The End is in Sight!

The end is in sight! Only 3 days of exams, and then the holidays are here. I love my school, don’t get me wrong, but I’m pretty sure the idea of finals puts most people in bad moods. I have 2 exams, one for Western Art History, which requires an essay and memorization of about 100 slides, and one for Japanese 201. My other two classes, Cultural Anthropology and Social and Cultural Change have essays instead of exams. I have two 6-8 page research papers due before Wednesday. I haven’t started!

Oh well, instead of continuing to complain about my academic life, I am going to highlight the best things to do in Tacoma, as promised, some of which have to do with the holidays. All of these things are accessible by bus or by foot, and they are all within 7 miles of campus.

10. Listen to some live music at the Mandolin Cafe, while sipping coffee and pretending finals are not next week!
9. Watch polar bears and reindeer at the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium. It is AZA-certified (meaning their animals are especially well cared for and they work to rebuild endangered populations), and during the holidays they have thousands of Christmas lights shining at night throughout the zoo.
8. Enjoy two dollar Tuesdays at Chalet Bowl, only a five to ten minute walk away from campus.
7. Try a World Famous (or, at least, campus-wide famous) milkshake from Frisko Freeze.
6. Take a walk down N. 30th, through Old Town, down along the Puget Sound. The water is pretty to look at but not to swim in! It is freezing, trust me.
5. Go watch the Tacoma Rainiers, the AAA-affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, play ball just a few minutes from campus.
4. Head downtown to the Museum of Glass, started by the actually world-famous glass artist and former Puget Sound student, Dale Chihuly. Sunday admission is free for students, and they continuously have glass blowing demonstrations throughout the day.
3. While you are in the downtown area, grab a seasonal pumpkin cupcake with caramel icing at Hello Cupcake!. It may make you fall into a sugar coma, but it is so worth it.
2. Stroll through the neighborhoods surrounding campus, looking at the beautiful, Victorian-style homes, and pick berries along the way.
1. Last, but not least, visit my personal all-time favorite restaurant in Tacoma, Sushi Tama, and order a Spicy Tuna Roll, or if you don’t like raw fish, try the Nabeyaki Udon.

So, I just realized that at least half of the list above has to do with food… I guess I’m hungry. Or the coffee/food in the Northwest is just wonderfully delicious. Seriously though, the coffee, as well as the Asian food, in this area is definitely top notch.
That’s it for now, I believe. I need to start studying sometime!

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