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Hi everyone, I'm back from my long spring sojourn and hope you all are well.
My trip began by taking Amtrak's Empire Service to NYC, where I overnighted with a friend. She wakes up early for work, so the next morning I got to Penn Station quite early, but since I had a sleeper later the same day from DC, that qualified me to use the ACELA lounge. There I was able to change my ticket for an earlier Regional to DC at no charge. I had an easy trip with a seat to myself most of the way, arriving promptly in DC. I dropped my luggage in the ACELA lounge there and headed out to one of the most glorious days, weatherwise, I've ever seen in the nation's capitol. I walked over to Chinatown and had a quick lunch in a new place for me, Chinatown Express, noodles with slivers of pork, all being prepared fresh in the window (the pork is like the kind at a pig roast), delicious and something like $7 with tea. I then stopped at the newly reopened National Portrait Gallery nearby--I'd seen most of it last fall but there was a special small exhibit of paintings from Britain's National Portrait Gallery in London that I went in to view and enjoyed seeing again (I saw them years ago in London). I then headed for the Mall and through the butterfly garden adjoining the Natural History Museum across to lovely gardens by the Smithsonian Castle, where I always go between trains in DC. Checking what was in the museums, I decided to see a Chinese exhibit in the underground part of that Smithsonian international building there (near those Asian art buildings) and also an excellent exhibit on the 7 Years/FRench & Indian War, although I did not devote the time to the latter that I would have liked. But I wanted to get back outdoors, the weather was so fine, to see more of my favorite gardens, including the one on the other side of the (closed) Smithsonian Arts & Industries Museum--it was really lovely, so much in bloom. I then walked through the garden along the new Native American Museum to the Botanical Gardens, where I saw what was happening (still not much) to that new prairie garden, which now has a nice Chilhuly glass display in one spot. I headed back past the reflecting pool (fine views of Capitol) to the National Gallery, where I saw a little special exhibit of smaller 19C French paintings, very fine. It's wonderful how all these museums are free, you can bop in and out and see all the plums you missed before. . . . Heading back to Union Station, I walked through the National Buildings Museum (it's such a great old building) and the Post Office Museum (sent something funny off to my husband) and returned to Union Station in time to get a Ben n Jerrys for my lunch dessert and get back to the ACELA lounge to wait for the departure of the Capitol Ltd.
The Capitol Ltd left on time, and after stashing my stuff in the sleeper I headed for the observation car, since the scenery at least as far as Martinsburg is my favorite part of the trip. I also had diner some time before dark (I think after Martinsburg) the first of many new Amtrak dinners--boring but OK chicken and cheesecake. I slept fairly well and was delighted to awaken in Ohio and find we were only about an hour late. We lost some more time in Indiana but arrived in Chicago less than two hours late, which gave me plenty of time to dump my luggage in the Metropolitan Lounge and head out for a nice walk. I had obtained, off the Internet, a list of buildings used in the film The Untouchables and visited several of these--the Rookery, for instance, and the Cultural Center that was formerly the Central Public Library--all gorgeous old urban buildings, the latter with a really cool upper floor--also walked along the Lake and through Millennium Park. I also stopped at Macys nee Marshall Fields--would never shop there now except to go to the Walnut Room, which I did. But they were out of the Frango ice cream so I wound up having it in the adjoining Frango Cafe! I then headed back down Wacker to Union Station and made some phone calls as I waited for my Empire Builder.
The Empire Builder left promptly and, as always, had amenities superior to all the other long-distance Amtrak trains I take--including a split of champagne and even a little handout box that included lotion, talcum powder, a packet of tea, hard candies, and a chocolate. There was the usual much better food, including steak and ice cream, and wine and cheese on the second day. There were also Trails & Rails narrators for two parts of the trip--Glacier Park and the next day in Washington--even though it wasn't a weekend. The scenery was gorgeous, and since the train ran on time, I saw most of it this light time of year--including a lovely sunset on the Mississippi the first night and all the glories of Glacier Park to Whitefish on the second. I awoke for the Spokane delinking, which seemed noisier to me than usual, and then went back to sleep and awoke again for breakfast. And since my sleeper was on the right side, I enjoyed all the lovely scenery and water views into Seattle the next morning (the observation car being no longer with us).
Seattle was a revelation this trip, MUCH nicer than last time, in part because the weather was so improved, in part because I went further afield and got out of that moldy downtown (which had bothered my allergies so much last time). I stayed only one night on the trip up to Canada but three nights on the trip back down, so I really got to see a lot . . .
Posts: 2642 | From: upstate New York | Registered: Mar 2004
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Can't wait to hear more about your trip.....and in case you're back here before your other thread, it was 560 miles Banff to Vancouver in 1982!
Thanks,
-------------------- David Pressley
Advocating for passenger trains since 1973!
Climbing toward 5,000 posts like the Southwest Chief ascending Raton Pass. Cautiously, not nearly as fast as in the old days, and hoping to avoid premature reroutes. Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
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Good report, Sojourner! Thanks a lot for sharing it -- I'm looking forward to the rest of it!
Posts: 2428 | From: Grayling, MI | Registered: Mar 2002
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Interesting report. You have a way with writing that makes the reader feel part of the trip. I am eager to read the rest.
Posts: 1577 | From: virginia | Registered: Jun 2005
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I'm putting my continuation here for clarity:
This one day in Seattle, before I headed up to Vancouver, I took a taxi from King Street Station to the Best Western Pioneer Square, perfectly walkable but I felt a little creaky and didn't want to lug all my luggage. Interestingly, another taxi from the train was also headed to the hotel, and later evening in the bar outside were others I'd met on the train, staying there waiting for their cruise!!! But I knew from here that the BWPS was the hotel of choice for Amtrakkers in Seattle, so I wasn't too surprised!
My room wasn't ready yet, but I left my luggage with the nice hotel staff, first using the downstairs facilities to change my blouse, and removed an umbrella from my suitcase as I left. They told me I wouldn't need it, but I said I was just carrying it to make sure it didn't rain.
It didn't! In this much-improved Seattle I walked first up to the Pikes Market, thinking I might have an early lunch at the delicious, inexpensive, but small Matt's in the Market. First Avenue still looked grungy but nicer in the non-rain, and I was glad to see the art museum downtown had reopened. Matt's, however, was closed for remodeling, so I decided to go up to Capitol Hill, one of the areas I'd been told I needed to see when I complained about not seeing enough I liked last time. I suppose I made a mistake walking up Denny Street--there was a humungous hill I had to climb--but after 3 days on the train I needed the exercise and didn't mind. I got to Broadway of Capitol Hill and took a left a few blocks, then began exploring side streets, which were just lovely, so many gorgeous things in bloom, golden rain trees, California lilacs, this mysterious bushy plant I kept seeing all over with malva-like buds but poppylike blooms, pale pink with a deep rose center. I was going to head back to Broadway and find a place to eat when I spotted Mercer Street (I think that's the name), where a southern restaurant I had heard strongly recommended and put in my notes was located, near 19th, called Kingfish. So I went there and had absolutely delicious crawfish soup and cornbread. I then decided to visit something I'd heard was great, the Ballard Locks, which I thought I probably had passed on the train coming in that morning. So I caught a bus (possibly up 10th, I forget) to the University District, where I changed for another, through Wallingford (I think that's the name of the area) to Ballard, an interesting ride where I got to see quite a bit outside the downtown. I then got off at the locks, where I joined a free tour. They are really cool, and so was the adjoining small botanical garden. And sure enough, they were what I'd seen from the train; in fact, the train bridge right nearby, which they keep UP except when trains go by (because there are more boats than trains!), was one I'd crossed.
I thought about having early dinner at Ray's Boathouse, which I'd also had strongly recommended and knew was not too far from the locks (since I'd seen that, too from the train!), but I wasn't hungry yet so decided to save that for my days in Seattle after Canada. Instead I caught a direct bus back downtown, I think #5, still using the same ticket I'd bought earlier--the bus system in Seattle is really good and inexpensive. This went across the Aurora Bridge I think, and down a street opposite water, I'm not quite sure where that was! but I wound up downtown and went back to check into the hotel. I had a quick bite afterward at a BBQ place around the corner (too noisy), chatted with a couple I'd met earlier on the train when I saw them on the street (in outdoor seating) of the bar downstairs, walked a little down Alaska Way (where I still don't like all that highway noise but went in some shops and found some really goofy hats to try on), and retired early, since I was tired from awakening and watching the Spokane delinking and my friend flying in to meet me in Seattle would wake me up in the middle of the night.
My friend showed up pretty much on time, having booked a taxi in advance to take her from the airport. It was the middle of the night but she had slept on the plane and I had already slept as noted and we both went back to sleep so we were fine for an early wakeup next morning. We had the pretty good hotel Continental breakfast and, feeling rested enough to pull our luggage, walked over to King Street Station to catch the Amtrak train to Vancouver. This was not a Talgo but a substituted Superliner with an observation car, which we went into right away after claiming our seats, taking obs car seats on the water side, of course. It was simply a gorgeous day and a gorgeous ride. The Olympia Mountains were so clear, and the views along the water simply lovely. Around the border crossing, I saw lotsa eagles, just like last year on this route (when I took it southbound). The border crossing was promptly handled and my only quibble with the train was that when we got to Vancouver they took all the luggage out on the platform and it was a little chaotic for some of the old folk on the train (there was a group) to claim theirs. Also, we had a long wait for a taxi at the Vancouver station because I gather the city's taxis were all very busy with the cruise ship arrivals at the airport!!!! I suppose we could have caught the light rail but with the luggage we didn't want to try that. So we eventually got our luggage and headed for the Ramada Ltd, recommended here, which was just fine--Was that you, Frank in SBA, or Mr Toy, who recommended it? At any rate, thanks for the rec, it worked out fine.
Our room wouldn't be ready till around 3, so we left our luggage at the hotel and had lunch in this absolutely excellent nouvelle Chinese place nearby, Wild Rice, which I had enjoyed with another friend last year. It has Chinese-oriented tapas, very tasty, and this super delicious banana plantain chocolate dessert I strongly recommend. We then headed back to the hotel, checked into our room, and soon were back out, heading for Granville Island, which I hadn't seen last year and my friend had never seen either (she had been in Vancouver briefly once before too). We walked up Hornby and caught a little ferry, which was fun, walked around the "island" (I don't think it's really an island) and market (not unlike Pikes Market, and bigger) and stopped to listen to a French singer outdoors there. The weather was continuing to cooperate, overcast and cooler but no rain. We eventually caught another little ferry back across False Creek to Burrard this time and walked around and eventually back to the hotel. I then went out with an old friend who now lives in Vancouver, dining in the nearby Gastown neighborhood (the friend traveling with me opted to relax on her own) before again we both retired early.
The next morning we slept a little later, enjoyed continental breakfast, and then met up with another friend of mine who drove in from the suburbs. It was drizzling but not badly. First we drove up to Stanley Park and stopped to view the city from a really neat observation point that neither my friend nor I had made it to when we'd been in Vancouver's Stanley Park before. We then stopped in another spot and also saw some of the damage, lotsa trees down, that that bad storm had done this year. We then headed through English Bay and across a bridge to Kitsalano, a neighborhood we wanted to see. By then it was getting nicer, weatherwise. We walked around the beach and some streets and saw some sculptures and got back in the car and drove to a yacht club or marina to eat, overpriced not-great food but great views, and finally, the weather now sunny and delightful, we headed for the Van Deusen Botanical Gardens, which were just gorgeous--as in Seattle, so much in bloom this time of year, and the plantings just loving the rainy-but-not- too-cold Pacific NW climate.
Eventually the friend dropped us off on Burrard and we walked around some more, including down by the cruise terminal and old train station (now shops) and some more in Gastown before retiring early, as we had to get up early for the Rocky Mountaineer.
The next morning we caught an early taxi to the Rocky Mountaineer station, which is not far from the station where we'd come in two days before (the tracks being in only so many places, that's not a surprise!) It's new and big, nothing fancy, but everyone there is very nice. Check-in was very smooth, and they gave us a little red leaf pin that I liked (we were Red Leaf service, the less expensive one). There was free coffee for those waiting, and some historical info and pictures on the walls about the Canadian railroad. There was also a kiosk selling souvenirs, but they were also available for the same price on the train, with more selection. When it was time to board, the staff lines up and blows a foot pipe thingummy that makes the sound of a train--way cool, I want one!
The Rocky Mountaineer is a tourist train that travels only in the daytime. The company offers a few different routes. On leaving Vancouver, the train has the section that will go all the way to Calgary linked with the section that will go all the way to Jasper--the routes don't split until Kamloops. The majority of passengers on our trip were from Britain or Australia. Most were Red Leaf like us, which is expensive enough! but some were Gold Leaf, which is superexpensive and we could not afford considering everything else we were doing on the trip.
The trip that first day was gorgeous! You go through the Frazer and Thompson valleys and then into the desert area around Kamloops. There was something wonderful to see just about every second. The Red Leaf cars do not have dome windows, but we were lucky enough to be behind the two seats on either side of the aisle that they fill last, where the little bit of wall is between windows, so every time the better view changed sides (like when we crossed a river and began going up the other side of it), I changed which side of the aisle I was on, moving to the empty seat! Other passengers might have done this but rarely attempted to sit in the seats I was shifting between--many were elderly, and others were mostly in a group that was having a lot of fun on their own in the back of the car. My friend did take the seat some time too, but she was mainly happy where she was (I'd given her the window seat) and though she was seeing enough. But I'm piggy and like to see EVERYTHING, if I can.
Our train attendant didn't seem to mind. She was fabulous and worked incredibly hard. She had to serve all the food and narrate the whole trip. A French Canadian from Quebec, she'd worked in the travel industry a long time and really knew her stuff.
The breakfast and lunch, both included in the price, were pretty good--better than Amtrak IMO. The first day we had a ham and cheese sandwich for the main "dish" at breakfast, which was a little odd for me (without eggs I mean), but the second day was cereal; there were also yogurts and all sorts of other stuff. For lunch there was a nice salad with cold salmon one day, halibut the next (or you could have roast beef and I forget what else, but since we were running along the world's longest salmon run, I naturally chose the salmon! and since I liked it, the halibut the second day) again with lots of other stuff (including, one day, some rather good maple cake). There were also cold and hot drinks, snacks including cookies, fruit (including apples and bananas), potato chips (crisps to you British folk), etc., etc., and you could ask for extra if you liked. Only alcoholic beverages (of which I had none) were extra.
I had been talking for weeks (months) about visiting Kamloops, although my friend in Vancouver told me not to expect much, I'm sorry but the name just piques my fancy. As the train comes into town, you go through an Indian reservation with an old church and cemetery that looked really interesting--then you cross the river and come to the station. I seem to recall the Rocky Mountaineer greeters being dressed like cowboys. They put you on buses to your various hotels, all very organized. Ours was right downtown, the Executive Inn, perfectly nice and comfortable, although there was a big "Adult Entertainment" casino next door--no nudie girls, I don't think, the adult just means gambling gambling gambling. Not an interest of mine. My interest was in getting a refrigerator magnet and post card with "Kamloops" on them, and going down to see the little park they've put in on the river, all in the relatively small bit of time before another bus came to pick us up for the special dinner we were going to. I did them all and about 7, the bus came by to pick us up and then stopped at a few other hotels up the hill, so we got to see more of Kamloops on the ride over to some kind of civic center where the dinner shows were held. We had opted for the Great Canadian Lumberjack dinner show, and that was a mistake, the one bad thing on an otherwise excellent trip, almost glaringly bad because everything else about the Rocky Mountaineer seemed so good to me. The food was a buffet as expected, I wasn't disappointed there, but the show--oh, I thought it awful, way too little of the lumberjack competition I'd expected but instead a very dim skit and just two lumberjacks doing a few competitiv tricks in the context of the skit. We should have gone to the other show, which at least had old-time singing I probably would have enjoyed.
The next day we left early for another breathlessly gorgeous train ride. Approaching the Rockies was spectacular. We also saw several critters from the train, including a mama (black) bear and cubs. We arrived in Banff just a little later than expected. A glorious setting! The train station, now used only by Rocky Mountaineer, is quite nicely maintained. We walked to our hotel, the Banff Inn, although it was a little further from the train than we liked--I think next time I'd look for something closer to the train and the downtown restaurants. Of course, the downtown restaurants are on a main drag that is way overdeveloped for the setting, as has been noted here by others, not that it's so bad but it does kind of show the Hand of Man too much for a national park. I mean, how many T-shirt shops do they really need, eh?
But, otherwise, Banff was lovely. We had excellent weather the day we arrived and the next day, too, sunny and going up into the 50s-60s. Rising early, we passed a few critters on the street (magpies, something deerlike that wasn't deer or caribou or elk, I think maybe antelope? or maybe a special kind of deer?), and after a stop at Brewster Excursions to book our upcoming bus trip, we walked down the main drag and over the bridge on the Bow River to a lovely waterfall, then stopped at the Fairmont Banff Inn for the views. This is the old Canadian Pacific hotel, rebuilt 1920s, very impressive perch, spectacular views. We then headed in the other direction to the lower hot springs. We also had an excellent late lunch in a place downtown called the Maple Grille. Later in the afternoon we split up, with me heading back to the Banff Inn, nosed around the outbuildings some more, and then meeting in the historical room for a free hotel tour, very interesting, viewing the artifacts in the historical room and then moving to some of the other truly splendid rooms. Afterward I had a super delicious cappucino-something frozen cocktail while sitting in a prime-viewing seat, wrote some post cards, and enjoyed the views even more! The next day my friend wanted to hike to the upper springs and gondola, but though I'm a walker I'm not really much of a hiker and am definitely not a gondola rider, so I chose to walk all around town instead, going out Tunnel Mountain Road to view the mountains from another angle and see more of the private homes and then walking all around town on a self-guided walking tour I'd picked up at the information center. The weather began cooling off that evening, and the next morning, when the Brewster bus picked us up at our hotel for the trip to Jasper (one bus picked us up and took us to the bus terminal, where we changed for another), it was snowing!!! There wasn't much more than a dusting in Banff, but the morning snow had been quite heavy at Lake Louise; during our stop at the famous old CP hotel now Fairmont there, it was hard to see the mountains. The hotel is a little strange in the setting, isn't it? But I'd like to see it all on a nice day, when the supposedly emerald green lake isn't covered in snow and the mountains are clearer . . . We worried the snow would continue to make visibility bad, but once we got back on the Ice Fields Parkways, things cleared up rather soon. We made some great viewing stops and a long stop at the Athabasca Glacier, which was pretty cool (pun intended), then stopped at two spectacular waterfalls (by this time it was sunny and blue skies) before Jasper.
continuing below later
Posts: 2642 | From: upstate New York | Registered: Mar 2004
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Nice work on your Seattle tour! A couple of additional suggestions for a short visit in Seattle would be the Fremont neighborhood, located under the Aurora Bridge, and the St. Ignatius Chapel on the Seattle University campus. A much easier and more interesting route to Capitol Hill is straight up Pike Street, just head east from the Pike Place Market. And don't ever carry an umbrella in Seattle--you'll stand out as a tourist.
Posts: 78 | From: Seattle | Registered: Jun 2006
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Thanks Beacon Hill. On the way back down, when I spent more time in Seattle, I did get to Fremont, and even saw the Troll! That will be in my continued report (after I finish with all of Canada!). Also at that time I did go up Pike St and through the Freeway Garden and back (seeing just a tiny bit of "Pill Hill") and realized I should have gone that way to Capitol Hill, so I'll know for next time. Re the umbrella: It's collapsible, so I can hide it in my (big) purse. But I think people can probably peg me for a tourist anyway!
Posts: 2642 | From: upstate New York | Registered: Mar 2004
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I suggested the Ramada Ltd. in Vancouver but Mr. Toy may have as well. When we came in on our cruise last month the rental car shuttle took us on a mini-tour of downtown and I realize now hom much we missed on the last visit. We'll be back. This time we stayed out by the airport and then drove the next day to Lynnwood, WA, north of Seattle for three days.
Great report!
Frank in cloudy SBA
Posts: 2160 | From: Santa Barbara, CA, USA | Registered: Oct 2003
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Thanks again for your hotel suggestion, Frank. I will suggest 2 restaurants in Vancouver for your next visit, the aforementioned Wild Rice (on Pender near Abbot, very close to Ramada Ltd) and Vij's, a nouvelle Indian (or so I'd call it)--Asian Indian, but with such interesting things on the menu. I would have to look up the address for you, but it's very well known.
Continuing with my trip report . . .
You can put me in the camp of all of you who prefer Jasper to Banff. Not that Banff wasn't a lovely setting, but the downtown strip is overly commerical, and Jasper is so much more of a REAL place to me. We stayed at the Whistler Inn, recommended here, very conveniently located just across from the lovely Jasper train station. We walked around a lot, there are paved and unpaved trails along the railroad and all around the downtown. We had dinner at a very good place near the hotel called La Fiesta I think, nouvellish Mexican plus, excellent margaritas there too. We had lunch on the terrace overlooking the lovely Fairmont Jasper Park Hotel, another former CP hotel (I've now been inside 6 of them!), this one rebuilt after a fire in the 1950s and nicely suited to its lovely site on a beautiful blue lake, with mountains around, and many cabins; really, wish we could have stayed here (they have a shuttle) except it was booked with this huge convention. You can actually walk here from downtown, though it's a long walk, very pretty, but the grizzlies were out so we opted to take the free convention shuttle (we pretended we were in the convention, I guess!).
Our VIA Rail train back to Vancouver was over 3 hours late the day we were leaving, as we learned when we brought our main suitcases over to be checked (I never check on Amtrak but did here), so we had a beer at the Whistle Stop, the pub adjoining the Whistler's Inn, where a bunch of folk had gathered for an acoustic jam session, lots of interesting instruments and music. When we got back over to the train station, we learned the train would be even later--shades of Amtrak!--but we waited with others, chatting by the tables; the train staion people also had put out free coffee, tea, hot cocoa, and cookies because of the delay. I don't remember exactly when we pulled out, but over 200 people got off in Jasper and only 60 or 70 got on, so we had no problems with crowds on the train. We had the Blue and Silver service, which was fun, and dinner was almost immediately, incredibly delicious. We then checked out the fabulous dome cars until nearly dark. There were empty seats near us, so after the attendant made up the berths, we could sit in those, because the upper (which my friend was taking) has no window up there. I was really glad I took the bottom berth, though, because for some reason I got very sick and was running to the toilet all night! Thank goodness it was nice and clean, only I seemed to be using it! I think it was food poisoning (maybe from the creamers at the train station) because I was fine next day (only tired) and my friend never got anything.
Because of being tired, though, I never made it to the dome car next morning, but that was OK, the Kamloops to Vancouver is similar to what I'd seen on the Rocky Mountaineer. We got into Vancouver around noon, so some people catching the Amtrak bus to Seattle were concerned they would miss it, but their checked luggage came through in the nick of time, so they didn't. We, however, were taking the 6PM Amtrak train so after getting our luggage (there's a moving luggage thing, like at an airport) and rechecking it at the train station (free for sleeper passengers on VIARail for 24 hrs of travel), we caught the Skytrain to more central downtown and walked around and visited the art museum--nothing too strenuous cuz I was pooped from the night before and also Amtrak told us to get back to the station at 4:30. So we did; I'm not sure why it has to be that early, since they didn't really start checking us onto the train until closer to 5. Anyway, it was a Superliner again, and this time we got seats on the side we asked for and had a very nice ride down to Seattle, leaving and arriving pretty much on time. Only thing: the lounge on this train was not the nice 2-level observation car plus snack bar downstairs but had a snack bar upstairs and some newly configured seats, many of which faced IN, really stupid on Amtrak's part! but we just stayed in our good coach seats for the scenery.
Although it was dark when we got into Seattle, it was just 10 and the taxis were all grabbed up so we walked to the Best Western Pioneer Square with no trouble (though I wouldn't do this alone at night). The hotel nice, as before, and this time we stayed three nights and, as I mentioned, I really enjoyed Seattle.
I'll have to post more later, though, because I'm due somewhere and must be off again.
Posts: 2642 | From: upstate New York | Registered: Mar 2004
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Sojourner - glad you had a good trip. Thanks for the continuation of your report. I just posted my route guide for the Vancouver-Seattle train on my web site; I guess it was a little too late for your trip... Oh well, sorry about that. Check it out at rrrich.com -- click on "Train stuff" and then "AMTRAK route guides" and you'll see it. (The next guide I post will either be Montreal-New York or Chicago-Grand Rapids), but not for a few weeks yet.
Posts: 2428 | From: Grayling, MI | Registered: Mar 2002
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Rich, I keep trying to get you web ite and no luck. A very strange one comes up and no where is there train stuff.
Posts: 1577 | From: virginia | Registered: Jun 2005
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Yes that is what I keep getting.I thought it might be my computer which has been known to have a mind of its own
Posts: 1577 | From: virginia | Registered: Jun 2005
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It SHOULD work, but then again, maybe I did something very wrong when I set this one up. I can get it from my computer at the office, my home computer, and my wife's laptop.
If the problem continues, I will check with my hosting provider. Please explain in more detail what you are getting.
P.S. the link on my home page is called "Railroad Stuff" not "Train stuff."
Posts: 2428 | From: Grayling, MI | Registered: Mar 2002
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Rich you have explained the problem. If you notice in your original posting you have rrrich.com. That is a page of some sort of test colors. This new one works. thanks. BTW Imeant there was nothing about trains when I said train stuff.
Posts: 1577 | From: virginia | Registered: Jun 2005
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The rail guide is great, Rich. I will take it for my next Vancouver-to-Seattle run, whenever that may be. If your guide is posted by the time I go to Montreal, I'll print it up and take it along!
I should try to finish up my trip report! . . . Continuing with those pleasant days in Seattle on the return trip from Canada: Using buses and walking, I explored Fremont, including seeing the troll and statue of Lenin(?); I walked across the Fremont Bridge into the Queen Anne Hill neighborhood and explored some residential streets there (but I would never walk across the Aurora Bridge under which the troll is); I walked along the canal in Fremont and eventually got to downtown Ballard with its lofts, restaurants, etc, including some interesting sculptures on pillars there (by Chihuly? not his usual style but I ought to look them up); walked up past the Ballard Locks (which I'd seen on the northbound leg of my trip, as noted) to Ray's Boathouse and had a pleasant lunch outside (blue sky, boats, ducks, sun . . . all very wonderful), walked along the water and through Shinsole (sp?) Marina up to a beach, name escapes me, Golden Green Park? well, it was very very nice, again thanks to the good weather, and the railroad tracks run along it; stopped at the Space Needle park for a big outdoor folk festival (free, but I made a small donation); took the monorail back downtown (this was not working last year, a disappointment; I was glad it was this time!); took a discounted boat tour of the harbor; took the water taxi to West Seattle and a free bus to the monument along a little beach there where Seattle was first settled--really pleasant here too; walked down Pike, went into the Convention Center and the Freeway Garden into 1st Hill; went into the Civic Center to see a small but fine glass exhibit in a few different areas of the lobby and second floor; walked all the way to the end of Alaska Way and then along Elliot Bay past the new sculpture garden etc.; all the while seeing Mount Rainier rather clearly, as well as other Cascade and Olympic Mountains.
I also went down to Olympia one morning to see the capital, taking advice given here--I decided to do it all by bus, since I'd be leaving on Amtrak southbound the next day--I caught a bus at 2nd and Cherry to Tacoma, changed there opposite the state museum (including the train station turned into part of that museum--too bad I didn't have time to go visit there) for the bus to Olympia, saw and toured the capitol--it was free and very nice, with a fine Tiffany glass--and took the same buses back, though this time I figured out it was better to change at Tacoma Dome. It was a lovely junket, costing no more than $8 round trip (or maybe only $6 I forget), and I was back in Seattle before 2PM and able to do some of the other stuff already mentioned! But next time I'll try to see those museums in Tacoma (including the glass museum too).
Anyway, after lunch one day I caught a Cascades train down to Salem, OR, to overnight and see another capitol. The Cascades ride was lovely until Portland, when for some reason the electrical capacity on the train broke and we were without air conditioning or even electronically operated doors! It was VERY hot (it was about 90 in Oregon that day, hard to believe when it had been snowing a few days before in Banff and Lake Louise!) so by the time I got to Salem I was rather hot. Salem itself was perhaps a mistake to overnight in; the capitol less interesting than any others I've been too, and the downtown not so interesting either, though I did tool around the park by the river (and see the carousel and globe) and the Willamette campus. And there was a good used book store. Still, what I should have done was taken an earlier train, gotten off and left my luggage in Salem station (the ticket agent said I could have), seen the capitol, and then got back on a later train to Eugene and stayed there. But, whatever, I wind up staying in a very very nice new downtown hotel in Salem, called the Phoenix Grand, which wasn't too expensive considering all you got, including a hot breakfast and a free shuttle to the train. I did like Salem train station, btw.
From there, the next day, I caught the Coast Starlight. It was not very light, and I boarded just in time for the wine and cheese. This was in the parlor car--first time I've seen one, and I quite liked it, although the a/c did not work as well there as in other cars. Still, it worked!!!! My sleeper was fine, and the dinner meal was similar to the others I've had (other than the better Empire Builder, I mean), but I've come to realize if I order the beef tips, roast chicken, or usually the lamb shank, dinner is OK.
We arrived in Sacramento only about 1-1/2 hrs late, and since the CA Zephyr was still on the old schedule, I had plenty of time to store my luggage (free because I had sleepers) and walk over to the Sacramento State House for another capitol tour. (I had been to Sacramento changing trains before and already seen Old Town and some of the train museum, but I'd gotten to the capitol after closing that time so never had been inside). California has a really nice capitol building, with some very interesting preserved rooms from turn of the century; also especially nice grounds with some wonderful old trees and other plantings. And I even got Arnold Schwartzenegger's business card.
I then headed back to Sacramento station, having been told I had to be there to get my luggage by 10:30. BTW, on approaching the station (which is pretty nice looking), I looked around and did not spot the famous Vagabond Inn there--where exactly is it? Anyway, the CA Zephyr was only a little late, maybe 1/2 hour, at this point. I got my sleeper and headed promptly for the observation car because I didn't want to miss anything of the glorious Sierra Nevada crossing.
The trip continued promptly until Reno, but that night in Nevada we lost a LOT of time. By morning we were about 7 hours late, I think, or maybe even more. Because of the lateness, we got to see some things we wouldn't ordinarily have seen--Bonneville Salt Flats, the Great Salt Lake, and a bit of Salt Lake City--that station really is a disgrace, though I could see the nice old one in the distance. (Who is responsible for stopping using it???) The red desert esp around Ruby Canyon was splendid, and we did see more than one moon there (a salute to Amtrak, I've heard); OTOH, we lost out on too much of the Colorado Rockies--it started getting dark as we pulled out of Glenwood Springs, unfortunately. We got into Denver in the middle of the night; I woke up and decided to de-train, and there were a lot of people getting on, many looking bemused by the hour. But everyone was basically still in good spirits.
The next day I continued to get off at all smoke stops, like I usually do, except when I'm eating or sleeping--Lincoln Nebraska seemed pleasant enough; I will definitely try to visit there when I visit Topeka and Jefferson City; OTOH Omaha station sure could use some work! After we crossed the Mississippi, onboard Amtrak personnel who had traveled west from Chicago met with the people who would be missing connections and took care of their needs (I presume). We also learned that those of us taking the Lakeshore Ltd would not miss our connection--they would hold the LSL for us at Union Station. So I got off when we arrived--it was around 10:30, 10:40 PM--and just followed directions to train 48, no problem. We pulled out around 11PM, I think
This last part of the my trip I did in coach, the sleeper prices when I checked being prohibitively expensive. I asked about an upgrade but the sleepers were full--there were only 2, I think, and a group of some kind had taken many of the berths. But in the end, I didn't mind, because I had my coach seat all to myself until Erie PA the next morning and so was able to sleep pretty well. I did have breakfast and lunch, paying for both, just for something to do. And we wound up only 1-1/2 hours late, not bad for the LSL.
All in all an excellent trip. And thank you all again for your advice, which helped me so much in planning and knowing what to expect!
Posts: 2642 | From: upstate New York | Registered: Mar 2004
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Another great trip report, Ms. Sojourner!!! Sorry about the lateness of the CZ preventing you from seeing much of the CO Rockies. I'm also glad you enjoyed my VAC-SEA guide. Don't know when the Montreal one will be done -- I have to create it first, and that may take a few weeks, then I'll reformat it and post it to the web site.
Posts: 2428 | From: Grayling, MI | Registered: Mar 2002
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One question and one observation; I wonder if the lounge you had with the inward facing seats from Vancouver to Seattle was the prototype car redone to test the diner light concept where lounge and meal service were to be provided in the same car? That car was a former diner so that would explain no passenger access to the lower level. Would also explain the inadequate lounge seating. Were the windows regular-sized superliner windows? If so this likely confirms my suspicion.
The observation - In April 2004 my wife and I spent three wonderful but very unseasonably warm days (temps in the upper 70's) in Victoria, BC. From there we took the bus (via Ferry) to Vancouver and caught the Canadian to Winnipeg. The weather in Jasper the next morning was cold and very grey.....so much so that we could not see the mountain peaks. Later that day we rode through an Albertan blizzard.....near summer to mid-winter in 36 hours!
-------------------- David Pressley
Advocating for passenger trains since 1973!
Climbing toward 5,000 posts like the Southwest Chief ascending Raton Pass. Cautiously, not nearly as fast as in the old days, and hoping to avoid premature reroutes. Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
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RRRich, don't worry if you don't get the Montreal route guide up in time for my trip, because (A) I probably know a lot of the sites, it being "my neck of the woods so to speak" and also a route I travel with my husband, who knows even more; and (B) I'm sure I'll take it again, it's a nearby and lovely ride, and then I can use your guide.
David, yes, I am sure that reconfigred thingie is what the lounge car was. Though spiffy clean and new looking, it was stupidly designed in my opinion. Not only do I prefer the double decker observation car (now with some tables, so of the older observation seats) with snack bar downstairs that was on the car going up and all the other double-decker long-distance trains I took (the Coast Starlight having in addition its parlor car), but I also prefer the usual lounge cars on the one-level Viewliner trains (the ones that go into NYC), where at least when you sit at the lounge-car table, you can see out either side--similar to what you see when you are dining in the diner on the Superliners.
Re the weather: It is very changeable, esp in the Rockies, I guess. And while Victoria can be rainy too, when I was there, I heard that it has a microclimate that tends to be better than elsewhere in the Pacific NW (including not only Seattle but also Vancouver); as does the area called the "Sunshine Coast" north of Vancouver, apparently.
How did you like Winnipeg, David? Where did you stay? I am already considering a trip from Toronto to Jasper on the Canadian to hook up with the Skeena, though maybe not until 2009. Would it be worth stopping in Winnepeg, when I'd have to stay TWO nights to wait for the Canadian and resume my trip? Or should I save Winnepeg for another time, when I try that other VIA Rail train, the one that goes up north? Also, is Edmonton worth stopping in, under similar circumstances? My inclination is just to go straight through to Jasper, overnight there, and then take the Skeena. Then I have to consider whether I'd catch a ferry from Prince Rupert to Port Hardy in northern Victoria and a bus to the train or a bus all the way to Victoria, then back via Vancouver OR whether I'd take the Alaska ferry from Prince Rupert to Sitka (which I never saw) and maybe also stop in Juneau again (since I never saw the capitol building except from a distance--I hear they are building a new one, though!) and then return by ferry to Bellingham. (Either way, I'd come home home on Amtrak.) Both trips sound pretty time consuming, and the Alaska ferry is pretty pricey if you get a cabin. In fact, for what one gets, a cruise is really much more for the money. Maybe I should look into one that stops in Sitka and Juneau again! But they don't leave from Prince Rupert. . . . I have to nose around.
That reminds me, RRR, I don't take nearly as many trips as I plan--including some I had to cancel this past winter due to illness! But I'm hoping to take them all.
Posts: 2642 | From: upstate New York | Registered: Mar 2004
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Sojourner - the VIA train you mentioned "that goes up north" from Winnipeg, I assume, is VIA's Hudson Bay train to Churchill. I'd be quite interested in reading a report from someone who has taken that train -- has anyone on this forum ever taken that train? It's on my list of "to do's" someday.......
Posts: 2428 | From: Grayling, MI | Registered: Mar 2002
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I know several people who have made the journey in the past, and have seen their slide shows of such. I guess back in my "sojourning day" of say twenty five years ago, I "gave it a thought" but never followed through.
Nevertheless, here is a quick "trip report" by a non-railfan that I found:
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Winnipeg in April was cold and dreary. There is a marketplace area behind the train station where the two rivers meet that would have been nice had it been comfortable enough to walk around outside. We stayed at an older hotel (can't even remember the name and I'm away from home for a week so I can't look it up...) that I found on Expedia.It was about 10 blocks north of the train station. The main property was an older building that had been renovated but it had also morphed into and taken over the newer, adjacent office building. It made for rooms that were slightly too small and strangely shaped.
I also was a bit unnerved by the number of panhandlers we encountered in Winnipeg.....again, had it been warmer it might have been easier to take that in stride.
Essentially, because of the weather we wound up doing in Winnipeg the same things we would have done in a typical big US city like....say....Toledo. We had supper at a brewpub kind of place because there was an enclosed walkway to it from across the street from our hotel. We went to a movie in a mall because there was an enclosed walkway to it. We had lunch in a Subway because it was the nearest sandwich shop to the front door of our hotel and it was raining outside.
The best aspect of Winnipeg, and I HATE to say this, was that the airport was close to downtown so the cabfare was cheap and we got through customs easier than we might have in a larger city such as Toronto or Montreal.
I'd be willing to give Winnipeg another try but it has got to be in July or August next time around.
-------------------- David Pressley
Advocating for passenger trains since 1973!
Climbing toward 5,000 posts like the Southwest Chief ascending Raton Pass. Cautiously, not nearly as fast as in the old days, and hoping to avoid premature reroutes. Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
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