Tides mentioned in Northwest Travel: Chambers Bay beckons golfers

For The Bulletin

…Gig Harbor is a great getaway for those who know about it. Many more soon will, as the late spring and summer of 2015 will be different than any before. The U.S. Open Championship, perhaps the country’s most prestigious golf tournament, is coming to the Tacoma area in mid-June. An estimated 235,000 visitors — thousands of whom will be making their first trips to the Pacific Northwest — will be descending upon the central Sound. There are tourism benefits to be reaped, and Gig Harbor, like other area communities, is looking forward to its share…

…I enjoyed my visits to Tacoma, but I like to hang out in Gig Harbor. It wasn’t all that long ago that its isolation on the Kitsap Peninsula was enforced by geography, a factor that has contributed massively to its charm…

…As suits a harbor town, most Gig Harbor restaurants are on or near the water. These include the Tides Tavern, a local institution (built as a general store in 1910) that is as popular for its bar scene as for the seafood served on its deck…