresh corn on the cob, its always nice to mix things up a bit. Enter the sweet and spicy combo of mango and habanero. But dont be afraid of the heatits still a pretty moderate dish. With the husks tied back as a convenient handle, and a short pre-soak to steam the corn and prevent it from burning, youre ready to bring this creative spin on fresh corn to the test. You can find what youll need for the recipe over here . Japanese Wasabi Burgers Half beef and half pork, with a flavorful wasabi ketchup, this recipe puts another refreshing spin on the classic summer burger. And sophisticated brioche buns and freshly chopped white onions bring the simplicity of this smart dish together. While this is certainly ripe for any season, wed recommend using the grill to give this burger all the flavor it deserves. To see what youll need to put on the grocery list, you can find what youll need on New York Times Cooking . Spicy Kimchi Potato Salad If youre not usually a fan of the usual potato salad, adding sriracha and kimchi to the mix might be a good way to change your mind. With a little bit of lime juice and chopped scallions, and fresh waxy white or yellow potatoes, youll have a salad thats perfect for your late summer BBQ. You can find the step-by-step over here . So, how did we do? Do you plan on trying any of the above recipes? If so, wed love to hear about how it all went in the comments below. In our next post, well be focusing on creative desserts that are perfect for late summer BBQs.

Finding Late Summer Deals At Your Local Thrift Store Part 2

In our last post we focused on a few of the things you should do before you even make the trip to your local thrift stores of choice. And now that weve gotten that out of the way, and youve drafted out your battle plan, we can get to the fun partthe strategies you can use to walk away with something as good or even better than you expected. Phone Research As youre going through daily deals or new arrivals, you can utilize the internet or apps to see if the brand youre looking at really is that great of a deal. And if you find it online for a considerably better price in your size, or in better condition, youll have your local thrift store to thank for the style inspiration. You can also use your phone research to strike up a better deal at the register if you still plan on buying it. Restock Pile This is another often neglected resource. On the busier sale days, the piles by the dressing room were often grabbed up by other shoppers because they caught their fashionable eye. While other shoppers might not have the same sense of fashion as you do, this is a smart place to start. Dont be deterred by them leaving it behindmost items are usually left there because they didnt fit. Haggle Deals Last but not least, some prices in the store are up to negotiation. Especially if you find that the item has a few missing bolts, a tear, or anything else you feel detracts from its value. While you might know that most of these issues would be a quick fix, dont lay out all your cards by revealing that. And you dont usually need to play hardballmost employees are willing to hear you out and give you a fair price for something they probably didnt notice. If youre looking for other tips on finding clothes in a second-hand store, wed also recommend reading through this article from South Sound Talk and this one from Rookie. Whatever you end up getting, wherever you end up shopping, or whatever thrifty tips you end up using, wed love to hear about it all in the comments below!

Finding Late Summer Deals At Your Local Thrift Store Part 1

With the end of summer approaching, seasonal deals are easy to come by in both local and chain stores. But seasonal cleaning also leads to a treasure trove of finds at thrift stores throughout the city. To make sure you know where the best thrift stores are, and give you the tips you need to find the deals you deserve, weve penned out some of our favorite tips into two separate blogs. Before you spend your time searching for an affordable vintage end table or a stylish flannel shirt for fall and winter, well need to cover what to look for in your thrift stores of choiceand what you can do to prepare before you go. Taking Inventory To maximize your seasonal thrift store run, its a good idea to know what you really need. If youre planning on a late summer or early fall clean, make a list of what you have as you go. This is also a great opportunity to downsize on anything youre not using anymoreor want to switch out in your apartment decor or daily wardrobe. After all, if youre going to a thrift store to pick up some new digs anyway, you may as well drop some donations off to make room. Finding Stores Location can make a big difference in what youll find in local thrift stores. For example, while popular or trendy areas in town are more likely to have a bigger selection, that selection might be more picked over than a lesser known or frequented location. To help you decide, wed recommend looking up local thrift stores on your favorite search engine, looking up stores by zip code here , and relying on local reviews . It also helps to have some familiarity with the city. Find areas that are trendy and closer to downtown hubs, museums, universities, and other hipper urban attractions. Timing It Right Finding good deals at thrift stores is all about timing. If youve ever gone before and it feels picked over, its probably been a few days since their last big donation or weekly sale. Because this is going to vary from store to store, wed recommend calling around and asking which days are their bigger donation days each week and monthand when they have their different dollar and half-off days. Even after all the planning you put in above, and flexible expectations, you might still not find something you like. And thats okay! It might take a few visits to get lucky enough, but eventually the stars will align for you. Now that weve covered what you should do before your visit, well be focusing on what you should do when youre there.