My birthday isn't until the 16th, I'm just trying to plan. There isn't much to do up here that's in my taste, since I'm not vegan, most restaurants here are completely different than what I'm used too.
Yes sir, I just don't know of any good local restaurants. All the ones we've found are vegan, or girls in bikinis. Haha
Right on. I tried the vegan diet....it lasted until I finished my salad....then I ate a nice medium rare bison burger . I feel your pain.
In Tacoma: 1. El Gaucho is a well-reviewed steakhouse, but pricey. You're only getting one 21st birthday, so it may be worth the money to you, if steak is your thing. 2. Duke's Chowder House gets rave reviews as a seafood spot, for somewhat less cash. 3. Primo Grill has an excellent reputation as a Mediterranean restaurant, priced comparably to Duke's relative to the fare.
Okay. I'm local-ish (grew up in Renton - live in Bremerton). Are you stuck in Tacoma or do you want to venture farther afield? What kind of things are you lookin' for/interested in?
Right-o A couple hours east on I-90 is Leavenworth - there's outdoorsy stuff and brewpubs. It's a nice drive http://www.leavenworth.org/attractions Seattle Brewery tour (they drive you around!) and if you scroll down the page there are also distillery and coffee tours http://seattlebrewerytour.com/ Muckleshoot (north of Tacoma in Auburn), Snoqualmie (east on I-90), & Tulalip (north of Seattle) Casinos (Tulalip has a hotel) You can head a couple hours west to the ocean/beaches. I can recommend a couple of areas if you want to go hiking (getting toward icky weather season so those plans could get dodgy) Most of the above if you want to make a day of it. If you're just looking for a place for dinner/evening out I can ask a friend of mine who is from Tacoma for things there or I can make some suggestions in the Seattle/Renton/Kent area. There are some movie theaters that do dinner and/or beer. ETA - there's a Seahawks game Sunday the 15th you might be able to score tickets on post.
If you do that, let me know - I can give you a run down of the bars (which ones let in all ages) closest to the stadium and some options for cheaper (not cheap, unfortunately) parking options.
Do you like seafood? I've only passed through Seattle, but I'm sure there is plenty of wild caught salmon there, and other great seafood as well. A good seafood dinner always sounds good to me. The wild caught salmon I've had in Alaska beats the pants off farmed Atlantic salmon. Thank you for your service. Military roots run deep in my family, and I always appreciate the sacrifices of our men and women in the armed forces. How long have you been in Washington? My son's best friend, a Ranger, was out there for a while. He's in Virginia now, in Green Beret training. I was raised in the mountains of northeast Alabama, not far from your north Georgia mountains. I can appreciate what you've said about the difference in culture. I have some family a little north of Atlanta.
My fiancé lives in northeast Alabama. Jackson county. I'm deeply rooted in the south and it's a big change for me. I have seen as many seafood restaurants as I expected too. Probably because I avoid Seattle. I drive a manual 2010 Camaro, and the hills there kill the clutch. I swear all those rangers do is run. I have only been in Washington for about 6 months. My other time was spent in Virginia, and South Carolina. And thank you!
I've actually only went to Seattle once, I was taking a friend to look at trucks away from base. Ended up driving around a bit. Somehow managed to get into the heart of the city near pike place, and I cringed when I got stopped at a red light on those hills.
Oh, yeah, the downtown hills are the worst! One of the reasons the city pretty much shuts down with snow or ice. If you want to explore Seattle, you can take a straight shot in using the Seneca St. exit off I-5 and park at Pacific Place. From there it's an easy walk to the market area and waterfront (tons of construction currently) or you can hop on the light rail toward the stadia/international district. Pacific Place is also near the monorail which will take you to Seattle Center (or you can get there from the Mercer St. exit with no hills!) oh! that reminds me - The EMP (Experience Music Project) has great exhibits both music & sci-fi.
The city just makes me so nervous. I've always been very uneasy in any city. I grew up in the foothills of the mountains with a population of 1200. I do long to summit rainier though.
Go explore either Seattle, or better yet, Vancouver. Find a cabbie and ask him or her for a restaurant recommendation. Or eat at the first place you see cops eating. Preferably fat "healthy" cops.