Tacoma Undressed

Santa is Coming to Tacoma

Santa traded in his sleigh and is coming this weekend to Tacoma by train!  Bring the kids and enjoy a train ride with jolly old St Nick.  The fare is $1.00 (plus tax) unless you are under 3 years or over 99 years of age then it’s free.  The train runs this Saturday and Sunday between the hours of 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Camp 6 located in Tacoma’s Point Defiance Park.  After the ride with Santa enjoy a hot cup of chocolate or warm cider and cookies while warming up around a pot-belly-stove.  Don’t forget to wear warm clothes and bring your camera.  Camp 6 is a replica of a logging camp set up by logging engineers in 1964.  The picture is bunk cars the loggers used for housing back in the day when horses were used to haul out the timber from the woods.

Union Station

The Union Station is one of downtown Tacoma’s greatest historic landmarks built in 1911.  Northern Pacific Railroad used it for a train station until railroad travel diminished in the 1980’s.  I remember as a young girl walking into the huge building and looking up at the dome and thinking how magnificent it is.  The City of Tacoma purchased the building for $1 and renovated it, making it a lobby for the Federal Courthouse.  Today, a colorful glass sculpture hanging from the center of the dome is the focal point when you pass through the front door.  Dale Chihuly’s glass sculptures enhance the grand architectural structure of the building.  To see a video show of Union Station go to:  http://www.realestateshows.com/show.php?id=237178&traffic=0

Chihuly Glass Art

Dale Chihuly is a well known glass artist from Tacoma. He has adorned the city with his beautiful and vibrant glass work. Downtown Tacoma behind the Union Station is one of the largest outdoor installations of his work. You can walk across a 400 foot pedestrian bridge lined with his art. There are also two 30 foot high blue crystal towers that light up the sky at night. The deep colors of the glass and all the different and unique shapes are absolutely stunning! To see more of his creative talent, visit the Tacoma Art Museum downtown on Pacific Ave. Here are some pictures to get a glimpse of what you will see on the Chihuly Bridge of Glass!

My Feathered Friends

The other day I was in between meeting clients and had some time to spare so I grabbed some lunch and went to the park.  After throwing some seeds out to the seagulls, they just stood there so I drove ahead to see if they would move, still nothing but watching me to see what I was doing.  I then moved 50 feet away and they attacked the seeds like they hadn’t eaten in days.  Yes, this is what Real Estate agents do in their spare time…….bird watch!!!

Tacoma Author

I was in Borders Book Store yesterday and had the chance to meet Dia Calhoun who is an author in Tacoma.  Dia was autographing her book “The Return of Light” a Christmas Tale for children.  It is about a boy, a special baseball and a group of homeless people, a young Christmas tree, brings the return of light to those who need it most.  A great book for all ages!  Dia has a Fantasy Writing Workshop; she goes to different grade schools in the area and teaches 5th to 8th grade students how to write fantasy stories.  What a great way to get children involved and to teach them how to develop their creativity through writing.  To read more about the workshop or other books she has written for young people visit her website at: http://www.diacalhoun.com/

Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium

If you are looking for a fun place to take your children this holiday season….Zoolights is a must see!!  Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium in Tacoma is having their 20th anniversary of lights.  The zoo is transformed into a winter wonderland decorated in tons of lights; to be exact there are 27 miles of lights which means there are 525,000 total lights.  Wow, I have a hard time putting up one strand of lights!  Walk through the zoo seeing all kinds of different animals while enjoying music and live entertainment.  Check out the reindeer I saw at the zoo.  Hmmm….I wonder if one might be Rudolph! 

Go to http://www.pdza.org/zoolights/ to get more information on the event.