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I'm itching to try the "new" EB from SEA to CHI or CHI to SEA. I've done the East Bound. Pluses or minuses for either direction? Suggestions? I've found several dates in October and November where a Bedroom is "just" $399 on top of railfare of $125.00.
For a native Californian, the chance of seeing snow is appealing. I'm assuming November would be a better bet?
Thanks in advance.
Frank in dark, cool, cloudy SBA
Posts: 2160 | From: Santa Barbara, CA, USA | Registered: Oct 2003
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For the time of year you're looking to go, I would suggest eastbound.
If you're going westbound you'd get both the upper Mississippi River between LaCrosse and St. Paul AND Glacier National Park after dark.
-------------------- 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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Make sure not to connect off the Starlight directly because you will be bussed from Klamath Falls.
Stay either in Portland or Seattle and take it east. Marias Pass in the morning and the Missisippi River the next morning. If you do it roundtrip Go from Seattle and come back to Portland. You won't be sorry.
htpp://www.trainweb.org/chris
Chris
Posts: 711 | From: Santa Ana | Registered: May 2003
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I am sending this message from the Izaak Walton Inn in Essex, Montana. Got the Empire Builder from Portland to Whitefish last Wednesday. Left PDX 1hr 20min late due to equipment problems, but arrived WFH on time. How about that ! Had two beautiful days in Glacier National Park. Hiked into Hidden Lake near Logan Pass. A mountain goat came right up to the trail and posed for pictures. Stayed one night in Many Glaciers (grizzly bear heaven)). Today the weather has been rainy with snow at higher elevations, so I headed out of the park and wound up at the railfan's Mecca - Izaak Walton. This is a great place to stay if you want a real 1930's lodging experience, and don't mind BNSF freight trains going by every half hour. On Monday, I will get the train again in Whitefish, and take it to MSP where I will fly home. Highly recommend this train route - all the delights of the Coast Starlight, and it runs on time. Best wishes to all. Russ
Posts: 133 | From: Canaan, CT | Registered: Dec 2004
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I recently took the EB eastbound on advice given here and was glad I did--I would have missed some lovely scenery had I not done so. And I agree with ChrisG, do not try to make the connection from the Coast Starlight to the the Empire Builder in Portland, or you will be bussed--and since the scenery on the train from Klamath Falls to Eugene is absolutely spectacular, you don't want to miss it. As Chris says, you can stay in Portland and take the EB east, as I did; or in Seattle (which I haven't done yet and cannot comment on). I quite liked the Portland train station, and the ride up the Columbia Gorge when you leave Portland is gorge-ous!--but people here say the Seattle branch is also really lovely, so I can't wait to see that next year.
Portland is a very nice walking-around city (assuming the weather is still cooperative in November), with some very good restaurants.
An alternative (esp given the Coast Starlight's often poor time--though the day I took it, it wasn't too bad at all) I was thinking about doing some time in future, now that I've seen Portland (and after I've seen Seattle): take the CS north only as far as Eugene, stay overnight there, and then take a Cascades train to Portland to make the connection with the Empire Builder eastbound. There is a very early Cascades train from Eugene and also a 9AM one; since they both run pretty reliably (as far as I've heard), either would get you into Portland in time for lunch, and you can leave your luggage in the first-class lounge there if you are traveling on the EB with a sleeper. For lunch, I recommend that Jake's Crawfish (without luggage, it's walkable if you are a walker) or Fong Chong in Chinatown for dim sum.
I suppose you could also take the Cascades train from Eugene (after staying overnight) all the way up to Seattle and catch the EB there, but then you would have to take only the very early one (I think it leaves Eugene before 6AM). No problem for an East Coaster like me--I never get completely used to the Pacific time when I'm traveling and generally woke up on or before sunrise (which is great for seeing everything). But perhaps too early for a Californian!!!
I wonder if these ideas sound good to you, Chris; I've never actually done them, it's just a scenario I'm thinking about in future, when I return (and visit Glacier Bay Park).
BTW, does anyone have any input about Spokane? I was asleep by the time we arrived, and it seems the EB always gets there at night, going both ways; but I've heard it was a pretty town and would have liked to see it. Is it worth an overnight just to see it?
Posts: 2642 | From: upstate New York | Registered: Mar 2004
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quote:Originally posted by sojourner: An alternative (esp given the Coast Starlight's often poor time): take the CS north only as far as Eugene, stay overnight there, and then take a Cascades train to Portland to make the connection with the Empire Builder eastbound. There is a very early Cascades train from Eugene and also a 9AM one; since they both run pretty reliably (as far as I've heard), either would get you into Portland in time for lunch, and you can leave your luggage in the first-class lounge there if you are traveling on the EB with a sleeper.
I suppose you could also take the Cascades train from Eugene (after staying overnight) all the way up to Seattle and catch the EB there, but then you would have to take only the very early one (I think it leaves Eugene before 6AM). No problem for an East Coaster like me--I never get completely used to the Pacific time when I'm traveling and generally woke up on or before sunrise (which is great for seeing everything). But perhaps too early for a Californian!!!
BTW, does anyone have any input about Spokane? I was asleep by the time we arrived, and it seems the EB always gets there at night, going both ways; but I've heard it was a pretty town and would have liked to see it. Is it worth an overnight just to see it?
Sojourner, I actually considered doing this very Eugene stopover on a trip this past summer. In research I found a number of reasonable hotels near the University and Amtrak. I opted to ride the CS on into Portland (and a 7 hour, 45 minute late arrival) because my departure from Portland wound up being an early Southwest Airlines flight the next morning rather than the Empire Builder. Kudos to chrisg for recommending the 82nd St. Days Inn in Portland......on the way to the airport via lightrail.
And yes, the time thing. After flying into Albuquerque from the eastern time zone I was wide awake the next morning on the westbound 'Chief' at 4:00am......early enough to pick out Summit at Cajon Pass and make the 5:00am call for breakfast with ease. My 5:00am wake-up call in Portland wasn't bad at all.
Spokane......I was there twice in the summer of 2002. The downtown area is reasonably clean and mostly walkable. Parts of the city are very interesting (like the old Expo 74 site) and the climate is very nice. The train station also serves Greyhound and it's a reasonably decent station....I caught the westbound Portland section of the 'Empire Builder' there in the wee hours.
I would suggest that Spokane is worth an extra night BUT that local transit is not as good as what one would find in a larger metropolitan area. There are city buses but not many options other than a $20.00 cab ride to get you from the airport to downtown. I guess I would say that Spokane is worth the effort but not a priority at this point. I'm more curious about Eugune.
Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
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