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Seattle, An Exciting Rail Destination

Seattle, An Exciting Rail Destination

Coast Starlight, Washington Wines, Washington State Ferry, Seattle's Pike Market and Pioneer Square Hotel,

September 8 - 10, 2007

By Carl Morrison, Carl@TrainWeb.com

I planned this rail expedition with 4 nights in Seattle, Washington, at the Best Western Pioneer Square Hotel, a $5 taxi ride from the King Street Amtrak Station in Seattle at 77 Yesler Way.  (www.pioneersquare..com)  (206) 340-1234.  When I tried to book the hotel through Best Western's national number, they said only two of the four nights I wanted were available.  I called the hotel directly and found that they had rooms available, and at a better rate than the national number!  Keep this in mind, if you get "we're full" from a national hotel chain's national number, call the hotel directly,  there might be rooms.

We booked a handicapped room for the first night at $134.10 plus tax, but it had only one double bed, and the room was very small.  We upgraded the following 3 nights to a corner room with two double beds and it was a very large room...actually it had room for two more double beds!  This 'city view' room was $170.10 a night plus tax.

(You can click any photo in this report for a double-sized copy; click BACK in your browser to return to this page.)

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After dark, we arrived at the Pioneer Square Hotel after reaching Seattle.
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Room 205 (or 305) is the front corner room.
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"City View" from room 205.
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Exact location of the hotel...Yesler and Western.


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Carriage tours passed below our window.

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The "L" in Hotel was right outside our window.  The last time I stayed in this hotel, I saw the "H" outside my window on third floor.
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Since I like to photograph neon signs, I leaned out the window and shot the whole sign.
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The Pioneer Hotel was in the center of activity this weekend with both a Mariners baseball game and a Seahawks NFL game going on within walking distance.  Many folks staying at the hotel were baseball and football fans, and the hotel was sold out.

What to See and Do in Seattle: 

#1  Pike Market - Flowers, Fish, Fotos, Food, and Fun!

Since family met us at the hotel and chaufered us around, I can't say we didn't have a car in Seattle, but we could have gotten to most of the places without one by using public transportation.  There is even a Free Zone of the bus system that includes the hotel.

A favorite of all visitors to Seattle is Pike's Market.  You can actually walk to it from the Pioneer Hotel.

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Main, or South, Entrance
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North Entrance
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From the back door of Pike Market, you can see Puget Sound and any cruise ships that are docked there.


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Other Attractions near Pike Market


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Beechers cheese shop was producing cheese curd.
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The First Starbucks Coffee Store is at 1612.
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SAM - Seattle Art Museum's Olympic Sculpture Park, 2901 Western Avenue, Downtown Waterfront

The Olympic Sculpture Park features a wide range of extraordinary permanent and temporary artworks, including modern sculpture, performance art, installations and works that connect art and ecology.  Free Admission, Parking below, Cafe on site.

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Their signature piece.

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Metal tree outside the park.
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Alexander Calder's red piece.
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Where to Eat near Pike Market




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We enjoyed dinner at the French Restaurant, Cafe Campagne, where an evening meal turned into a delightful three-hour event.
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After dinner, you can still walk through the Market.

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It will be empty of vendors and people, but the neon signs will still be on against a black sky.

Wine Tasting

You will have to 'get out of town' to wine taste.  We decided to go tasting on Sunday when few tasting rooms are open.  Our hosts found two excellent wineries open on Sunday, and just across the street from each other:  Columbia Winery and Chateau Ste. Michelle.


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Columbia's barrel room has chandaliers!  A nice gift shop accompanies the tasting room (right).
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Where to eat in the country.

On our way to wine tasting, we spotted a sign, "Armadillo BBQ," which was too tempting to pass up as our lunch stop.

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They cater and use a classic GMC pickup to pull a cooker to the site.  Their company motto is stated at the right, and I'll give them credit for meeting their goal.  We selected Combination Plates, so I feel qualified to make such an evaluation since we sampled everything they made.
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A Washington State Ferry ride.


Within 2 blocks walk from the Pioneer Square Hotel is the Seattle Washington State Ferry dock, Pier 52.  When you walk one short block west from the hotel, you will see Pier 50, walk north (right) another block and you are at the ferry building.  The quickest way to experience a sample ferry ride is to buy a ticket to Bainbridge Island, about a 35 minute ride one way for about $14 round trip.  There you can walk into town, about 4 blocks, to shop and dine.  Then, take the ferry back for a great view of the Seattle skyline.

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Most routes have a car ferry which also has a full deck for walk-on passengers and for drivers of the vehicles.  They have a cafeteria.  You can go out on the open deck in front or back, and to the top deck for 360 degree views.
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Fire boat next to Ivar's fish restaurant as we left for Bainbridge Island.
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Soon the Seattle Space Needle, located north from downtown, comes into view.
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If you choose to stay inside, there are large picture windows for viewing the ride to Bainbridge Island.

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After reaching Bainbridge Island, as you walk off the ship, you can see the vehicles off loading.
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Nice small downtown with shops, restaurants, and all the necessary stores for an island.
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Beautiful view of Seattle returning to Pier 52.
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Other tours leave the waterfront for city tours as well.

Pioneer Square, Where Seattle Began

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Signature walkway in Pioneer Square
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Totem Pole near the walkway.
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Many forms of transportation in Seattle, many are green.

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