SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT

Betty and I traveled to Tacoma, a city about 30 miles from Seattle. We were very fortunate that we had a relatively warm and sunny day to scope out the sites. We really enjoyed seeing Stadium High School, commonly referred to as the Brown Castle. The building was originally intended by its financiers, the Northern Pacific Railroad Company and Tacoma Land Company, to be one of the finest luxury hotels on the Pacific Coast. Construction began in 1891, but due to the railroad’s financial failure, the hotel was never completed and was boarded up for a number of years before it was acquired by the Tacoma School District. The Brown Castle has been host to many historical figures including: Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, and Warren Harding, Presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan, World War I hero General John “Black Jack” Pershing and John Phillip Sousa's band. The building resembles a chateau in France. Tres magnifique! The Stadium Bowl was completed a few years later, and today it holds about 32,000 football fans who cheer on their beloved Tigers.

We strolled through the quaint downtown and saw Old City Hall and Union Station. Old City Hall features a large clocktower and now houses restaurants and retail shops. Union Station now serves as a federal courthouse. The building has a large domed rotunda complete with skylights. A collection of beautiful glass art works by renowned Tacoma artist Dale Chihuly illuminates the space and there is a 20-foot chandelier which hangs from the center of the dome. It was quite beautiful.

Betty and I made a return visit to Seattle to take in a few more sites. One of our stops included the Starbucks Reserve Roastery. The roastery is on the ground floor of the world headquarters of Starbucks. Starbucks HQ is in the building which was originally the northwest distribution center for Sears & Roebucks. The Reserve Roastery is a lovely space where coffee lovers can spend the day sipping on a variety of caffeinated delights which are not available at your neighborhood Starbucks shops. Folks can also nibble on foods baked, grilled, and produced on site. Betty and I enjoyed a flight of coffee drinks which are in the reserve collection.

When in Seattle, the Smith Tower is must-see. The building was completed in 1914 and, at the time, it was the tallest building on the West Coast. This title lasted until 1962 when the Space Needle claimed the honor in 1962. By the way, the Smith in the name is the same Smith in Smith & Wesson and Smith-Corona fame. The building’s fascinating history includes a gang of rumrunners and a host of other questionable characters. Visitors can head up to the 35th floor to take in the breathtaking views of the city or sit in the Wishing Chair in the Chinese room. The legend is that if a single woman sits in the chair and wishes to marry, she will see her wish come true within a year. I’m not sure I believe the legend, but Betty curled up in the chair for a lark. We’ll see if she ties the knot before her year is up.

We walked through Chinatown and stopped for lunch at Dough Zone Dumpling House which serves up delicious Chinese dumplings. So yummy! Once our bellies were full, we ended our tour of the city with a visit to the University of Washington, or as the locals call it - UDub. It’s a sprawling large urban campus that was teeming with students. We saw Husky Stadium where the men and women athletes compete. It was a lovely day.

Betty and I love Bonnie Raitt. Did you know that she toured with the Rolling Stones when she was twenty years old?

Buster

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