Chihuly in Tacoma

While Seattle and the Pilchuck glassblowing school may be more closely associated with the work of glass artist Dale Chihuly, his home town of Tacoma offers more (and better) options for his fans to view his work. If you're as big a fan as I am, you'll enjoy these sights, all of them on or near the Pacific Avenue museum district and most of them open to the public at no charge:

• Tacoma Art Museum: Don't go to the glass museum looking for the Chihuly works here. Go to the art museum at 1701 Pacific Avenue instead, where they have a fine, extensive collection of his works.

• Union Station: Tacoma's former train station at 1717 Pacific Avenue was renovated to serve as the entrance to the Federal Courthouse, and its lobby rotunda is adorned with five large Chihuly installations. Entrance is free to the public, but because it's a federal buidling, you'll have to show ID at the door to get in. The pieces here change periodically, but the size of this space affected Chihily's work, spurring him to make big pieces to fill it and initiating his monumental-scales works.

• Chihuly Bridge of Glass: Open to the public, this 400-foot pedestrian bridge is lined with one of the largest outdoor installations of Chihuly works. Here you'll find a ceiling covered with seaform creations, two, 30-foot-high Crystal Towers and a wall filled with his Venetian works. If you're a real fan, visit the bridge in the day and come back at night, when everything is lit, for a different perspective. You'll find the bridge just off Pacific Avenue behind Union Station.

If you'd like a guide to show you all the Chihuly pieces, you can reserve a guided tour through the Tacoma Art Museum. Admission to the tour includes museum admission, and you should reserve at least two weeks in advance by calling (253) 272-4258 extension 5001.