Blog Posts

How to Be a Good Neighbor at Nantucket Gate Apartments

Have you heard that September 28th is National Good Neighbor Day? It’s a great chance for us here at Nantucket Gate Blog to share a few ideas on how to treat your neighbors in the apartment community with more kindness and respect. We want to share some tips with you on how you can become you can do this. Enjoy your month here in Tacoma, WA and read on! Introduce Yourself It’s nice to become acquainted with your neighbors, even if it’s just by first name. If you notice a neighbor moving in, take the opportunity to spend a few minutes introducing yourself. Taking this simple step will open up a line of communication that can allow for future conversations and possibly even friendships. Not everyone is up for becoming friends with their neighbors, but a simple introduction won’t hurt and lays the groundwork for a cordial relationship. Pay Attention to Shared Walls Being aware of any walls you share with your neighbors helps you consciously keep the noise down, which can prevent any uncomfortable conversations down the road. It’s also a simple and kind gesture to be aware of what time it is when you perform activities like vacuuming, watching TV at high volumes, or hosting parties. Be considerate of your neighbors and you are far less likely to have problems. Chances are, they’ll return the favor. Communicate Openly During your introduction to your neighbor, it might be a good idea to exchange contact information. This will allow for the line of communication to stay open in a casual way. If you’re being too noisy and it’s bothering them or vice versa, there’s a way to communicate simply without being too intrusive It’s also a great way to let neighbors know if you’re out of town and need some help with mail, packages, watering plants, or any other needs you might have while away. Help Neighbors Move In or Out A great way to treat your neighbors well is to help them with moving in or moving out. Everyone can use an extra hand when moving, and offering to be there can make a world of difference. Some people may not feel comfortable with this or may not need the help, but it’s always kind to make yourself available to carry a few boxes up or down the stairs. Do you have any tips on how to be a good neighbor in an apartment community? Let us know in the comments. Thanks for reading our post!

Treat Yourself to a Staycation

You work hard. You put in the hours at work or school and sometimes that gets tiring. You don’t need the summer to take a vacation, but you may need a sizeable amount of spending money to have the vacation you want. Vacations are expensive, there’s no way around that. In order to help you get the rest and relaxation you deserve, we’re going to share a great alternative to an expensive vacation: a staycation! In this week’s Nantucket Gate Blog, we’ve got a shortlist of ways to have a great staycation. Hotels Travel is expensive, and oftentimes, you’ll end up sacrificing a more luxurious living accommodation in order to maximize your budget for activities. With a staycation, you don’t have the expense of airfare, leaving you more money to spend on proper luxurious accommodations. Splurge and treat yourself to a nicer hotel with pampering amenities! Restaurants When you’re the local of a city, you find the restaurants you like and frequent them often. There are plenty of restaurants in your local area, but you’ve probably not tried all of them, so use your staycation as an opportunity to branch out and try something new! Choose a cuisine that you’ve never had before or a different restaurant of your favorite cuisine. Yelp and Google Reviews can be your best friend, so use those wisely! Entertainment Vacations are a time to try new things and do some activities! Explore the city you call home by finding some fun things to do as though you were a visitor or tourist. You’ll be surprised how many fun things there are to do here in Tacoma, WA. Toss out that local resident mentality and try to imagine that you’re visiting your city for the first time! Do you have any staycation tips for us? Share them with our apartment community by leaving a comment!

Ideas for a Night In

The end of summer is a great time to remind you that not every night is supposed to be a party. Because of that, it’s a good idea to find things to do on those nights you stay at home. Instead of wasting an unnecessary amount of time binging TV shows on Netflix, we at Nantucket Gate Blog have a few suggestions for other ways to pass your time. No more lazing around on your couch staring blankly at the TV screen in your Tacoma, WA apartment. Solve a Puzzle If you’re looking for something to do over an extended series of evenings, a 1000-piece puzzle is a perfect solution. On top of being time-consuming, it also provides you with a sense of accomplishment when you set that last piece in place. Head to your local board game store to find a popular culture puzzle of your liking, order one online, or you can even special order a puzzle with a picture of your choosing. Not interested in a classic puzzle? Get yourself a book of word or number puzzles! Play a Board Game If you have nothing to do, you can turn a boring night into an exciting one by inviting some friends over to play a board game! Depending on the number of people you’re inviting, you can play games like Settlers of Catan, Pandemic, or Mafia. Invite your friends to bring some of their favorite games so you have more than one to choose from! Read Something Interesting Do you have a favorite book series you constantly reread or a book you’ve wanted to read but haven’t yet? A night in provides you with a perfect opportunity to put away your electronic devices and dive into that book. Whether you’re interested in fantasy, science fiction, mystery or another genre, you can enjoy staying at home by reading the word of countless incredible authors. Better yet, choose a nonfiction book on a topic of your choice to learn something interesting about the world. Expand your horizons and strengthen your creativity through reading! Do you have a favorite activity you enjoy doing on a night in (besides watching TV)? If you do, let us know by leaving a comment below.

Tips for a Better Breakfast

Nantucket Gate Blog welcomes you to the month of September! In honor of it being National Better Breakfast Month, we are inviting everyone in our Tacoma, WA apartment community to learn a bit more about how to have a better experience at breakfast, and as a result, throughout the whole day. Keep reading to discover our best suggestions! Eat Enough Food The biggest tip we could give you for a better breakfast is to eat enough food. Many people walk out the door having eating one simple piece of fruit or toast — if anything at all! While it may seem tempting to do so due to lack of time or appetite, that’s not enough to keep you sustained until lunch. Rather than saving your first significant meal of the day until lunch, start your day off right with a large enough quantity of food to provide you with the energy you need to succeed. Balance Your Meal On top of simply eating enough food, it’s important to eat the right type of food as well. While oats and grain are important sources of sustained energy over the course of the morning, eating three large bowls of cereal will likely have you feeling sluggish before too long. Instead, opt for one serving of whole grains and round out your meal with some fresh fruit and an egg or a protein shake. Prepare the Night Before If you feel pressed for time in the morning, you’re not alone. Because it might not be realistic to prepare a full meal before work, consider spending fifteen minutes before bed preparing a meal you can eat before you head out the door in the morning. If you’re a fan of oatmeal, consider making a hearty bowl of overnight oats. Do you like breakfast sandwiches? Prepare all the components the night before so all you have to do in the morning is stick it on the panini grill. Whatever you prefer to eat for your first meal of the day, chances are, there’s a way you can save yourself time by doing some food prep in advance. Thanks for reading our post today. May your September be filled with better breakfasts!

How to Recognize Back-to-School Season for Non-Students

This week on Nantucket Gate Blog, we’re here to help those who live in our Tacoma, WA community observe back-to-school season — even those of us who are no longer in school. While you might not be going to class every day this year, the end of August is a great time to think about some of your favorite parts of school and learning and figure out how to incorporate them into your current routine. Consider doing one of the following this month: Get Yourself a New Pen For those in our apartment community who have been out of the normal school schedule for long enough, you may have forgotten the simple, yet powerful, joy of buying a new pen. On top of being a moment to retire a writing utensil that either no longer works or has served its time, getting a new pen often serves as a mini moment of inspiration to stay more organized and accomplish goals. Read a Nonfiction Book There’s an old adage that says “you learn something new every day.” While that’s more or less true, it can be difficult to feel like you’re learning new things when you aren’t in school. To help facilitate feelings of acquiring new knowledge this upcoming season, we suggest you pick up a nonfiction book from a local library or bookshop on a subject you’re interested in but know little about. While it takes more effort to learn without a class schedule, deadlines, or a teacher, there’s a world of knowledge available to us through books — all we have to do is open the cover! Do an Art Project Remember when you used to get a list of school supplies before grade school started up again every year? Often times, it included things like watercolor paints, colored pencils, and markers. If you haven’t exercised the creative side of your brain in a while, back-to-school season is the perfect time to do it! Whether you pull an old set of paints out of your storage closet and have a casual evening of painting accompanied by your favorite food or drink, or you decide to take on a more hefty project like embroidery or refinishing furniture, use the upcoming season as a reminder to create something new. Thanks for reading our post today. Have a happy back-to-school season!

Summer Nail Art

Summer carries with it a fun and carefree vibe. For this very reason, it’s the perfect time to try out new things — like summer-themed nail art! Nantucket Gate Blog invites you to have some fun embracing your inner artist and trying out different nail art ideas to keep the vibe of the season going strong before it comes to a close. Invite some friends over to your apartment and put your nail art skills to the test. Crab Print and Nautical Mix This fun beach themed idea comes from Chalkboard Nails . With a steady hand and a little creativity, your nails will be ready for any summer party. We love the anchor themed accent nail. Watermelon Nails The Nailasaurus shows you how to transform your nails into miniature watermelon slices. Impress your friends with this adorable look that is sure to make your hands stand out. Under The Sea This fun idea comes from Make Nail Art . Start by painting your nails blue like the ocean and then stamping or painting on images of things you might find in the sea, such as seashells, seaweed, or fish. Cactus Nail Art Try adorning your nails with these adorable mini cacti! Paint your nails white first and let them dry. Then, use green nail polish and a skinny paintbrush to make the cacti. Use red or pink nail polish to add the flowers onto the cacti. Once everything is dry, finish with a clear top coat. Rainbow Blur You'll need a super-skinny, flat nail art brush to achieve this rainbow blur — moving the brush horizontally across the nail pushes two nail polish hues into each other, blending them seamlessly. Before you get started, watch the video tutorial to see how it’s done. Which of these nail art ideas are you most excited to try? Let us know in the comments and feel free to share your own summer nail art ideas there as well. Thanks for reading our post. We hope you have a fantastic summer at our apartment community here in Tacoma, WA!