The newest Starbucks in Tacoma is at 3401 South 23rd Street, Tacoma (the corner of South 23rd and Union Avenue in the center with Walmart). I stopped on the way to a meeting and went through the drive in though there is a seating area. The entrance was a little confusing to me, but maybe it was just the early hour. The line was long and Starbucks computer went down which slowed things down even more, but I’m sure they will work out the bugs.
The new Starbucks in the Green Firs Shopping Center is at the site of the former Shari’s Restaurant. When this Starbucks opened, the smaller Starbucks in the center closed and of course the employees moved over.
Seattle’s Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI), 860 Terry Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109 in Lake Union Park.
It is impossible to walk around the new Museum of History and Industry without remembering something or learning something new. It is like a trip down memory lane! I went with a group and had lunch and heard a lector and got to explore the museum. At first blush the museum looks lovely, but not very full. But the opposite is true. There are a bunch of areas devoted to different themes all over the building. The 4th floor shows off the wonderful view and there is even a telescope! In addition there is a gift store and a cafe. It was a great time 😀
Some of the Seattle icon’s displayed include:
I was delighted by the musical presentation on the Great Seattle Fire of 1889. The museum is next to Seattle’s Wooden Boat Center, which is free and had the Foss Tugboat available for touring. The ship below wasn’t open when I went by, but I thought the light was lovely.
One of the best finds of the day was the parking lot, which is just on the other side of the trolly tracks. For $2 I could park for up to 9 hours! And while I didn’t do it this time, next time I might just take the trolly off somewhere!
While out running errands I stopped at Tully’s in the Stadium District (24 Tacoma Avenue North). This is one of three Tully’s in Tacoma and one of 200+ locations in the US. The first Tully’s opened in Seattle in 1992.
I usually order an Americano, but today I drank a peppermint mocha because it just looked so darned good advertised up there on the board.
Unbeknownst to me, Tully’s has been in the news the past few days. Apparently the chain is up for sale and Starbucks is one of the potential buyers. There are 47 company owned stores and I don’t know if this is one of them. Another potential buyer is a Grey’s Anatomy actor Patrick Dempsey’s investment group.
Has wifi and reminds me of home. That’s enough.
I love the exhibits at the Hobby Hall at the Western Washington State Fair! The people that create the exhibits are my people — interesting, smart, quirky, and a bit obsessive. The Hobby Hall is one of the fair places we always go along with the scone stand, the hot tub display (where we dip our hands), and the building with the photos and quilts and such (good bathroom on the second floor!). The exhibit building was constructed in 1939.
While we were there we talked to the ham radio folks and the astronomy guy and we saw wonderful collections (Titanic, holiday ornaments, sheep, smiley faces, Sailor Moon, Starbucks, Coke, Whiskey, hand puppets, nutcrackers, kimonos, dollhouses and many more).
They tell me there is a big old snow storm coming, though when I snapped this photo the skies were mostly blue. I needed some provisions (cookies, chips, milk, cheese) and stopped at Trader Joe’s and then for a cup of drip coffee at Green Fir’s Starbucks. It was packed and there was no inconspicuous way to take a photo, so I took one of the outside and it was truly awful! I mean really, really bad. So, here is a photo that I do like of one of the trees in the Green Firs Center. Now let’s see if we actually get this huge storm!
The Walgreens at 4315 Sixth Avenue has previously been the site of a small strip center. (See entry http://blog.firsttries.com/?p=1128). The store is next to a drive though Starbuck and while the construction was under way, it was really difficult to partake in a coffee fix! But now that the Walgreens is open, the two uses seem to be sharing their common ingress and egress without too many difficulties. The store is extra clean and the employees welcoming.
Seems like there is a never ending supply of Starbucks and today I stopped at the one in Mildred Center at 1816 S Mildred, Tacoma. I ordered a coffee and a piece of gingerbread.Then I went to the coffee counter and picked up my Americano and when I went back to pick up my gingerbread it was gone! When I asked about it, the barista said the other customer took it. Well, ok then. May I have an other piece? Nope, that was the last one. But they kindly gave me something else and a coupon for a free Starbucks drink of my choice. Win!
Dear daughter and I have a rule while traveling. No chain restaurants except Starbucks. We tried to do no chain restaurants at all, but found that we missed a good cup of coffee (me) or an iced tea lemonade (her) too much. Today we were traveling, which is sad, but we were running errands and needed a brake. We stopped at the Starbucks at 1723 South 72nd Street, Tacoma.
