OT-Vacation ideas in Seattle

[CA renter]

[quote=desmond]Not to pile on, my son was recently transferred to Houston. I drove out with him and made a movie of the trip, it’s easy and you can post it on youtube, to be 23 again-check out his new roomates:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsQacu-jjSI%5B/quote%5D

Are those seriously his new roommates!?!?!?

OMG, it’s like he died and went to heaven! 🙂

[sdrealtor]

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.

SEATTLE ROCKS AND SO DID WE!!!!

[CA renter]

Great post, sdr. Sounds like an absolutely wonderful trip with your kids.

[ocrenter]

Thanks for sharing. Too bad my wife would not touch a train with a 10 foot pole… 🙁

[desmond]

Now that is a great trip, kids, a train with luxury accommmodations, West Coast Scenery and a great city Seattle. Those are memories you and your kids will have forever. I have got to do that, sounds awesome.

[UCGal]

Definitely sounds like an awesome trip.

I haven’t been inside the EMP – but saw it when it was close to completion several years ago. I was with my husband (an architect) and his college buddy (a partner at a Seattle architecture firm). Lots of discussion about the Frank Gehry design and the local controversy. We concluded it was very cool… despite what the haters say.

(Lots of people hate the building. But like you, I find it stunning.)

[sdrealtor]

I completely get why people would hate it but it is really cool. Better yet, the coolest part is what is inside.

Another thing we loved about Seattle was the architecture. Its got to be an architects dream (or nightmare to have to be that creative) to work up there. That is one of my son’s interests careerwise and he is already trying to design Seattle style buildings on minecraft. He loved the Hammering Man kinetic scuplture as it reminded him of minecraft.

My daughter wouldnt climb on the pig for a picture until we found out the pigs name. Then I couldnt her off her twin sister.

[CA renter]

[quote=ocrenter]Thanks for sharing. Too bad my wife would not touch a train with a 10 foot pole… :([/quote]

Why? Has she been on these trains? They are absolutely fantastic! The food was delicious (last time I went long distance on a train, which was about 15 years ago), and the service exceptional. Really try to talk her into it.

[UCGal]

[quote=sdrealtor]I completely get why people would hate it but it is really cool. Better yet, the coolest part is what is inside.

Another thing we loved about Seattle was the architecture. Its got to be an architects dream (or nightmare to have to be that creative) to work up there. That is one of my son’s interests careerwise and he is already trying to design Seattle style buildings on minecraft. He loved the Hammering Man kinetic scuplture as it reminded him of minecraft.

My daughter wouldnt climb on the pig for a picture until we found out the pigs name. Then I couldnt her off her twin sister.[/quote]

Have him talk to some actual architects about the career path and salary potential. It will probably be eye opening.

Specifically have him ask about salary post graduation but before you pass the series of registration exams (typically 5 -10 years after you graduate). It’s pretty much intern level salaries till you can get registered/licensed.

Even then – for a non-owner/partner… the salary caps out much lower than you’d expect. And become an owner/partner requires significant cash investment. My income ceiling as a software engineer is a LOT higher than that of an architect with similar years of experience.

It’s not all designing cool looking buildings. A lot of it is coordinating various groups to retrofit an elevator…. Or working with developers of business parks who want to cut all costs – including your fees.

Even working on the cool big name projects can be pretty much in the weeds. Hubby worked on an airport – but had to spend a lot of time working out the air handling for the food court and how to squeeze in more stalls in the restrooms on the concourse. He worked on stuff for the Franklin Institute when he worked for Venturi, but was paid crap while doing it. And the really cool stuff they expect you to take your pay in glory rather than $$. He turned down a gig to work on Euro Disney because they offered HALF his then salary. They assumed everyone would want to work for Disney, so they didn’t have to pay… and were surprised he turned it down.

Seriously – I am not allowing my sons to consider architecture now that I know about the career path. And my husband is on the same page.

[sdrealtor]

I hear everything you say but I want him to do what ever he is truly passionate about. I dont expect money to be an issue for him or my daughter as adults and am taking steps to ensure that. My parents worked hard and built a great foundation for their kids and each of us is adding to it. He loves drawing and designing all kinds of things not just cool fancy things. He will most likely end up in some kind of technology role or architecture given who he is. My daughter i have no idea about yet but whatever it is she will be extraordinarily happy. She is one of those kids that always has a big smile on her face.

[KSMountain]

[quote=sdduuuude]Of all the tourist things I have ever done, The Seattle Undergound tour is one of the best values ever. Hilarious and well-priced. Almost as good as The Cosmos of the Black Hills.

I like spending time on the water. Definitely a ferry across to Victoria or one of the other islands. There isn’t a heck of a lot to do, but I would do it just for the boat-ride. The kids will like driving the car onto the boat.

There is a national park across the way, though it is one of the less interesting ones.

Go see a Seattle Sounders game if the kids are into soccer at all. It is the loudest, most exuberant soccer environment in the US.

Eat crab and Salmon.

Pikes Place market is a must-see. Something for everyone there. I like the place with the tiny little doughnut maker, if they are still there. I could watch it for hours.

I think they have a children’s museum there, or a science center or something like that. We were in a rush so we popped in and out but I think it was pretty cool.[/quote]
I second the ferry. Go over to Bainbridge island say.
Also Pike’s Place. Watch them throw the fish! 🙂

[sdrealtor]

Saw the fish flying and got some great videos. Didnt have time for the ferry. Next time for sure.

[desmond]

[quote=desmond]Not to pile on, my son was recently transferred to Houston. I drove out with him and made a movie of the trip, it’s easy and you can post it on youtube, to be 23 again-check out his new roomates:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsQacu-jjSI%5B/quote%5D

Meet the parents, my son is in L.A. for a few days, with his new girl friend. They are actually stopping by for dinner tonight and spending the night- then off to Santa Barbara tomorrow. He’s doing great, the point is he has his own life and now manages to visit us just enough to say he did… like I did with my parents. So even though kids are tough, enjoy them while they are still home. I find myself actually thinking about the “Cats in the Cradle” song…..and I thought it was so lame when I was his age……..

[CA renter]

[quote=desmond][quote=desmond]Not to pile on, my son was recently transferred to Houston. I drove out with him and made a movie of the trip, it’s easy and you can post it on youtube, to be 23 again-check out his new roomates:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsQacu-jjSI%5B/quote%5D

Meet the parents, my son is in L.A. for a few days, with his new girl friend. They are actually stopping by for dinner tonight and spending the night- then off to Santa Barbara tomorrow. He’s doing great, the point is he has his own life and now manages to visit us just enough to say he did… like I did with my parents. So even though kids are tough, enjoy them while they are still home. I find myself actually thinking about the “Cats in the Cradle” song…..and I thought it was so lame when I was his age……..[/quote]

That song is a definite tearjerker. It motivated me to maintain a closer relationship with my parents, even when it wasn’t particularly “convenient” at the time. So glad that I did that.

Just know that if/when they have kids, they’ll probably come around more often, again.

Is the girlfriend one of the new roommates, or did he meet here elsewhere?

Enjoy the visit with your son and his new gf. Seems pretty serious if he’s already introducing her to you.

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