s u m m e r 2 0 1 4 | g o i n g p l a c e s 45
BEYond GLaSS
Although Neko Case
sings of a downtrodden Tacoma
("Where the factories churn/
And the timber's all cut down"),
this port city's turnaround is
defi nitely bright and green.
Indeed, Tacoma has always
had the advantage of its Pacifi c
Northwest setting: the teeming
waters of the Puget Sound
(home to the giant Pacifi c
octopus, the world's largest),
the still-standing groves of
towering trees in Point
Defi ance Park (a 281-hectare
retreat since 1888) and the
seaside sand dunes of
Chambers Bay (a challenging
links-style public golf course
and site of the 2015 U.S. Open).
Downtown, there's revived
waterfront to stroll along the
Thea Foss Waterway, with the
future goal being to connect the
Tacoma Dome all the way to
Point Defi ance Park via an
11-kilometre-long multi-use
waterfront pathway. Here,
under the shapely shadow of
the Museum of Glass Hot Shop,
it's easy to take to the water via
kayak or stand-up paddleboard
from Foss Harbor Marina,
dipping paddles into sparkling
Commencement Bay. In Point
Defi ance Park there are easy
hikes through old-growth forest
with views of Vashon Island and
Gig Harbor across the water, as
well as the Tacoma Narrows
Bridge (the fi fth-longest
suspension span in the U.S. built
after the infamous caught-on-
fi lm collapse of Galloping Gertie).
Farther afi eld, Tacoma's
surrounding Pierce County is
home to some 146 waterfalls,
25 glaciers (including Carbon
Glacier, the longest and thickest
in the mainland U.S.) and the
Carbon River rainforest of Mount
Rainier. At 4,323 metres, majestic
Rainier is the Cascades' and
Washington's tallest peak, a
beacon easily visible from
downtown Tacoma. –b.S.
The seaside beauty of the
Chambers Bay golf course,
site of the 2015 U.S. Open.
(both
pages)
barb
sligl
CAA hotel
reward partners
offer member discounts.
From Best Western to Hilton
hotels, fi nd the right place
to lay your head at
caarewards.ca/
manitoba.
p42-47Tacoma.indd 45 14-04-10 2:28 PM
