The Seattle Times calls Old Town Tacoma a "hidden gem."
Old Town Tacoma is located on Commencement Bay in an area that was originally known as Shuballup, "the sheltered place". The claim that Old Town Tacoma was first known as Shuballup comes from the Spar Tavern history page and it seems a little iffy to me to believe that name is accurate (see note below).
The Spar, is a historic tavern and cafe, in Old Town, with good things like - Chai made with soymilk, spar chips (thick chips they make in-house), fish and chips, banana bread, mocha smoothies and live local blues on Sunday nights.
Note - the word "shuballup" is a Googlewhackblatt (a single word that results in a single Google result), similar to the Googlewhack, two words that result in a single Google result. I'm guessing "shuballup" is a misspelling, or misunderstanding of some sort, or just made up - but it does sound like an Indian name that would rhyme with the well known Puyallup.
