Got back and wanted to post about the trip. Its a long post but there is so much to cover. With that said, it was something I really want to share.
We left with high expectations and the trip blew us all away. We left from Santa Ana and the transfer at LA Union Station to the Coast Starlight was seamless. The sleeper car was spacious and a great place to retreat to when we wanted private space. We got the Family Car which had 4 bunks (2 large and 2 small). The nice thing about the family car is it spans the width of the train so you have windows on both sides. The were plenty of bathrooms and a shower that was hot, good pressure and more spacious than the one in our hotel room.
One of the benefits of the sleeper car is you have access to the Parlor Car which has comfortable swivel club chairs to take everything in. The food was very good and perhaps my favorite part of the train ride was sitting down for slow meals watching the scenenary roll by. You eat in booths for 4 so if there are less than 4 you will most likely meet some of your fellow passengers as they need all the space.
The train leaves LA and heads up the coast well past Santa Barabara and Lompoc. Most of that time you are a stones throw from the ocean. We talked about the ocean and aerospace (you pass the ULA site north of Lompoc).
From there you head inland passing through San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles. You pass through cattle ranches, farms and vineyards. Its a great opportunity to talk about farming and wine. There was a 4:00 wine and cheese tasting each day for adults and the kids went down to watch a movie in the theatre.
The timing is perfect and you pass through most of the visually non descript Bay Area towns while it is dark. I woke up at 5 am to see daybreak in the Mt Shasta area covered with snow. It was dark when I got to the parlor car and day came slowly. The first 15 minutes were B&W with a complete absence of colors. It was like watching the world thru Ansel Adams’ camera lens.
The next leg of the ride thru No Cal and So Oregon was spectacular. We passed through a snow storm and then rain. You are surrounded by mountains, lakes, rivers and forrests. You see the entire timber industry from the forests to the mills as you head North. Trains loaded with massive logs and finished wood products pass frequently. We talked about preserving forests as well as why we need to cut down trees for wood and paper. You also realize that junkyards are adjacent to train tracks where ever you go.
Much of this leg we were up in the clouds and we talked about weather. There is also water every where you look (bays, rivers, creeks, waterfalls, lakes, mudslides, swampy meadows) which contrasts with the desert environment we live in. There are 23 tunnels you pass through and my daughter had a great time leading every one through the countdown. You also pass through Eugene home to OU and see a nice college town. Northern Oregon was full of sheep pastures and I still dont know why?
Finally we pass through Portland on the home stretch to Seattle. Lots of big rivers and bridges to cross which was fun for them. As you approach Seattle you see the snow covered mountains and Mt Rainier. For the last 2 hours we were both excited to reach our destination and sad to see the train ride coming to an end.
We arrived at Seattle at 8 pm. Grabbed our luggage, hopped in a cab (about $8) and were in our hotel room in Downtown Seattle (4 blocks from Pike Place Market) by 8:15.
Day one we bought the City Pass which was a good deal. We took the monorail to SEattle Center which is home to several attractions. Went up the Space Needle (which is an amazing visual landmark that helps you orient yourself where ever you are in the area). We went to the EMP (Paul Allens architecturally stunning musuem of music and pop culture). They had an awesome Avatar exhibit as well as rock and roll memorabilia. The best part was making our own rock video to take home. They have recording studio upstairs and you can play or just pretend. My daughter plays piano, my son drums and I channeled Jimi Hendrix for a rousing version of Purple Haze. We took home a video, tickets for our concert and poster. We have already watched it many times. Then we headed to Pike Place to grab a late lunch and watch the fish fly. Grabbed a cup of coffee at the original Starubucks location then back to Seattle Center where they have an awesome park with fountain. We must have brought sun to Seattle as it was beautiful the whole time and the trees were flowering. I hadnt seen flowering trees like that since growing up back East which was another pleasant surprise.
Day 2 I rented a car (we intentionally tried to avoid using anything but public transportation except for this). Rented a car for $33 including tax and drove up to Everett for the Boeing Future of Flight tour. They take you through the plant where they build 747’s and the new 787 Dreamliner. By volume it is the largest building in the world. I would give this a B- but am still glad we did it. We grabbed lunch and drove back to Seattle for the Underground Tour which was great. Its fascinating and funny. A few posters recommended it and it is a must see/do. Then back to our favorite park at Seattle Center to run around and climb on sculptures. This brings me to another one of our favorite things about Seattle. The volume and quality of public art is probably the best in the country. It is everywhere you go! Once it got dark we went back up the Space Needle (the City Pass includes 2 tix so you can go up day and night) for an entirely different experience. We wrapped the night up with a nice dinner out. When I travel with my kids I let them pick what and where we eat with the exception that Dad gets one nice dinner out at a fancy restaurant. Then I returned the rental car avoiding paying more for parking than the cost of renting the car itself.
Last day, we slept in, checked out and spent the rest of the day back at Seattle Center going back to the EMP (they let us back in for no charge) and then the Science museum (butterfly exhibit, Laser Bob Marley show, hands on science exhibits for kids etc). On the way out we gave the tixs left in our City Pass book to another family which was another good life lesson for the kids. We took the monorail back toward hotel where luggage was stored, grabbed a quickee dinner then took the light rail to the airport. The Westlake station is under the original Nordstrom which was a block from our hotel. It was clean, safe and efficient. For $5.25 we were transported directly to SeaTac airport. It passes the stadiums and takes less than 45 minutes. Its faster, easier and more efficient than taking a shuttle or cab for 8 times that. The airport was great and they had the friendliest ticket counter workers I have experienced. We got on our Nonstop flight back to John Wayne ($85 on Alaska Air) and arrived 25 minutes early.
If i had done this all before I could not have planned a better more perfect trip. It was supposed to be a one time thing but we are all anxious to do it again.
I went hoping to make some memories with my kids while they were still young that they would carry with them through life. It went so far beyond that these words dont cover a fraction of the joy it was.
Scaredy, this is why you take vacations with your kids.
