Seattle Train Trip - 2016

 
Seattle Train Trip - 2016
From October 29, 2016 through Nov 5, 2016

Starting: San Jose, CA
Major Stopping Point: Seattle, WA
Ending: San Jose, CA
The Trip :  Thoughts :  Trail Log : References : Abbrevations

The Trip:

 My brother David came to Mountain View to take care of our Mom. This left us a week or so to do a trip. After discussion, Sherri and I decided to do a train trip to Seattle. Instead of driving or flying up there, we decided to take the train. Mostly a good choice

Once we got to Seattle, we walked everyplace, except on two occasions. The first is on the first day, when we took the Monorail from downtown to the Space Needle, by our hotel. It was good for the novelty. The second was when we were leaving,w e took Uber to the train station.

We were surprised that some of our favorite things in Seattle were not what it is known for. We enjoyed the Columbia Center for its view; the Waterfall Garden just to be in a busy city with a sense of refreshment, the Seattle Central Library just because it was books, Washington Park Arboretum because of the openness of it, and then Chihuly Gardens for its elegant glass, and finally the EMP for its vastness of culture.

Thoughts:
 
Coach or Sleeper? - We went coach, which was probably ok for a day, but if we were going for more than overnight or needed to be fresh the next day, we should consider going with a sleeper.

It was great walking around central Seattle. But it did limit what we were able to do. On the other handle, we got to get a taste of the flavor of Seattle which you cannot do, flying past in a vehicle. On our next trip to Seattle, we will look a bi-modal means of travel.

Sometimes popular places have a problem living up to their billing. I think that is what happened with the Space Needle and Pike Market. While they were enjoyable, it was the unexpected places which we will cherish the memory of.

 
Trail Log:

Our journal is given by each day. Most mileages came from our GPS.
 

Date	Title	Miles Walked	Elevation Gained	Time Out	Major Places
Oct 29, 2016	Training to Seattle
Oct 30, 2016	Walking Central Seattle	10.39	1,150'	9:26	Columbia Center Waterfall Gardens Seattle Central Library Pike Market Center for Wooden Boats
Oct 31, 2016	Pioneer Square Park	5.99		7:25	Underground Tours Pioneer Square Park Klondike Gold Rush Metzler Map Piroshky Piroshky
Nov 1, 2016	Washington Park Arboretum	12.16		8:30	Ascona Chocolat Suisse Washington Park Arboretum Interlaken Park Buca di Beppo
Nov 2, 2016	Space Needle	5.23	549'	9:04	Space Needle Chihuly Glass Garden Elliot Bay Book Store REI
Nov 3, 2016	EMP Museum	6.03	478'	4:49	EMP Museum Olympic Sculpture Park Seattle Art Museum
Nov 4, 2016	Train to San Jose

Our total walking was 39.8 miles, Our "average day was 7.96 miles. Of course behind that average our days ranged from 5.25  to 12 miles. But the real thing is over the five days in Seattle, we were out and about 39.25 hours or 7:50. This really was good.

References:
For those of you who might be interested in hiking this hike, here are some references which you can consult:

• GPS My City - Several walking tours of many cities around the world. We used this extensively to figure out route and what to see.
•  Tree Walk Seattle from Rublinetsky - identified many if not all trees in Seattle. While not a must have app, it did make the walking more enjoyable having the tree information at ones fingers. You can also get much of the same information from the City of Seattle
•  Seattle Lonely Planet
• Trip Advisor

Abbreviations:

• NPS - National Park Service
REI - Recreational Equipment Incorporated-an outdoors chain. 

EMP - Experience Music Project and Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame , now called MoPoP

MoPoP - Museum of Pop Culture

OSP -  Olympic Sculpture Park

SAM - Seattle Art Museum

King St Train Station

Central Seattle

Waterfall Gardens

Waterfall Gardens

Seattle Central Library

Hammering Man by SAM

Center for Wooden Boats

Pike Market

Seattle Great Wheel

Chief Seattle and Gary

Smith Building

Sidewalk light

Glass Blowing

King Street Train Station

Starbucks

Sherri and Gary with the Seattle Great Wheel

Washington Park Arboretum

Moss ball at Washington Park Arboretum

Gary and Sherri at the Washington Park Arboretum

Eagle Totem Pole at the Washington Park Arboretum

Sherri on top of the Space Needle

Chihuly Glass

Chihuly Glass

Chihuly Glass

Chihuly Glass

Space Needle

Sherri and Gary at the EMP

Turning into the Borg

Space Needle and the Eagle at the OSP

Echo at the OSP

Columbia River from the train

November 4, 2016 – Return Trip From Seattle

Title: November 4, 2016 – Return Trip From Seattle 

 Hike Info : Description :  Background

Hike Info:

Type: Train

Description:

We got up at 6:45 and had our hotel breakfast. It has been a good stay. My basic assessment is that this is a hotel which once was up there, but it has not been updated in several years. You can tell from the carpeting which is pretty worn or the bathroom fixtures which are about 10 years old. But for us, this hotel has served us well. The rooms are clean, the bed is comfortable, breakfasts have variety, and the staff is helpful. For us, it was a good place to stay. While we stay here again? We would give it good consideration and see how it fits our needs. (Management said that updating the hotel is this Winter's project.)

At 8:15, we have our first Uber experience. I guess this trip is a bunch of stepping out for us. The driver is a female who has been in this country for nine years from Eritrea. They are part of the ethnic unit which includes Ethiopia. She gets us to the King Street Train Station by 8:30, plenty of time for our 9:35am train.

"Hill", maybe Mt Hood

No incidents at the train station, but we did get to talk with a couple of people: a couple who lives in Seattle and a person who is going to Sacramento, then Mendocino. She hopes to backpack a bit over there. By the time we load onto the train, it is almost 10am.

 We pile aboard with my backpack, Sherri's suitcase and a couple other bags, ready for the trip back to San Jose. Should take until 10am tomorrow. But in the meantime, the trip through Washington is really beautiful. When we came through last Saturday, it was dark. But now we are seeing all kinds of inlets and water, trees in fall foilage and birds flying around. A few mountains show snow. 

Hill and Farmland

 On the other hand, when not mesmerized by the sights, I start to document our pictures from the last week in Seattle. That would be about 570 picture in all. But the train gives me time to go through them all.

Trestle and Bridge

Then we cross the Columbia River into Oregon, around 1:30 or 2:00pm. While still beautiful, it has more population, at least the part going from Portland to Eugene. We spot Mt Hood while playing a round of cribbage-Sherri wins rather handily. There are fields belonging to good size farms with fresh cut alfalfa. Then that is followed by a creek and forest setting. Then the cycle repeats itself. Lots of things to relax the eyes with.

Bridge Across the Columbia

After Eugene, we turn into the mountains, but darkness also starts to fall. So not much to see out the windows. So we have dinner: left overs from last night. Could be a lot worse. Mine is the stromboli, wile Sherri has a sausage linguine and an apple. Afterwards we continue to make progress on some fudge we bought several nights OK. After that, both of us read a book: Sherri The Martian and I Dreamland. Also I continue to work on describing our time in Seattle

Before going to bed, we watched the movie, 13 Days on my phone. Interesting movie. In the middle of it, we arrive in Klamath Falls and I go for a walk. By the time we finish the movie, it is 11:15pm. Time to go to sleep.

Columbia River

November 5, 2016

Sleep is not one of the things we did very well last night. Being in coach, we sleep in our seats, which is OK. But having sat in those seats all day, our rears were tired of being there. So slept off and on, never really comfortable. Judging from the tossing and turning Sherri was doing, she also did not sleep well. The conductor came around rousing people for Sacramento at 5:40am. At that point the car is awake and jabbering and almost impossible to go to sleep again.

Breakfast is granola for me and a sandwich for Sherri. Still is black outside when we do get to Sacramento. I walk for awhile and enjoy the freedom of movement-except for the smokers who are everywhere.

When the sun does start to rise, the sight is wonderful. Pinks and oranges through the fog and the fog above and in the reeds along the marshes. A good sight. We pass by Richmond and I message Andrea to wave. After stops in Emeryville and Oakland, it is on to our destination: San Jose.

David and Mom is waiting there to pick us up when the train pulls in a few minutes early. It has been a good trip, but both Sherri and I are tired. I nap with Mom a bit on the couch until Andrea and Lawrence comes. Then we go out to dinner at Frankie, Johnnie and Luigi. A good way to end the trip: family and and food.

Background

My Trip Advisor ratings and comments:

• Travelodge: 3.5 stars. Despite the comments below, our stay at this Travelodge was positive. It was booked through Hotel.com and was less expensive than most of the other hotels we looked at online. My basic assessment is that this is a hotel which once was up there, but it has not been updated in several years. You can tell from the carpeting which is pretty worn or the bathroom fixtures which are about 10 years old. But for us, this hotel has served us well. The rooms are clean, the bed is comfortable, breakfasts have variety, and the staff is helpful. For us, it was a good place to stay. While we stay here again? We would give it good consideration and see how it fits our needs.

November 3, 2016 – Seattle, Day V: EMP, OSP, SAM

Title: November 3, 2016 – Seattle, Day V: EMP, OSP, SAM
Hike Info : Description : Background

Hike Info:

Type: Walking

Distance: 6.03 miles

Start Time:  2:59 (9:45am at EMP)
End Time:  7:48

Travel Time:  4:49

Elevation Rise:  478'

GPS Tracks

Description:

Places We Went To	Our List Of Places to Go
EMP Museum Olympic Sculpture Park, 2901 Western Ave Seattle Art Museum 1st Ave LaVita e Bella Pizzeria	EMP Museum 10-5pm, 2.5 hours Seattle Art Museum 10-am-9pm, 1300 1st Ave, 2 hrs Museum of Flight, 9404 E Marginal Way S, 10am-5pm Frye Museum, 704 Art Museum 11am-7pm Museum of History and Industry, 860 Terry N 10am-8pm Northwest Seaport Museum, 860 Terry, Olympic Sculpture Park, 2901 Western Ave, Ate at LaVita e Bella Pizzeria

We decided to get a bit earlier start today, and we did. But before we got out of the hotel, we needed to have our normal breakfast. I have a large breakfast as I think we will be out for much of the day with the schedule we are thinking of.

 

EMP (Experience Music Project) Museum (It is now called the Museum of Pop Culture-MoPop):

• 

  We get to the EMP Museum before 10. EMP is shorthand for Experience Music Project/Science Fiction Museum. We get in close to when the doors open. We meet a lady from Modesto who is working the counter. Then it is upstairs to visit what they have on Jimi Hendrix. Interesting, but short. Then we see the set up for Nirvana and Kurt Cobain-I was not really interested.
  
  
  
  
  
  

• 

  Wizard of Oz Guard

  

  Bug Vision Movie

  Now we start hitting some interesting stuff. They have a large display of Fantasy and Horror. I listen to an interview with George RR Martin. I know that Steven is interested in him-maybe I will borrow one of his books and see if his writing is as interesting as his speaking. Sherri even seems mildly interested. There is a test of what kind of character you would be. Me: Unlikely Hero while Sherri is the Wise Wizard. It figures.
• The Horror section is interesting because it traces the roots of the genre and how it developed. They show clips of films like Psycho and the Little Shop of Horror. Along with many other films showing the development of horror. They also have 13 points of types of horror. But this was not a source of great interest for us.
• But leading out of horror is the SciFi part of the museum. This gets my interest! Some on Star Wars, but much more on earlier movies as well and more contemporary. They said that the outfits are part of the original set. There is even a plasma pack from Ghostbusters. Movies like Dune, Alien, and, of course, Star Wars and Star Trek. Maybe Sherri will get interested in things like this.

• 

  Star Trek's Enterprise

  

  Original Set of Star Trek

  But the best is yet to come. There is a whole section designated to Star Trek. It is an additional $5 ticket, but it is worth it. Original sets and costumes, with explanations. For someone who grew up loving the original series with Spock and Kirk and the rest. This exhibit gives the opportunity to relive those memories. But it is not just the original show, but the subsequent series and movies which are on display. Clips of shows and movies are running continuously. We spent a major portion of our time here.
   

  

  We Have Joined The Borg

  
  
• 
  One more set of displays attract our attention: wearable art. I did not see any duct tape dresses, but there was a plastic tie outfit. These are just strange outfits which I am sure someone designed in seriousness.
  
  
   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

It is around 2pm, and after spending so much time at the EMP, we head back to the hotel room, a short distance away. There we rest for a little while and eat the left overs from Buca from Tuesday night. As it is getting close to three, we decide we will not do the full expedition which we thought we would hit today, but for sure hit the Olympic Sculpture Park and the Seattle Art Museum.

Did I say this is the first sunny day we have had in Seattle? Not that that has stopped us. So we strolled down to the Olympic Sculpture Park, which is part of the Seattle Art Museum. The first impression is the best: it is clean, green, peaceful and graceful. Many people are out to enjoy this combination and the sun. As such, it would be a very good park. The art is of the “Do Not Touch” variety, even though there is one which appears to be more park bench which I came close to sitting on. But now we are wondering about the art and as we wander through the park, there is much to wonder about.

Top of Olympic Sculpture Park

Space Needle

View from OSP's path

First, let me say a bit about the layout. There is a single compressed granite path through the park. It has three legs which starts up on Western Ave and ends by a path which goes along the waterfront. There are three legs which include crossings over railroad tracks and roads. All of the crossings appear to be part of the park as they are cross tops so it gives a seamless appearance to the park. As we were looking at one of the pieces a woman comes up to us and introduces herself as someone who lives in the high rise above the park. She gives us some background concerning the area. The ground we stand on was one of the more polluted areas of the country, a brown field, until the park was created by the Shirley's. We confessed that many of the exhibits are beyond our comprehension-she said that is what most people think as well. After talking with us, she continues on her walk and we ours. Some of the exhibits we looked at are (the descriptions come from a pamphlet from the Seattle Art Museum):

• Two Plane Vertical Horizontal Variation III (1973), George Rickey Rickey, one of the pioneers who brought motion to abstract sculpture builds on the innovations of American peers Alexander Calder and David Smith. Mixing subtle lyricism with industrial materials, his Two Plane Vertical Horizontal Variation III, is a mature example of the artist's kinetic sculpture. I do not see a ll of this, more of two metal boxes attached to a pole. I wonder if on a windy day if any of it moves. In which case, I think it would be cute to have in my backyard, but nothing to really think about.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• 
  Richard Serra, Wake. For Serra, spaces is a substance as tangible as sculpture. The towering, curved steel forms were achieved with computer imaging and a machine that once made nuclear submarines. Wake is composed of five identical modules, each with paired S-shapes-gently curved serpentines of convex and concave sections suggesting tidal waves or profiles of battleships. This is the piece which we spent the most time looking at. There was something about it which suggested gracefulness and power.
   
• Alexander Calder, Eagle. American sculpture Calder studied mechanical engineering before studying art. The Eagle reveals the artist's distinctive combination of pragmatism and poetry. Architectural in its construction and scale, it displays its curving wings, assertive stance and pointy beak in a form that is weightless, colorful and abstract. I am not sure about the weightlessness of the form, but when I first saw it I was thinking it is a bunch of girders painted orange. But as we were walking along, there was a scene where the Space Needle was a backdrop for it and it seemed to fit the environment.
• Roy McMakin, Untitled, or known locally as the Bench. Untitled is a playful group of three seating elements, creating a witty dialogue amongst unlikely surfaces on which to sit: an awkward concrete bench, a weather resistant form based upon a banker's box, and a generic lawn-chair in bronze. These sculpture objects capture McMakin's sense of visual play and physical humor, in which things are not what they appear to be. There is truth in that last statement. The lady we talked to said when she looked out her window one night and saw the box, she called it in because she thought it was a bomb. On the other hand, when the lady came up, I was contemplating if the bench was a park bench or a piece of art.
• Louise Bourgeois, Father and Son. Louise Bourgeois created Father and Son specifically for the Olympic Sculpture Park. As the fountain's water rises and falls, father and son each in turn, are engulfed in water and separated. It's an impossible and poignant situation, as the two face each other with arms outstretched, striving to overcome the divide. This is one of the more pleasing to the eye pieces in the park. But when you read the description, you wonder about the pleasantness of it.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Jaume Plensa, Echo. One of the world's foremost sculptors, Plensa modeled Echo on the 9-year old daughter if a restaurant owner near the artist's studio in Barcelona. The sculpture's title references Echo, the mountain nymph from Greek Mythology, who offend the goddess Hera. To punish Echo. Hera deprived the nymph of speech, except for the ability to repeat the last words of another. In this monumental sculpture, over 46 feet tall, Echo listens with her eyes closed or in a state of meditation. She faces Puget Sound in the direction of Mount Olympus, visible from land and water. We first saw the back side of this statue. While interesting, it seemed to be mostly a while column with some irregularities. So we chalked it up to the rest of the art which we did not understand. But then we rounded the cornor and got onto the Alaskan Way bike-way and suddenly it became clear-there is a face on this column. What is this face? What does it mean. Then read the description and understood the mythology it was representing. Now the question is, why here? What is Plensa trying to say?

 Seattle Art Museum (SAM). Since we are along the water front, we decide to walk down it further. Pretty nice views. We pass by the Echo piece before hitting the dock area. The boats are there. The question which we ask ourselves, is that Mt Rainier to the south? Whatever it is, it is big. This is an enjoyable walk. When we come close to Pike Market, we head up a set of stairs-we are getting our workout today. Then we head south on 1^st Street for a block or two and there is the SAM.

Sunset from SAM

Next up on our list, and we were thinking this would be the last one is the

Today is free day-the first Thursday of each month. Also they have an add-on exhibit of the works of the fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent. Neither of us are interested, so we do not pay for that exhibit. This building is huge and spacious-definitely not crammed full of stuff. There is a heavy emphasis on the art of the the natives of the region. But the overwhelming items on display would be of more modern form. As such, all of this does not interest me. But I tag a long and try to make sense of what I am seeing-but I am not successful. We go through a whole slew of exhibits, but only a few catch my consciousness. Strangely, it is pretty tiring for me. I sit down every chance I get; Sherri seems to have more energy than I do.

Looking for Piroshky Piroshky

But after awhile, we are ready to leave. We step out into the evening air. Do we want to go on to someplace else? By now we are hungry. So the decision is lets find a place to eat. We try going past Piroshky Piroshky, but it is closed. Cafe Belltown does not seem to be too appealing to us. But there was some pizza places which we have walked by. So we will try one of them.

We come to LaVita e Bella Pizzeria and look in. Does not seem to be too busy. Is that good? Or does that mean that we should stay away? We go in and are greeted by staff with a heavy Italian accent (I do notice that much of the staff is Hispanic though). We get seat at a window where we can lookout at 2^nd Street. The menu looks good-I have stromboli; Sherri is having their special. When they come, much to our delight, they taste real good. Mine is just what I was craving. Sherri is well past satisfied. One of those delights of the day.

Now it is time to get back to the hotel and pack for tomorrow.

Background

My trip advisor ratings and comments:

• EMP Museum. 4.5 stars. We spent 4 hours in this museum. You can view this as a hodgepodge of collections or as a wide vatiety of interest with enough to keep you occupied for hours. With emphasis on music which came out of Seattle (Jimi Hendrix and Nirvana being the principle examples) and on Science Fiction, you had better be interested in these two areas to get your money's worth. If you are, then there is “bonus” related areas to hold onto you long: Fantasy and Horror. Then there is an added price attraction of Star Trek memorabilia which is good to wander through. My assessment is it was well worth going to, but would I want to come back many times?
• Olympic Sculpture Park. 3.5 stars. The park itself is a joy to walk in, particularly if it is sunny like the afternoon we were in it. It is clean, inviting and refreshing. The problem which I had was the sculptures. Most of them I did not “get it” and certainly did not appreciate them. A few did cause me to ponder such as the Wake or Echo. The father and Son fountain was interesting to see. So by all means visit the park and enjoy. Seattle needs to be congratulated for having this park, even if I cannot appreciate the art in it.
• Seattle Art Museum. 3 stars. Please do not take the three stars as a quality of SAM, but more of my enjoyment of it. This museum is heavy into modern art and it is not for me. The museum, is spacious and well lite. If it was of art I am interested in, it would be a four or five star rating.
• LaVita e Bella Pizzeria. 4.5 stars. This restaurant was amazing. The food was great and the service outstanding. The price was reasonable for the quality of the food. (Sherri's Review)