So we thought, “why fight it?” and decided to head to some nearby downtown area for a couple of days to sit it out and hope we wouldn’t return to a smoldering pile of ashes that was once our house. Going to Tacoma (or "Ta-Compton" as our son says) to avoid gunshot-like noise seems counter intuitive at first glance but we figured every city has something good to see and we’d never given Tacoma a fair shake despite living an hour and a half away.
We stayed at The Hotel Murano (Murano is a Venetian island that’s well known for its glass art). Tripadvisor.com rated it the number one hotel in Tacoma and we were able to get it for a good rate. It’s recently been remodeled and is adorned with glass sculptures. Glass art is everywhere in Tacoma, no doubt inspired by native son, the well known Dale Chihuly.
An artful glass canopy: sorta kinda like being undersea
Pacific Avenue, just west of the Tacoma Dome, is the happening place in town (at least for a couple of late 40-somethings anyhow). On a four block stretch, you'll find The Museum of Glass, Museum of Washington State History and Union Station. There are also some quaint coffeehouses, bookstores and restaurants including The Harmon Brewing Company. We hit the Harmon for lunch upon arrival and were disappointed that they were out of their India Pale Ale (IPA). Not to worry. Not only did they have a perfectly (and lightly) carbonated Extra Special Bitter (ESB), it was on sale for just $1 for a 10 ounce glass. Needless to say, we had more than one to wash down our lunches.After checking out some sites and a rest at the hotel it was on to another brewpub for dinner, Engine House #9. This place has been around a long time and we remembered visiting 20 years ago before they were actually making their own brew. We ordered IPAs to go with dinner and were underwhelmed. They were average at best with a slightly grainy taste. The chicken soft taco I had, however, was exquisite.
The Harmon Brewing Company: best beer in Tacoma
The next day, July 4th, we headed north 15 miles to Auburn and Emerald Downs racetrack. Enough said here. The horses weren’t in a charitable mood (at least from my perspective anyway) and we ended up making a $50 “donation” to the track. The rest of the waning Independence Day hours were spent rounding up some fast food chow mein and watching a local fireworks display from the hotel room window.
And when we drove back home we were amazed to see our house. Just as we had left it and not burned to the ground.
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Mt. Rainier on a clear day from Emerald Downs
6 comments:
Was the taco you had in Tacoma exquisiter than those found at the taco truck? Did you remember to remove the seeds from the peppers?
The taco in Taco-ma tasted very good put didn't rack up many authenticity points when it comes to how I define a real taco. They didn't even serve it with a pepper.
It's hard to top the stuff we get at the taco truck. Just as I always feel good about seeing a lot of Vietnamese customers in pho soup restaurants, I know I've hit the jackpot when a sizeable latino contingent crowds around the taco truck.
BowlingJoe, if you want to stop being underwhelmed and overwhelmed by beer -- and hence taking variability out of your process -- just reach for thegold ring and stick to Guinness. A pint of the black stuff never fails to satisfy.
cvow, I agree. The ad campaign that states "Guinness is good for you" is one of very few that I agree with. In fact, as I type this I have several in the fridge.
But in the summer (especially this summer) a more heavily hopped ale such as Diamond Knot IPA (Mukilteo) or Boundary Bay IPA (Bellingham) does it for me. Guinness is the perfect late-October-sipping-by-the-fireplace-watching-Sunday-afternoon-football drink though. There's no doubt about that!
BowlingJoe
Harmon's - ooh yeah! We went there often. Good move going to Tacoma for the 4th. Horse races are a whole 'nother world, aren't they?
But in absence of good Harmon's beer, we just got back from trying Czech and Polish beer. It was Hot Hot out, so pilsner was the right thing to drink. However, the one dark beer we had was the best of the bunch. In Czech Republic, the beer that was everywhere was Urquell. In Poland, we had something with lots of Ws and Vs and not many vowels, several times. But the best thing about the beer in Czech Rep. and Poland is the price. Sooo cheap!
Pilla, I'm glad that you and Ed are getting to try all of those European beer styles. If I'm not mistaken the Urquell brewery is just about the oldest in the world.
As for the horse races, I still remember the very first time I went to Longacres back in the early 1980s. The worst possible thing happened on that day: I won $150 and was lulled into thinking that wagering on horses was easy. Needless to say, a couple of more trips there cured me of such pretzel logic.
BowlingJoe
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