In March we headed down the block to visit UI Cafe, a new spot in our neighborhood. For weeks we just said “we should stop in there soon,” because it’s so easy to save things for another day when you’re in your own city. Eventually, today has to be the day!
Tacoma High 5 is our way to nudge you toward what we love about Tacoma, toward 5 things that bring balance to our life in the city. It’s a short list with a commitment to the local—it embraces the season, invites delight, encourages a spirit of exploration and some generosity as well. This April, we’re continuing with our 5 categories:
Community Event
Sweet Treat
Exploration & Adventure
Local Love
Volunteering & Sharing
This list is about choosing to participate in the place we call home, and it’s about small things that make one day distinct from another, days that become small “remember-whens.” The idea is to step a little way outside your routine and live in the present (that place we tend so rarely to inhabit).
Maybe we’ll see you out there this month! But if we don’t see you, we hope you’re doing okay, and that someone else saw you instead and shouted your name from across the street.
Image from The Tacoma Flea
Image from the Black Night Market
1. Community Event - Tacoma Smörgåsbord
Broadway Farmers Market: The 36th season is open!
Thursdays April-September
Tacoma Daffodil Festival 93rd Grand Floral Parade
Saturday, April 4th
Walk Tacoma Kick-Off - Greening Tacoma: Connecting Parks & Places
Wednesday, April 15th - register here
The Tacoma Flea (a market, not an infestation!)
Saturday, April 25th & Sunday, April 26th at the Waterfront Market at Ruston
Poetry After Dark - Poetic Concert & Open Mic by The Black Night Market
Saturday, April 25th at the Tacoma Armory
A slice of Strawberry Crunch cake and a Banana Pudding cupcake.
2. Sweet Treat - Love by the Slice
Just a glimpse of the bakery counter and a full wall of red roses at Love by the Slice.
Strawberry Crunch cake! It’s pink, and cute and calls out to the kid in me with its signature strawberry crunch sprinkled over layers of vanilla whip. Fresh strawberries, light cake, and no thick, crusty frosting—it’s nice!
It seemed too pretty to eat from a to-go container, so I laid it on a nice plate at home, made a pot of tea, and had a proper dessert date with myself. If you, like me, have trouble choosing one cake over another, you could bring home a cupcake like the banana pudding cupcake (and then make plans to come back for the cup of banana pudding too).
Located in the heart of Hilltop, Love by the Slice is a small, local business with deep community roots, kind customer service, and a focus on supporting homeless youth and underserved populations. You can drop in for a slice, or order a whole cake for a special occasion (or a regular occasion that will suddenly feel special!).
If you really, really like your routine, go to your favorite STW place and pair it with a new one. Best of both!
3. Exploration & Adventure - STW
Get yourself to South Tacoma Way’s business district and go someplace you haven’t tried. You’ve probably already been to Howdy Bagel (you may have even been in line right behind the last person to get a bagel!). You may have branched out from your seat in the 6th Ave Bluebeard to a spot in the STW Bluebeard. We hope you’ve had a night out at The Mule and Church Cantina. Good chance you’ve brought a plan home from Fernseed. If not, any of those things could be your new thing.
But what about:
This is just a tiny sample. You could also go to the axe throwing place, the wrestling club, get a haircut, do some pilates, visit a couple of game shops, stop by the Habitat Store, or try an escape room. We don’t know what you’ll find at these places. We don’t know if you’ll like it; this is the exploration and adventure category so uncertainty is part of the point!
Tamales can be your whole meal, or make some rice, beans, and salad for a colorful plate.
4. Local Love - Home Delivery from Angels Cocina
I think of Angel Navarro as the tamales angel of tacoma. His homemade tamales will make you feel better, but so will his kindness when he brings them to your door. Don’t know about you, but we’d love it if he had a regular spot to cook and serve from so we could drop in any time. Until then, deliveries and pop-ups are going strong and every order helps him start up his business.
If you’re not already familiar, you can meet Angel Navarro on Instagram. Follow him @angelscocina and he’ll send you a message on delivery days. He’ll let you know what he has available (usually pork, chicken, and rajas y queso tamales and salsa samples!); just write him back with your order and a delivery address.
Image from Parks Tacoma
5. Volunteering & Sharing - Parks Tacoma Work Parties
I don’t want to live in a Tacoma without parks. We love the trails, the beaches, the flowering trees, the summer festivals, the wildlife, the shade, the change of scene, the people-watching! Parks give us a lot, and there are lots of ways to love our parks back:
Love our parks by being in them and being a good steward by staying on trails, cleaning up after yourself and your pet (and maybe even picking up after others once in a while).
Give to one of the five foundations that supports our parks like the Tacoma Parks Foundation or the Zoo Society. Learn about all five foundations here.
Volunteer! Join a work party: work parties take place at parks all across the city on various days and times. Take a look at upcoming work parties to see if one fits in for you.
Keep in touch about Tacoma life, community, events, homes, and a bit about us.
