Random Empire Builder Pics

Amtrak Cascades locomotive. The Cascades runs from Portland, OR to Vancouver, BC

The Empire Builder at the end of the line-King Street Station, Seattle WA

Everett WA, home of the Boeing assembly plant.

Observation car aboard the Empire Builder

We stopped in Minot, ND to change locomotives.

Seattle: December 12, 2008: Roeing and Blogging

So I was up again at 4 a.m. PST and couldn’t sleep. It was raining cats and dogs outside between snow flurries. I had planned on exploring Freemont and Ballard, two neighborhoods, but decided to stay in Belltown/Capitol Hill for the day and just chill out. I walked down 4th Avenue and turned left onto Pike and walked up to the 900 block of Pike. I skipped breakfast and chilled out with some coffee and a croissant at a local coffee shop on Pike. Seattle magazine raved about the Pike Street Fish Fry and I went in as soon as they opened. It is a small fish and chips place with about 4-5 different kinds of fried fish and veggie tempura. If you go to Seattle, you have to eat at this place. The veggie tempura was perfect with battered and deep friend string beans which brings the sweetness out. The fried catfish was great and the deep fried lemon wedge was an excellent accompaniment to it. I washed it down with a local beer and then spent a lazy afternoon reading Aravind Adiga’s “The White Tiger” at the Tully’s at Pike and Broadway.
I spent a good 3 hours there and finished the book, walked down Pike back to the hotel, and took an afternoon nap before my evening spa appointment. I had a quick dinner back at Shiro’s and they had the uni special. Uni is a sea urchin and its roe is prized and delicious. I had seen Ming Tsai do an episode of cooking with the roe. I asked for two salmon roe, two lumpfish roe, and the uni. It was bitterly cold outside and I ordered a hot sake. The uni was excellent and the sushi chef was entertaining with stories of how women in Japan dive deep to fish for them. He described the roe as sea chocolate and he was right- it has the consistency and the silkiness of milk chocolate without an overpowering fishy taste. It was served on the half uni shell and looked and tasted interesting. The salmon roe was perfect, just like Wednesday night. The sushi chef told me that they buy the salmon roe everyday at the Pike Place Fish Market. Instead of gobbling up the piece of sushi with the roe on top, I took my time picking up each egg with a chopstick and biting into it. Mmmmmmmm. Pick up salmon roe with chopstick, bite into it and savor the salty fishy taste, take a swig of hot sake, rinse and repeat!
It is said that Winston Churchill liked his martinis so dry that he never added any Vermouth in them. He prepared the martini with gin and then held his glass up in the direction of the Vermouth and acknowledged his glass to it and that was it! Shiro’s sashimi was so good that I didn’t need any soy sauce or wasabi. I picked up the piece of sashimi, acknowledged it to the soy sauce and enjoyed it.  I used the gari as a palate cleanser at the end of each piece of sushi. I finished the meal with some hot green tea and walked out into the frigid night.


I watched Chris Matthews scream on the T.V. again and then went back to Ummelina’s for my appointment. I had signed up for the Crowning Glory treatment, which was a head, neck and shoulder massage, went through the sanctuary ritual and then was escorted back by the therapist who started by massaging rosemary oil into my hair. While that was taking effect, she massaged my neck and shoulders, and then drizzled hot rosemary oil for what seemed like 5 full minutes drop by drop on my forehead as the oil soaked my head and fell to the sides onto a towel. She then wrapped my head with the towel and let it stay there for a while and when I was done I took the 7 jet shower to rinse it all off. It was a short massage but the therapist told me how she trained in Ayurveda and has a bachelor’s degree in herbal sciences.
I floated back to the hotel with a bottle of Moet Chandon, toasted the Space Needle, and enjoyed the bubbly sip by sip as I watched the Bourne Supremacy on HBO. It was a quite last night in Seattle, but a fabulous one. 

Seattle: December 11, 2008: Capitol Hill, the International District and "Simply the Best"

Obama fever and clever marketing in Capitol Hill.

I love exploring a new city and one of the best ways to do it is to get lost. I woke up today refreshed from my amazing massage and read the latest issue of Seattle magazine and DK Guide’s Seattle Top 10. I first heard of Capitol Hill when I saw CNN coverage of people going crazy in the streets (like we did in D.C.) in this part of Seattle on election night. I cannot emphasize how Democratic this city seems. I haven’t seen a single McCain/Palin poster and restaurants, book stores and other businesses have red and blue posters of Obama and Andy Warhol-style multicolored prints of JFK side by side with words like “HOPE” and “PEACE” written under them.
So I figured the best way to start exploring Capitol Hill and other Seattle neighborhoods was to start walking. I walked out of the hotel down 4th Avenue and turned left on Pine Street and walked about 8 blocks, across a highway, and was in Capitol Hill. I saw the Jimi Hendrix statue at Broadway and Pine and then walked up Broadway past the Seattle Community College to the Broadway Café for breakfast, which was recommended as a good breakfast spot by the clerk at the Walgreen’s. It was closed so I went to Julia’s café next door and was greeted by huge portraits of drag queens with slogans under them. The portrait of a drag queen impersonating Tina Turner had the slogan “Simply the Best.” LOLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!
Breakfast was a Spicy Baja Omelet, which was an omelet with pepper jack cheese and red pepper flakes topped with a spicy, lemony guacamole. One thing I have noticed about Seattle is that people take their food seriously. Everything is properly salted and spiced and the ingredients are fresh and the best. After breakfast I decided to get lost again and, grabbing a large jasmine pearls tea from the corner Peet’s, I walked down Broadway towards Pike crossing Pine and turned right on Pike, heading back towards 4th Avenue. It was a lovely walk in a hilly area as Capitol Hill merged back into Belltown.
Once I got to 4th Avenue past the glitzy mall with the Nordstrom and H&M, I turned left on 4th and walked for a good 16 blocks, mostly downhill, thankfully, to Jackson Street in the International District/Chinatown. I wanted to try the Chinese food but sushi beckoned me again. So I slipped into a sushi restaurant and was greeted by an elderly lady. I got the lunch special, which was a cold noodle salad, miso soup, tuna, squid, and salmon sashimi and yellowtail maki, all washed down with some hot sake. It was excellent and I was stuffed as I walked down Jackson Street to King Street to Seattle’s Best Tea, where I was greeted by the owners’ dog and bought half a pound of Jasmine tea (not from the dog, of course!) For a change of scenery, I walked to 2nd Avenue and then walked uphill 16 blocks back to the hotel. My thighs and feet screamed bloody murder but they were in for a treat.
I had made another appointment at Ummelina’s Spa and I showed up on the dot for my massage. I told the therapist that I needed her to focus on my legs and when I told her that I had walked from Belltown to Capitol Hill to the International District and back to Belltown she must have thought I was crazy. I went through the ritual of the foot soak and the warm lavender water felt miraculous to my poor barking dogs! This time around, I took the 7 jet shower first, with the same cucumber scented body wash I used the day before, and I almost drifted off to sleep while I waited for the therapist in the massage room. She was a different therapist and used deeper massage techniques, which were excellent for my battered legs and shoulders. I tried the bergamot massage oil the first day but today I tried the calming lavender oil. Every few minutes during the massage she would spray a lavender mist near my face so I could inhale the calming scent as part of the aromatherapy. I went through the same gong ritual as the day before when I finished, got dressed and went back to the hotel to relax and took a nap as I watched Chris Matthews screaming on the T.V. for a bit, and went to Wild Ginger for dinner.
One of the hottest restaurants in town, Wild Ginger is an Asian seafood place that focuses on fresh ingredients. There were no tables available so I got a seat at the bar for dinner. I started with a Wild Ginger martini. The bartender told me that he cuts ginger up into one inch cubes, plops them into a bottle of Stoli, leaves it there for a month and then makes martinis with it. When he made my martini I could still see the pieces of ginger in the bottle. Now, it doesn’t sound too appetizing, does it? It is a strong martini but it tastes great. For dinner I had the Cantonese salmon. Fresh, just-flown-in wild Alaska salmon was steamed with a hint of ginger, salt and scallions. The salmon was done just right and was full of flavor.
I walked around admiring the Christmas decorations at the Macy’s and made it an early night plopping down on the bed, tipsy from the strong ginger martini. 

Seattle: December 10, 2008: Flying Fish, Soothed Muscles, and Buttery Roe

I checked into the hotel at 3 p.m. after lunch at the Pike Place Fish Market. This is where they throw fish around and catch it too! I had the clam chowder, which was creamy and hot on a cold day like this one and then had the mixed grill with Pacific Salmon, tiger shrimp and Dungenous crab cakes with a spicy horseradish sauce on top. Mmm so good. After lunch I browsed around the market and then went for my spa treatment at Ummelina spa. I checked in and was escorted to the changing rooms where I changed into cotton pajama-type things and a cotton top and stored all my belongings in a garment bag. I then had to ring a gong to say I was ready to enter the sanctuary. The therapist escorted me into a darkened room with candles and different scents in the air and offered me water with lemon and some herbal tea to soothe me before the treatment. I was in the room with the other people who were getting different treatments and I found I was the only man in there. No sweat. There were some ladies of a certain age getting massages and it was like a girls’ night out, in the middle of the week. A guy came along and gave me a foot soak and foot scrub with bergamot and citrus scented water. That itself did so much to take the stress off my feet.

I was then escorted into the treatment room. I lay on the massage table and was given a choice of oils-bergamot/citrus or the lavender. I chose the bergamot. The massage was great and the therapist worked on all my problem areas like my shoulders and I felt the stress melting away. It was not as rigorous as the massage I had had at the Jiva spa in Goa, but it was deep tissue and I felt like I was flying after the treatment. I then took a 7 jet shower with cucumber scented body wash and it felt like I was wrapped in a glove of hot water. Soooooo good!!!! When I was done I was escorted back into the sanctuary and given a hot pillow to place around my neck, more herbal tea and lemon water and was told I could relax until I was ready to leave. After about 20 minutes, I got dressed and floated back onto 4^th Avenue.

After the spa I didn’t want to eat anything heavy so the concierge recommended Shiro’s sushi. I thought I had had great sushi in San Francisco, but this sushi was out of this world. I had the sushi dinner, which is an assortment of different types of sushi and some sashimi with miso soup and hot sake. The hot sake really hit the spot on a cold, damp day. I had the fatty tuna sushi which tasted like butter and the sushi topped with salmon roe. The salmon roe had the right amount of salt and burst in my mouth in little buttery pops. I got talking to an aerospace engineer for Boeing (of course) sitting next to me and we were comparing the different types and sushi and sake.

I don’t recommend too much sake after a massage because you’re already floating on air and alcohol only makes you feel airborne! I floated and staggered back to the hotel, plopped on the bed, opened up the curtains and fell asleep looking at the Space Needle outside my window.

Sleepless in Seattle

Well, I finally made it to Seattle. The Empire Builder was awesome and I won a bottle of Washington State Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot mix in a trivia game we played aboard the train. Well, I won by default because the last bottle left was given to the youngest person in the room, and that was me, by about 30 years! Well, I guess there are some advantages to being 32! All is not lost!! Anyway, I blogged along the way and since I couldn't find a wireless hotspot in Minot, ND, I thought I'd post all my musings along the way. So here goes:

12/07/2008

1605 EST- we are supposed to leave now but the train’s been delayed due to mechanical problems. I’m reading Around the World in 80 Days and the more I read it, the more I feel like Phileas Fogg. Well, there’s no 20000 pounds waiting for me at the end of this journey!!!

1700 EST: We are finally underway. I tried to board the lower level car but some lady told me it was only for handicapped people. That’s not true. But, it wouldn’t be nice of me to argue. I’m on vacation, anyway. So I’ve settled into the upper level seat #28, which is still very spacious. Wonder what’s for dinner. We were delayed because there was a problem between the dining car and one of the sleeper coaches. Oh well, the train’s moving and NOTRE VOYAGE COMMENCE!!!!!!

1732 EST: approaching Rockville and watching Devil Wears Prada on my laptop. That’s all!

1924 EST: had a soggy ham sandwich and some horrible wine for dinner. Off to bed and up tomorrow morning in Chicago.

12/08/2008

0845 CST: We stopped overnight in Pittsburg for some freight traffic and are now 4 hours late getting into Chicago. Yuckies, but I can still make my connection to Seattle, I hope.

1225 CST: Made my connection and sitting in the relaxing sleeping accommodations lounge at Chicago Union Station. Got some authentic hot dogs and some Jamba Juice for lunch. Gorgeous Great Hall, bigger than the one at Union Station.

12/09/2008

0935 CST: I slept like a log last night. Just as we were approaching Minneapolis we heard over the PA system “Ladies and Gentlemen we need to stop because we have just been notified by the CP dispatch that there is a cracked rail up ahead and it will take an hour to be fixed.” OK. No problem. I was busy enjoying my gigantic lamb shank with rice and vegetables and a bottle, yes a bottle, of Chardonnay from Washington State.

I am now sitting in the observation lounge and watching the Great Plains go by. I had breakfast as the train stopped in Minot, ND to change engines. I met a lady from Pasco, OR who was returning home after Thanksgiving with her father in Wisconsin. We chatted about our families and about where we came from and stuff.

12/10/2008

0400 PST somewhere in Eastern Washington State: I am up because I am still on East Coast time. Dinner last night was with a guy going home to Olympia Washington who is a part time guitar player in a band and a water conservation specialist for the city of Olympia by day. Seated next to me was a lady going back home to Seattle. I had the baked chicken which was not as good as the baked chicken I had on the California Zephyr a few weeks ago. Still, it was good when washed down with more Washington State Chardonnay. I finished dinner and went back to my room and sipped the Cab-Merlot blend I won at the wine tasting and drifted off to sleep. Patrick woke me up and made my beds so I could sleep comfortably. Patrick was awesome throughout the journey. Just like Lonny on the Zephyr, he was attentive and jovial. Amtrak sometimes gets a bad rap but it is a surprisingly well-run service and the food is not half bad. The restrooms are always clean as are the showers.

0600 PST - We seem to be entering the Cascades and they are gorgeous. Streams and mountains just like you'd see in a National Geographic magazine. Snowy pine forests and log cabins here and there finish off this beautiful picture postcard of the Pacific Northwest.

0815 PST-Patrick announced that we're now in Everett, Washington home of the mighty Boeing. The Empire Builder guide says that you can sometimes see them test flying 747 and 777s but nothing today. The train is skimming along Puget Sound and will be in Seattle proper in an hour.

1000PST-A bit delayed, but we have finally pulled into Seattle King Street Station. 3200 miles more and another Amtrak line completed. If I do the Southwest Chief from Chicago to L.A., then I have done all the cross-country lines. This Amtrak thing is really growing on me!

1100 PST-The hotel room is not ready and I was asked to check in at 3 p.m. So I walked to the famous Pike Placae fish market, had some bang up seafood in a cute restarant overlooking Elliott Bay and walked around the city a bit. OMG I LOVE this city. The gray weather agrees with me!

1300 PST- Of course, little spa whore that I am, I made an appointment at the first spa I saw. Ummelina's looks really swanky. I'm going to check into the hotel in two hours, take a hot shower and hit the spa. Can't wait!! :-)

To the Space Needle

I'm working on my 15 page balanced scorecard paper (yuck) and will probably be up all night doing it. I leave for Union station tomorrow at 1400 and board the Capitol Limited to Chicago and leave Chicago Monday morning at 1400 on the Empire Builder to Seattle arriving 10 a.m. on Wednesday. I will have my shiny new laptop with me so I will try to blog live using what little bandwidth I can find along the way. If not I'll save everything and post it when I arrive in Seattle. Off I go again..........