Hello, thanks for checking out Transiterranean, a Tacoma-centric transit newsletter-blog exploring commuting, food, drink, and destinations across the City of Destiny, Puget Sound, and beyond! I’m Michael Grass, a former journalist and communications professional who has lived car-free for about 25 years, including in Washington, D.C., New York City, Seattle, Bellingham, and now Tacoma.      

The Ruston Way Trail between Tacoma’s Old Town and Point Ruston is incredibly scenic and offers great views of Commencement Bay when weather conditions allow. Unfortunately, if you don’t drive, don’t want to summon a taxi, Lyft, or Uber, or aren’t up for an especially long walk or bicycle ride, waterside destinations along Ruston Way are very much out of reach for a variety of reasons. First, there currently isn’t any Pierce Transit fixed-route bus service along Ruston Way — you can summon a Pierce Transit Runner on-demand vehicle via an app, however. And second, the bluffs that rise above Ruston Way and the BNSF Seattle Subdivision railroad tracks present barriers that mostly cut off the waterfront from Tacoma’s North End.    

While Puget Creek isn’t very long, it is one of Tacoma’s three salmon-bearing streams. Parks Tacoma’s Puget Creek Natural Area covers 66 acres, mostly in a gulch that cuts into the bluffs. According to Parks Tacoma, in 1891, the Tacoma News reported that gold was discovered in the creek, which “created considerable excitement at the time, but the gold was not in large enough quantities.”  

There’s a switchback trail leading down from N. Proctor Street — and Pierce Transit’s Route 11 — into the gulch, which is full of ferns and tall trees. If you’re a civil engineering fan, the concrete arch bridge carrying N. Proctor Street over the gulch, built in 1927, is something you really can’t truly appreciate from street level, only from the trail below.  

At the foot of the Puget Creek Natural Area is Alder Way, which leads under the BNSF railroad tracks to Ruston Way and the waterside path along Commencement Bay. While Alder Way lacks sidewalks, there is a narrow gravel shoulder. Fortunately, vehicle traffic on Alder Way is generally minimal, though exercise caution when crossing Ruston Way where motorists tend to speed and are easily distracted by the seaside views and phone notifications.

It’s slightly less than a mile from N. Proctor Street & N. 30th Street to the Ruston Way Trail, with a mostly gradual descent from approximately 330 feet above sea level down to Commencement Bay. (Thank you Parks Tacoma for marking bus stops on official park maps!) 

Once you reach the bay, you can hang out for a bit down along the water and head back the way you came or follow the Ruston Way Trail about about 2.5 miles northwest toward Point Ruston and Point Defiance Park where you can catch Route 10 or Route 11. 

Alternatively, you can follow the trail about 0.7 miles southeast toward Old Town — the adapted industrial ruins of Parks Tacoma’s Dickman Mill Park are worth a stop — and then trek uphill to the nearest transit stops since Old Town currently lacks fixed-route transit service. From Old Town, it’s a 1.3-mile walk through the Yakima Hill neighborhood to the T Line’s Stadium District Station, a 0.6-mile walk to the Route 16 stop at N. I Street & N. 12th Street near Lowell Elementary School, or a 1.7-mile trek to the Route 11 stop at N. M Street & N. 11th Street in the North Slope neighborhood.  

As with any transit-oriented trip in Tacoma’s North End, Route 11’s once-an-hour service necessitates that you be mindful of the schedule and plan accordingly or else you could be waiting a long time. But with proper schedule awareness, a trek down to the water from Route 11 via Puget Creek, paired with another stop — maybe lunch at Northern Fish Old Town or Anthony’s Harbor Lights or admiring the bay at the Les Davis Pier or Old Town Dock — may lead to a perfect car-free exploration of the Ruston Way waterfront.  

In recent weeks, construction crews have been busy in Tacoma’s 6th Avenue Business District upgrading pedestrian crossings and other safety improvements at certain intersections making it less hazardous to cross the street on foot and bicycle. 

Although these intersection safety upgrades don’t directly improve existing transit service along Route 1, Pierce Transit’s highest ridership bus route, taken together, these street upgrades indirectly boost the transit experience by making 6th Avenue a better corridor for accessing businesses and destinations without driving. 

Adjacent to Bluebeard Coffee Roasters, at 6th Avenue & State Street, there are rebuilt bus stop locations for Route 1 riders along with new curbs, curb cuts, and sidewalks; one block west at 6th Avenue & Trafton Street, there’s a new traffic island which gives pedestrians a crossing refuge; and bulb outs and new curb cuts are being installed at 6th Avenue & Fife Street. These projects should hopefully tame certain lead-footed motorists from speeding through the business district. These projects are part of a larger slate of improvements planned along the broader 6th Avenue corridor, between Grant Avenue and Jackson Avenue. 

According to the City of Tacoma’s 6th Avenue Pedestrian Crossing Safety Improvements project page:

Among the work ahead: Rebuilding the awkward, 5-way signalized intersection where 6th Avenue meets Sprague Avenue and Division Avenue near Hilltop Heritage Middle School. 

The Washington State Public Works Board recently awarded $137.3 million to 38 projects across Washington, including a project in Tacoma aimed at reducing the risk of flooding at Pacific Avenue & S. 26th Street, an important intersection used by Pierce Transit buses on busy Route 1 and the Stream Community Line. 

Due to aging and inadequate stormwater infrastructure that drains to the Thea Foss Waterway, the intersection has seen significant flooding during intense rainfall, including in December 2019 and October 2021. In some cases, storms have inundated the intersection with water rising approximately 10 feet, according to the City of Tacoma, which has been planning for upgrades in the impacted area through the Puyallup Avenue Sewer Utility Replacement Project. 

According to the Washington State Department of Commerce:

As part of the same funding announcement, the Public Works Board also approved $2.9 million in funding for the City of Tacoma to “install multiple ADA and other traffic and pedestrian safety improvements” along the S. 12th Street corridor, between S. Grant Avenue and S. Cedar Street. Pierce Transit’s Route 28 serves the S. 12th Street corridor between Downtown Tacoma and Tacoma Community College.

Back in 2013, I spent an extended vacation in Chiang Mai, the second-largest city in Thailand, which draws visitors for its temples, monasteries, centuries-old walls, and amazing food culture. That includes khao soi, an egg noodle soup with a thick coconut curry broth, usually served with chicken or pork, pickled mustard greens, shallots, fried chilis, garlic, lime, and bits of pork rinds. It’s a filling and delicious convergence of flavors, all in one bowl.

Although khao soi is most often associated with Chiang Mai, there are related versions elsewhere in northern Thailand, Laos, or Myanmar, demonstrating the incredible confluence of food influences and flavors in this part of the world.     

As a newcomer to Tacoma, I certainly have a lot to explore, but it’s great to see that there are Thai restaurants that offer khao soi on their menus since it’s not always offered by Thai restaurants in the U.S. While local and regional buses offer car-free access to Thai restaurants around Tacoma, there are also spots to easily find transit-oriented khao soi right off Sound Transit’s light-rail route in the heart of the city. 

In recent weeks, I hopped the T Line to try out two examples of transit-oriented khao soi, at Thai Pepper near the Old City Hall Station and Nana Thai Street Food in the Freighthouse Square food court adjacent to Tacoma Dome Station. 

For those who love Downtown Tacoma’s architectural highlights, Thai Pepper, on Pacific Avenue at S. 7th Street, occupies an enviable perch adjacent to historic Old City Hall and the Northern Pacific office building. The restaurant’s menu makes Thai Pepper another important destination in this part of Tacoma. 

Thai Pepper’s version of khao soi reminded me why this Chiangmaiese noodle soup is such a magical bowl of goodness. There’s an interplay of sour and savory flavors, elevated spiciness, and varied textures. Khao soi is always a more beautiful and photogenic dish when first presented. But you need to sufficiently mix it all together to enjoy. Be sure to squeeze some lime!  

Meanwhile, a few steps away from the T Line’s terminus at Tacoma Dome Station, is Nana Thai Street Food, located in the food court at Freighthouse Station (sometimes still referred to as Freighthouse Square). 

The food court atmosphere here may be the most similar to enjoying Thai food streetside while watching the world go by — or in my case, some of the earlier innings of Friday’s Seattle Mariners game against the Detroit Tigers, which would last many innings beyond the food court’s operating hours.

At Nana Thai, the khao soi’s pickled mustard greens packed a welcome punch. The curry flavors was more pronounced. The pieces of chicken were juicy and succulent. I ordered my khao soi at a Level 4 spice level, which was just right.

Depending on where you are in the U.S., searching for khao soi can be a fools errand, so it’s nice to have such easy access just a short T Line ride away here in Tacoma.