Visiting Seattle and Portland In July, What to do?

Your family might enjoy a day without rain.   (My apologies to anyone who lives in Seattle, but i just couldn't resist it. )

Right now I could pray for rain. We live in San Diego and are prepared to evacvate if any of the 5 fires change directions and head our way.

Both Seattle and Portland have iconic train stations, you may consider taking the train. The route takes you along the shore of Puget Sound. The views are stunning that time of year. That route will be bypassed very soon so it's now or never. Portland has a light rail, not sure how close that gets you to the 4449. The trip on I 5 to Portland is not so fun due to very heavy traffic. I suggest watching portlandia for what that city is really like.
For Seattle, eastside trains I'm Kirkland is a must see. Kirkland is on lake Washington lots of small shops and places to eat.

It really doesn't rain there  They just say that to everybody to keep the Californians from moving there.

 

Not train related but try the Metropolitan Grill in Seattle  One of the best Steakhouses I have been to.

Trains or not Portland is worth the trip! Personally, I wouldn't take Amtrak down there - the line is plagued with delays and takes considerably longer than driving (almost 6 hours last time I made the trip!) A bonus is that there's no sales tax in Oregon and lots of great places to shop for all sorts of handmade items. Also tons of amazing restaurants (ditto for Seattle). We usually go down there at least once a year. 

 

Train related trips:

Head across the lake to Eastside Trains. Simply the best store in the PNW and they mostly deal in O gauge. Another good day trip is to head to Leavenworth. The drive takes you over the Cascade mountains and Leavenworth is to Washington what Solvang is to California but with a German theme. On the way to Leavenworth be sure to check out the Great Northern & Cascade Railway (http://www.gncrailway.org/). They operate a 1/8 scale layout you can ride on and it's completely free though please make a donation. They just started running one loop last summer and they have ambitious expansion plans. Skykomish is pretty much a one street town and this railroad park is their attempt to reinvigorate the place. The Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad is also a nice day trip to the south. Taking the Sounder commuter train 25 miles north to Everett is a cheap and scenic trip. The train runs through the BNSF railyard just north of downtown Seattle, over the Ballard shipping locks (home to most of the boats you see on Deadliest Catch) and pretty much hugs the waterline all the way up to Everett. It's arguably the most scenic commuter railroad line in the nation. Everett is a naval town and home to the Nimitz carrier group.  

 

Non-train related:

Another good day trip is to take the car ferry out to one of the islands. Bainbridge and Bremerton are both nice and are the two closest. If you bring your passports you can take the high speed ferry to Victoria on Vancouver Island (not to be confused with Vancouver the city which is on the mainland!) The recently opened Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI)  in Seattle is worth a visit as is the Museum of Flight just south of Seattle at Boeing Field. If you like beer be sure to check out some of the local breweries in Ballard or Georgetown. One great thing about Seattle is that some of our best family friendly restaurants are at the breweries. 

 

July is probably the best time of year to visit Seattle. So far we've had an unusually warm and sunny spring so we should be avoiding our dreaded "Junuary" weather! Also be prepared to deal with some of the slowest drivers you'll ever encounter. If you visit Eastside Trains (or anything else on the east side) absolutely DO NOT SPEED! Everyone I know who works on the east side has gotten speeding tickets for going 3-4 MPH above the limit. Unlike California, this is completely legal in WA. 

SeattleSUP has some great ideas,  the train schedule is 4 hours between seattle and portland, but it uses freight track so some of the delays are due to that. If you leave early or late after the rush hours, you can avoid some of the traffic issues on I-5. 

 

Marty Fitzhenry had a nice visit to Seattle a few months ago, and posted this thread:

 

https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/t...es-and-great-friends

 

 

 

 

We are visiting Seattle the end of next month.  Doing the entire trip by train both ways. Since the train journey is three days long we booked a bedroom w private bath for the entire trip. We depart PHL to CHI on the Cardinal and CHI to SEA on the Empire Builder.

I should have up-to-date info on Seattle and Mt Rainier National Park before you depart so shoot me and email next month and I will fill you in. There is much to do and see in the Pacific Northwest. As for trains, Marty found a nice train store during his trip in the Seattle area and there is a scenic tourist rail line at the base of Mt Rainier National Park that runs Shay type logging locos. Its called the Mt. Rainier scenic railroad that departs from Mineral Point about 1 1/2 hrs drive South of Seattle.

 

I would make dinner reservations for the Space Needle after dark. The food is excellent and the view is spectacular.

Tri-Met Light Rail and Portland Streetcar.

 

Powel's Book Store in PDX!

Ditto that! Both cities are great places to visit. I saw a T-shirt in Portland that read "We don't tan...we rust".

http://www.mrsr.com/

Mount Rainier Scenic railway is good.

 

I would take  Amtrak between Seattle and Portland great scenic trip

traffic on I 5 is bad

Light rail will get you most everywhere in Portland.

http://www.orhf.org/

Portland trains at above link and museum to visit.

 

Also some nice hobby shops in Portland and the zoo has a ride on train.

 

Tacoma as a street car and nice museums downtown

 

Eastside trains in Seattle is a must stop.

 

 

 

 

In addition to the above, I also highly recommend the Chehalis-Centralia Railroad and Museum.  The railroad is a 90 minute drive from Portland or Seattle:  http://steamtrainride.com/ The primary locomotive is a 1916 light Mikado. 

I am not a local, but I am an Alaska Railroad fan. The locks that SeattleSUP mentioned that the train ride passes is also the home of the ocean tugs that haul the railcar barges to Whittier Alaska. It is a primary supply point for Alaska. It has always been.

 

So, it's hardcore railfanning, but that port is very much a part of Alaska's history and survival. Look for the tugs if you take that ride and know that they keep Alaska going.