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.
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In This Edition ...
Breakfast ideas for earlier T Line Sunday service
A T Line train at the Hilltop District Station. (Transiterranean Photo)
If you’re an early riser on a normal Sunday in Tacoma, you can’t necessarily assume that there’ll be transit service available to get you where you need to go. Although there is early morning Sound Transit Express bus service to and from Tacoma Dome Station, many local Pierce Transit bus routes with Sunday service don’t get started until after 8 or 9 a.m. And with Sound Transit’s T Line, trains don’t get started until closer to 10 a.m. (9:40 a.m. leaving Tacoma Dome Station; 10:12 a.m. leaving St. Joseph Station). That’s more oriented for transit-oriented brunchgoers, but not necessarily for those seeking breakfast.
But this Sunday, September 21, Sound Transit will be offering special Sounder trains into Seattle on the N Line and S Line for the Seahawks vs. New Orleans game. Normally, there isn’t weekend Sounder train service. To help connect transit-oriented Seahawks fans (and others) to the S Line trains departing Tacoma Dome at 10:05 a.m. and 10:25 a.m., T Line trains in Tacoma will start earlier on Sunday. According to a service alert display on T Line platforms, the first Tacoma Dome-bound train will depart St. Joseph Station on Sunday at 9:32 a.m., and continue with trains every 20 minutes.
There will be similar extra Sounder train service for other Seahawks home games on October 5, November 9, November 30, and December 14.
Even if you’re not heading into Seattle for the Seahawks, the earlier T Line start this Sunday makes it easier to work transit into breakfast and brunch plans for Downtown Tacoma, Hilltop, or the Stadium District.
As I’ve been exploring transit-oriented breakfast and brunch options in Tacoma since moving here this summer, I’ve enjoyed three places that are located immediately adjacent or near the T Line.
Breakfast time at Doyle’s Public House on St. Helens Avenue. (Transiterranean Photo)
Doyle’s Public House (208 St. Helens Avenue near S. 2nd Street), located part way between the T Line’s S. 4th Station and Stadium District Station, serves traditional Irish breakfast favorites (like rarebit, corned beef hash, or Doyle’s fry-up with sliced pan-fried white and black pudding, a banger sausage, two strips of bacon, cottage fries, baked beans, roasted tomatoes and mushrooms, English muffin, and two eggs), some other inventive breakfast dishes (like Doyle’s version of loco moco, with a bowl of rice, oven-pan fried sliced Spam, teriyaki beef gravy, two fried eggs, pineapple, and Sriracha sauce), and live sports (including English Premier League football, Formula 1 racing, and the Seahawks).
The Cali Benedict with homies at The Hob Nob. (Transiterranean Photo)
The Hob Nob (716 6th Avenue near Yakima Avenue) is about three blocks east of the T Line’s 6th Avenue Station, opposite Wright Park. Although this popular spot has offered up an expansive breakfast menu and an “authentic slice of Tacoma” since 1970, it traces its history back to the early 1900s and the smaller Hob Nob Food Shop at the same location. I’ve particularly enjoyed The Hob Nob’s various eggs benedict options, especially Cali Benedict, with bacon, tomato, and avocado. The Hob Nob’s Hollandaise sauce is on point as are their wonderfully crispy homies, their version of breakfast potatoes. Other great choices include the double-loaded hash, served with two eggs, bacon bits, grilled onions, and cheddar cheese, all smothered in country gravy, and the generously portioned flapjacks, which are thick and fluffy.
The spicy and sweet egg sandwich and the chicken sausage with egg sandwich make for a nice breakfast pair. (Transiterranean Photo)
Three Hearts (1116 Martin Luther King Jr. Way near S. 11th Street), which sits across the street from the T Line’s Hilltop District Station, is a popular spot for breakfast, brunch, lunch, and pastries so be prepared to wait in line when they’re busy. There are good reasons for the longer waits, considering the high quality and amount of thought the Three Hearts crew has put into creating a signature cafe and an inviting third space. At breakfast, the Dutch baby benedict, with tomato chutney, ham, and béarnaise sauce, is beautifully served in a small skillet with potatoes and bacon mornay on the side. It’s delicious but it does take longer to make. Two breakfast sandwiches I recommend: The spicy and sweet egg sandwich, with fresno jam, chèvre, and arugula, and the chicken sausage and egg sandwich, with apple relish, pineapple habanero jam, and arugula. The sandwiches are perfect to split with a breakfast-mate. Then there’s the pastry case. You might come across an orange cardamom morning roll or Three Hearts’ version of a cruffin, filled with matcha or lemon curd. Those pastries can be a nice appetizer as you wait for your breakfast. But a word to the wise: If you’re tempted by the massive cinnamon roll, order it to go and savor it later.
The Dutch baby benedict at Three Hearts. (Transiterranean Photo)
Although Sunday transit in Tacoma may not be designed for early risers and 7 a.m. breakfast outings, with some patience and perhaps pre-breakfast noshing to tide you over until mid-morning when the T Line starts service, transit-oriented folks can plan around the limitations. So this Sunday, don’t squander the T Line’s somewhat earlier start when the Seahawks play at home!
Transit town hall with U.S. Rep. Randall
As part of a Week Without Driving, Downtown on the Go is hosting a midday bus ride-along event and afternoon transit town hall meeting at Bluebeard Coffee Roasters on South Tacoma Way with U.S. Representative Emily Randall on Tuesday, September 23.
Limited space is available to join Congresswoman Randall on the Pierce Transit Route 3 bus between Commerce Street Station in downtown Tacoma and Bluebeard Coffee Roasters on South Tacoma Way. RSVP is required. Because space is limited, we hope to prioritize frequent transit riders in District 6 who want to share their experiences. We invite everyone to join us for the transit town hall at Bluebeard Coffee Roasters for an opportunity to hear from Congresswoman Randall, and ask your own questions.
Bus Ride Along: 12pm – 1pm
Commerce Street Station (1120 Commerce Street, Tacoma) to South Tacoma Way
Transit Town Hall: 1pm – 2pm
Bluebeard Coffee Roasters STW (5428 South Tacoma Way, Tacoma)
RSVP is required for bus ride along RSVP is strongly encouraged for the transit town hall. Questions can be submitted in advance through the RSVP. Bus riders will receive transit passes to use for the ride.
[RSVP wth Downtown on the Go]
Good news: T Line ridership continues to grow
A T Line train on Martin Luther King Jr. Way at S. 11th Street. (Transiterranean Photo)
As Sound Transit continues to face some tough decisions about getting the high costs of ongoing regional transit expansion under control, there’s good news about T Line ridership in Tacoma. The News Tribune reports that Sound Transit ridership data for its Tacoma streetcar line is “exceeding both pre-pandemic levels and Sound Transit estimates two years after the public transit agency launched several new stations” with the Hilltop Extension. “There were 3,618 average daily boardings per month in 2024, a News Tribune analysis of the data shows. That figure has increased so far this year to 4,079.”
Sound Transit cautions that the ridership data, collected through automated passenger counting sensors at train doors, is medium quality, but it provides some good indications for overall ridership trends. And there’s room to grow. “I’m really pleased to see the numbers,” Tacoma City Councilmember Kristina Walker, who sits on the Sound Transit Board of Directors, told The News Tribune in the interview. “I think it’s showing the use and need that we have for transit in the community.”
With Tacoma Public Schools back in session and University of Washington Tacoma classes getting started for the new academic year, I’ve observed that T Line trains at certain times of day seem more crowded than earlier this summer.
[The News Tribune]
Sounder marks 25th anniversary in service
Sound Transit’s Sounder commuter rail operation, today known as the N Line and S Line, marked its 25th anniversary on Thursday. When what is now the Sounder S Line debuted in 2000, connecting Seattle and a temporary platform in Tacoma off Puyallup Avenue, there were only two stops, at Sumner and Auburn, and only two roundtrip trains per day.
It’s hard to think about going between Seattle and the South Sound without the S Line!
[Sound Transit]