I went to UPS and spent four years in Tacoma, and while we all complained incessantly about the lack of anything, I really did enjoy Tacoma…it has several small, quirky neighborhoods, an abundance of good beer, coffee, and food, and of course good people. Although it doesn’t offer the same kind of advantages as a large city like Seattle, it is charming in its own, awkward way.

Visit Tacoma institutions like Bob’s Java Jive, Gateway to India, 6th Ave, The Waterfront, Point Defiance, Antique Sandwich Company, The Glass Museum, Tacos Guaymas, Proctor District, The Blue Mouse, The Grand, Stadium Video, MSM Deli, The Parkway, The Hob-Knob, Queen Anne Thriftway (NOT Metropolitan Market), and of course the UPS campus and the North End are very nice…