Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/299622
was hope in the trainyard of some- thing inspired," sings Case. Her ode to Tacoma is even more poignant given that something inspired has indeed transpired. It's that inspiration I'm seeking on a weekend jaunt south of the bor- der with my beau, starting with the leisurely five-hour-plus train ride that drops us off within minutes of downtown, where rough-and-tumble has mor phed into the Tacoma Museum District. Here, six world- class museums within blocks of each other are the nexus of what's become one of America's most walkable cities. We stroll from the Tacoma Ar t Museum over the Chihuly Bridge of Glass, past the intricate, almost ani- mated glass creations of the Venetian Wall to the restored urban waterfront and Museum of Glass. Its towering 27-metre Hot Shop cone, itself a mix of old and new, references industrial-age chimneys in a starkly modern design. It's Tacoma's new hallmark, where young men and women stoke blazing fires as in times gone by, but with modern-day passion. Turnaround The Museum of Glass Hot Shop towers over Tacoma's waterfront and Martin Blanks' glowing Fluent Steps, made up of 754 hand-sculpted glass pieces. p42-47Tacoma.indd 43 14-04-10 2:28 PM