Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/500391
16 G O I N G P L A C E S | S U M M E R 2 0 1 5 PETER ST. JOHN base A GUIDEBOOK, HISTORY LESSON AND ENTERTAINING NARRATIVE, Exploring Old Highway No. 1 West: Canada's Route 66 is both a journey from the centre of Canada westward and a journey from past to present. Winnipeg-born author J. Clark Saunders leads the way on a nostalgic journey along the original Trans-Canada Highway from 1945 to 1965. Saunders takes us on a tour of "quaint restaurants, neon-trimmed motels, roadside attractions, campgrounds and picnic sites," many of which are still accessible o the beaten path. At the same time, the book delves into those classic family car trips and the accompanying experiences – both good and not so good (cue annoying siblings). Saunders's subtle sense of humour, aided by a healthy dose of history, wrap the guidebook up into a neat little read. Whether you're planning your own roadtrip west via the Trans-Canada or simply hitting the highway in your mind, Saunders o ers the perfect guide. Bathroom breaks optional. Available at independent bookstores, including McNally Robinson; $26.95. Published by Heartland Associates. GLASS ACT Congratulations to Going Places contributor Barb Sligl, a bronze prize winner in the 2014 North American Travel Journalists Association Awards Competition. Sligl's photograph of Tacoma's Museum of Glass Hot Shop and glass-art-adorned waterfront, which placed in the Facility, Architectural category, ran with her story, Tacoma Turnaround, in the summer 2014 issue. www.natja.org/ awards/2014-winners, digital.canadawide.com/i/299622/41 WIN THIS BOOK! Enter to win a copy of Exploring Old Highway No. 1 West: Canada's Route 66 by J. Clark Saunders at www.caamanitoba.com/contests. Contest deadline: June 8, 2015. Again Again Again Again Old Road Old Road Old Road Old Road On the On the Old Road On the Old Road 42 G O I N G P L A C E S | S U M M E R 2 0 1 4 (above) mahesh thapa/museum of glass, (opposite) barb sligl Once a working-class way station between Seattle and Portland, sea- side Tacoma's claim to fame was hav- ing the largest lumber mill in the world, something musician Neko Case alludes to in her lyrics. She grew up here and touches upon Tacoma's beleaguered history as a declining blue-collar town in the song "rice All American": "I wanna tell you about my hometown/It's a dusty old jewel in the South Puget Sound/ Where the factories churn/And the timber's all cut down." It's a love song of sorts, and I listen to it on the train from Vancou- ver, B.C., gliding past still coves, ancient trees and long stretches of driftwood-strewn beach. "People who built it they love it like I do/ere 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. TACOMA On the edge of Puget Sound in the Pacific Northwest, a former timber town sparkles with glass art and a hip new vibe TURNAROUND BY BARB SLIGL W hat do Andy Warhol, Heath Ledger, Neko Case and Dale Chihuly have in common? Tacoma. Really. Pop artist and icon, tragic actor, indie-darling musician and living-legend glassblower – all have a connection to the city just south of Seattle largely known as the other half of SeaTac airport. ere's an artistic pull in this once down-and-out port and it's growing stronger. is is Tacoma's 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. The dream-like shapes of Dale Chihuly's Seaform Pavilion on the Bridge of Glass. TACOMA TURNAROUND W down-and-out port and it's growing stronger. is is Tacoma's turnaround.