For every season, an accolade.
The sun is not going to show up and drag you out to the waterfront – or up to Mount Rainier for that matter – every day of the year. That’s a reality of visiting the Pacific Northwest, but it’s what we do when the clouds are overhead that gives this region its reputation for good food, outstanding drinks and lots and lots of reading. According to a couple recent reports, Pierce County in particular is where you’re going to find that cup of coffee, doughnut and book that will have you praying for a gray day of indoor relaxation.
Today, Apartment Guide came out with their list of the best cities in America for coffee lovers, and the Pacific Northwest was – naturally – well represented. Tacoma broke into the top 20, with one coffee shop per 3,283 residents. Beyond the grinds in Tacoma proper, the quality of the roasts at the shops throughout Pierce County makes the South Puget Sound worthy of a java pilgrimage.
And just yesterday, Seattle Refined named the Original House of Doughnuts (and their chocolate mint doughnut) in Lakewood the best doughnut place south of Seattle. That’s a bold statement, considering the competition from Legendary Doughnuts, Pao’s Donuts and Coffee Shop, Connie’s Donuts, Helen’s Donuts and Ice Cream, Dockside Donuts, Happy Donuts and Le Donut, but we’ll allow it.
And since sipping on a hot cup of coffee and munching on a glazed donut while raindrops tap against a window would seem somewhat hollow without a good book, Washington state’s largest used bookstore, Tacoma Book Center, is guaranteed to have something for you among their half-million books in stock. For my money, nothing pairs better with coffee and donuts than a Hermann Hesse novel, which you can find for $4 at Tacoma Book Center.