Hey Daddy-o, let me catch you up on what razzes my berries. I was made in the shade on a train trip from the Emerald City to the City of Angels.
And if 50s slang, that probably hasn't been used in at least a few decades, isn't your thing, Marsha and I took a blast of a trip on the Amtrak Coast Starlight from Seattle to LA, all while rocking our period(ish) new clothes. This is part 2 of our weekend getaway, so don't forget to start with day 1, Fearless in Seattle.
Normal, we don't need no stinkin' normal. In a throwback to the end of the golden age of train travel, we decided we would do our whole trip in early to mid 1900s outfits. What this really meant is we got lots of stares, the attendants knew us on sight, and dapper was thrown around several times. All it was to us though was fun cosplay in an every day environment.
Marsha and Dave stylishly awaiting the train's departure
We departed early from the beautiful King Street Station in Seattle. It was a mild Saturday morning, with rain during the night before (yes, such a surprise in the NW) so the air was fresh and cool, but still comfortable. Our attendant gave us directions to our cabin, so we hefted our bags and made our way to the second floor of the train car, up a stairway probably no wider than my shoulders.
The room we had booked, the largest available on the trip, was surprisingly nice. It included a couch, which made into bed 1, an upper bunk, and sitting chair. Even nicer is we had our own bathroom, with shower head, sink and actually storage for our bags. The only negative we could come up with is the mattresses themselves were quite firm. Mostly what one would expect from furniture that does double duty. Oh, and yeah, each bed was definitely too small to share for more than a little time.
Our bedroom for the night
Normally, neither one of us sit still very well, so we were concerned a little about being on such a long trip, 35 hours, with no real way to exercise. We came stocked with games to play, shows and movies to watch and books to read. In reality we ended up barely doing any of those, and found wandering the train, viewing natures best channel out the window, and talking to be our activities of choice.
Amazingly the lounge car, which has a mix of tables and out ward facing seats, large windows, was not as busy as we thought it would be. It was quite easy grab a table for games, or just sit and watch the world go by. And if we needed to take a longer stretch of our legs, we could wander from end to end on the train. Or occasionally even stepping outside at a stop, with an occasional station break anywhere from 5-45 minutes.
A couple of stations we stopped at
Having a bedroom had one big advantage. All meals were included. This included the steak and crab cake plate available for dinner. The steaks were actually cooked really well and the food, for the most part, was tasty, quite surpassing my expectations for a tiny mobile kitchen.
The beautiful scenery was unsurpassed
Our trip covered Washington, Oregon and California. The last few hours enticed with waves crashing on the California beach shores. We saw beautiful terrain of all types including trees, ocean, cities, and farmland. The shadier side also reared its head in the form of massive homeless camps, strewn with garbage, inducing sadness for the life they are not meant to have to live. Run down and brand new cityscapes flew by on our window to the world. It was if all parts of life were on display, unfiltered, to be taken in as part of who we are.
Final Destination: Union Station in LA
Upon finally arriving at Union Station, late Sunday evening, we were not ready to be done with the trip. This had been my first real train trip, and it left me wanting to do more. Never had it felt so good to be forced to relax and enjoy all the world around us. With such a beautiful and charming travelling companion, and so much to see and do, how could I not want it to keep going? Maybe someday we'll be able to try the famed Orient Express.
Next up, our duo wander the canals of Venice, without leaving the US.
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