Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/303828
like I do/ere was hope in the train- yard of something 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 down- town, where rough-and-tumble has morphed into the Tacoma Museum District. Here, six world-class muse- ums within blocks of each other are the nexus of what's become one of America's most walkable cities. We stroll from the Tacoma Art Museum over the Chihuly Bridge of Glass, past the intricate, almost animated glass creations of the Venetian Wall to the restored urban water front 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. p36-41_Tacoma.indd 37 14-04-11 2:43 PM