Amtrak Mount Baker International Travelogue of Steven V. Brown, January 12, 1997.
From: S. Brown
Date: 1/20/97 3:07:59PM
To: Stephen Grande
Subject: travelogue 4
January 12, 1997 Talgo from Vancouver, BC to Seattle, WA.
January 12 was the first day in 2 weeks and 1day that the Talgo began running again between Seattle and Vancouver BC. This closure of service was related to the snow storm that I had mentioned in my previous trip aboard the Coast Starlight. The trip from Seattle to Vancouver was on a bus unfortunately, so I have nothing to say about that portion of the trip. Vancouver is an interesting city. The highlight of my short visit there was being able to take the skytrain throughout the greater Vancouver region. The skyrail starts in downtown Vancouver by the waterfront and continues all the way up to King George in the Surrey area. The whole ride takes close to an hour to go one way and is well worth it. At most times, the rail is about a 100 feet off the ground! For $4.50 Canadian, you can get a day pass. This day pass will work for the busses, ferries and skyrail system. A good place to stay while in Vancouver is the Sandman Inn.. This hotel is offered in the Amtrak Vacations planner as a place to stay. If you want to research other places to stay, www.budgethotels.com is a good place to start on the internet. After clearing customs, I boarded the Talgo for the trip back to Seattle. It was dark for the whole way. The best I could tell was that this route mostly runs along Puget sound on the waterfront, as well through the Skagit Valley region. Before arriving into the Amtrak Station in Seattle, the train passes through a mile long tunnel under downtown and then King station is virtually at the end of the 1 mile tunnel.
Steven V. Brown
