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Is anyone here familiar with the Amtrak station for Olympia Washington? It doesn't seem to be in downtown Olympia; about how far is it, and what is transportation to downtown like? Also, what is Olympia like? Any hotel, restaurant, or sightseeing recs there?
I am considering adding a stop to see the capitol on my NW/Canadian Rockies/etc trip this year.
Thanks
blancoj Member # 2918
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Olympia's Amtrak Station is on Yelm Highway in Lacey. I think there's a city transit bus that goes from the station to downtown Olympia. If I recall correctly, the station is unstaffed.
I lived in Olympia for two years, and it was a long two years. There's not a whole lot to do if you don't like hiking or outdoors stuff. If you go in the spring, the Procession of the Species is pretty enjoyable. The town kind of folds up at night.
The only thing that kept me sane my two years in Olympia was that Portland was only two hours away and Seattle over an hour away.
I might be able to provide more help if I knew what kind of things you were looking for in terms of restaurants, things to do, etc.
blancoj Member # 2918
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I hit "send" too soon, AARGH.
You might find the local newspaper helpful as well. The URL is www.theolympian.com
Beacon Hill Member # 4431
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The Olympia Amtrak station is indeed remote from the city center. Intercity Transit is the local transit provider. I'll second the notion that "Olympia is a great place to live, but I wouldn't want to visit there". The Capitol is about all there is to see.
If you want a quick stop along the Cascades route, try Bellingham. Like Olympia there's not a lot of night life, but the train station is in a historic part of town with frequent transit connections to downtown and Western Washington University. The campus has a good collection of modern sculpture (modern=rusty), if that's an interest of yours. You can walk around the campus and get a look at recent developments in modern art. Just be sure your tetanus shots are up-to-date. In the summer months there's a ferry connection to the San Juan Islands. You can spend a day whale watching or maybe jump off on one of the islands and get to know "island time".
You won't need more than 24 hours to discover all the charms of Bellingham or Olympia, unless you choose to spend some time in the San Juan Islands.
sojourner Member # 3134
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I'm interested in Olympia now as part of my plan to see all the state capitols, by train where possible. I would certainly not stay more than a day; I just wondered if anyone knew a good place to eat, maybe a hotel rec. If there's nothing else to see besides the capitol, maybe I could stop there, see the capitol, and continue on the same day--have to see what schedules are like.
As for Bellingham, I absolutely want to go some day too. Maybe when I do the Skeena, I could leave from Prince Rupert and return to Bellingham on the Alaska ferry!!!
Beacon Hill Member # 4431
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If you're going to be travelling between Portland and Seattle on your trip take the first Cascades train in the morning, get off in Olympia, take the bus to the Capitol, spend a couple of hours sightseeing, then go back to the train station and continue your journey on the last train out.
The Greyhound station is also very close to the Capitol building. From Seattle there is frequent public transit service to Tacoma, where there is an easy transfer to Olympia-bound buses. The buses will travel on I-5; the train's route is much more scenic.
There are plenty of hotel rooms near the Capitol, but I can't offer any recommendations.
blancoj Member # 2918
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I'd second Beacon Hill's recommendation. The hotels near the Capitol are all overpriced. When we had people come in for business meetings, they usually stayed at the Best Western in Tumwater, which isn't too far from the Capitol, but it's located right in the middle of fast food alley.
Before you hop back on the train after touring the Capitol, stop at Meconi's and get a tasty Italian sub sandwich. It's not far (11th and Capitol), so you could walk or take the DASH shuttle.
DeeCT Member # 3241
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Sojourner, Doing all the State Capitals sounds like fun !! Am curious as to how many you have found are within reasonable distance from a train station. I recall a newspaper article about a couple that were into hiking and mountain climbing -- their objective was to visit the highest point in each state. Your idea seems much more do-able and adds a touch of history to the endeaver.
Dee
notelvis Member # 3071
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In researching ideas for a trip this spring, I've discovered that the Missouri state capitol building is practically 'just around the corner' from the Jefferson City Amtrak station.
The North Carolina state capitol is only 6-8 blocks from the Raleigh Amtrak station and the state capitol in Columbia, SC is reasonably near the Amtrak station......but I wouldn't recommend walking it at train time.
How about if we begin by listing those state capitols which ARE NOT accessible using Amtrak. I've got these to start -
Pierre, SD Cheyenne, WY Boise, ID Carson City, NV Phoenix, AZ Bismarck, ND Helena, MT Des Moines, IA Madison, WI Columbus, OH Frankfort, KY Nashville, TN Tallahassee, FL (pending the return? of the Sunset east of NOL)
These are off the top of my head......which ones am I overlooking?
Ocala Mike Member # 4657
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Augusta, ME hasn't had passenger service since BEFORE Amtrak.
rresor Member # 128
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A few more state capitals without Amtrak service:
Concord, NH Montgomery, AL Nashville, TN Frankfort, KY
Not doing so well for a political organization, are we?
sbalax Member # 2801
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Don't forget Honolulu, HI and Juneau, AK.
Frank in soon to be wet again SBA
abefroman329 Member # 3986
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Annapolis, MD
RRRICH Member # 1418
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How about Lansing, Michigan? The closest AMTRAK station is East Lansing, which is 5-6 miles away from the Capitol.
Also Baton Rouge, LA
RRRICH Member # 1418
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Just thought of another one -- Dover, Delaware
notelvis Member # 3071
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quote:Originally posted by RRRICH: How about Lansing, Michigan? The closest AMTRAK station is East Lansing, which is 5-6 miles away from the Capitol.
Also Baton Rouge, LA
I guess the question with Lansing is whether there is local transit available from East Lansing? Olympia, WA is some distance from the rail station as well but from this thread it seems that a transit option exists.
Our list stands at a whopping (and discouraging) 21 if you count all suggestions.
If we discount Alaska and Hawaii which, of course, have never had a direct rail connection from the rest of the US, we can reduce that to 19. Lop off Maine, South Dakota, and New Hampshire where capitol rail passenger service had ended prior to April 30, 1971 and we're down to 16......a slightly more palatable number.
Now to get really depressing, how many of these state capitols at one time had AMTRAK service but now do not -
Nashville, TN Montgomery, AL Boise, ID Phoenix, AZ Tallahassee, FL Columbus, OH
I suppose it's looking at the ones we have lost since May 1, 1971 that depress me the most.
sojourner Member # 3134
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Some of these places are accessible by train+bus. For Dover DE, there is a bus that meets some Amtrak trains in Wilmington. I know Concord NH has a similar situation out of Boston. I think the same may be true for Baton Route, but I have to check. In other cases, one would have to take the bus on one's own. I'm not thrilled about doing that, since buses are a hassle to begin with, and regular ole Greyhound can be a real bummer, but I will certainly consider it. Anyway, I'm not in a rush to visit them all!
I never visited the capitol when I WAS in Juneau last May on the Alaska cruise--went to the Mendenhall Glacier instead--wonder if I'll ever get back there! But boats are IMO as good as trains. For example, for a grand finale, I'd love to take a cruise out of San Diego to Hawaii! Problem is, if the cruise ship just stops one day in the Honolulu area, I think there might be more interesting things to see than the state capitol! What I really need is a ferry to Hawaii--too bad there no longer is one!
Getting back to Olympia-Lacey, I foresee a major problem in that I'll have luggage when I stop off. I am sure there will be no place to leave it at this unmanned the station. And it's a fair distance from the station in Lacey to downtown Olympia; I am not thrilled about dragging a lot of luggage on buses, and taxis may be prohibitively expensive.
DeeCT Member # 3241
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Augusta, ME is accessible by a combo of train and bus. Downeaster to Portland, ME and then bus from Portland to Augusta. Though you ticket through Greyhound the actual carrier is Vermont Transit. I take this bus up to Bangor frequently and it is always (except in extreme weather) on time and clean. The trip between Portland and Augusta is about 90 minutes and runs 3 round trips a day. If I were traveling from another part of the country I would plan to stay in Portland and make Augusta a day-trip. Portland has a lot to see and do - more than Augusta IMHO.
Dee
Beacon Hill Member # 4431
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I think your best option is to schedule your visit to Olympia as a day trip from Seattle--leave your bags at the hotel. Take Sound Transit #594 (hourly service) to Tacoma and transfer to Intercity Transit #603, which goes right by the Capitol. If you are visiting after September '07, Sound Transit will have one morning commuter rail trip from Seattle to Tacoma. While you wait for the transfer in Tacoma, take a free ride on the Tacoma Link Streetcar.
Returning from Olympia you can take the bus to the Amtrak station and take any of the 4 daily Cascades departures to Seattle. Your itinerary could include an Amtrak train, commuter train, streetcar and buses. If you wanted to detour via Vashon Island, you could also include two trips on the Washington State Ferry system. Happy travels!
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