At noon today, I took Amtrak’s Cascades service from Portland up to Seattle, about a three-and-a-half hour ride. And it’s a nice ride … the scenery isn’t spectacular, but it is nice, especially the last hour when the train runs along the shore of Puget Sound. The Tacoma Narrows Bridge is an interesting landmark…
PORTLAND–The last of my eight train rides–Seattle to Portland today–was to be the frosting on the cake: a relaxing five-hour ride in the Coast Starlight’s parlor car. Alas, it was not to be. In fact, it was a complete flop. Because of a bridge failure, the Coast Starlight with its Pacific Parlour Car is temporarily…
On Wednesday morning, somewhere in North Dakota, I was ushered to a table in the westbound Empire Builder’s dining car where I joined a couple perhaps in their early sixties. They had just begun their meal and, after the usual first name introductions–they were Bill and Nancy–he asked where I was from. I said…
CHICAGO–The ride here from Boston on the Lake Shore Limited was really enjoyable. For one thing, the train passes through countryside that starts all my old New England genes clanging around, especially the stretch from Springfield through Pittsfield to Albany and then west from there until it’s too dark to see much. Furthermore, we had…