Moving to Tacoma, Working in Kent... Doable or crazy? (Seattle: sales, to rent)

[galexia72]

Hi,

My husband will be working at Starbucks in Kent and we are looking to live in Tacoma. We prefer a city feel and would like places to walk.

What are the usual commute times from Tacoma to Kent at various times of day? We aren't sure which shift he'll be working yet.

We are looking to rent initially in Tacoma. I've heard North End or North Tacoma is nice. Are there other parts of Tacoma or a bordering city with parks and interesting architecture... a neighborhood with a good and unique vibe. Very walkable is key to my family. We want a safe area with good prices.

Thanks for your input! We are excited.

[homesinseattle]

19 miles, 25 minutes without traffic. Plan on about 45 during rush hour. For all the reasons you mentioned, North Tacoma is absolutely the best fit. The homes are very charming (including some classic mansions), the neighborhood lovely, definitely a unique vibe and a city feel. I have helped a number of my clients with homes there, they are without fail happy. If you can afford it, live closer to the water, maybe with views.

My family and I live in Seattle but make trips for fun to Tacoma every other month or so. We live in a classic Seattle neighborhood so one of my wife's favorite things to do is drive and wander other historic neighborhoods. We go to North Tacoma every time. In every price range, the homes are considerably more affordable than Seattle.

Go sit at funky and adorable coffee shop Satellite Coffee: https://local.yahoo.com/details;_ylt...&csz=Tacoma+WA

Wander through wonderful Union Station: http://www.unionstationrotunda.org/

Go see glass cool glass blowing exhibits at the the Chihuly Museum of Glass: Museum of Glass.

Have a tasty bite to eat and a cold pint along Ruston Way at Duke's Chowderhouse: https://local.yahoo.com/details;_ylt...&csz=Tacoma+WA

Best of luck, I think you will like it!

[Ira500]

A few Tacoma neighborhoods with charm and walkability are The Proctor District, Old Town, The Stadium District, Ruston/Pt. Defiance, downtown near the UW branch, and the Hilltop. The Hilltop has the reputation of being dangerous, but it's a whole lot nicer than it used to be. All in all, Tacoma is a vastly underrated place, and the commute to Kent won't be too bad.

[RotseCherut]

Originally Posted by homesinseattle

Go sit at funky and adorable coffee shop Satellite Coffee: https://local.yahoo.com/details;_ylt...&csz=Tacoma+WA

Avoid Satellite Coffee like the plague unless you enjoy jerky baristas loudly blasting offensive music and treating their customers like they are their subjects.. Also, the very bitter Stumptown Hairbender coffee they usually serve tastes like crap.

I enjoy going to places that appreciate my business and don't require me to be cool enough to patronize the establishment. The baristas at that place are utterly arrogant and act like you owe them some type of favor for serving you coffee..

It's also horribly uncomfortable inside that coffeeshop. Take a trip to Metronome or Valhalla if you want better coffee, friendlier service and a more pleasant atmosphere.

[homesinseattle]

Funny Rotse, I find the baristas hilariously offbeat and have gotten into great chats with them when I have gone in. I'd take that any day over a well mannered corporate coffee shop robot acting like they just read the "how to increase sales by doing all the right things" handbook.

[Scrat335]

Tacoma is a nice city IMO. The commute can be harrowing at times though if you stick to I5. There's lots of alternatives though if things get bad during rush hour. North End is nice and you need to hang out at Point Defiance Park when the weather is good. If it snows you need to be the first there too, great sledding and great to walk the trails in fresh snow.

[kaonevar]

Originally Posted by RotseCherut

Also, the very bitter Stumptown Hairbender coffee they usually serve tastes like crap.

Not to highjack the conversation, but Stumptown is freaking awesome.

[homesinseattle]

kaonevar, I agree. Stumptown coffee is not the best ever but pretty dang good. Hate me, but I'm a guy who truly has earned his stripes as a "coffee snob", backpacked in coffee growing countries Indonesia (Sumatra), Ethiopia, Costa Rica, Colombia, Tanzania, Guatemala. I don't think the OP would let her Starbucks employed husband get busted in one of these places, though . For the record Galexia, I drink Starbucks too.

[RotseCherut]

Originally Posted by homesinseattle

Funny Rotse, I find the baristas hilariously offbeat and have gotten into great chats with them when I have gone in. I'd take that any day over a well mannered corporate coffee shop robot acting like they just read the "how to increase sales by doing all the right things" handbook.

Well, there are quite a few baristas who work there.. Some were, in fact, very nice, but there are enough of them who are real arrogant pricks that made me never want to walk into that place again. Considering, I think most of their coffee sucks, it wasn't all that hard to stop frequenting that place. I am not sure which Satellite you went to, but I went to the one across from the park, there are two locations. I do not know about the baristas at the location on 6th Ave.

Originally Posted by kaonevar

Not to highjack the conversation, but Stumptown is freaking awesome.

Growing up in Portland, I remember when Stumptown was actually freaking awesome. Now they are mass produced and lower quality. There coffee is horribly acidic and I just cannot bear the overly sour flavor from their very poor quality harvesting practices which result in the beans developing low pH levels. I now refer to Stumptown as "Sour-Town", due to the excessively sour flavor of all their coffees. I am sure with a good deal of sugar and milk and a skilled barista, you can make this overly tart coffee taste exciting.

As, for the Hairbender blend, it is actually decent coffee in a heavily sugared espresso or iced coffee, but just G-d Awful in the drip coffee where it taste like a cross between motor oil and tart cherry juice. It's an over-roasted , overly acidic mess.


HomesinSeattle, for you to refer to Vahalla and Metronome as corporate managed coffee is utterly absurd. Although, perhaps, that wasn't your intention. Metronome serves up the local Victrola roaster out of Seattle and has live music, beer and food. It also serves up local teas from the Mad Hatter tea company in Tacoma. I enjoy that atmosphere of the place, although I will say it mainly attracts people from the local colleges, since Tacoma doesn't exactly have a big coffeeshop culture among the blue collar and gritty locals who usually would prefer to just hang out at one of the local Starbucks.

As far as Vahalla, that is one of Tacoma's only local roasters, along with Bluebeard coffee roasters. I have met the roaster and it is, in my opinion, the best coffee available in Tacoma. It is a very small coffeeshop and roaster. If anything is corporate, that would be Stumptown, which is now a national chain with locations all over the country. Vahalla is more what Stumptown was like back in the day, but considerably better quality coffee, is micro-roasted and the beans are processed with utmost care. These micro-roasters have a much better connection with the farms than a larger corporate chain like Stumptown.

[homesinseattle]

Rotse, you going fair trade and organic on me ? I love it! I wasn't comparing to those two at all, just making a general (and slightly tongue in cheek) comment. Keep fighting the good fight, I like people with strong opinions!