Tag Archives: Link

An adventure with the Big Duck

So the World’s Largest Rubber Duck floated into Tacoma this weekend and of course I had to go see it. So I grabbed dear daughter and her friend and off we went. I was expecting a difficult time getting to the duck which is part of the Festival of Sails, but it was a breeze. We found a marvelous parking spot in the free parking garages near Freighthouse Square and the Link came along right away. We hopped off at the Union Station stop and walked down to the waterfront. There was a short line to gain entry to the metal walkway to the docks, but I had advanced tickets, so that went well too. We had a grand time exploring most of the historic ships and taking photos of the huge duck “Mama Duck” which is six stories high. Doing some research I learned that the duck was created by artist Florentijn Hofman from The Netherlands. In addition to US stops it has also appeared in Australia, Taiwan, China, Belgium, Japan, New Zealand, Brazil and elsewhere.

Really it was a great deal of fun. When we went to leave we found a long line to go up the metal walkway, but the line wasn’t moving. The word quickly spread that there was an electrical concern (maybe fire) and the ramp, which was the only way on or off the docks, was closed. The ships on display were without power, making me concerned for the big duck which was set up with a electric propeller fan. So while most folks waited patiently in line, the three of us went back to explore some more and hang out in comfort. In the end the city’s fire boat pulled up at the other end of the dock providing a pathway (evacuation route) to the shore, though that jump at the end was a pretty big one! Happily there were some nice guys to offer a helping hand.


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The Union Station Link

13791347714_8808f6a6d5_bThe Union Station Link Stop is situated on the median on in the center of Pacific Avenue between South 19th and South 21st Street in the Museum District in proximity of the University of Washington, Tacoma Branch and Tacoma’s School of the Arts. Presently the Link runs 1.6 miles, though there are expansion plans. The public art in the foreground represents shipbuilding in the area’s past. Below is another photo of the station and a few other near by shots.

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Tacoma Dome Station

The Tacoma Dome Station at 610 Puyallup Avenue, Tacoma is a major hub with the buses, Link and Sounder all right there. The station includes two seven story buildings and contains 2,500 parking spaces. It cost $10,500,000 to build in 1999.

http://www.piercetransit.org/tds2.htm

Pink Elephant Through the Link’s Window on New Year’s Eve

Originally uploaded by Gexydaf

Usually I take my new place of the day photos after work, but today I stayed late and found a wind storm outside when I left. So the new place of the day is an older photo, though I did check in today.

This shot of the Elephant Car Wash was taken on New Year’s Eve 2010 through the window of the light rail system in Tacoma, the Link.

There are nine Elephant Car Washes in the Puget Sound area and this one is in Tacoma and was built in 1963.

http://elephantcarwash.com/website/?page=about