Hello, thanks for checking out Transiterranean, a Tacoma-centric transit newsletter-blog exploring commuting, food, drink, and destinations across the City of Destiny, Western Washington, and beyond!
I’m Michael Grass, a former journalist and communications professional who has lived car-free for about 25 years, including in Washington, D.C., New York City, Seattle, Bellingham, and now Tacoma.
In This Edition ...
Deviations from the T Line’s near-perfect record
Since moving to Tacoma this summer, I’ve been impressed with the T Line’s reliability. According to Sound Transit’s system performance tracker for July 2025, the streetcar line connecting Tacoma Dome Station and Hilltop via Downtown Tacoma and the Stadium District, had an on-time performance 99% — compare that to Link light rail’s 83% on-time performance in King and Snohomish counties. In many recent months, the T Line’s on-time performance has been 100%. (Sound Transit’s definition of “on time” means that its light-rail trains, streetcars, and buses arrive within 5 minutes of their scheduled arrival.) Unlike many other U.S. streetcar systems, the T Line has signal priority at certain intersections along its route, which helps keep trains on schedule.
Other U.S. streetcar lines I’m familiar with, including the soon-to-be retired line on H Street NE in Washington, D.C., service can be delayed due to track obstructions, usually in the form of scofflaw motorists and delivery drivers whose vehicles block the tracks. But in my experience in Tacoma, the T Line somehow seems less vulnerable to track obstructions, despite traveling through corridors with adjacent on-street parking.
Recently, while riding the T Line, I was thinking to myself: “Wow, it seems like the T Line is rarely blocked by parked and idling motorists!” Well, I shouldn’t have thought that because, as if right on cue, a small handful of T Line delays materialized last week due to obstructed tracks.
Last week Wednesday, an emergency response on Commerce Street near S. 9th Street prompted Sound Transit to temporarily suspend service to the Theater District and Convention Center stations in Downtown Tacoma. Since T Line trains couldn’t travel through downtown, trains turned back at Old City Hall and Union Station.
On Friday afternoon, right as students were leaving Stadium High School for the day around 3 o’clock, a St. Joseph-bound train was stuck for about 5 minutes on S. Stadium Way at Division Street. It wasn’t due to the students themselves, but the Tacoma Public Schools school bus queuing line. Although there is a designated parking zone along Stadium Way for school buses, it appears that there have been more school buses than can fit in that restricted zone and the last few idling school buses end up sticking out into the travel lane and block the outbound tracks. The T Line operator sounded the train’s horn multiple times in hopes to get the school buses to move, with no success. While the train was stuck, I overheard a Sound Transit security officer on the train speaking with the train operator and they were talking about how the same thing happened the day before and how the school district is aware of the problem. Apparently, the buses themselves aren’t the cause of the problem. Improperly parked cars are. Zachary Midles, the school district’s transportation director, said in a response to an inquiry I sent on Friday: “Given that we are just getting back to school, I am hopeful and confident the owners of cars will adjust to the no parking which will hopefully set up the buses better for success.”
Also on Friday afternoon, a Tacoma Dome-bound train was stuck on Commerce Street between S. 7th Street and S. 9th Street for a few minutes due to an unattended Amazon delivery vehicle, whose driver came back and moved it to a better spot. Fortunately, the delay wasn’t long enough to ruin my planned transfer to the Route 400 express bus to the Washington State Fair in Puyallup. (See next item.)
Then on Monday, T Line service was suspended for part of the morning due to a crash that fortunately didn’t involve a streetcar but otherwise disrupted trains.
Although these incidents are annoying, can delay travel, and are outside Sound Transit’s direct control, as a regular rider, it’s important to underscore that T Line is still incredibly reliable.
Transit and food dispatches from the state fair
In a previous Transiterranean newsletter-blog post, I detailed how you can use transit to reach the Washington State Fair in Puyallup and skip parking fees and headaches. On Friday, I took the day off work and in the afternoon, boarded a Pierce Transit Route 400 bus on Pacific Avenue at the University of Washington Tacoma and was on my way with a one-seat ride to “Do the Puyallup.”
Although late afternoon traffic congestion on State Route 167, particularly near Interstate 5 and 66th Avenue E, presented some annoying stop-and-go traffic, it wasn’t so bad. With the 5th Street SW & 9th Avenue SW bus stop adjacent to the Red Gate entrance to the fairgrounds, it couldn’t have been easier to reach the fair from Downtown Tacoma without driving.
In Puyallup, the Washington State Fair’s Red Gate is adjacent to the Pierce Transit Route 400 bus stop at 5th Street SW & 9th Avenue SW. (Transiterranean Photo)
I wouldn’t necessarily describe myself as a typical state fair fan. I’m generally not that interested in the rides, amusements, entertainment, or in the market to purchase a hot tub. There’s also a lot of fair food that doesn’t have much appeal — I’m probably never going to seek out an Extreme Carnival Eats bacon cheeseburger on a donut. (But if that speaks to you, go ahead and chow down!) More on fair food (and drink) for a moment.
My favorite: The Grange displays. (Transiterranean Photo)
I am, however, drawn to the state fair’s agricultural exhibition halls, especially the local and regional Grange displays — this year’s entry from the Humptulips Grange had a Sasquatch theme that cleverly incorporated dried beans as bigfoot tracks.
Giant pumpkins in the agricultural halls. (Transiterranean Photo)
Then there are the giant pumpkins. This year, there’s a 1,000 pound giant pumpkin called the “Big Dumper.” Other than a Mariners game, where else are you going to see something like that than the state fair?
This way to the cattle birthing exhibit. (Transiterranean Photo)
Then there are the farm animals, including horses, ponies, and rabbits, plus the cattle birthing center, complete with bleacher seats and video displays for spectators.
But there’s another overarching reason I dig the state fair.
Wandering around the fair, under the lights. (Transiterranean Photo)
The Washington State Fair in Puyallup is one of the few places and events where thousands of people from all walks of life congregate, promenade, and move around a large campus of attractions and activities. Elsewhere in Washington, Seattle Center and the Spokane Riverfront Park are similar examples. While these types of spaces are great for people-watching and entertainment, they’re also great places where you don’t need to worry about motorists mowing you, your family, friends, and neighbors down due to driver distraction, impatience, or fits of road rage.
The Washington State Fair in Puyallup certainly isn’t a Disney theme park, but a recent CityNerd video by Ray Delahanty about Disney urbanism reminded me of the human-scale appeal of the state fairgrounds environment when so many in the United States live car-dependent lives in spaces dominated by motorists.
The state fair isn’t a cheap event. Remember, if you drive to Puyallup, you are spending, at minimum, $15 on a weekday or $22 on a weekend just to park a vehicle in an official fair lot. And that’s before admission, food, drink, and amusements. Motorists and their families are willing to fork over non-significant amounts of cash just to be able to access a large car-free expanse of food and fun — if only we had more opportunities to enjoy these types of spaces.
So, let’s talk about fair food and drink. Despite what I said earlier about a lot of typical fair food and drink not being very appealing, there are some standouts. It just takes some gut instincts, trial (and sometimes error) to find the diamonds in the rough.
Spicy shrimp and pork wontons in chili oil plus barbecue pork bao from Bao Box. (Transiterranean Photo)
Although Covington-based Bao Box, which offers Chinese soup dumplings, bao, and noodles, didn’t necessarily top my list, I sought this fair vendor out for two reasons. (1) I do love dumplings and bao, and (2) Bao Box’s fair participation has seemingly built some interesting buzz online, so I wanted to see whether it was worth the social media hype. I ordered some barbecue pork bao and Sichuan spicy shrimp-pork wontons in chili oil. Both were good, though not necessarily the best I’ve had. But for a state fair, it was a welcome deviation from the norm. Your meal comes in a reusable insulated Bao Box, which is some clever walking advertising. Be warned: If you carry your Bao Box tote around the fair, you may be approached — like I was — by other fairgoers asking: “Where is Bao Box? We’ve been wanting to try them!” (Pro tip: They’re near the Blue Gate.)
Agua fresca made with cantalope from Raspados Del Sur. (Transiterranean Photo)
Since fair food tends to be heavy, I wanted to have something lighter in the mix, so I found the Cevicheria along Showplace Way for some marinated Latin American seafood as an entry point for eating. While the ceviche was perfectly fine, I was more wowed by the offerings a few stalls down the adjacent vendor row. At Raspados Del Sur, there’s an array of fresh fruit cups, agua fresca flavors, and horchata. I opted for the cantaloupe agua fresca, which is reinforced with floating chunks of melon. It was a very refreshing palate cleanser. (Although there are some limited vegetarian options at the fair, Raspados Del Sur is probably the best reliable option for those sticking to vegan diets I came across at the fair.)
Bratwurst with onions and sauerkraut from Ziegler’s Bratwurst Haus. (Transiterranean Photo)
There’s no shortage of sausages, hot dogs, and bratwursts at the state fair. If there’s one to seek out, along Grand Avenue is Ziegler’s Bratwurst Haus, a German food vendor with a tasty sausage sandwich served with onions and sauerkraut. Don’t forget the mustard! It was a very satisfying bite.
Funnel cake with powdered sugar (Transiterranean Photo)
If you think the pièce de résistance of the Washington State Fair is the Fisher scone, you may want to reconsider. At the Puyallup fair, or really any state fair, can you beat a beautiful fried funnel cake topped with powdered sugar? While you can add some toppings like strawberries to a funnel cake, simple is better. Just along Grand Avenue, there’s more than one place to procure funnel cake, including one vendor that also serves elephant ears. But if you stick with the aptly named Funnel Cakes vendor, you should be very happy, especially if you end your fairgrounds grazing with one for dessert. But it can also be followed with Dole pineapple whip, available at a few vendors (including Duris Loaded Potatoes), as a tasty conclusion to a transit-oriented trek to Do the Puyallup. Just be sure to finish your treats before you get on the bus back to Tacoma.
Dole pineapple whip is a nice way to wrap up a visit to the state fair. (Transiterranean Photo)
Getting back to Tacoma from Puyallup via transit. OK, so you’ve done the Puyallup. Hopefully you’ve had some funnel cake and Dole pineapple whip. How do you get back to Tacoma via transit?
First, be sure to consult schedules for the last buses of the evening. The Sound Transit S Line and Pierce Transit’s Route 400 don’t run on the weekends, so on Saturdays and Sundays, you will likely need to rely on Route 409 from Puyallup and transfer to another bus route at the 72nd Street Transit Center in Tacoma. (For those heading to Seattle, Sound Transit Express Route 578, which connects Puyallup Station to Downtown Seattle via Auburn and Federal Way, will be your ride home.)
With my Friday visit to the fair concluding in the evening, I caught the last Route 400 bus back to the Commerce Street Station in Downtown Tacoma around 8:30 p.m. I thought I’d be one of the few fairgoers on the bus but was pleasantly surprised to find 10 people waiting at the Red Gate bus stop.
The last Tacoma-bound Route 400 bus leaving the Washington State Fair in Puyallup on Friday night was pretty full. (Transiterranean Photo)
The 125th Washington State Fair in Puyallup wraps up on September 21 and is closed on Tuesdays.
Try this: Outer Dark’s Space Dust espresso drink
The Space Dust drink at Outer Dark Coffee brings together espresso, a slice of lemon, ginger beer, and lavender. (Transiterranean Photo)
Since moving to Tacoma this summer, I’ve been checking out various coffee shops. I still have a lot of ground to cover, but I’ve been enjoying Outer Dark Coffee downtown for a variety of reasons. Not only is Outer Dark’s space on Market Street a pretty swell venue for busspotting — for Pierce Transit’s Routes 11 and 16 — opposite the Tacoma Municipal Building, but the coffee program is great.
Outer Dark has a small selection of specialty coffee drinks and the Space Dust, made with espresso, ginger beer, and lavender and served with a slice of lemon, caught my eye. It’s lemon forward, effervescent, and refreshing, but packs a punch with a jolt of espresso.
Outer Dark Coffee, 750 Market Street near S. 9th Street, Tacoma. (Take Pierce Transit Routes 11 and 16 to the Market Street & S. 9th Street stop or Market Street & St. Helens Street stop. Otherwise, walk up from Pierce Transit’s Commerce Street Station or the Sound Transit T Line’s Old City Hall Station.)