United States Destinations

Tacoma, Washington

By Toni Dabbs

Apparently tired of being just a Seattle suburb, Tacoma is transforming itself into a destination in its own right. Situated 36 miles south of Seattle on Commencement Bay, the city that put the "Tac" in SeaTac Airport has chosen a cultural path to take it out of the shadow of its better known Washington state neighbor.

I had heard rumors about this renaissance of the old lumber capital, but it took the opening of its latest arty attraction to lure me across the border for a first-hand look.

The new Museum of Glass: International Center for Contemporary Art, designed by acclaimed Canadian architect Arthur Erickson, is simply stunning. Called "a new icon for Tacoma" by Mayor Bill Baarsma, it originally was conceived as a showcase for the glass works of Tacoma native Dale Chihuly. But at Chihuly's insistence, it evolved to become much more, exhibiting works in a variety of media by artists from around the world.

The central feature of the building is a 90-foot-tall stainless steel cone, jauntily tilted at a 17-degree angle. Erickson says the cone was inspired by the wood burners of sawmills that once proliferated in the Pacific Northwest. It seems an appropriate form to house the museum's Hot Shop Amphitheater, where guests can sit comfortably in stadium seating while watching glass artists at work. Remote controlled cameras suspended inside the cone project better views and close-ups on a giant screen above the kilns.

Overlooking Thea Foss Waterway, the Museum of Glass serves as a cornerstone for both Tacoma's revitalized waterfront and the city's developing cultural corridor. Connecting it to downtown is a 500-foot-long pedestrian bridge with three permanent installations of Chihuly glass: Crystal Towers, resembling giant sticks of barley sugar candy; Seaform Pavilion, containing a skylight of multicolored glass forms; and Venetian Wall, displaying 110 individual glass objects.

Downtown Tacoma, like the city's hillside neighborhoods, is an eye-pleasing mix of architectural influences, ranging from Victorian to contemporary. Interspersed at frequent intervals among the bricks and mortar are green spaces, small landscaped plots featuring artworks or fountains.

Washington State History Museum, an entertaining educational centre, was added to Pacific Avenue in 1996, but its arched exterior complements Union Station, built in 1911, next door. Now a federal courthouse, the station has a 98-foot-high rotunda decorated with Chihuly sculptures equal to its scale.

Beyond Union Station, Tacoma Art Museum is constructing a grand new gallery scheduled to open in spring 2003. Meanwhile, its exhibits, including the largest public collection of Chihuly glass, can be seen in its more modest facility at 12th and Pacific Avenue, several blocks away.

Tacoma Opera and Tacoma Symphony Orchestra have established reputations that prompt people from Seattle to reserve seats. Both perform at the Pantages Theater on Broadway, built in 1918 and restored to its original Greco-Roman elegance in 1983. Also dating from 1918 is the nearby Rialto Theater, a Beaux Arts delight shared by the Tacoma Youth Symphony, two ballet companies and a chamber orchestra.

I took a break from sightseeing to spend a few hours on Antique Row, one of the largest concentrations of antiques and collectibles in the Pacific Northwest. About a dozen stores line the section of Broadway between Seventh and Ninth Streets, with more one street over on St. Helen's Avenue and along Opera Alley in between. I ran out of time before I ran out of shops.

Although Tacoma has a handful of bed and breakfasts, its choice of hotels is somewhat limited. Sheraton has a 319-room property downtown adjacent to the convention center. At Altezzo Ristorante on its 26th floor, guests can dine on Italianate cuisine while enjoying an unobstructed view over Thea Foss Waterway toward Mount Rainier.

However, I stayed at the 90-room Silver Cloud Inn, part of a Pacific Northwest chain, on the shore of Commencement Bay midway between downtown and Point Defiance. With fireplaces and Jacuzzis in some rooms, it offers virtually everything except a restaurant, but several of those are within easy walking distance along the pleasant Ruston Way promenade.

I quickly discovered a swimming beach close by and a shop where bicycles and roller blades could be rented for use on the waterfront promenade. After all, in the Pacific Northwest, no one wants to be a culture vulture all the time.

Info To Go

Job Carr Cabin Museum (foot of Carr Street) is a reconstruction of the home built by the city's first settler in 1864, containing artifacts, photos and historical displays.

Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum (407 South G Street) has a collection of original drafts, letters and documents written by people of historical significance.

St. Peter's Church (2910 North Starr Street) was Tacoma's first place of worship, built in 1873.

W.W. Seymour Botanical Conservatory (Wright Park) is one of only three Victorian style conservatories on the West Coast, constructed in 1908.

Tacoma Regional Convention and Visitor Bureau (www.traveltacoma.com) can help plan a visit to Washington state's second most populous metropolitan area.