Ruston's View of Tacoma and Mt. Rainier
I don't plan to systematically walk the streets of any city besides Tacoma. However, there is one city that is completely encapsulated within my own. Partly for that reason, I have now traversed its every street. That little city is the town of Ruston, WA.Industralist James Rust established Ruston as a company town for his employees. (Mr. Rust himself apparently lived on N 10th and I Streets in Tacoma; see my photo of his house below). Laid out as a square, Ruston covers a third of a square mile, with Pearl Street serving as its western boundary and Pt. Defiance park at its northern edge. I've highlighted Ruston on the map of my progress-to-date above. You can see some historic photos of Ruston at The Ruston Connection.
No longer a Company Town, Ruston is a predominantly middle-class residential community, serving as a gateway into Point Defiance park from Tacoma, and as a gateway into Tacoma by ferry from Vashon Island. Ruston's personality as a gateway city is primarily manifest in its eateries and shops along Pearl Street. Easily the most well-known of Ruston's food stops, and a must for visitors to the town, is the Antique Sandwich Shop at N 51st and Pearl. The Antique Sandwich Shop earned the eternal gratitude of our family by sharing the recipe for their chocolate espresso cheescake. (The sample below was prepared by my daughter, Leslie.)
The other place to eat in Ruston that visitors should try is Tatanka Take-Out. Try their bison burgers and tortilla wraps and feel good about the fact that you're getting 1/3 more protein and 1/10 the fat of a beef sandwich.
Ruston is an attractive city, and its citizens are friendlier than average. People greeted me as I walked Ruston's streets, and one yard --landscaped as a rocky beach-- offered free shiny rocks for children:
