Tacoma WA 2024

TACOMA | WA | 2024

1 Home Improvement 2 Good Eats 4 Event Calendar 6 Budgeting 101 10 Psychology of Eating 16 Luxury Cruises 18 Community Resources 20 Service Directory

Renovations

to increase home value

Personalization: We all want to make our home unique to our own character. However, when it comes time to sell, buyers want to envision themselves in the home, which can be difficult if the entire home is personalized to you. Avoid any personalization that is difficult to undo and stick to a nice universal outlook that speaks to everyone.

Landscaping: Just like with personalizing, it’s best to keep

it simple. Some home buyers may love how elaborate your landscaping may look, but most of the time they’re considering the cost of upkeep or the difficulty of maintaining that look. A clean lawn with curb appeal is the best first impression to give to potential buyers.

Closet Space: Some of us are minimalist and can do with a larger room by sacrificing closet space, but most potential buyers value the importance of storage. Remember, buyers want to see themselves living in the home, and a lack of closet space might send them looking elsewhere.

Bold Paint: Freshly painted rooms are a great way to brighten up

your home. There’s nothing wrong with bringing a little color into your home but keep in mind that buyers may not favor the same colors you do. Stick to keeping the colors subtle with small accents and focus more on neutral tones to appeal to potential buyers.

Trendy Designs: Barn doors and patterned tiles may look great

to some buyers, but avoid trendy designs that might be outdated when you decide to sell. No matter how tempting the latest home design trend may be, the classic look is always the safest bet.

DIY Projects: Projects that you build yourself are great, but only when they’re done professionally. This is important to potential buyers so make sure if you’re going to do your own home project, that you do it exceptionally well. This also applies to repairs, quick cover ups will only get you so far. These sort of projects can either increase or decrease the value of your home so make sure you know what you’re doing before proceeding.

Long-Term Necessities: When it comes to renovations, keep in mind that not every buyer needs a built in office desk, or a workshop, or anything that may seem like a great idea to you.

Tread carefully when adding permanent fixtures, not all buyers have the same vision as you when it comes to changes made. Make sure your room structures allow the flexibility for potential buyers to make their own changes.

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Restaurants El Gaucho Tacoma Elegant, dimly lit steakhouse offering high-end classics like Angus beef & tableside Caesars.

2119 Pacific Ave, Tacoma, WA 98402 Phone: (253) 272-1510 | Web: elgaucho.com

Wooden City Tacoma Industrial-chic joint serving pizza, sandwiches & sharing plates, plus cocktails.

714 Pacific Ave, Tacoma, WA 98402 Phone: (253) 503-0762 | Web: woodencitytacoma.com

Over The Moon Cafe Northwest cuisine is served in a romantic space with brick walls, bold colors & hanging lanterns.

709 Opera Alley, Tacoma, WA 98402 Phone: (253) 284-3722 | Web: overthemooncafe.net

Have a restaurant you’d like us to feature?

Send in a recommendation for your favorite restaurant to be added to our list. Be sure to mention why you think they are worthy of being featured and include a link to their website.

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En Rama Warm, cozy eatery serving homestyle Italian grub alongside cocktails & wine in wood-clad environs.

1102 A St #220, Tacoma, WA

Primo Grill Restaurant Colorful eatery with an open kitchen, serving Mediterranean steaks, pastas & applewood-fired pizzas.

2701 6th Ave, Tacoma, WA

Stanley & Seafort’s Prime rib, oysters Rockefeller & other American classics, plus valet parking & harbor & city views.

115 E 34th St, Tacoma, WA

The Table Contemporary bistro featuring New American fare in a convivial, cozy setting.

2715 6th Ave, Tacoma, WA

Harbor Lights Northwest seafood dishes with outdoor seating overlooking Commencement Bay. 2761 Ruston Way, Tacoma, WA

Indochine Asian Dining Lounge Exposed-brick walls & a pond set the scene at this Museum District fixture with Asian-fusion fare.

1924 Pacific Ave, Tacoma, WA

THEKOI Japanese Cuisine Upscale spot for traditional & fusion Japanese fare in a sleek, contemporary dining room.

1552 Commerce St #100, Tacoma, WA

Cliff House Restaurant Pacific NW seafood, steaks & pasta served in an elegant dining room with sweeping Sound views.

6300 Marine View Drive, Tacoma, WA

Infinite Soups An ever-changing menu of soups includes recipes with meat, vegetarian & vegan ingredients.

445 Tacoma Ave S, Tacoma, WA

Southern Kitchen Soul food including favorites such as fried chicken & collard greens served in a laid-back space.

1716 6th Ave, Tacoma, WA TAC O M A | WA | 2 024 |

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EVENTS 2023-24 Jan 10-16 Tacoma Light Trail Come join the Tacoma Light Trail, a free winter festival of light, art, and sound downtown! Drive, ride, or walk around a Trail of over 30 light art exhibits in windows and buildings, each with their own music or poetry and viewable 5-9pm every night. Join live music, circus, spoken word, and light art performances from 6-8pm on Fridays and Saturdays in Tollefson Plaza, with community art-making, hot chocolate, and food trucks. Join the Light Parade 5:30pm on New Year’s Eve. Visit tacomalighttrail.org.

FEB 11 Lincoln District Lunar New Year Festival You’re invited to the annual Lincoln District Lunar New Year festival!

Join Lincoln District businesses and residents for a day of lion dancers, firecrackers, food and family fun! Shop the pop-up marketplace and eat at one of the many neighborhood restaurants or from food trucks! Learn more at eventbrite.com.

FEB 24 Asia Pacific Cultural Center’s New Year Celebration This is a free family event held every year with live entertainment from a variety of different asian countries and their culture. Visitors can enjoy cultural arts, games, performances, demos, hands-on activities, crafts, food booths, fashion, martial arts, and so much more! Learn more at asiapacificculturalcenter.org.

MAR 16 3rd Annual Irish Festival Join us for our 3rd Annual Irish Festival at Freighthouse Square in Tacoma WA. We will have over 40 Vendors for your shopping pleasure. We will have a small variety of Irish Food & Sweet treats plus Irish Fudge Samples.

Irish Music, Dancers and of course our traditional Leprechaun Photo Booth. Meet the Leprechaun (Zak) and get your picture taken for free. We

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EVENTS 2024 will be handing out free goody bags to the first 100 guests. Learn more at eventbrite.com.

Apr 6-7 The Daffodil Festival The Daffodil Festival is a regional festival and royalty leadership program.

Join us on Main Street for the 38th Annual Daffodil Festival. Enjoy live music, vendors, delicious food, fun & games for the kids, and more! The Grand Floral Parade is held in Pierce County, Washington every April. It consists of a flower parade and a year-long royalty program to select a festival queen from one of the 24 area high schools.

APR 11 Washington Spring Fair This is Washington’s biggest celebration of Spring. Annually held, visitors can immerse themselves in a delightful blend of carnival rides, live performances, delicious food vendors, and exhibitions highlighting the state’s diverse industries. Learn more at thefair.com.

APR 27 Tacoma City Marathon / Half / Ghost / 5K Mark your calendar for the weekend of April 27th 28th, 2024 and join us for the return of the Ghost of Tacoma on Saturday and the Tacoma City Marathon on Sunday with Marathon Relay, Half Marathon and 5K options also available. Run 3 races in 2 days! Visit findarace.com.

JUN 21 Washington State Summer Con Summer Con is a collection of over 250 vendors, artists, exhibitors, prop builders, crafters, streamers, podcasters, gamers, and experts who set up at the convention to sell their products, teach, and meet the thousands of people who enter the Convention. Hundreds of attendees come dressed in their favorite costumes as photographers and attendees rush to get photos. Celebrity Guests now fly in from across the country, Europe, and

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EATING

THE PSYCHOLOGY Control weight gain and compulsive eating behaviors by making better choices about the food that you eat.

Control weight gain and compulsive eating behaviors by making better choices about the food that you eat.

strive to achieve but often fall short.

Influences Cultural, social, family, and economical factors may be a Consumption direct influence Some of us more than others realize linked to our food and eating that what we eat can effect how we behaviors. feel such as eating However, a more serious influence too little or too much. We should such as stress, boredom and be able to enjoy anxiety can play what we eat but a larger role also feel better as many of us when we do. eat as a coping Eating healthy is a challenging task mechanism. that many of us Although it can

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sometimes help bring relief and ease feelings, it often leads to regret and build more negativity.

Avoiding the problem with food will often create another problem with self-image when

suffering from weight gain or other negative affects caused by unhealthy eating.

Weight Management Here are tips to help you manage your weight.

For starters, never skip a meal. By skipping a meal, you’re allowing yourself to become hungry later which can result in reckless binge eating. Be sure to plan your meals ahead of time and limit night time snacking. This will allow you to always be one step ahead of your weight by creating a routine. If you’re getting a craving between meals, try to exercise or find another way to distract yourself from food. continued on page 12 TAC O M A | WA | 2 024 |

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Eating Diary - This is a great tool to keep track of your eating habits.

Record what food you eat and when you eat it.

Also take note of how you feel after eating and if you were doing anything while eating such as using your phone or watching TV. By recording your habits, you will be able to pinpoint which foods and activities to avoid.

The diary can also assist you when you’re working with a dietitian to help you make the best decisions.

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EVENTS 2024 from across the Pacific to meet their fans, sign autographs, take pictures, and speak at panels. Learn more at wasummercon.com.

JUN 22 Pride Celebration Celebrate Pride and our LGBTQ+ community at Northwest Trek! See our grizzly bears and black bears enjoy rainbow popsicles, our raccoons climb to get their colorful treats and our badgers unwrap and forage through a Pride filled present. Watch animals enjoy rainbow-themed enrichments (like rainbow ice treats and rainbow fruit skewers!) all weekend long! Learn more at nwtrek.org.

JUL 4 Tacoma Summer Blast Tacoma’s 4th of July Summer Blast is the City of Tacoma’s official 4th of July Celebration. This annual event takes place on Dune Peninsula and the iconic Ruston Way Waterfront and features two distinct event footprints, over 150 vendors, 2 stages and a 20-minute firework display. This event is the largest free community event in the South Sound. Learn more at metroparkstacoma.org.

JUL 12 10th Annual Salmon Derby Can you reel in the biggest fish? Grab some bait & a fishing pole and join the derby. After a morning on the water, join us on the dock while you enjoy a delicious lunch, listen to the Billy Shew Band play great live music & enjoy a chance to win some great prizes. Learn more at allevents.in.

JUL 27 MOSAIC: Tacoma’s Arts and Culture Festival The largest celebration of culture and community in Tacoma, Ethnic Fest is a family-friendly, free festival with a kids’ zones, live performances and specialty arts & crafts and plenty of food. Learn more at metroparkstacoma.org.

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Aug TBD Brew Five Three Enjoy more than 40+ Northwest vendors including renowned breweries and cideries. grab some grub from local food trucks, and listen to live tunes. Visit broadwaycenter.org.

Sep TBD Tacoma Moon Festival An annual outdoor celebration held in September at Chinese Reconciliation Park to honor the rich diverse cultures of the Puget Sound region, brought here by our immigrant communities over the 150 years of the city’s history. Visit tacomamoonfestival.org.

OCT 12 Rocktoberfest Celebrate fall with beer and cider, local harvest beer, fresh-hop ales, and imported German Bier! At this music-meets-Oktoberfest, you’ll find a variety beers and ciders from McMenamins and guests, food specials and live music. Learn more at mcmenamins.com.

NOV TBD 79th Annual Tacoma Tree Lighting Join us for the 79th annual Tacoma Holiday Tree Lighting as we come together at the Pantages Theater located at 901 Broadway to ring in the holiday season! There will be free refreshments, free photos with Santa, live entertainment courtesy of the JBLM Brass Quartet, and plenty of holiday cheer to go around. Learn more at tacomacitytheaters.org.

DEC 1 Zoolights Bundle up for this outdoor holiday lights spectacle. For years, Point Defiance has given Tacoma’s local zoo a makeover with over 800,000 lights. Online timed entry tickets are required, so be sure to book your entrance in advance. Learn more at pdza.org.

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With lodging, food and entertainment all included in one price, choosing to do a vacation on a cruise gives great value. Traveling on the sea can be extremely fun, but it is important to choose the correct cruise line. If you’re going to spend a lot of your vacation time on a cruise ship, it may as well be one of luxury.

Thankfully, there’s many luxury cruise lines ready to cater to your every

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whim while ferrying you to and from some of the world’s most mesmerizing destinations in plush comfort. Some offer exotic voyages to faraway destinations, while others attract travelers with comfortable cabins and stimulating enrichment programs.

Use this guide as a starting point to find out which luxury cruise fits best for your next vacation.

We made a list that factors in itinerary affordability, health ratings, and reputation among experts and travelers.

1 SILVERSEA 2 OCEANIA 3 REGENT SEVEN SEAS 4 SEABOURN 5 WINDSTAR TAC O M A | WA | 2 024 |

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RAINBOW CENTER Through education, advocacy, and celebration, Rainbow Center expands resources and safe space for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, two-spirit, and allied (LGBTQ2SA) community. Our Education Program offers highquality workshops and training opportunities for individuals, businesses or groups that want to know more about how to engage, support, serve and increase their awareness/understanding of the LGBTQ2S community.

RAINBOWCNTR.ORG | (253) 383-2318

PFLAG TACOMA Welcome to the Tacoma, Washington chapter of PFLAG! We support the families of LGBTQ and gender non-conforming people, their allies and their community. PFLAG is a volunteer organization with locations throughout the USA and other parts of the world. We promote the health and well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning persons, their families and friends.

PFLAGTACOMA.ORG

TACOMA OLDER LGBT Tacoma Older LGBT, is a non-profit 501(c)3, the premier lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) organization in Tacoma and Pierce County specifically geared to advocating for; serving, supporting, and working with older LGBT adults in Tacoma, Pierce County and surrounding areas.

TACOMAOLDERLGBT.ORG | (253) 271-8185

OASIS YOUTH CENTER Oasis Youth Center transforms the lives of queer youth by creating a safe place to learn, connect, and thrive. Oasis envisions a world in which queer youth are valued in the community as strong, creative leaders. Oasis is a youth-adult partnership in which young people and adults come together for shared teaching, learning and action. OASISYOUTHCENTER.ORG | (253) 671-2838

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ART MUSEUM Tacoma Art Museum..............................................................................7 MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL Tacoma Rainiers.....................................................................................5 NONPROFIT Salvation Army.............................................................back inside cover REAL ESTATE The Jo Jensen Group...............................................................................7 ROOFING Minihan Roofing.................................................................................... 9

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