3 replies to this topic

[gsupstate]

Hi guys.  A quick question on Portland.  I'll be there in a couple of weeks for several days and then going on to Seattle.  I've decided to take the train for a change of scenery.  I'm fairly familiar with downtown Portland and the Pioneer Place / Fifth Ave / Broadway areas.  Is the train station close to this area?

[Deezus]

gsupstate, on Apr 14 2007, 03:10 PM, said:

Hi guys.  A quick question on Portland.  I'll be there in a couple of weeks for several days and then going on to Seattle.  I've decided to take the train for a change of scenery.  I'm fairly familiar with downtown Portland and the Pioneer Place / Fifth Ave / Broadway areas.  Is the train station close to this area?

Union Station is Portland's Amtrak stop and it's a few blocks north of Burnside on the edge of Chinatown. Basically if you take Broadway north towards the Broadway Bridge, the station is right there.  It's a nice 3 and 1/2 hour trip. Union Station is an attractive old station and the train ride itself, while taking a similar route to I-5, has more attractive rural scenery.  You go right along the Columbia river to start once leaving Portland and just south and north of Tacoma the train travels right along Puget Sound.  All in all a nice diversion from the drive up the interstate and it drops you off right in the heart of Seattle at the south end of downtown next to the sports stadiums.

[tombarnes]

If you have the choice of times to take the train, be sure to take the Coast Starlight, one of Amtrak's best trains.  The other trains on the route aren't bad at all, but the CS has better amenities overall, being one of the flagships of Amtrak. If you spring for a first class seat, you can use the Pacific Parlour Car (their fussy spelling, not mine), which offers wine tastings and even a small movie theater below.  It's been some time since I have taken this train, but as far as I know, the heavy amenities are still there.  The dining car offers food which is marginally above the standard plastic train fare too.

[gsupstate]

Thanks for the info guys!  

I'm looking forward to taking the train. I usually make this trip via I-5 and for whatever reason, seems I-5 has a few boring areas.  Great to hear the train goes through some of the scenic areas that I-5 bypasses.