The Museum of Glass: Tacoma, Washington

While visiting Seattle, we took a day-trip down to Tacoma to visit the Museum of Glass.

An azure sky, benevolent clouds, and the soggy stench of papermill awaited us in this coastal burgh plopped in the southern reaches of the Puget Sound.

Upon entering, we headed directly to the Hot Shop (located inside the building's conical protuberance) to watch live glass-blowing and listen to running commentary by glass experts. Molten glass and fiery furnaces!

Not quite as thrilling as a monster truck rally, but watching artists mold liquid glass into priceless artifacts is invigorating in a certain way.
  

The final product of the live session we watched: a glass amber (complete with prehistoric insects trapped inside).

We then entered the main exhibition area and fell into museum mode -  a blissful condition marked by sweaty palms, dilated eyes, lightness of being, silent consideration, and aesthetic enchantment.

Outside we walked through Dale Chihuly's public installation (lining the walls of a freeway overpass).

All in all, it was a glassy day in Tacoma.

Sunday Walk: Golden Gardens

A return to Seattle called for a sunset stroll through Ballard's Golden Garden Park on the Puget Sound.  In typical Seattle fashion, this summer's eve walk was frigid and blustery!

The declining Northern sun...

Bundle up at the beach.

A nomad wanders in and out of our lives...

Vietnamese Food in Seattle: Tamarind Tree

Vietnamese culture abounds in the International District of Seattle and it was refreshing to see familiar sights and enjoy familiar flavors.

The Entrikins were curious to know how their local Vietnamese joint compared to our usual spots in Saigon, so they took us to Tamarind Tree and let us order a feast!

Billed as a "provincial" restaurant, Tamarind Tree has an extensive menu covering delights from all regions of Vietnam. Per family tradition, we started with Gỏi cuốn (Spring rolls).

Spring Rolls

Tasty bricks of grilled tofu accompanied the Gỏi củ sen (Fresh lotus root salad).

Lotus Root Salad

Bún thịt nướng (Skewered grilled pork noodles).

A decidedly Americanized version of Bò lá-lốt, with incomparably massive chunks of beef sausage rolled in betel leaves.  Delicious, but very filling.

A perfectly made Bánh xèo chay (Vegetarian crepe).

Banh Xeo - Crape

The Hủ tiếu chay (Vegetarian noodle soup) further corroborated a sneaking suspicion that vegetarian stock simply can't replicate the complex flavor profile of meat-based soups.  Using a recipe that originated in the Chinese kitchens of Phnom Penh and arrived in Vietnam with the post-conflict Cambodian diaspora, their version was bland and uninspiring.

Soup

Bột chiên (Pan fried rice cake) is usually enjoyed while perched on a decaying stool along a bustling street as a greasy pick-me-up.  This restaurant-ready version was delectable.

Bot Chien

Our verdict?  It was pretty damn good - traditional Vietnamese flavors with an American sense of portion, service, and scope.  We would happily return and highly recommend it to any Seattleite looking for tasty Vietnamese in a comfortable setting.