Blogs from Seattle, Washington, United States, North America

The Coast Starlight run by Amtrak is the name given to the train which runs between L.A. and Seattle, covering much of California, Oregon and Washington state. It leaves Emeryville, near Oakland at ten o'clock at night, and all being well with no delays from the many freight trains which share the line, you should arrive in about 7.30 the following evening. The choice between a standard seat at 145 dollars and a sleeper at 600 was easy to make. The compartment was fairly modern, and as we boarded late, sleep was the main occupation for most of us. I managed to get a decent few hours, and awoke to the wonder of Northern California. Incredible forests and lakes, with The Cascade range of Mountains dominated by the spectacular volcanic Mount Ranier which was still snow-topped ... read more

On a stay a few years back, to attend a special anniversary party, we stayed at the old Mayflower Park Hotel. It is situated almost perfectly, between the Nordstrom flagship store, and the old Bon Marche', then a Macy's, and now Uniqlo and office space. Here is some information about it: Still locally owned, the Mayflower Park url=http://i.viglink.com/?key=1779361d4a956134e030a7c269533d19&insertId=661d0c4bc044c18a&type=CD&exp=-100%3ACILITE%3A3&libId=jkvwyg8s01016ga7000DAjweaon1t&cuid=BBBxxQg%7Cus%7Ctra%7Css%7Ctraveltripidea&loc=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.msn.com%2Fen-us%2Ftravel%2Ftripideas%2F20-american-hotels-hiding-historic-secrets%2Fss-BBLZ33A%3Fli%3DBBnbklE%23image%3D32&v=1&iid=661d0c4bc044c18a&out=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tripadvisor.com%2F&ref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.msn.com%2Fen-us%3Finst%3D7&title=20%20American%20hotels%20hiding%20historic%20secrets&txt=%3Cspan%3EHotel%3C%2Fspan%3E... read more

Originally written in 2017. We are here in beautiful and sunny Seattle. Locals have complained about an extremely long, dreary and wet winter and spring. It is gorgeous here this weekend, in fact, on Sunday morning at 8am, the sun was already out! We got very lucky with the weather, as I had to buy a pair of Bermuda shorts yesterday, to wear today. What is the most obvious thing about Seattle this weekend besides the sunny weather? It has turned blue, completely blue, and it is not even Seahawks season. The blue belongs to the Toronto Blue Jays MLB team, in town for a three games series with the hometown Mariners. Why so many Toronto fans? Blue Jays fans outnumbeed the Mariner fans last night by at east 2 to 1!!!! Why? It turns out ... read more

Does having the most coffee shops per square mile mean that you have the best coffee? Yes, there is a Starbucks, and usually one other competitor on every block. There are a few Peet's (our favorite), so there is hope for this city. But do they have really good coffee? Here is an "expert" at the Stranger: Coffee shops in Seattle function as social clubs, community forums, shared office space, and study centers. Even the most utilitarian place offers mind-boggling overheard conversation and fascinating people watching. In my opinion, Starbucks's coffee tastes burned and people look dumb walking around drinking coffee out of giant paper cups like they're constantly at a high-school kegger. Espresso is best sipped scalding hot from a ceramic cup without a weird plastic sippy-cup lid filtering it through a petroleum product. Try ... read more

As the song says, "It never rains in California", but I retort, that "it always rains in Seattle." Tell me, why I would fly to Seattle in December, and go to a Niner-Seahens game on a cold and wet December night. I must have a very good reasons. Yes, my buddy, Big Bob, who moved to Idaho, will meet up with me for the Niner game. We were at the NFC Championship game in Los Angeles last January. If you thought that was crazy, sitting in the freezing cold and rain is even crazier. He even went to Green Bay to see the Cheese heads on the "Frozen Tundra" of Wisconsin last January. Though I have visited Seattle numerous times in the past, both for business and pleasure, winter is not an ideal time to visit. ... read more