Coast to Coast, and South to North, a first Amtrak trip

[Kevinx244974]

Hello everyone

To briefly introduce myself, I am French and came once to the USA.

We are three people planning to try the Amtrak trains for the first time next summer to get a taste of what the US from the inside looks like through slow travel and, of course, visiting the cities!

Here is our current itinerary; we tried to maximize a bit of time at each place:
Arrived in Washington, 2 days to visit
Capitol Limited to Chicago with 2 days to visit Chicago
California Zephyr to Salt Lake City with 1 day to visit Salt Lake City
California Zephyr to Sacramento for an afternoon, a night bus drive to Los Angeles, 2 days to visit LA
Coast Starlight to San Francisco, 2 or 3 days to visit
Coast Starlight to Portland, 1 day to visit
Empire Builder to East Glacier village, during the same day, Empire Builder back to Seattle with 1 day to visit

Considering the USA rail pass, if I understood well how it works, the train will cost us less than we could have expected
We plan to sleep on the sit; we are quite young and hope it will also be an excellent option to save money.

What do you think about this itinerary? Are there other things that we should consider? Is it too long and too tiring? Are the stops/cities good, in your opinion? Would you prioritize differently?
If you also have recommendations for the trains or cities we planned, such as local hidden gems, thank you in advance!

 

[tgstubbs1]

Here are your segments:
Arrived in Washington, 2 days to visit
1. Capitol Limited to Chicago with 2 days to visit Chicago
2. California Zephyr to Salt Lake City with 1 day to visit Salt Lake City
3. California Zephyr to Sacramento for an afternoon,
4 .a night bus drive to Los Angeles, 2 days to visit LA
5. Coast Starlight to San Francisco, 2 or 3 days to visit
6 .Coast Starlight to Portland, 1 day to visit
7. Empire Builder to East Glacier village, during the same day,
8. Empire Builder back to Seattle with 1 day to visit

It looks like you are entitled to two more, a total of 10, I believe.

What constraints do you have? Can you stay longer? It would cost more, but that depends on the area you stay. It seems you allow some time to rest between train segments, so you can get better sleep.

Are you planning any hikes, mountain climbing, etc? You won't have much time in Glacier but there are lots of oppourtunities close to your routes from the other cities, Seattle, Portland, etc.

McMinnville OR is where the famous "Spruce Goose" sea plane is housed in an aviation museum. The Spruce Goose was built by millionare Howard Hughes during WWII and is one of the largest planes ever built.

You can also visit some beautiful natural attractions near Portland, especially in the Columbia river gorge, which the train travels along en route to Spokane WA

I've been doing a lot of trips lately! I might take a break after this one!
This was a long and somewhat improbable trip that I took mostly to prove that I could. I had to stitch together many forms of transit (from three transit agencies, Flixbus, and Amtrak), to visit seven Willamette Valley counties in one day. I went to Portland and then went to McMinnville, to the southwest of Portland, and then to Salem.
The most important thing about this is how quickly transit drops off outside of cities. Yamhill County has about 100,000 people, which is not small, but there, like in many suburban/exurban counties, transit is treated like a social service, not like a part of transportation infrastructure. It is possible to use the bus routes to travel, but not in a way that most people could use it as part of normal commuting.
What this also means is that there are about 100,000 people who wouldn't get much practical advantage out of rail service. In most of Washington County, in places like Beaverton or Tigard, it really is easy to hop on a bus at any time, go to Union Station, and go to Seattle or Eugene. From the outer fringes of Washington County, and from Yamhill County, and Polk County, it would involve a lot of patience and juggling schedules.

 

[City of Miami]

I would be anxious about the 2 apparent close connections (which very often do not work with Amtrak). Sacramento - you may end up staying an extra day because you arrive too late to get the bus. Same for East Glacier - I haven't looked at the schedule but that turn around sounds very risky.

 

[dlagrua]

If you decide to head South I would add a day in New Orleans. It is a very interesting historic city. If you go, be sure you stay in or around the French Quarter.

 

[Palmland]

It looks like a great trip!

I am a bit surprised that you chose the California Zephyr. While it is arguably the most scenic route with several mountain ranges, you have plenty of mountains in Europe. The Southwest Chief would give you a taste of our very unique southwestern landscape. Especially so if you stop in Flagstaff for a couple nights to see the Grand Canyon. You would then connect in Los Angeles to the Coast Stralight for San Francisco. An option would be to take a side trip from LA for an overnight in the very attractive San Diego. If time is short probably 2 days in San Francisco would be sufficient.

If you stick with the CZ, consider Denver instead of (or in addition to) Salt Lake City. It has a lively downtown and is very walkable from the train station.

 

[BoulderCO]

I second the New Orleans suggestion. Totally unlike any other US city.

Also, when in southern California, consider doing at least part of the Pacific Surfliner.

 

[Bob Dylan]

If you decide to head South I would add a day in New Orleans. It is a very interesting historic city. If you go, be sure you stay in or around the French Quarter.

My favorite Hotel in the French Quarter is the PlasD'Armes on St Anne Street.

Unless a Big Event is going on ( New Orleans has lots of them!)you can get a Nice Patio Room for around $130 a night, which now days is a Bargain !

Google it up, think you'll love it if you decide to stay in the Crescent City!

 

[GAT]

I agree in rinciple with Boulder CO and Palmland, but with a couple of variations. I would take the Cardinal (Train #1) instead of the Capitol Limited from Washington, DC to Chicago. It's a much more scenic route. Then the City of New Orleans (Train #2) from Chicago to New Orleans through the heartland of our country down the Mississippi Valley. You really do need to spend two or three days in the New Orleans area, which is tinged with ancient French history mixed in with a strong Afro-Caribbean culture. The cuisine is to die for. Then I would take the Sunset Limited (Train #3) west through Cajun country, across the vast geography of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, all the way more or less along the Mexico border into Los Angeles. Then north on the Coast Starlight (Train #4) to San Francisco, where you can resume your original itinerary to Portland, East Glacier, and Seattle (Trains #5, 6, and 7). IMO, you really shouldn't pass up the Pacific Coast, mountain, and wine country views by taking an overnight bus rather than the Coast Starlight between the SF and LA areas. My suggested trip leaves three remaining Rail Pass segments that you can use for various side trips or for the Empire Builder/Lakeshore Limited ride back to New York for your return flight to France. The only downside would be that you would have to save the California Zephyr for your next visit. That is a trip best done from east to west.

Hust my personal thoughts. But I hope you agree that a great part of the fun from a trip is in the planning. Whatever you decide, you're in for a great experience. Bon Voage!

 

[Willbridge]

I would join with others in recommending that you stop over in Denver rather than Salt Lake City. I might be thought to be biased, as I live in Denver, but Train 5 arrives in SLC late at night if it is on time. If it is late, you will be cheated out of sleep. Another good alternative is to stop over in Glenwood Springs, which is a walkable community in the Rockies.

When I traveled 2nd class on the SNCF in my army days before the TGV it was frequently overnight. I'm glad that I enjoyed great experiences AND I hope you will enjoy your visit to the U.S. just as much.

Denver Union Station:

 

[danasgoodstuff]

If you do rail pass, then you'll be in coach and only have access to the cafe food most of the time. It's not inedible, but I would strongly advise bringing snacks, substantial snacks. If you get a chance to try the proper dinning car on a western train, do it at least once or twice (both for food and conversation). Overnight in coach is ok if you're young and it helps to be smaller too. I'm old and big and lost my tolerance for that long ago. You will see some beautiful country and some interesting backsides of cities this way. It will also give you a feel for how big and divers the US truly is. Best of luck to you.

 

[Kevinx244974]

Thank you all of you for your answers, I will try to answer everybody!

The main constraint in this travel is the time, we can not afford more than two to three weeks in total, but I think it is already enough to get a taste.Regarding the East Glacier station, we do not plan any hike as we are short on time.

Regarding the connections, for the first one, the California Zephyr is supposed to arrive in Sacramento at 2.13 p.m., and the bus (Greyhound) seems to be available for a departure at 10.40 p.m.; for the second connection, the Empire Builder westbound is supposed to arrive at East glacier for 9.36 am and going into the other direction for 7.48 pm. Are these connections good or too short?

To what concern the New Orleans, we believe it is a great idea; we plan to visit the Louisiana state (mostly New Orleans and Lafayette) for one entire travel in our winter months for a week.

I decided to select the California Zephyr over the Southwest Chief as I saw that it seems to be the most impressive train travel in North America, so I would feel disappointed to not take it considering that I don't know when I will return.
However, based on videos that I saw, I agree the Southwest Chief landscapes seem very different from my place, especially the western side, and I hope to make it one day! Would you rate it better than the other ones?

The Pacific Surfliner seems to connect Los Angeles to San Diego; considering that we do not have a car (we plan to use mostly the subway to visit the highlights of Los Angeles), I do not know if the public transport is well developed in San Diego?

The Cardinal is a very good option; I will think about it!

Regarding Denver, we chose Salt Lake City because it is quite an atypical city and probably the only time we will be there as it seems quite isolated; do you think Glenwood Springs could be a better stop?

 

[jiml]

Regarding Denver, we chose Salt Lake City because it is quite an atypical city and probably the only time we will be there as it seems quite isolated; do you think Glenwood Springs could be a better stop?

Glenwood Springs is not only a beautiful place to stop, everything you need is within easy walking distance of the train station - something that cannot be said of some of your other options. Although it has a "resort" feel you should not encounter big city prices for accommodation or food, depending on the time of year. A number of forum members recommend it and reviews can be found by searching. Here's a start:

https://www.amtraktrains.com/threads/glenwood-springs-co.81282/

 

[tgstubbs1]

Here is a trip by Matthew Fish on the Empire Builder to Glacier that might be interesting for you to view:

https://www.amtraktrains.com/threads/glacier-national-park-by-the-empire-builder.85603/
A way I have thought about to reduce costs in large cities: stay in a smaller city and use a local train to visit the larger city. You mention San Francisco for 2-3 days.
The Coast Starlight only takes you to Emeryville and then you must take local transit into San Francisco. Fortunately Emeryville has lower cost hotel than San Francisco.

Because you have extra travel segments you can make more stops. You can stop at and Denver and Glenwood Springs and Salt Lake if you want.

There are buses that connect Denver to Grand Junction, for example, and it is very cheap (BUSTANG)

You could use the Bustang instead of Amtrak CZ to Glenwood Springs or Grand Junction then later board the CZ to continue to San Francisco which might be cheaper than using a segment of the RailPass.

https://ridebustang.com/bustang/fares/west/
Dont forget to look at trip reports by others on this forum:

https://www.amtraktrains.com/forums/rail-travelogues-trip-reports.5/

 

[Bob Dylan]

Thank you all of you for your answers, I will try to answer everybody!

The main constraint in this travel is the time, we can not afford more than two to three weeks in total, but I think it is already enough to get a taste.Regarding the East Glacier station, we do not plan any hike as we are short on time.

Regarding the connections, for the first one, the California Zephyr is supposed to arrive in Sacramento at 2.13 p.m., and the bus (Greyhound) seems to be available for a departure at 10.40 p.m.; for the second connection, the Empire Builder westbound is supposed to arrive at East glacier for 9.36 am and going into the other direction for 7.48 pm. Are these connections good or too short?

To what concern the New Orleans, we believe it is a great idea; we plan to visit the Louisiana state (mostly New Orleans and Lafayette) for one entire travel in our winter months for a week.

I decided to select the California Zephyr over the Southwest Chief as I saw that it seems to be the most impressive train travel in North America, so I would feel disappointed to not take it considering that I don't know when I will return.
However, based on videos that I saw, I agree the Southwest Chief landscapes seem very different from my place, especially the western side, and I hope to make it one day! Would you rate it better than the other ones?

The Pacific Surfliner seems to connect Los Angeles to San Diego; considering that we do not have a car (we plan to use mostly the subway to visit the highlights of Los Angeles), I do not know if the public transport is well developed in San Diego?

The Cardinal is a very good option; I will think about it!

Regarding Denver, we chose Salt Lake City because it is quite an atypical city and probably the only time we will be there as it seems quite isolated; do you think Glenwood Springs could be a better stop?

Wonderful trip!

I totally agree that Glenwood Springs should be the place you visit in Colorado. Especially notable are Western Legend Doc Holidays Grave and the Hot Springs across from the Amtrak Station.( you don't have to stay @ the fancy Hotel there to use them)

I second riding the Cardinal over the Cap Ltd.

San Diego is a beautiful City and has an excellent Public Transportation system, and downtown is very Walkable.

The Trains ( which run out of Union Station) can take you to the Mexican Border @ San Ysidiro/Tiajuana( not recommended to cross!)and all over the City and San Diego County.( buy a Day Pass @ the Kiosk on the Platform)

Be sure and visit Balboa Park up on the Hill, and if you like Zoos, the San Diego Zoo is one of the Best.

There's also a World Class Art Museum there.

Also Highly recommended is a visit across the Bay to Coronado to see the famous Coronado Beach Hotel.

 

[City of Miami]

Be sure to get a route guide for the Zephyr. You can download good ones. Amtrak will provide little or nothing. If your English reading is easy try this book for a deep dive.
Nothing Like it in the World: The Men Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad, 1863-1869 is a narrative history by Stephen E. Ambrose, first published in 2000.

 

[como]

Your trip sounds wonderful. I was born and raised in the Denver area and agree that you might consider Denver over Salt Lake City for the reasons mentioned by Willbridge. Glenwood Springs is a mountain community and very different from the Denver area. You can take a local bus to Aspen and see a wealthy resort community and Carbondale, the less wealthy community that supports it.

 

[Rambling Robert]

I am in the Boston area and have taken the night train to Washington DC and it’s a great way to travel on Amtrak. The coach seating id not quite as big as the long-distance coaches, but I have had no problem sleeping - on the three times I’ve taken this train - all in coach.

It’s best if you fly into Boston/Logan early in the day.

To keep it simple I think the Boston Museum of s”Science as a worthy place to spend hours. (Logan airport to shuttle bus to blue line to green line to Science Center.). Then get some fresh air and in Boston Common, which is a large park with a small pond at one end. It’s a great place to observe people. (Science, center green line to Park St. gets you to at Park Street). Then after the common goal back to the Park Street station and take the red line this time and go to Harvard stop). Walk around Harvard Yard and buy a cheap Harvard T-shirt and feel smarter. Then to complete the day go back on the red line and go to South Station and pick up the night train to Washington DC.

Night trains are a great way to travel !!!

The national zoo in Washington DC is a place where you can spend all day. It can be reached by the DC metro. The Smithsonian museum is a collection of about 18 different museums, some small and some large. The museum of flight and aviation has the real spirit of St. Louis, that was flown to Paris, nearly 100 years ago. Finding inexpensive hotels along the metro shouldn’t be a problem.

The Amtrak Crescent goes from Washington DC directly to New Orleans. I was lucky to find a place in the French quarter one block from Louis Armstrong Park and I’m old and can’t walk very far but I could sit down in the park. and just think about my favorite musician. I spent two nights at about $150 a night. Food wise I had an excellent excellent gumbo (soup) and a Poboy (sandwich) which has highlighted my culinary experience. There is wonderful music all over.

The Amtrak Sunset Limited begins in New Orleans and ends in Los Angeles.
All this is actually two nights in coach and counts as just one segment.

You can take the Los Angeles transit rather than Amtrak south of LA. I think it’s worth a trip to see the sites and experience Southern California. There’s really nothing quite like Southern California. You have an advantage of going from stop to stop without using any segments of your trip. San Diego, Oceanside - are two towns worth traveling to.

So now you’re back in LA and still have seven segments left. ha ha.

I agree that seeing the Grand Canyon by way of the Amtrak Southwest Chief is, a good deal. For a while the train parallels route 66. The cheapest thing to do is to just rent a car in Flagstaff and drive to the Grand Canyon (need reservations! And an international drivers license).Flagstaff. (need reservations! And an international drivers license). To stay overnight anywhere near the Grand Canyon needs reservations many years in advance. Then may be reversed to back to LA and take the Coast Starlight to Portland or Seattle. - with a stopover in San Francisco - then Empire builder to Chicago and Antrak Cardinal or Capitol Limited to Washington DC, and then the night train to Boston.

Subscribe to amtrak.com/deals because it seems every year there is a period where the rail pass is $100 cheaper and can be used at a later date.

Speaking of passes, I don’t know whether it’s possible from France to join various U.S. libraries in the cities you’re visiting, but the library is a very good source to get free or discounted tickets to local attractions.

Food wise I like to patronize the café, which might not have the best food but it’s for you get to eat on the train! Salads are satisfying, Maybe a Tucson Tamale along with the salad. And coach you can only consume beer and wine in the café area, and they scenic observation car that is directly above the café (on most long distance trains).

Currently only sleeping car passengers get to eat in the dining car but it might change back to the way it was - only a few years ago - where coach passengers were given the option to eat based on availability of dining car reservations.

Hostels are inexpensive but not that common - some are sociable, and some are just a place to spend the night

 

[user 29618]

No offence to Portland or Seattle, but I found neither very interesting. Sort of like Le Havre compared to Paris.

I would prefer a stop along the southern California coast in the wine country or for a day of surfing and relaxing on the beach. You might stop over in Santa Barbara, which still has some traces of old California left. From there to LA, I'd just buy a ~$20 ticket instead of using a segment of your rail pass.

Perhaps you'd like to see things that you can't find in France - like huge redwood trees as old as Notre-Dame (in Muir Woods, across the Golden Gate bridge from San Francisco).

Death Valley NP in So. Ca. is another thing that you won't find anywhere else - beautiful in it's own way, but it can be quite dangerous for people who aren't prepared. IOW, don't rent a car and drive it yourself - join an organized tour. 50 degrees C in summer. Tours usually leave from Las Vegas, NV. (Note: Amtrak doesn't go there, it goes to Las Vegas, NM)

Carlesbad Caverns, NM (from El Paso).
A 1,300 km trip across just one state - from El Paso to Beaumont, TX (a bit further than from Paris to Madrid).
Cowboys.

 

[flitcraft]

San Diego is a beautiful City and has an excellent Public Transportation system, and downtown is very Walkable.

Be sure and visit Balboa Park up on the Hill, and if you like Zoos, the San Diego Zoo is one of the Best. There's also a World Class Art Museum there.

Also Highly recommended is a visit across the Bay to Coronado to see the famous Coronado Beach Hotel.

We just spent three days in San Diego on the tail end of a coast-to-coast Amtrak trip, and I highly recommend it. There is a good loop tour of the city on the Old Town Trolley, which has hop on, hop off stops at many of the major sights, including Balboa Park, which is a fantastic place to stroll through the architecture left over from an old Exposition as well as visiting any of several museums on site. It also has a stop on Coronado Island where there are picturesque shops and eateries in addition to the Coronado Beach Hotel, and the beach itself, of course. Old Town is actually a state park at the original site of the settlement there, and lots of Mexican restaurants in addition to a few historic buildings and a bunch of re-created ones. Little Italy and the Gaslight District are good spots for dinner. For one fee you can ride the trolley as often as you like, and the various drivers all do their own narrations--some humorous, some with lots of historical detail. Transportation, tour guide, and entertainment all in one!

 

[anilou]

Thank you all of you for your answers, I will try to answer everybody!

The main constraint in this travel is the time, we can not afford more than two to three weeks in total, but I think it is already enough to get a taste.Regarding the East Glacier station, we do not plan any hike as we are short on time.

Regarding the connections, for the first one, the California Zephyr is supposed to arrive in Sacramento at 2.13 p.m., and the bus (Greyhound) seems to be available for a departure at 10.40 p.m.; for the second connection, the Empire Builder westbound is supposed to arrive at East glacier for 9.36 am and going into the other direction for 7.48 pm. Are these connections good or too short?

To what concern the New Orleans, we believe it is a great idea; we plan to visit the Louisiana state (mostly New Orleans and Lafayette) for one entire travel in our winter months for a week.

I decided to select the California Zephyr over the Southwest Chief as I saw that it seems to be the most impressive train travel in North America, so I would feel disappointed to not take it considering that I don't know when I will return.
However, based on videos that I saw, I agree the Southwest Chief landscapes seem very different from my place, especially the western side, and I hope to make it one day! Would you rate it better than the other ones?

The Pacific Surfliner seems to connect Los Angeles to San Diego; considering that we do not have a car (we plan to use mostly the subway to visit the highlights of Los Angeles), I do not know if the public transport is well developed in San Diego?

The Cardinal is a very good option; I will think about it!

Regarding Denver, we chose Salt Lake City because it is quite an atypical city and probably the only time we will be there as it seems quite isolated; do you think Glenwood Springs could be a better stop?

I would choose Glenwood Springs over Salt
Lake City for the hot springs and beautiful mountain scenery. Also, sometimes a smaller town can be a nice change from big cities.

 

[hlcteacher]

No offence to Portland or Seattle, but I found neither very interesting. Sort of like Le Havre compared to Paris.

I love Seattle, so much to do and see in that area.

 

[tgstubbs1]

This might be a good link to study:

https://www.amtraktrains.com/threads/station-adjacent-hotels.78877/

 

[flitcraft]

No offence to Portland or Seattle, but I found neither very interesting. Sort of like Le Havre compared to Paris.

I would prefer a stop along the southern California coast in the wine country or for a day of surfing and relaxing on the beach. You might stop over in Santa Barbara, which still has some traces of old California left. From there to LA, I'd just buy a ~$20 ticket instead of using a segment of your rail pass.

Perhaps you'd like to see things that you can't find in France - like huge redwood trees as old as Notre-Dame (in Muir Woods, across the Golden Gate bridge from San Francisco).

Death Valley NP in So. Ca. is another thing that you won't find anywhere else - beautiful in it's own way, but it can be quite dangerous for people who aren't prepared. IOW, don't rent a car and drive it yourself - join an organized tour. 50 degrees C in summer. Tours usually leave from Las Vegas, NV. (Note: Amtrak doesn't go there, it goes to Las Vegas, NM)

Carlesbad Caverns, NM (from El Paso).
A 1,300 km trip across just one state - from El Paso to Beaumont, TX (a bit further than from Paris to Madrid).
Cowboys.

Since you are pressed for time and want to see as much uniquely American sights as possible, I would not recommend either surfing in California or a stop in wine country; you would need a wetsuit for surfing and in any event, Portugal provides better surfing anyway. Wine country in California is very expensive, and I think you would be disappointed compared to French wine country. Muir Woods, on the other hand, is stunning and unlike anything in Europe; it is also easy to access by bus tour from San Francisco if you are taking the California Zephyr. Death Valley is theoretically worth a visit, but not in late spring to early fall--brutally hot, and you would need to rent a car to get to Las Vegas to start a tour, since there is no train service there. By road it's about 400 km Los Angeles to Las Vegas. Carlsbad Caverns is well worth a visit, but again, you would need to rent a car from El Paso and it is a 250 km drive each way. That would eat into your time more than it is probably worth.

I cannot speak to the charms of La Havre, but Seattle does have many unique things to do--taking the ferry by foot across Puget Sound to Bainbridge Island; the world's best glass art museum in Tacoma, directly adjacent to the Sounder train from Seattle; the Space Needle at Seattle Center, especially on a clear day, gives breath-taking views of the city and both the Cascade and Olympic Mountain ranges; the Pike Place Market is a semi-open-air market famous for watching salmon being thrown to buyers, the Ballard Locks have underwater viewing portals where you can watch the spectacle of salmon returning upstream to spawn; Mount Rainier is a volcanic peak that can be accessed by tour and has a paved rout to the flower fields at the aptly-named Paradise ranger station, and there's much, much more.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Since you are pressed for time and want to see as much uniquely American sights as possible, I would not recommend either surfing in California or a stop in wine country; you would need a wetsuit for surfing and in any event, Portugal provides better surfing anyway. Wine country in California is very expensive, and I think you would be disappointed compared to French wine country. Muir Woods, on the other hand, is stunning and unlike anything in Europe; it is also easy to access by bus tour from San Francisco if you are taking the California Zephyr. Death Valley is theoretically worth a visit, but not in late spring to early fall--brutally hot, and you would need to rent a car to get to Las Vegas to start a tour, since there is no train service there. By road it's about 400 km Los Angeles to Las Vegas. Carlsbad Caverns is well worth a visit, but again, you would need to rent a car from El Paso and it is a 250 km drive each way. That would eat into your time more than it is probably worth.

I cannot speak to the charms of La Havre, but Seattle does have many unique things to do--taking the ferry by foot across Puget Sound to Bainbridge Island; the world's best glass art museum in Tacoma, directly adjacent to the Sounder train from Seattle; the Space Needle at Seattle Center, especially on a clear day, gives breath-taking views of the city and both the Cascade and Olympic Mountain ranges; the Pike Place Market is a semi-open-air market famous for watching salmon being thrown to buyers, the Ballard Locks have underwater viewing portals where you can watch the spectacle of salmon returning upstream to spawn; Mount Rainier is a volcanic peak that can be accessed by tour and has a paved rout to the flower fields at the aptly-named Paradise ranger station, and there's much, much more.

On a Clear Summer Day, I agree that Seattle is Breathtaking, with many great things to see and do!

But in the Winter, not so much so!

And the Hotels are Pricey Downtown and up on the Hill by Seattle Center and the Space Needle.

i recommend that you stay in the Hostel close to King Street Station in the International District, or out by the Airport and use Rail to commute to Seattle!

 

[Asher]

I love Seattle, so much to do and see in that area.

I think Irv818 made some good points even though I do think he ran off the rails a bit about Seattle and Portland.