Back to DC on the Emipre Builder

After five great days in Seattle, it was finally time to brace for the longest leg of my trip - three days and nights on the train non-stop to DC.  The Empire Builder is another of Amtrak's truly great scenic routes.  Once past eastern Washington state, a brief trek through Idaho, then through some unbelievable scenery in Montana - we're skirting the Canadian border here - to Chicago.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

The weather during my last day in Seattle was incredible, and I spent most of it in Lower Queen Anne, and finally took a cab to the Amtrak station.

Settling into a nice window seat, I was a little disappointed to hear the announcement saying that there would be no sightseer lounge car until after Spokane, which came at night.  Apparently a part of the Empire Builder leaves from Portland and joins the one leaving from Seattle in Spokane.  The Portland train presumably had the sightseer lounge.

Still, all was not lost.  The train rolled up along the Puget Sound.

After stops in Everett and Edmond, we turned east and headed towards the Cascades.

As night fell, and there was nothing to see outside, I sank into a very light sleep, noticing several stops that I didn't think we had.  Later, there was a somewhat long stop, and the train just didn't seem to want to get moving again.

As it turned out, there was a snafu caused by a combination of a freight train in front having had mechanical problems, and the Portland train not having arrived in Spokane on time.  Here we were in Spokane, two hours late already - and I had a two-hour layover in Chicago!  As we finally left Spokane two hours later (four hours late now), the conductor was trying to assure us that we had that night, all of the next day, and the following night to make up the time.

With those half hearted assurances, I went back to a restless sleep as the train lumbered on, stopping frequently.  I was under no illusions about making up any time.  The next day, we were in Montana, to some truly breathtaking sights.

We were soon slowly beginning to climb up into the mountains.  The frequent stops, however, seemed to continue.  I found out that since Amtrak does not own the tracks, passenger trains get last priority.  Since there is only one track for both directions in large sections of the route, every time a freight train approaches in the opposite direction, Amtrak has to pull off into a siding and wait.  This was the result of the Amtrak schedule having been thrown off by the previous delays, since the interleaved schedules of freight and passenger trains were destroyed.  We were not making up any time at all.

Realizing that it was best to just let things happen, I just sat back - in the sightseer lounge now - to watch scenes like this.

As usual, there was excellent company to watch the scenery with.  Even though most everybody seemed concerned with the delay, nobody let it affect their enjoyment of the ride.  We climbed higher and higher, and got into snow country pretty soon.

Very soon, we were in the thick of the mountains, the fog, the clouds and everything wintry.

It is impossible not be impressed by this kind of scenery, especially in early October.  Besides, who knew cattle could graze here?

By now it was getting dark, and we had lost another hour or so.  What chance did we have of making up five hours - or even three and a half, assuming I could run to my transfer in thirty minutes?  At this point the inevitability of missing my connection had sunk in, and I just gave up and went to sleep.

The next day saw us snaking through Minnesota, to scenery like this - by now nearly seven hours late.

Realizing that we would now get into Chicago no sooner than 10 PM or 11 PM, I sat back to watch the Mississippi

And a docked river boat.

Soon it was dark, and Chicago was several hours away.  Right around that time, the conductor walked down the train telling everybody that Amtrak customer service personnel were in the cafe below the sightseer lounge, and would address our issues with the delay. 

I jumped up from my seat, and headed over, and after waiting in line briefly, sat down with one of the Amtrak staff.  Imagine my surprise when I was told that Amtrak would put me up at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago for the night, give me cab fare to and from the hotel, give me spending money for meals the next day, and a reservation on the Capitol Limited - all that, plus free dinner in the dining car on the train before arriving in Chicago! 

When was the last time you heard of an airline doing something like this?  So much for government being the problem!

As it turned out, this was a godsend, because just thinking about the third night on the train was getting me fatigued.  Here I was, with a break in journey to spend a night in a very nice hotel, and one more day to wander Chicago - on the house!  Thank you, Amtrak!

After a hot shower, I fell into a blissful sleep, and got up the next day completely refreshed.  Nicely showered and shaved and cleaned up, I spent another great day walking around Chicago until it was time to board the train in the late afternoon.

Getting into my seat, I threw my bag on the overhead and headed straight for the sightseer lounge, where I spent the next several hours shooting the breeze with the other passengers.  I was in no hurry to get any sleep, since I would be home the next day.

The next morning, I watched with mixed feelings as we got closer and closer to DC, with a sense of relief predominating as the train rolled past the Montgomery Country Fairgrounds in Gaithersburg.

Ironically, had I gotten off in here in Rockville,

I could have jumped on the metro going south and been at Grosvenor in three stops.  But, of course, my car was in Crystal City, so it was on to Union Station.  Still it was great to go past the Randolph Road crossing - my hood!

Finally, Washington, DC Union Station!  I had gotten home on a Saturday, and was glad to be able to escape the traffic driving home to Bethesda from Crystal City.  But little did I realize that Saturday also often means track work on the metro - and sure enough, Union Station to Gallery Place took forever and a day!

At last, Crystal City....the quick walk via the underground passage to my car at the Marriott Gateway, paid for an extra day of parking, and hit the road to Bethesda, and home sweet home, right?  But, of course, things are never that easy in DC, and I soon hit a blocked off George Washington Parkway!  After going through a labyrinth of detours through the streets of Northern Virginia, which are confusing enough during the best of times, I finally got back to GW Parkway.....and got home.

As much as I enjoyed the trip, I was glad to cross it off my bucket list.  I still love the train, but I doubt I would take it cross country again - although I am glad I did it once.   If I do succumb to insanity and do it again, I'd take many more stops.

I hope you enjoyed reading the blog.  Obviously, it was not meant to be a detailed and objective reference of any sort, rather the opinionated musings of a guy whose observations are to taken with as much seriousness as those concering the second shirt button.

Thanks for reading!

Empire Builder Pictures

 

 

Seattle - Fremont, Queen Anne and the U-District

Fremont - the Center of The Universe

Yes, indeed - that spot does mark the center of the universe. Just read the vertical post if you dont believe me! And if that isn't proof enough, maybe this will convince you:

 

Fremont, to me, is a blue spot in a blue city in a blue state, where the bluest of the blue congregate.  Even the Fremont Bridge is painted blue!  Where else would you see an apartment building that looks like this?

 

Or a celebrated landmark like this (notice the VW bug being crushed under the troll's left hand)?

 



Corporate America hasn't ignored Fremont either.  Adobe Systems has a presence - maybe even an HQ presence - as does this little known outfit.

Seriously, Fremont is such a great place to hang out.  In a few closely concentrated blocks,  you'll find a variety of restaurants, bars, coffee shops - ok, this is an oxymoron for Seattle, but still - and even a boutique guitar amp builder.  And Fremont has a great farmers market too.

Although not as big as the Ballard market, it is every bit as interesting, and is right next to the canal.  You can get something to eat from one of the many great vendors

or a food truck that was on the Travel Channel (or was it the Food Network?):

 and eat it while looking at a view like this.

But just to score over the Ballard market, Fremont has this - you can pick up all kinds of knick knacks here.

 

 

A few blocks away from the Center Of The Universe, perhaps up the hill on Fremont Ave, or one of the side streets, it gets a lot quieter, with many apartment/condo type buildings and houses.  I imagine you could have the best of all worlds living in one of these streets, but I got the sense of there being either a very busy section or a very quiet neighborhood, with not much in between.  Ballard, on the other hand, seemed all in between; which appealed to me much more. 

 

Fremont reminded me very much of Takoma Park, except on a much larger scale.  There was a much greater tourist presence (my own being one), as evidenced by the number of cameras being used.  Interestingly enough, I felt like the only non-local in Ballard, something I think I'd like a lot more if I lived in that neighborhood.   

 

Fremont pictures

 

Queen Anne:

 

I doubt that anybody who visits Seattle misses Queen Anne Hill.  A leisurely drive through its many streets will make it obvious why it costs so much to live there.  As you get closer to the top of the hill, the views get more and more spectacular as does, I imagine, the value of real estate.  There is one small part of the top of the hill that is very walkable.  This part of Queen Anne Ave reminded me of a mini downtown Bethesda - definitely more elite than proletariat. 

 

 

 

The top of the hill was definitely a great place to visit, but perhaps not so much as a place to live - for me, anyway.  To me, it was too small to be self contained, and most likely way beyond my reach.  That said, you can't argue with the delightful ambiance of the neighborhood - if you can afford to live there!

 

As with the other neighborhoods I visited, there is the obligatory coffee shop (or three, or four, or...), this one with a bookshop - and not a Barnes & Noble either!

 

 

The big surprise to me, however, was Lower Queen Anne.  This is the neighborhood at the bottom of the hill, and generally includes the area around Seattle Center and the Space Needle.  The Hampton Inn, where I was staying, was in Lower Queen Anne, and I had no idea I would like it as much as I did.

 

 

With a much more urban feel, this neighborhood has many more options than the one up the hill.  But even though it has a slightly less exclusive feel, I doubt that it is much more affordable considering how much closer to downtown it is - I imagine some people think of it as actually being downtown.  I walked around this neighborhood most evenings in search of dinner, and had no trouble finding several interesting choices.  I loved the salmon tacos at the Blue Water Taco Grill...:)

 

 

 And how could anything beat walking around while the sun is setting and seeing this?

 

 

Or being hit by delicious irony like this? 

 

 

 

Even so, Lower Queen Anne, I decided, was not for me.  It was definitely endowed with visitable coolness, but for my taste, way too urban to be liveable.

 

Likewise, the downtown area known as Belltown felt like living in the central business district of a major city.  I have no doubt that many people love that setting, and there is much to recommend it.  You can live automobile-free and yet have access to everything you might need - except a shopping mall.  Oh wait...you've got the Westlake Center!

 

 

If you're not a mall rat, you could always go here:

 

 

 

But if you lived in Seattle, would you really want to go to Pike's market?  Needless to say, I went, and loved it - but as I was waiting at the counter for a fantastic grilled salmon sandwich, I heard the vendor joking with one of the customers and ribbing him about being a Seattleite and coming to Pike's market.  That said, what a great place to go to - if you could go home some place else at the end of the day!

 

Belltown, to me, had very little to differentiate itself from any other major downtown - if you discount the view of the Puget Sound.

 

Queen Anne Hill pictures

 

Lower Queen Anne and Downtown pictures

 

The U-District:

 

The University District is home to the University of Washington (U Dub), and my online research had indicated that the neighborhood was by no means restricted to college students.  This is technically true, but the whole area, to me, had a distinctly younger feel.  Obviously, there is nothing wrong with that at all, but I suspected I would find it very hard to get comfortable with such a disparity between the youthfulness of the neighborhood and my own age.  As wonderful as it is to feel that infusion of energy and enthusiasm, my days of late nights and partying are so many years behind me, I don't even think I can remember them.  

 

To provide a little contrast (not meant to be pejorative in any way), the area around Northwestern University in Chicago has a youthful college feel too,  but also comes across as being grown up and sophisticated. 

 

Still, the U-District had a fun ambiance.

 

It even has a small, but very viable farmers market - actually bigger than the Bethesda farmers market.

And is it just me, or does this intersection seem eerily similar to Wisconsin and M in Georgetown?
 

Two other neighborhoods that were initially on my short list, but only got a very perfunctory once-over were Capitol Hill and Pioneer Square.  Both of them were, to me, far too congested and urban, and Pioneer Square's transitional feel made it seem just a little more edgy than I like.

Thus ended my exploration of the wonderful city of Seattle.  It is undeniably one of the most beautiful places in the world.  There is an inexplicable charm about it, no doubt.  But what about moving there?

This is where I stand conflicted.  Granted, if I actually did decide to move to Seattle, I believe the odds are extremely high that I would want to live in Ballard.  But then, the question is, what am I trading it for?

The DC area, where I have spent most of my adult life anyway - especially Bethesda - is nothing to sneeze at.  While I can't walk to shops from my condo, I can most certainly walk to the metro and be two stops away from downtown Bethesda.  The traffic is bad, but the traffic in Seattle has become more and more like the DC area.

Still, the dream of being in Seattle is very much alive.  I'm just not sure I want to trade one place for another....yet!    I wonder what the good chief would say?

U-District pictures

Next....the long trip home!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 



Seattle - Ballard

I first went to Seattle sometime around 1999 or 2000 for a week-long training class.  Those were the days when Northwest flew DC-10s cross-country, and upgrades were easy to get.  It didn't hurt to be upgraded to a corner suite at the Renaissance, and certainly didn't hurt to have perfect weather for five days.  But I distinctly remember how my first impression of Seattle blew me away.  It is hard to imagine too many people who can't be impressed by its natural beauty and ambiance.  Staying, as I did, in the downtown area, I had my first taste of Belltown, Pike's market, Pioneer Square and all the rest of the downtown neighborhood.  There was a definite je ne sais quoi about Seattle.

I was smitten.

As I was leaving Seattle, I resolved to return as soon as possible.  A couple of years later, I had the good fortune of being assigned to a two-week consulting engagement in the Seattle suburb of Bothell, which extended to over 5 months.  Initially sceptical of being located in a suburb, I quickly realized how attractive Bothell was, and even more so, its neighbor, Woodinville.  Ironically, those were perhaps the worst months of the year weather-wise, but the rain and overcast skies did not bother me at all.  In fact, the rarity with which the mountains were visible when the skies cleared made them that much more spectacular.

When the other members of the team went home every weekend (including some who lived on the east coast), I went back every other weekend and, on two occasions, stayed for four weeks at a time. I explored every weekend - from Snoqualmie Falls to Enumclaw, Puyallup and the Mt Rainier area (though I never got the nerve to drive up!) - and thoroughly enjoyed driving the back roads, discovering new vistas with each turn.  I was on a professional high, the clients were nothing short of wonderful and everybody I met at work and outside work was as nice as could be.

I knew I had to move to Seattle some day.

Ten years later, this trip was meant to validate my feelings.  I spent hours online researching condos in the neighborhoods I thought I would like, down to checking out walking scores.  Armed with a short list of neighborhoods, the idea behind this trip was to explore them and try to experience what they would be like as a potential home.

As I settled into the cab for the ride from the Amtrak station to the Hampton Inn next to the Seattle Center, I was surprised by the cab driver telling me how much he disliked Seattle.  A native New Yorker, family considerations had caused him to move west, and his biggest complaint was the coldness with which Seattle presented itself.  He missed the gregarious friendliness of his fellow New Yorkers.  Now, I will admit that New York is really a very friendly city - contrary to popular opinion - but his experience of Seattle certainly did not mirror those of my own past visits.

Still, I couldn't help notice that Seattle had changed.  There was a lot more traffic, the streets were more crowded - some with many more homeless people - and the city's almost perfectly genteel demeanor now seemed to exhibit a certain edginess.   Compared to cities like Chicago, or small towns like Flagstaff, my impression is that Seattle is more deferentially polite than extrovertedly friendly.  But who is to say which is better?  On to the neighborhoods!

Ballard

Originally a Scandinavian settlement, Ballard had not made a particualry strong impression on me during my previous visits.  However, everything I had read online recently convinced me that I had to revisit Ballard - and I was right.  How I could have missed it before, I don't know.  It is possible that Ballard ten years back was not the Ballard of today, but of the neighborhoods I spent time in, Ballard was my hands down favorite.

Even though it is large enough to support as many merchants as downtown Bethesda, it felt very livable and one could conceivably never have to leave Ballard for anything.  You can definitely give up your car in Ballard.  The Sunday Farmer's Market is bigger than the one in Takoma Park in Maryland, and was such a fun place to hang out in.

Ballard is eminently walkable.  There are enough coffee shops, pubs, restaurants and even a couple of live music venues that you can walk to.  Add to that a few supermarkets (Safeway, Ballard Market, QFC), not to mention the Swedish Hospital to boot, and you're likely to find that any trips outside of Ballard could really become optional.  I find self contained neighborhoods like this to be very attractive.

Ballard has supposedly seen a lot of new condo construction like this:

And I saw more being built, like this:

 

 



Some see the condo invasion as an abomination, but I see it as no different from the situation in so many parts of the country.  My own neck of the woods in the Grosvenor/Strathmore area of Bethesda is essentially unrecognizable to someone who has not been around for ten years.  Still, the charm of Ballard Ave is hard to miss:

Wouldn't it be nice to have access to a public library like this?

Next to a park like this?

As I understand it, there is a plan to extend Seattle's new streetcar network to Ballard, terminating at the park.  What a great thing that would be!

For now the streetcars run between South Lake Union and downtown:

More public transportation like this all over the country, and America could well join the 21st century in style.

Ballard struck me as being a cozy, comfortable enclave, nearly completely self-contained with an unmistakable neighborhood feel - and I sampled one important ingredient.

 
Ballard Pictures

More Seattle in the next section.

On to Seattle on the Coast Starlight

The trip from Flagstaff to LA was a source of some consternation for me, as was the first leg of the trip home - Seattle to Chicago.  The reason was that I had a two hour layover to change trains, and from everything I had heard, Amtrak is notorious for being late.  That said, the first two legs had been on time, so everything hinged on the Southwest Chief arriving in Flagstaff on schedule.

Luckily, it was right on time, the ride was nothing to complain about, and we even got to LA an hour ahead of schedule!  What a surprise and a relief!

The down side of that was having to spend an additional hour at LA's Amtrak Station.  That place is a dump!  Architecturally, its rather interesting on the inside, but is it ever run down!  Not much in the way of food vendors either - one Subway and one convenience store.

I was glad to get back on the train, and get moving.  I found myself a nice window seat on the left side of the train, in anticipation of the ocean being on that side.  As the train pulled out of the station, and made its way out of the LA area, the scenery really began to develop.  The train was literally this close to the shore - for miles.  How can you compare this to anything else?

As was to be expected, I left my seat and worked my way to the sightseer lounge and sat there for hours, watching scenes like this go by.

Getting into what I think of as central California - still coastal, but in between LA and the Bay Area - the train took a smoke break at San Luis Obispo.  Right after this the coast disappeared for a while as the train meandered up into the hills, and then into the most amazing switchback I have ever seen!  Looking towards the front, you see this:

When you look back, this is where the train came from:

The unfortunate thing about the schedule is that by the time the train got to the Bay Area, it was completely dark.  Besides, the track didn't seem to go by any areas that would let you get a glimpse of the San Francisco skyline, and that is a shame.  So, after two extended stops - one in Oakland and the other in Emeryville - the train left for Sacramento, then up north. 

 

Emeryville is a small town nestled between Oakland and Berkeley, and is home to a wonderfully located condominium complex called Watergate - right on the bay, looking towards the Golden Gate Bridge.  During my year living in the Bay Area in the early 80s, I lived in Watergate and remember Emeryville as being little more than the waterfront, and warehouses on the other side of the freeway.  It has changed a lot since, but none of that was really visible from the train. 

 

It was time to get as much sleep as possible, because the next day promised some great sight seeing in Oregon.  At the break of dawn, the train pulled into Klamath Falls, OR; named after the native American Klamath tribe from the area.  By this time, I was awake and freshened up, ensconced at a table in the sightseer lounge watching the day break, and was in for a very pleasant surprise - completely unxpected by everybody on the train.

 



Two retired gentlemen boarded the train, armed with a PA system, set it up in the sightseer lounge, and introduced themselves.  Being from Oregon and filled with local pride, their pursuit in retirement was to ride the train and act as tour guides on the leg from Klamath Falls to Eugene, OR.  Amtrak doesn't pay them for it, but gets a ton of mileage from them!  These guys may not have been professionals,  they were a lot better!  This was no garden variety tour guide effort; it was filled with insights, inside information, personal anecdotes...you name it.  We got to Eugene around mid-afternoon, so we had several hours of this.

 

Obviously, nobody needs to be reminded about how gorgeous the Pacific Northwest is.  If you can't be impressed by the beauty of this part of the country, there is a definite problem!

 

 

For example, here is Lake Odell:

Our tour guides got off in Eugene to ride the train back to Klamath.  Eugene is a college town and, among other claims to fame, is the hometown of the great blues musician Robert Cray.  A few hours later, we were pulling into Portland.

 

Vancouver, WA is a suburb of Portland right across the river, and across the border.  Food for thought - live in Vancouver and save on state income taxes; and shop in Portland and save on sales taxes?  As Arsenio Hall would have said, makes you want to go hmmmmmmmm.

 

Another pleasant surprise - two rangers got on board in Vancouver, and continued the tour guide thing all the way to Seattle.  You really couldn't ask for more.  These people came equipped with iPads with vintage pictures of the places we were going by, and they would walk around the tables showing them.  Unfortunately, my own picture taking capability diminished severely at this point due to the darkness setting in - my flash would go off and ruin everything.  So I decided to just sit back, listen to the commentary, and just watch.

 

It is worth pointing out that I was definitely not by mysef the whole time.  People would come and join me, chat, get coffee and generally hang out.  A couple of them stayed at my table and the one next to me all that day to Seattle.  Granted, having good company on a vacation can be an enjoyment multiplier; but on the Amtrak, you are never at a loss for that kind of company.

 

Finally, Shangri La - Seattle!  Pulling in at a little after 9 PM, of course, you don't see anything.  Stepping off the train, and walking towards the exit and to a cab, I was ready for five nights of a nice bed,  five days of exploring my favorite city on the planet.  But this was not intended to be a sightseeing tour - been there, done it. 

 

Stay tuned!

 

Amtrak Coast Starlight pictures