Washington Cascades - Washington, Oregon and the Pacific Northwest - page 337

miles to reach Woodinville, home of several good wineries and the legendary, very, very
upscale Herbfarm (14590 NE 145th St; dinner $180-200; 7pm Thu-Sat, 4:30pm Sun) , where
nine-course dinners are drawn from the gardens and farm itself, as well as small local
growers, and matched with locally produced wines. There's a trail along the Sammam-
ish River , if you fancy walking it off. From here it's a quick drive along I-405 back to
Seattle.
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Tacoma
Tacoma gets a bad rap as a beleaguered mill town known mostly for its distinctive
'Tacom-aroma,' a product of the nearby paper mills. Its nickname, 'City of Destiny' -
because it was Puget Sound's railroad terminus - once seemed like a grim joke. But des-
tiny has started to come through for Tacoma. Renewed investment in the arts and signi-
ficant downtown revitalization make it a worthy stop on the Portland-Seattle route.
Tacoma's tribute to native son Dale Chihuly, the Museum of Glass ( 866-468-7386;
1801 Dock St; admission $12; 10am-5pm Wed-Sat, noon-5pm Sun, 10am-8pm 3rd Thu each
month) , with its slanted tower called the Hot Shop Amphitheater, has art exhibits and
glassblowing demonstrations. Chihuly's characteristically elaborate and colorful Bridge
of Glass walkway connects the museum with the enormous copper-domed neobaroque
1911 Union Station. Some huge pieces by Chihuly greet visitors to the city's Federal
Courthouse (1717 Pacific Ave) . For smaller-scale work, don't miss Chihuly's permanent
collection at the Tacoma Art Museum ( 253-272-4258; 1701 Pacific Ave; adult/student $9/
8; 10am-5pm Wed-Sun, to 8pm 3rd Thu each month) .
Take Ruston Way out to Point Defiance ( 253-591-5337; zoo adult/child $13.50/11.50;
9:30am-5pm) , a 700-acre park complex with free-roaming bison and mountain goats, a
logging museum, a zoo, an aquarium and miles of trails.
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Mt Rainier National Park Area
Emblazoned on every Washington license plate and visible throughout much of the west-
ern state, Mt Rainier is the contiguous USA's fifth-highest peak and, in the eyes of many,
its most awe-inspiring.
Close to Puget Sound's urban areas and unobstructed by any other peaks, the moun-
tain's overwhelming presence, set off by its 26 glaciers, has long enraptured the millions