CASCADING FROM PORTLAND TO SEATTLE
May 14, 2004
Portland Union Station. As our complimentary van arrives, the driver tells us that her family owns some photos of this classic station from the days when men dressed in top hats to travel by train. Alas, a man wearing shorts and ankle socks climbs out of the taxi parked ahead of us – those old days are gone forever!
The multistory brick building has a spacious lawn in front, with roses and rhododendrons blooming extravagantly.
Train #500, painted in brown, green, and cream Cascades colors, arrives on time at 8:20AM. We are assigned the last available seats in business class, then board to find slumbering passengers who attest to its 5:45AM origin from Eugene.
The Talgo equipment, with its Spanish designed tilt mechanism fully functional, is now able to negotiate curves at higher speeds. It is our first experience riding this equipment when the tilting mechanism has been activated, and it is a smooth and quiet ride.
The Seattle station, after many years of promising announcements that its restoration was eminent, is finally undergoing “Phase One.” Part of the building is roped off and the ugly 1950’s era acoustic lowered ceiling has been removed. Above it, antique, intricately-molded designs of the original plaster are being revealed. According to a poster, the city of Seattle, Amtrak, and the BNSF are all contributing to this long-overdue project.
A taxi whisks us through downtown and out to the Queen Ann district, a busy neighborhood which contains a reasonably priced (for Seattle) hotel, the MarQueen with rates beginning at $120 per night. Our clients object to the $200+ rates on most hotels here, so we are doing our research, looking for moderate hotels.
The good news about the MarQueen: it has been nicely refurbished in ornate, 1872 style. The rooms, formerly apartments, are large, with a kitchen, work station, high-speed internet access, air conditioning, and hardwood floors. And you can’t walk more than a half-block in any direction without finding several good, inexpensive restaurants. We lunched at Roti, an Indian restaurant, and supped at McHughes, an Irish Pub.
The other news about the MarQueen: Since the brick building was constructed in 1872, plumbing updates have been added with outside pipes along the ceiling and in corners. There is no elevator, and climbing up three long flights of stairs is not for the faint hearted. Fortunately, there is a friendly bellman available to carry your luggage up to your room.
Travel Tip: If you are attending the Seattle Opera or the Pacific Northwest Ballet, both presented at McCaw Hall at Seattle Center, the Marqueen is located within walking distance. The Space Needle is also located at Seattle Center, as well as a monorail station, for easy access to downtown.
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