Tacoma Day Trip Part 2: Glass Art
June 2, 2013
Of course no trip to Tacoma is complete without enjoying some glass art. The Tacoma Art Museum has an impressive collection of Chihuly glass, and Tacoma’s Museum of Glass is another big draw. We were able to see a lot of glass art in the outdoor public areas adjacent to the Museum of Glass without paying admission. Here are some photos:
Daytripping Tacoma
October 8, 2011
I took my sister and niece to Tacoma so that they could see some Dale Chihuly glass sculptures. They were fortunate to be able to see the Dale Chihuly’s Northwest exhibit at the Tacoma Art Museum before it closed. I feel lucky to live so close to Tacoma and its glass art, which I’ve seen several times and have never tired of.
Enchanted and Enthralled by Colorful Calla Lilies
April 19, 2011
While we were in Tacoma, Carol and I stopped in at the W W Seymour Botanical Conservatory in Wright Park. Last year I was enthralled when I saw pink calla lilies for the first time. On this visit to Tacoma’s conservatory, I was amazed to see calla lilies in purple and sunset orange colors. They were enchanting!
Celebrating Letterpress and Book Arts in Tacoma
April 18, 2011
Yesterday I drove down to Tacoma with my friend Carol to attend Wayzgoose, a letterpress and book arts celebration. It was a small, but lively, community of artists and lovers of book and paper crafts. Several vendors had small letterpresses on which we could make our own printed keepsake. Outside, a Caterpillar steam roller pressed oversized block prints. And if you had the foresight to bring a tee shirt with you, a cadre of volunteers silk screened it for you. It was a fun event!
Day Tripping in Tacoma
March 9, 2011
Seattle and Tacoma are just 32 miles apart, but I have spent very little time getting to know my neighboring city. So after seeing the Norman Rockwell exhibit at the Tacoma Art Museum with my friend, Carol, we decided to explore a bit before returning home. We admired Dale Chihuly’s glass sculptures along the Chihuly Bridge of Glass, picnicked at Point Defiance Park, enjoyed Puget Sound views from the Five-Mile Driving loop, and were entranced by the animals at the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium. Here are some photos of our adventures:
Seattle Day Trip: To Tacoma by Public Transportation
October 23, 2010
On Thursday my friend Carol and I went to the Tacoma Art Museum and decided to make the journey more adventuresome by using only public transportation. The Sounder Commuter Train runs twice in the morning and twice in late afternoon, during peak commuting times, between Seattle and Tacoma. We didn’t want to spend too many hours in Tacoma during the middle of the day, so we decided to take the 594 bus from downtown Seattle to Tacoma ($3.00 fare), and then return on the Sounder. This turned out to be a good plan for a fun day trip.
The 594 bus dropped us off on Pacific Avenue in Tacoma within a block of the Tacoma Art Museum. The museum had a special 75-cent admission on Thursday in celebration of its 75th anniversary. It is a gem of a museum, and the current exhibits featured Japanese woodblock prints, some Impressionist paintings, and “Mighty Tacoma: A Photographic Portrait,” in addition to an ongoing exhibit of Dale Chihuly glass baskets.

Interactive exhibit. The museum's photographer-in-residence took pictures of patrons to add to the Mighty Tacoma exhibit.
After a delightful museum visit, Carol and I ate a leisurely lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant, walked through the University of Washington Tacoma campus, and then caught the free link (light rail) from the museum district to the Tacoma Dome Station. There we walked across the street to the Sounder station where we caught the commuter train back to Seattle ($4.75 fare). We enjoyed a relaxed ride with the recurring sound of the train whistle reminding us that this was quite a different journey than driving down I-5.
The Slow Road to Tacoma
September 2, 2010
The usual route from Seattle to Tacoma down I-5 is not very picturesque — heavy multi-lane traffic is the norm, and it’s an urban and suburban landscape all the way. I decided to put on my explorer’s hat and meander down to Tacoma the slow way, following the Puget Sound coastline as much as I could. I was distinctly underwhelmed by the experience!
For one thing, it was just one of those days when things didn’t go quite right. I packed a pair of sandals in case I was inspired to walk along a beach to two — turns out I grabbed two different sandals from two different pairs! They were a set of right and left shoes, but it turns out that I did not use them anyway.
The beach at Saltwater State Park, my first stop, was nothing spectacular — some picnic tables and benches with water views. I think that Golden Gardens Park in Seattle is nicer (and much closer to home). I ate my breakfast picnic — cornbread with butter and honey, a sliced peach, and coffee — while gazing at the water. Then I headed to my next stop, Dashpoint State Park.
This is another state park right on the waters of Puget Sound. There is camping at Dashpoint, which might be something to consider if you ever head to Seattle with an RV. But again, I did not think the beach was anything special.
So I headed south to Brown’s Point lighthouse. This is a small lighthouse with a rather boring shape, but it functions. I did learn that the Lighthouse Keeper’s house is available for rent by the week, and if you stay there, you become an honorary lighthouse keeper. (You can find out more about this at www.pointsnortheast.org.)
It was at Brown’s Point that I discovered my wallet was missing. I suspected that I had left it at home, but I wasn’t sure. That made me feel uneasy, so I just decided to head back to the freeway and come home. I’ll leave Point Defiance Park in Tacoma for another visit.
I got home without incident, found my wallet, and ate the picnic lunch I had packed. So much for exploring!