Page 210 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL EATING IBERIA

Sleepless from Seattle

a surprising journey on Amtrak's Coast Starlight

By Carl H. Larsen

y wife Sharon and I are still fondly re-
membering a recent week-long ad-
Mventure on Amtrak's Coast Starlight
to Seattle and back to San Diego.
And what a trip it was, part tourist-
brochures beautiful, part adventure with a
strong dose of just plain relaxing without the
constant distraction of annoying cell phones.
And how many people can say they took a
shower on a train! This trip also required some
quick thinking after a mix-up arose over our
itinerary. But it was all good.

My apprehensions, gathered before the
trip, had failed to materialize. No claustropho-
bia during the 35-hour (each way) train ride. No
endless delays behind plodding freight trains.
No legions of homeless panhandlers accosting
us in downtown Seattle and no torrential
downpours as we tracked through the unusu-
ally sunny Pacific Northwest.
Instead, we were treated to good meals in
the dining car, soothing Bloody Mary’s in the
observation car and, in Seattle, a rooftop deck
at our hotel, the Mediterranean, to watch the
rise of the full moon. There was a great lunch at
Chinook's at the Fisherman's Terminal, a $4.25
each round-trip excursion to Bainbridge Island
by ferry with skyline views, and an outing to the
Seattle's new Nordic Museum. We walked the
waterfront, stopping at tourist shops and to
take photos in front of the iconic restaurant
Ivar's.
And who doesn't stop at Pike Place Mar-
ket? That's where Tom Hanks was introduced
to tiramisu at the Athenian Inn by Rob Reiner

210 WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE 2020