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JASON RANTZ

Six reasons Tacoma is better than Seattle

Dec 1, 2017, 6:15 AM | Updated: 7:17 am

tacoma, Cruise...

Could the Tacoma Dome play host to a fight between Justin Bieber and Tom Cruise? (File photo)

(File photo)

Until recently, I lived my whole life in or just outside of Tacoma. About six months ago I moved to Seattle for work.

The move was really good for me, and even with all its flaws, I feel like Seattle is a nice fit.

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That doesn鈥檛 mean there aren鈥檛 several things I miss about my old stomping grounds. Here are the big six.

Growth is 鈥 different in Seattle: This isn鈥檛 breaking news, but the whole region is filling with more and more people. Seattle is driving the growth, obviously, but places like Tacoma aren鈥檛 immune.

Both cities are growing, but the quality of the expansion feels different. In Seattle, the growth feels exponential and overwhelming. In Tacoma, it鈥檚 still a lot but it feels less 鈥 blazing.

The pace of change in Tacoma felt more manageable and it was still at least kind of a big deal when a new restaurant opened. Meanwhile, Seattle is a city that feels harder and harder to know when individual neighborhoods keep reinventing themselves.

The best bar in the region: My friend and I discovered Tacoma’s one Saturday night while we were searching Sixth Avenue for a bar with a shuffleboard table. I wouldn鈥檛 say it was love at first sight, but I liked it enough to start following the bar鈥檚 Instagram account.

That鈥檚 how I learned the bar gave out free pizza for every Seahawks game. I know, I know — it鈥檚 a marketing ploy. Every time I went to watch a game I would spend more money on drinks than I would have if I watched the game at home and ordered a pizza.

Don鈥檛 care. I loved it. I started to get to know the bartenders and I started to feel like a regular. It was so fun.

North End isn鈥檛 a brewery where you鈥檙e limited just to the beer they brew in the back. All the taps rotate and they feature a ton of unique local brews. I highly recommend visiting some time they have Belching Beaver鈥檚 Peanut Butter Milk Stout on nitro.

Frisko Freeze: Dick鈥檚 is great. Very reasonable price given the quality, and they鈥檙e pretty quick, too. Unless it鈥檚 past 9 p.m. on a weekend, in which case the wait will be at least 30 minutes and you鈥檒l be surrounded by drunks (but it鈥檚 OK because let鈥檚 face it, you鈥檙e drunk too).

Frisko Freeze in Tacoma is so much better. They are a little more expensive, but it鈥檚 worth it. I recommend going at night. It gets too busy during the lunch hour, but anytime after 8 p.m. is good. Plus the big, neon sign out front is cooler after dark.

If you鈥檙e going to go to Frisko Freeze you do need to go all out, though. Get a burger and fries and a shake. Frisko is really a place that鈥檚 leaning into the nostalgic factor, but not in an annoying, insincere way, and that鈥檚 what makes it great.

Not paying rent: Before moving to Seattle, I lived with my parents and they very graciously allowed me to live rent-free. Obviously, moving out required signing a lease.

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I actually think my rent is pretty reasonable compared to a lot of my friends here in Seattle. I live in a small two bedroom that I split with a roommate. That鈥檚 never stopped my parents from reminding me I鈥檓 paying more in rent than they鈥檝e ever paid in their lives.

Tacoma Comedy Club鈥檚 Open Mic: Comedy open mics are a real mixed bag, and when I say mixed-bag, I mean they鈥檙e so close to unilaterally terrible.

You just have to go into it with the right mindset, pretend like you鈥檙e panning for gold. Chances are slim you鈥檒l end up with anything, but at the same time, you could stumble upon something really lovely. If you鈥檙e not mentally prepared for what to expect, you might end up like

That being said, as open mics go, Tacoma Comedy Club鈥檚 Wednesday night show is one of the best. To sign up, comics have to email in advance, sometimes a month before they鈥檒l perform. This means you aren鈥檛 just getting people off the street. One time at an open mic I witnessed a guy put the microphone down his pants. They had to kick him out and get a new mic.

The ceilings are a little high for a comedy club, but the shows move quickly and they attract a reasonably-sized audience most weeks which is probably the biggest factor in an open mic鈥檚 success.

Thrift stores: Tacoma has its hipsters, but they鈥檙e still a spectacle. In Seattle, they鈥檙e commonplace.

That鈥檚 why the thrift stores are better in Tacoma. You鈥檙e competing against fewer other weirdos for that silly old dad-shirt.

If you鈥檙e a real fan of vintage clothing, Scorpio Rising (also on Sixth Avenue) is my favorite. Don鈥檛 go in expecting Goodwill prices, but you鈥檒l find some really neat stuff. In particular, they do a great job of curating local vintage items.

Just one final thought: If you鈥檙e a recent college grad, like I was, considering a move from the small city to the bigger one, I recommend waiting as long as reasonably possible. Seattle, with all of its big, expensive problems, will still be here when you鈥檙e ready.

Jason Rantz on AM 770 KTTH
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Six reasons Tacoma is better than Seattle