Last Updated: July 12, 2006
This scenic route from downtown Seattle to Tacoma passes by several well-known Tacoma naughty spots, along with a famous spa and the city's unique museum of glass art. A jacuzzi soak or therapeutic massage are possibilities once the day's riding is complete, optionally followed by a visit to a cocktail lounge and the city's neighboring casino.
There are many points on SR-99/Eells/Puyallup while riding into Tacoma, as well as on E/S 56th St and S Tacoma Way once in Tacoma, where traffic is relatively high-volume and fast, yet there is little to no shoulder and no bike path. In those areas you may feel more comfortable using the sidewalk.
Prime examples are SR-99 between S 312th St and 16th Ave S, and 56th St from a little ways east to quite a ways west of its freeway crossing (and in the latter case several of that street's sidewalk intersections have no curb cuts, so care is required even if you choose to use the sidewalk).
If you aren't comfortable with this, then one option is to skip essentially all of it by taking Pierce Transit Route 500 at your first opportunity on SR-99 into downtown Tacoma, then take Pierce Transit Route 3 from downtown Tacoma to S 88th St / S Tacoma Way.
S 3rd Ave R Madison St L Alaskan Way C Alaskan Way S C E Marginal Way S R Shared use path just before S Spokane St L Avalon Way C SW Avalon Way BL 30th Ave SW L SW Genesee St R 26th Ave SW L SW Brandon St (just after park) R 23rd Ave SW BL Croft Pl SW BR 21st Ave SW L SW Myrtle St R 16th Ave SW L SW Henderson St R 9th Ave SW BL Henderson Pl SW C 8th Ave SW L SW 102nd St R 4th Ave SW C Sylvester Rd SW L SW 172nd St C 13th Ave SW C 12th Ave SW L SW Shorebrook Dr R Marine View Dr SW C SW 211st St R 1st Ave S C 1st Pl S C S 216th Pl C S 216th St R 7th Ave S
At this point, if you want a good view of the ocean, you can optionally turn right on S 223rd St, bear right on Cliff Ave, turn left into the Marina parking lot, and turn left on Dock Ave, continuing until S 227th St.
L S 227th St R Marine View Dr C Marine View Dr S L S 258th St C 14th Pl S R 16th Ave S BR Pacific Hwy S (aka SR-99) C Pacific Hwy E (aka SR-99) C Eells St C Puyallup Ave L E D St BL McKinley Way C McKinley Ave R E 56th St C S 56th St
At Tacoma Mall Blvd, to see the enormous adult retail shop Castle Megastore turn left and continue until S 60th St. Otherwise, continue west on S 56th St.
At S Tacoma Way, if bike parts or advice are required then turn right and continue to Bike Tech at S 54th St. Otherwise, turn left and continue south to S 86th St.
At this point, the sides of the street essentially divide into "his" and "hers". On the left women will find the famed women-only Olympus Spa (with an attractive attachment point for bike locking on the north side of their building), while on the right men will find in sequence: a store called Game Matrix which features internet gaming, a Deja Vu strip club, another internet gaming place called "I-Station" at S 93rd St that's open from 2pm-2am, and an odd-looking "massage and sauna" establishment that's open until midnight (and which also had the only potential attachment point for bike locking I could find on that side of the street).
Once you're done in this part of town, assuming you're tired of riding you can take Pierce Transit Route 3 from the Olympus Spa side of the street at S 88th St back into downtown Tacoma.
Once back in downtown Tacoma, you have the opportunity to see the city's Museum of Glass, at 1801 Dock St: hours are 10am-5pm Wed-Sat (also Mon-Tue during summer), 12-5pm Sun, and 10am-8pm on the third Thursday of the month.
Next, get from downtown Tacoma to the Tacoma Dome Station (i.e. nearer to the hotels, trains, and the casino) via Tacoma's free Link Light Rail, which stops at S 9th and S 15th on Commerce St, and S 19th and S 25th on Pacific Ave. At present the last one leaves 8:10pm Sun-Fri, and at 10:10pm on Sat.
At that point you'll probably want to check into your hotel, take a shower, change clothes, and leave your bike in your room. Note that the Tacoma La Quinta Inn (easily reached by turning south on Portland Ave) has an outdoor jacuzzi as part of its pool area, which after your day's riding could feel amazing. Alternatively, after your shower you could make your way to Freighthouse Square at the Tacoma Dome Station, and go up the stairs on the west side of the building to find Knotworks Massage Therapy: massage services include relaxation massage, sports massage, and hot stone massage, and Freighthouse Square as a whole is open until 7pm Mon-Sat and 5pm Sun (though if you're sure this is how you want to end your evening, you'll probably want to call Knotworks and make a reservation for their last available evening time).
Finally, if your tastes run towards the traditional vices, there's the cocktail lounge at the La Quinta followed by an easy walk east to the Emerald Queen Casino (which features gambling and a late-night buffet).
One note is in order about the Emerald Queen Casino: if you choose to take a cab to and from the Emerald Queen Casino (which may not be necessary with either of the above hotel recommendations, especially the La Quinta), then for your cab ride back you should ideally look for a cab from a reputable and well-known cab service, such as Yellow Cab (253-472-3303). In the absence of that do not depend on the driver being able or willing to accept cards, and bring sufficient cash to pay for the trip.
Assuming it's a weekday morning, your best option is to take the 7:10am Sound Transit Sounder Commuter Rail to Seattle (this is indeed the latest commuter rail departure) from the Tacoma Dome Station. Tickets can be purchased from machines for $4 (cash or debit, though the debit feature sometimes fails so be sure to have cash). Board at one of the doors marked with a bicycle symbol.
If you miss this train, or if it's a weekend, then your next-best bet is to take the Amtrak Cascades 500 train at 11:11am, the Amtrak Cascades 506 train at 2:41pm, the Amtrak Cascades 516 train at 5:16pm, or the Amtrak Cascades 508 train at 8:41pm. Be sure to specify that you'll be bringing a bicycle on board when you purchase your ticket.
If you miss the last Amtrak train, or if you need to leave at an unusual time during the day, then as a last resort you can take Sound Transit bus numbers 590, 591, or 594 from the Tacoma Dome Station. The last one leaves at 9:51pm.
Please keep in mind that train and bus departure times will eventually change: check the official schedules if you need to be sure.
Tacoma Dome Station
424 E 25th St
(where Sounder Commuter Rail leaves from)
Amtrak Station
1001 Puyallup Avenue
(3 blocks west of Tacoma Dome Station)
La Quinta Inn
1425 E 27th St
253-383-0146
$104+tax
1pm check-in time
0.7 miles from casino, 0.9 miles from train
Castle Superstore
6015 Tacoma Mall Blvd
Hours: 9am-1am, seven days a week
Bike Tech
5408 S Tacoma Way
Hours: 10am-7pm Mon-Fri, 9:30am-5pm Sat, 11am-5pm Sun
Olympus Spa (women-only)
8615 S Tacoma Way
Hours: 9am-10pm Mon-Thu, 9am-mid Fri-Sat, closed Sun
Deja Vu
8920 S Tacoma Way
Hours: 11am-2am Mon-Sat, 3pm-2am Sun
Emerald Queen Casino
2024 E 29th St
Hours: It's only CLOSED from 6am-10am Tue-Thu
Credit is due to the Seattle Bicycle Touring Club, whose suggested route from West Seattle to Sumner inspired the middle section of the route given above.
N/S/E/W North/South/East/West L/R Left/Right BL/BR Bear Left/Right C Continues as
