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    At Home  --  North America Travel

    Review of McMenamins Elks Temple, Tacoma WA

    Summer in Washington State

    McMenains Tacoma

    Location: Tacoma Washington USA

    My Fab Fifties Life is enjoying a summer in Washington State, USA, where I was born and raised.  As much as I love my life of full-time travel, coming home to familiar ground where my family is brings a sense of stability to our nomad world.

    When we return to the USA most summers, my focus is always family, but we also get out at least once a week and play tourists in our own backyard.  And that is what we did this past weekend in celebration of both Father’s Day and my husband’s birthday.

    McMenamins Elks Lodge

    McMenamins Elks Lodge Tacoma

    Growing up in the Pacific Northwest the blue-collar town of Tacoma always had a bit of a “smelly” reputation because of the pulp and paper mill that cast an odor over the town for several generations.  Today however Tacoma has become a renaissance town, with gorgeous views, multiple incredible museums, beautiful parks, and delicious dining.

    And the newest little gem to open in Tacoma is the McMenamins franchise masterpiece in the historic and beautifully restored Elks Temple in downtown Tacoma.

    If you aren’t from around these parts you might not be familiar with the vision of Mike and Brian McMenamin, Oregon brothers who have built a legendary business of turning historic and dilapidated properties into spectacularly quirky and fun hotels, restaurants, breweries, distilleries,

    Many pubs at McMenamins

    Elks Lodge Pub & Restaurant

    and event venues. For the past 20 years my husband and I, (on many occasions with our kids in tow), have made one of the dozens of McMenamins properties a destination weekend.

    The latest addition to the McMenamins dynasty is the opening of the Tacoma Elks Temple after several years of extensive restoration. The building had sat abandoned for thirty-five years, and time, weather and graffiti all had taken a toll.

    And yet, this is what McMenamins does best – breathe life into old structures all while digging deep into the silent history of a building to awaken both the known and unknown stories of the people and events that were there.  The Elks Temple does just that.

    Reflecting Tacoma's history

    Art everywhere you look

    Built in 1916 for the Fraternal Order of Elks, the building was home to one of the nation’s largest Elks organizations until the 1960’s.  It was then used as an event venue and, unlike the all-white Elks organization, the building welcomed anyone of any race and held many of the local African-American Rose Cotillion Balls for several years.  But times changed and so did the building as it fell into disrepair for 33 years until the visionary McMenamins saw its potential.

    We arrived in the afternoon on a very crowded Father’s Day and proceeded to taste our way through all of the properties five bars.  Each bar named appropriately, decorated with fun and interesting relics including menu’s that reflect the individual personality of each bar.  For instance in

    Tacoma's Spanish Steps

    Hand crafted beer and tapas at the Spanish Steps Bar

    the Spanish Steps bar (named for Tacoma’s beautiful Spanish Steps that run along the south edge of the building) Tapas are featured on the menu, while in The Old Hangout, a throwback to Trader Vic’s style 1950’s Tiki Bar serves everything from Mai Tai to Singapore Sling, grilled Pineapple Sundae or Salt and Pepper Squid.u

    True to the McMenamins model, guests must try to find the “hidden” bar called The Vault. We found it, actually cheated a little because someone was coming out…and I don’t think we would have found it otherwise.  Cleverly disguised. That’s all I’m gonna say.

    We had both dinner and breakfast in the Elks Pub and Restaurant where we enjoyed pizza, salad and soup for dinner with more McMenamin

    McMenamins Bars

    The Old Hang Out Bar throwback to old style Tiki

    hand-crafted beer.  For breakfast I had an amazing Eggs Benedict that included artichoke hearts and spinach and included cheese jalapeño grits.  Wow.

    The Elks Lodge now has 45 rooms, each and every one named for a person or group of persons who had something to do with the building or the surrounding area.  Everyone from Robert Cray (musician) to Bill Baarsma (former mayor) to Hattie Lund (no relation to me but a long-time Tacoma philanthropist) to the Puyallup Native American Tribe.

    I have two small complaints about our visit.  Our room which opened to

    McMenamins Elks Lodge

    Our room

    an atrium and did not have an outside window, was a bit stuffy and I wished for a window.  If I return I’ll pay a little more for a room on the perimeter of the building.  My other complaint is that although the wifi worked great throughout the building in bars and public spaces, it was non-existent in our room.

    Rooms start around $140 per night.  Food and beverage is very reasonably priced.  If you come, allow plenty of time to just explore…it’s like a museum of both art and history as well as a wonderful place to people watch Tacoma’s eclectic and proud residents.  So much fun.  We will be back.

    Learn more at McMenamins Tacoma Elks Temple

     

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    At Home  --  Inspire

    Charmed – Collecting Charms Around the World

    The World Traveling Charm Bracelet

    Location: USA

    Palm Tree Charm

    Palm Tree Dominican Republic

    I’ve had a lot of people asking about my world traveling charm bracelet lately because it’s been a long time since I have mentioned anything about it on my blog or social media.  So I thought today I would share a bit about this fascinating and growing collection of beauty, history and culture that I wear around my wrist.

    Kayak Charm

    Kayak Belize

    For those of you who may not know, I had the idea, just weeks before we headed out on the Grand Adventure for the first time in June 2016, to begin a travel charm bracelet.  I purchased a bracelet here in the USA and added my very first charm, an “L” for my first and last name (Laureen Lund).  Then we began our travels with our first stop in Hawaii where I added a silver sea turtle.

    Three years and dozens and dozens of countries and charms later, my charming souvenir is very precious to me with 56 charms.

    Collecting Charms Around the World

    Christ the Redeemer Brazil

    My preference is to buy a charm while in the country, but in Central America I really struggled to find any charms for sale anywhere.  I had purchased a Christ the Redeemer charm in Brazil and a lizard charm in Costa Rica and then after that the trail went cold.

    I was never able to find a charm in Panama, El Salvador, Belize, Guatemala or Dominican Republic.

    So, before we returned to the USA I contacted my jeweler here in Gig

    El Salvador Charm

    Yoga symbol El Salvador

    Harbor and ordered charms that for me represented those countries I had visited. I had him add the charms to my bracelet after I arrived in the USA. Also, just like last summer, he took all the new charms from my past year of travel and soldered each to the bracelet so I won’t lose any.

    Collecting Charms Around the World

    Lizard Costa Rica

    I love this piece of jewelry that has so much meaning for me. In fact I love it so much I’ve decided to leave it here when we depart again in September.  I know I would be devastated if it were lost or stolen, so on round three of the Grand Adventure I will leave it behind, collecting the charms and adding them to the bracelet when I return.

    If you struggle to think of memorable, small and meaningful souvenirs to buy when you travel, consider collecting charms around the world.  I’m so glad a did.  It’s so charming.

    Thanks for your interest.  I hope to share the bracelet in person with some of you in the future.

     

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    At Home  --  North America Travel

    Hello USA – Back Once Again

    Visiting the United States for Four Months

    Location: United States of America

    Our round two of the Grand Adventure has come to an end and we are returning to our home country of the United States for four months.  We head back out for round three in September.

    Meanwhile, dropping back in to the hectic and crazy USA is causing us some anxiety.  Living in the USA is

    My hometown of Gig Harbor

    fast-paced and a bit maniacal, and last summer we found our visit after 18 months away, a bit of a blow.  After living in places with no cars, no grocery stores, no English and sometimes no sanitary systems…arriving in the USA is both deja vu and a culture shock.

    We have grown accustomed to our travel way of life, amongst people who are different, cultures that are

    Our new Condo

    different, food that is different and language that is different. So adjusting back takes some effort when the USA seems a bit weird.  But I’m sure we will adjust.  It will be a relief to have Safeway, Target and a few other things like good gas prices, my hair dresser and my manicurist, a washer and dryer -things that seem such a luxury to us now.

    All that said we are looking forward to seeing our family.  And we are very excited to finally see the condo we bought last fall sight unseen.  This condo will serve as our home when we are in the USA for the foreseeable future as we continue to travel.  We are

    Seeing friends

    hopeful that it was a wise investment and are really looking forward to unpacking our things that have been in storage, some of them for nearly four years.

    We hope to have a bit slower pace this summer than last summer, when we tried to do and see too much.  Our priorities this summer are family, and working on the new condo.  Of course we hope to see some friends too and finding time to work out and get in shape is a goal.  Two short trips are in the works; Scottsdale Arizona and Big Fork Montana.  But other than that, we will stay close to Gig Harbor, family and our new condo.

    While in the USA we will still have a travel blog every Friday and a book review every Wednesday and I hope to post some blogs about the remodel of the condo.  We hope you will continue to follow and enjoy My Fab Fifties Life. We are so grateful to our faithful followers of our blog and our journey.

    Hanging out with family

    We depart the USA again on September 11th and you are invited to follow our round three as we head out for ten months with destinations that include China, Malaysia, Myanmar, Oman, Kenya, Mauritius, Zambia, Uganda, Israel, Cypress, Malta, Albania, Macedonia, Serbia, Slovakia, Czek Republic, Belarus, Lativia, Lithuania, Estonia, Finland and Greenland.  Big plans.  We hope you follow along.

    Hey USA!  You look Fabulous!

     

     

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    At Home

    The Last Summer – Entertaining as we say Farewell

    As we wind down our time in our beautiful waterfront home we continue to take every opportunity to enjoy it and share it with people we know. We decided last spring, as part of our final summer at our beach house, to host a series of events through out the summer as a farewell gesture to Lund’s Beach. It was a great idea.

     

    Rather than holding one big party, our smaller beach dinner parties have given us an opportunity to bring together a variety of friends and family, many who don’t know each other, but they all have one thing in common. Us.

     

    As a hostess I prefer to entertain a group that is not so large as to make it difficult to mingle and talk to everyone. We have held several very large parties in the time we have lived here (our 25th wedding anniversary had 150 and a live band but I barely remember it because it was big and a lot of work)  all been fun, but not intimate.

     

    Our summer functions this year are anywhere from 8-24 people and I find that just the right size.

     

    My preference when entertaining is to have a sit down dinner, when possible. It’s not always possible, but it is always more intimate and a lovely way to linger and enjoy. When I do a sit down dinner I always do place cards. This way I can sit people next to each other who don’t know each other. Otherwise, everyone would huddle with those they know and are comfortable with and it would defeat my goal – gathering and enjoying and expanding friendships.

     

    So far this summer we have held four events with another one happening tomorrow. I expect to hold at least 2 and possible three more before the weather grows cool and the last summer is just a memory.