Blog Posts

Get Back to Nature Near Your Apartments in Puyallup-image

No matter who you are or what you do, theres always a need to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, and immerse yourself in the natural world. Whether its to gain inspiration, to lay back and relax, or to exercise your stress away, the Five Mile Drive and Trails inside Point Defiance Park is the perfect getaway from the city. And its not too far from our apartments in Puyallup, WA! Trust me, the name doesnt do it any justice; its true that its a five mile drive, but its five miles of beautiful old growth Douglas fir, of cedar, of quiet views of Puget Sound, and of interaction with a variety of wildlife animals. Oh, speaking of, heres a secret just between you and me - when you get to mile 4, look over the fence and youll find yourself a little surprise, lets just say there are seals involved, so youll have to do it. The Five Mile Drive and Trails is a gem thats open year-round from sunrise to sundown - enjoy the fall foliage and also check out what it looks like when the entire park is covered in beautiful, fresh snow. For those who prefer biking and walking in calm silence, the park has reserved Saturday and Sunday mornings and early afternoons just for you; it is closed to vehicle traffic so you can enjoy yourself without worrying about dodging cars! If hiking is your thing, youll love hiking along our steep cliffs and listening to the unified sounds of wild animals and the animals from the zoo right next door. If youd rather be on water, fishing and kayaking will be available to you. The park is also a great venue for picnics, reunions, weddings and more. So remember, no matter who you are or what you do, theres always something for you at Point Defiance Park !

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Sports Bars around Puyallup-image

Make sure you know what your options are for each game day. Some lucky souls will manage to snag tickets to the game, but the rest of us have to be more creative. Many people like to spend the game at home with family, friends, and an unhealthy pile of snacks and drinks. Others might prefer to go out and enjoy the game in a sports bar. For that last group of people, heres a breakdown of some of the best sports bars in the Puyallup area. The Office Bar & Grill Located on Pacific Avenue in downtown Tacoma, the Office has a reputation for great food, a wide selection of quality drinks, and excellent service. With seven HD bigscreens around the bar and quite a few happy hours (twice a day Monday through Thursday, three to six Friday, eleven a.m. to six p.m. Saturday, and all day Sunday), youre sure to find the game you want and the best food to accompany it here. Be warned, though, that they tend to get crowded in the evenings on weekends and game days. Oh, and dont forget . . . try the bacon-wrapped tater-tots. North End Tavern Also known as Slappys Garage, the North End Tavern is the place to go if youre looking for somewhere a little more down-to-earth and low-key. Often described as a dive in all the best ways, the Tavern serves great food, beer, and wine, and features seven HD flatscreens to watch your favorite games on. Two pool tables promise something to keep you busy during commercials. Just remember to get here earlytheres a limited amount of tables, and they go quickly on game day. Rookies Sports Bar and Grill Although Rookies is further away that our previous entrieslocated in Columbia Cityit also boasts many features that may just make it worth the drive. As a local, non-chain establishment, Rookies prides itself of its use of local, natural ingredients in its food, making for some of the best sports bar fare youll find in the area. Their take on drinks is this: If you can think it, we can make it. Whatever drink youre craving, they promise theyre up to the challenge. With fourteen flatscreens around the bar, including a massive seventy-incher, youre almost certain to find whatever game youre looking for. More than anything else, they promise great service to you and your familythats right, family; kids of any age are welcome. So if youve been looking for somewhere to go out and watch the game with your kids, Rookies just might be the place for you.

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Dog Parks around Puyallup-image

At Canyon Park we love our dogs! Cats are cool too, but there is just something to be said about the loyalty of dogs that has earned them the title of mans best friend. Between belly rubs, new chew-toys and the occasional table scrap, few things seem to bring my two mini-dachshunds as much joy as running around outside. And, while the grassy areas around Canyon Park work well for short bouts of daily exercise, I try to get them to an off-leash park at least once a week to let them socialize and run, unrestrained to their hearts content. Here is a list of my favorite dog parks in and around Puyallup. Puyallup Dog Park is a small, fenced park not far from Canyon Park apartments. Located between Clarks Creek Park North and Clarks Creek Park South, fully fenced park sits on 2/3 of an acre and provides local pups a place to run around off the leash. At less than 2 miles away, South Hill Park is perhaps the closest option for off-leash play time for dogs living at Canyon Park. While this proximity certainly makes the park a convenient choice, it is not fully fenced, so beware if your pup is the type that likes to sprint off and find their own, unsupervised adventure. Wapato Park is a bit further away than the others, but is a great option if your small pup has a hard time getting along with larger dogs. They two separate areas: One for large dogs and one for smaller breeds. This is perfect for my two pups that seem to think that they are the biggest dogs in the yard until a larger breed puppy tries to join in and play. The parks listed so far have been selected because of their proximity to Canyon Park. But if you want thicker grass, a larger play area, and slightly more maintained grounds I suggest packing up the pups and heading out to Fort Steilacoom Park in Lakewood. This park comes almost universally recommended due, in part, to how well it is maintained. The beautiful scenery provides an incredible backdrop as you and your four-legged friends enjoy the parks large, open areas. It takes about a 30 minute drive to get there, but if your dogs are anything like mine, they wont mind a trip in the car. Did I leave out your go-to Puyallup area dog park? Leave your favorite in the comments below!

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Benefits of Drinking Coffee in Your Puyallup Apartment-image

If youre someone thats been on the fence about drinking coffee, youre not alone. With 54% of Americans over the age of eighteen drinking coffee everyday , its easy to wonder what youve been getting out of our morning cup of Joe. But recent research suggests there are some surprising health benefits that come from daily cup of coffee. Below, well outline some of those exciting health benefits. 1. Coffee Is Full of Antioxidants Surprisingly enough, coffee contains more antioxidants than both green tea and cocoatwo of the standards in antioxidant stardom. Research has shown that before coffee beans are even processed, they contain nearly 1,000 antioxidants. And during the roasting process? They develop even move. Antioxidants fight inflammationthe root cause of arthritis and many different forms of cancer. By disarming the free radicals that can over oxidate cells, antioxidants help protect our cells from the damage the results in chronic disease. 2. Coffee Is Good for Your Heart Were not speaking symbolically. Recent research at Harvard School of Public Health showed that drinking the right amount of coffee can reduce your future chances of heart failure by 11%. Another Dutch study found that moderate coffee consumption gave participants a 20% lower chance of heart disease. So how does it work? The theory exists that coffee can help shield your body from the arterial damage thats caused by inflammation. The key between both studies? Trying to stick to just two cups a day. 3. Coffee Safeguards Cognitive Health Trying to keep your brain in tip-top shape? A recent Finnish study discovered that there was a link between drinking three to five cups of coffee as a middle-aged adult and a 65% decrease in Alzheimers. The theory here? Apparently, caffeine consumption through a beverage like coffee helps bypass the build-up of plaque that might be connected to the disease. What do you think? What benefits have you seen from drinking a morning cup of coffee in your Puyallup apartment? What are some of your favorite healthy coffee recipes? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!

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Shopping For Your Puyallup Apartment-image

Moving into a new apartment can be an exciting opportunity to find new furniture and décorto make your home feel exactly the way you want it to. Or maybe youre just tired of the current look of your surroundings, or youve got that one room that youve been meaning to decorate but just havent gotten around to yet. Whatever your situation, we have you covered with a list of great little out-of-the-way stores that you might not have noticed around Puyallup. Wal-Mart and RC Willey are fine, but sometimes you want to find a place with a little more personality. Old Cannery Furniture & Mattress Warehouse Located just north of Puyallup in Sumner, the Old Cannery Warehouse has personality to spare. While searching through their wide selection of furniture, you can also check out the Old Cannery railroadthe largest multi-train suspended model railroad west of the Mississippi. The railroad is complemented by animatronics and the Old Cannery Fudge Shop, an old-fashioned candy bar carved entirely out of a single giant birch tree. Calla Lily Designs If youre looking for something a little more personalized, try Calla Lily Designs on Meridian in Puyallup. In addition to their selections of furniture, houseplants, clothing, and jewelry, mother and daughter duo Patty Drotz and Callie McHugh offer extensive interior design servicesthey can give sage advice on how to decorate yourself, of you can hire them to see your project through themselves. The Nook Want to combine home decorating with charity? The Nook is the place to start. This high-end thrift store is stocked through donations and its proceeds go toward St. Francis House Programs, which provides needed items to families in distress. There wont be much furniture, but youll find a wide range of dishware, decoration, and clothing to spruce up your home. The Nook is located on east Main Street in Puyallup. What If your tastes are a little more eclectic, then check out a little store called What up on Broadway next time youre in Tacoma. This popular little store is well-stocked with unusual art, pop culture and horror decorations, a vast range of classic movie posters, and various collectibles from all sorts of genres. Watsons Greenhouse Finally, if youre looking for some houseplants or maybe to start a little box garden on your balcony, check out Watsons Greenhouse and Nursery, located on Pioneer Way in Puyallup. This family-owned greenhouse has a wide collection of flowers, ferns, trees, and anything else you might want to cultivate at homestop by and pick something out!

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Plants For Your Puyallup Apartment-image

Last week we talked about creating an indoor garden. Maybe youre not interested in growing food in your apartment, thoughmaybe you just like having a splash of summer in your home through the winter. Heres a list of five great plants that you can keep inside your Puyallup apartment. Aloe vera is one of the easiest plants to take care of due to its draught tolerant nature. Often confused for cacti, these spiny looking plants are actually succulents which is a kind of plant with thick, meaty sections that it uses to store water. In addition to helping purify the air, aloe leaves can be broken open and the gel inside used to heal minor cuts and burns. The Spiderplant, or Clorophytum, was the first plant I ever grew on my own. My mother had one growing in the kitchen of our Bangor housing growing up and let me start my own from one of the mother plants babies. If I could grow one when I was 7 years old and keep it alive for several years, anyone can. These plants are very draught tolerant which makes them great for apartments. Also, you can mount them high and let them hang down to give off a bit of a rainforest vibe. The Aspenium nidus, or Birds Nest Fern is another popular houseplant. Not only do these plants require little water, but their color is a little brighter than many other houseplants. Birds Nest Ferns can be found just about anywhere and make a great addition to any kitchen or living room. Another plant that will add a splash of color to your apartment is the Limelight Dracaena. These plants are very drought tolerant, which makes them good house plants. What really sets these plants apart, however, is the fact that they actually thrive in low-light situations. Thats right, limelights unique green hue is most easily maintained by keeping it in a room without much direct sunlight. This makes them perfect for offices and apartments alike. The Philodendron, or Monstera Deliciosa, is one of the more popular house plants out there. This is because of their unique look and the fact that they can grow to be truly massive if taken care of properly. Now, you will need to leave the plant away from windows but close enough to get indirect light and you must rotate it every few weeks to prevent the leaves from growing unevenly. All of these plants are very well suited for life inside an apartment building. Not only because they are drought tolerant, but because they are low maintenance ways to add a touch of life to your home. Furthermore, having plants around the home improves the quality of the air you breathe. So keep this in mind as you head out this weekend. Maybe bring home a potted plant or two. Just make sure you check to see if it can handle indoor life before you condemn some poor outdoor plant to a slow and painful death.

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