Getting out and around is getting so complicated anymore that it’s a wonder anyone dares to venture out at all. We used to go on a cruise, fly down to see the family in Salt Lake City, or just take a road trip to some near, or far, point of interest. But those who make up the rules are trying to coin a new group of phrases; vacation, staycation or daycation , so that we can be more compatible with our sinking economy.
Take the old family car; please. When I was younger, my first car only cost $20.00, plus the price of a new clutch, which I put in myself. Now that was back in the 50’s mind you, but none the less it was paid for and it was my pride and joy. If, at that time, anyone had called it a klunker they would have had a greasy rag thrown in their face. Not anymore, it is now your patriotic duty to define your older car as a klunker and then turn it in for a new one. You may even get paid for doing so.
You can imagine my consternation when we decided to take a day off and see some of the surrounding area. I couldn’t call it a vacation; since I am retired and everyday is already a vacation. I was thinking of taking a staycation; but how do you really define a staycation? After much thought and deliberation we decided to take a daycation. I figured that if we could get it all done in just one day, then that would fulfill the requirements of the word.
Our first thought was to head north; up to the Hood Canal area and rummage through some of the small towns and points of interest. Working out a time table, we found it would take most of the day, just driving, sightseeing, and eating. That’s a lot of driving just to visit a place we have already been to. Next plan was to visit some of the nearby places which the local newspaper had highlighted as points if interest. Now, this was an idea more to my liking. We could keep the total driving time to less than two hours; visit some local buildings that I had heard about, but never taken the time to visit; and finally we would be in familiar territory when it came to choosing a place to eat. It is all too often that you take unnecessary risks when choosing unfamiliar eating establishments.
Tacoma was to be the city of choice; it was within a half-hour driving time for both Sharon and I, located in Gig Harbor, and our friends Darrell and Norma from Federal Way. We would meet at Freighthouse Square in Tacoma; a collection of art, knickknacks and food. Its central location and easy access would make it a good starting place for our Tacoma daycation.
As you drive south on I-5 through Tacoma, you can see a beautiful church on the right hand side shortly after you pass the Tacoma Dome. Every time we pass by I think of how great it would be to stop in and see it. So today we did. The church is the Holy Rosary Church. It is 89 years old and reportedly the tallest church in the state. It was built with the neo-gothic styling; arches and pointy spires, ……you’ll know it when you see it. They say that the stain glass windows include copies of windows found in the Notre Dame De Paris. Unfortunately we could not get in to see them; which was a shame as it would have saved me a trip to Paris.
The church is near to downtown Tacoma so we decided to pay a visit
to the old Union Station train depot. This building was built in 1929 and saw a lot of action during WWII, (the big one) in transporting our troops, and also transporting much of the Japanese population to the internment camps! Much of it’s history can been seen at the Washington State History Museum which is just next door. The building has been remodeled into government buildings as part of a revitalization project of downtown Tacoma. It is currently undergoing some renovating, so we did not go in; rather we went next door to the Washington State History Museum. The museum was built to resemble the old Union Station train depot and was opened to the public in 1996. The museum houses a few permanent displays and 
an assortment of changing displays. Especially interesting was an artist’s photography exhibit of the Ho River located in Washington’s rain forest area of the Olympic Peninsula. I think I enjoyed the model train exhibit the most though. I had model trains when I was a kid and have enjoyed them ever since. This exhibit was first class. There were several trains with the tracks running from Tacoma's Point Defiance Park on to the Stampede Pass tunnel in the Cascades. Steam and diesel engines travel past the ASARCO tunnel and tower, the Sperry Flour Mill & Sperry 
Ocean Terminal, the Seybold-Miller shake mill, and of course, the museums next door neighbor, Union Station.After spending a couple of hours at the museum we were starting to get a mild case of the hungries. Leaving the museum we could look just across the street to the Museum of Glass. We had visited the MOG two years ago and decided to bypass it in favor of some good food. The museum is certainly a must see on your
Daycation tour of Tacoma though, with its glass blowing demonstrations and wonderful gift shop.
The highlight of our tour of course could have to be Bob’s Java Jive; built in 1929 it is an excellent example of the deco-art buildings of that era. Seems as though I was the only one impressed with the building though, so we continued on to Freighthouse Square for lunch.
Freighthouse Square is one of my favorite places to eat out. It’s not in the main throng of the downtown area, so it has easy access. There are a dozen or more eateries; Gyros, fish and chips, bubble tea, lumpia, fried chicken, bulgogi, curry chicken, burritos, Chicago style hot dogs and scratch baked cookies. Imagine, you can easily spend your lunch hour just figuring what it is you want to eat. One of my favorite is the Paya Thai Fish & Chips. Owner Tom Pagano is always right out in front of his booth describing his catch of the day. You order, and he brings it right out to your table; fish & chips, Southern fried chicken and garlic shrimp; that was our fare for the day.
What a way to end our perfect Daycation. We satisfied the government’s plea to spend our money close to home, we saved gas (40 mpg in the yellow Beetle), we became more closely acquainted with some of the great architecture of Tacoma, and we had a great meal.
Great friends, great times, great food!
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