Arts & Entertainment Community

Two in Tow & On the Go | A towering view, with a visit from Mr. (or Mrs.) Chonky

I wasn’t entirely certain that spending a random Tuesday watching an industrial port’s workday would be cool — but, when it comes to getting out of the house with kids, my adventuring motto has always been: “We’ll see what we see; and if it sucks, we’ll leave.” (Aren’t I so eloquently quotable? Lol).

So, the kids and I (and our summer Three-in-Tow pal, Greg Spadoni) headed to the Tacoma Tideflats to find a specific set of stairs in the middle of the Port of Tacoma. Perfectly normal, right?

As we drove to what looked like an obscure office parking lot on Google Maps, we navigated the port’s inner network of roads and rail crossings. Going through, we felt absolutely dwarfed by the stacks, and stacks, and STACKS of sky-high box containers. Our mid-size SUV — suddenly the size of a matchbox — was driving through canyons of steel.

On all sides, the views out our windows were filled with a patchwork of sun-faded reds, deep blues and industrial grays as cargo container lots rose like Lego bricks outfitted in forty-foot slabs of corrugated metal. As the work roads braided and branched toward the water, forklifts hummed somewhere out of sight. We nudged our way into our destination’s parking lot. Its location was sporting some major “hidden in plain sight” vibes.

 So where did we go?

We were heading to the three flights of stairs that make up the Port of Tacoma Observation Tower, an official hidden gem in Grit City. Who knew a fun afternoon of seal-spotting and crane-watching with two kids and a local dude who counts The Three Stooges as his personal heroes could double as a crash-course in global trade?

The tower is one of six public access sites at the Port (see our list below). It was dedicated on Nov. 21, 1988 “to the citizens of Pierce County, in recognition of their initial support which led to the official founding of the Port of Tacoma on November 5, 1918, and to their ongoing support which has ensured its continued growth and success,” according to sign from the Port of Tacoma commissioners that marks the site.

The tower’s architecture is pretty cool — simple but with all the fun ’80s curves and a great big circle window that gives a peek under stairs through the back wall. We found the free visitor parking spots, raced up the steps to the top deck of three, and leaned against the sky-blue railings on the uppermost level. As we looked down to the docks and terminals, we watched a bob of harbor seals lounging on a bright orange containment boom coiled like a ring of fire hoses floating on the water. In fact, it looked just like the one port biologists blogged about here.

(Fun Fact: Google tells me that a group of seals can also be called a herd, a pod, a colony, a rookery and, yes, a bob. I know! It surprised me too. So much so that I’m forever referring to them as “a bob of seals” now).

From the boom, we watched a new friend, appropriately (and temporarily) named Mr. (or Mrs.) Chonky, dip into the cool water and swim closer to check us out. And we all just about toppled over in laughter as it bobbed in the water, its barrel-like body upright in a human-standing position. Here he/she is in all of their glory:

About the Port of Tacoma

“Founded in 1918, the Port serves greater Pierce County by promoting trade, supporting family-wage jobs, and improving the environment. Today, more than 42,100 jobs and nearly $3 billion in economic activity in Pierce County depend on the Port of Tacoma,” according to portoftacoma.com.

From the top deck of the observation tower, we ohhh-ed and ahhhh-ed at the view that stretches out in a sweep of sea-green over a channel called the Sitcum Waterway. We aimed the big, mounted courtesy binoculars out toward the water. On its perimeter rests the dark steel of a giant cargo crane jutting skyward, its long arms lifted and waiting. Across the channel, a row of pale-blue cranes stand. Their silhouettes are a distant reminder that this place we were standing in is huge.

And yet, the stillness of the inlet made the industrial scene feel unexpectedly serene and striking at the same time as the powerful structures of commerce are set against a wide, open expanse of water and sky. Trucks hustled, seals popped their shiny heads above the water and gigantic cranes remained at rest (but poised for action) before another container ship arrived and the work would begin again. I was pretty awestruck. The kids raced to the giant binoculars installed on the top deck. They worked pretty well, but you can see from our photos just how long the kids’ tourist-y vibe lasted because it wasn’t long before they forgot the view and instead were more interested in looking up one another’s blurry noses at 20-times-magnification.

Alas, no container ships were heading in or out when we stopped by. But apparently, if you’re so inclined, you can plan for that sort of thing. Greg told us about the existence of ship-tracker sites or apps that tap into the data on which ships broadcast their identification and voyages. Sites like MarineTraffic, VesselFinder, or MyShipTracking show where boats and ships are around the world, along with their route details, speed, map points, estimated time of arrival and even the last port they visited — plus a ton of other details.

Global reach

The Port of Tacoma is an entity I didn’t have much knowledge about going into this adventure. But, in researching for this article, I learned that it’s a taxpayer-funded deepwater container port led by a five-member commission elected to four-year terms by Pierce County voters. According to the port’s website, the site spans more than 2,700 acres off Commencement Bay where millions of dollars in goods are moved with trading partners in China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Alaska. Along with Seattle, Tacoma’s port is among North America’s busiest, with six deep-water container terminals and 14 international container carriers that come from practically all over the world.

Many of these facts are displayed on signage at the observation tower, which are presented with kid-friendly graphics, charts, historic photos and more. By the time we left, our little group was buzzing with facts and salty sea air. The Port of Tacoma might be built for big ships and bigger business, but it turns out it’s also the perfect place for a folks to feel like insiders in the South Sound’s very own gateway to the world.

See ya out there!

Public access

The Observation Tower is one of the port’s several official public access sites:

• Alexander Avenue Wetland, for birdwatching
• The 1986 Gog-Le-Hi-Te I site and its Gog-Le-Hi-Te II follow up project for restored water views
• Julia’s Gulch, for shoreline access
• The 2011 Dick Gilmur Shoreline Restoration & Kayak Launch popular with bird-watchers
• The Place of Circling Waters, a shoreline observation area.
• Inner Hylebos
• qwiqwǝlut or “Little Marsh”

Port of Tacoma Public Access Locations marked in green

Port events

In addition to the annual boat tours that happened earlier this month, the Port offers bus tours year-round, and other tours and events for the public.  The port’s next big community event is the “Touch-a-Truck” event planned for Saturday, Oct. 4 from 10 a.m.-2pm in the parking lot of the port administration building at 1 Sitcum Way, Tacoma. The family-friendly event is free but asks folks to register online.