You'll see downtown Tacoma’s new attitude reflected in funky loft windows, rain-spattered warehouse bricks, and sleek stainless steel. More and more people are calling downtown Tacoma home. Certainly they're drawn to the new buildings - and the beautifully restored old ones. But, more than that, they're attracted by the promise of the future.

Nowhere is explosive growth more evident than along Thea Foss Waterway. The city bought 27 acres along the western shore of the long-neglected waterfront in 1991, with plans to upgrade the area with housing, shops and museums. The key focus of this project is to connect the plaza level of the waterway to the new esplanade, which is a pedestrian area that offers retail shops, parks, a boating area and public access to the water.

Downtown renovations include the new Museum of Glass, Foss Waterway Marina, and Thea's Landing -- a mixed-use building that includes two waterfront restaurants, 189 apartments, and 47 condominiums. Along with Tacoma's downtown revitalization has come a flourish of new and exciting restaurants.

Among the fresh faces in the downtown scene are acclaimed Northwest steakhouse El Gaucho and fondue eatery The Melting Pot, which are helping make Tacoma a fashionable evening destination.