Restaurants : By Erik Hanberg

Sidewalk Dining - Finally!

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Whereas Kimberley below will be sharing her first impressions of Tacoma on this site, I’ll be posting a bit on my experience as a Downtown Tacoma veteran. Veteran, in this sense, means that I’ve lived Downtown for 5 years.

Back in August of 2002 I was two months out of college and I discovered that while I’d been away studying, downtown Tacoma had made leaps and bounds beyond what it was like when I was in high school. I moved into the Bostwick immediately to be at the center of it all.

Since then, downtown has still been transforming, although as a resident it’s felt like two steps forward, one step back sometimes.

This summer, though, a new thing emerged in downtown Tacoma that was almost non-existent the last 4 summers I’ve lived downtown: sidewalk dining.

Last summer, Meconi’s, Galanga, and the Harmon are about the only two three (Thanks, Ken) places I can think of that offered sidewalk dining. This summer, we can add Capers, Paddy Coynes, Vin Grotto, Stadium Bistro, Doyle’s, and the Sea Grill to that list, plus probably a few more that I’m forgetting.

Sidewalk dining does wonders for streetscapes (there’s a reason it’s always drawn into architectural renderings of neighborhoods and new buildings). Plus, when the weather’s gorgeous, it’s good motivation to get people out and on the streets of downtown.

With the last bit of summer left, don’t immediately head to the water. There’s some great places downtown where you can sit outside and enjoy the feeling of a city in summer.

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