I never crossed paths with Tacoma, Wash., until I met my husband. He grew up in the town that for years was Seattle�s so-called grittier little sister to the south on the Puget Sound.

My husband talks a lot about the beauty of the Northwest, but for many years � while we lived in Kansas, Texas, Virginia, Utah and Missouri � whenever he was asked about his hometown, he has offered: � �Tacoma� is a Native American word; it means �When�s the next bus for Seattle?� � He still gets a laugh with this line, but I don�t think it applies anymore. During our most recent trip to the Northwest, our only stop in Seattle was amid thick Interstate 5 traffic as we traveled through that congested city to get to Tacoma.

�Tacoma� � or �Tahoma� � actually is an American Indian word; it�s the native name for the amazing peak most of us know as Mount Rainier, a looming astonishment that is visible from most parts of this town. Still, it is not so easy to characterize the city that bears the mountain�s name. It is a matter-of-fact, unpretentious and pretty cool town. It is certainly a place where self-deprecating humor is much appreciated and irony is pretty much second nature.

The smelter is gone, and the smell of the pulp mill � �the aroma of Tacoma� as the locals once called it � is less pungent as a result of modern technology.

Tacoma might be most well known for native Dale Chihuly�s blown-glass structures, among them the Bridge of Glass, a 500-foot-long pedestrian overpass that connects the glass museum to downtown. But there is much more to Tacoma than Chihuly�s stunning contributions.

This past July when I visited, deluxe condos had risen up along the North End waterfront, which is lined with parks, a winding walk and bikeway, and a good number of seafood restaurants bearing sunny, wrap-around decks. Harbor Lights, the old-school, longtime favorite now shares shoreline with more recent seafood restaurants such as Shenanigan�s, The Ram, Katy Down�s and The Lobster Shop, where the Sunday brunch is not cheap but is a seafood lover�s dream.

Boathouse 19 � in the West End � is set on piers in a modest neighborhood where one also finds the Narrows Brew House, as well as an actual boathouse and marina. Many locals dock their boats and eat there; many others motor or sail across the sound and under the Narrows Bridge to Gig Harbor for fresh halibut and crispy sweet potato fries at The Tides Tavern. There, guests can climb the plank to the restaurant or simply order at the dock and eat on their boats � all the while watching stately herons and elegant boats drifting by.

Natives and longtime locals have witnessed many changes in recent years. Lance Kagey runs the First Night New Year�s Eve festival, a family-friendly affair. Kagey, a graphic artist, recently called Tacoma �a great mix of walkable communities,� then he smiled and said, �There is not a bourgeois attitude here. That is, we are not exactly proud of where we live, but we really like living here.� He also sees a �new energy� emerging in the community, the arts, environment, and in the sustainable food culture. �It has an urban vibe but a low bar for getting involved in the community� � so it is easy for people to get involved.

Jon Ketler, another Tacoma native, is the founder and director of SAMI, Tacoma�s Science and Math Institute, and of SOTA, Tacoma�s School of the Arts. The downtown arts high school partners with Tacoma Public Schools, arts and businesses to provide opportunities for students to engage in academics, the arts and the community. Ice Cream Social, a local ice-cream-making company on Sixth Avenue that supports local, sustainable resources in the making of the ice cream, is the brainchild of one of SOTA�s graduates.

Sixth Avenue also is home to a number of up-and-coming eateries, such as Dirty Oscar�s � where the Parmesan tots and tassos tacos became nationally notable on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives � and the Marrow Kitchen and Bar, 2717 Sixth Ave., where roasted marrow is actually on the menu, as well as other creative takes on meat, seafood and vegetarian entrees.

Among my favorite Mexican finds in Tacoma was Los Gordos Mexican Store, 2024 54th Ave., home to a butcher, a Mexican bakery, a small taqueria and Mexican grocery. Go for the Mexican bakery goods, the tacos and a wide array of Latin American goods. They also have the perfect cheesecake � not too creamy, not too sweet.

Mixologist Chris Keil and chef Matthew Schweitzer teamed up more than a year ago to open Hilltop Kitchen, 913 Martin Luther King Way. It�s a small but busy operation where Schweitzer runs the kitchen and Keil concocts his craft cocktails. Keil is from south Tacoma, and Schweitzer is from Gig Harbor across the Sound, but they share an affection for the atmosphere of the working-class neighborhood. When they opened Hilltop, Keil said, there was no place to gather for drinks in the area, and many of the businesses were boarded up. That is changing, he said. They are seeing a revival of the Hilltop community, thanks to a small business incubator called Spaceworks Tacoma that offers rent-free space in empty storefronts for six months so new businesses in the neighborhood can begin in the black. �It is bringing a lot to this neighborhood,� he said. Hilltop Kitchen draws a diverse clientele of locals, students, college professors and young professionals. (See related story)

Keil and Schweitzer like the neighborhood, and they love their city. Tacoma has changed in the past 15 years, Keil said. �It is more interesting. It is a large city that still has the benefits of a smaller-town atmosphere. All the neighborhoods on Sixth Street and Hilltop are changing for the better,� he said. And the art community is growing. �Artists are moving to Tacoma from Seattle because studio space is less expensive.�

At Hilltop Kitchen, Schweitzer and Keil source local lamb and duck, and Schweitzer changes up the menu every three months to jibe with the seasonal produce.

The business has been so successful this month the two took over another very successful business from friend and bartender Jamie Kay Jones, who has decided to give greater attention to her Eastside business, the vegetarian- and vegan-friendly Top of Tacoma Bar & Caf�. The Marrow has been more food-centric, but the new team will send over the bar manager, Corey Lund, to build up the wine and drink menus. Keil and Lund have worked together for about seven years in other bars and share a love for �craft� cocktails.

I suppose that Tacoma remains something of a working-class version of Seattle, but that is, finally, its great charm. The city�s official population of only 200,000 blends pretty seamlessly into other small, incorporated communities � Fife, Fircrest, University Place, Steilacoom, Lakewood, etc. � so it seems larger while retaining a neighborhood feel and opening doors to new opportunities for commerce, artists, artisans and restaurateurs. Tacoma � a 40-minute drive from Seattle � is ready for its close-up.