posted
I would appreciate help in answering some of the questions, listed below. A number of years ago, I took a brief but enjoyable trip to Whitefish, Montana. First, a trip on the Coast Starlight to Portland, Oregon, then aboard the Empire Builder, out of Portland, for the trip to Whitefish, Mt.
I am thinking of another trip to Whitefish this summer. This time, however, my plan would be to fly to Portland, OR. After a night in Portland, a trip on the Cascades to Seattle, WA. The next day, a trip on the Empire Builder to Whitefish. Another option would be to fly straight to Seattle. I would like to take the Cascades from Portland to Seattle just for the fun of it. The last time I took the Starlight to Seattle, the train was so late getting into Portland it was completely dark from Portland to Seattle. This way, a leisurely run during the morning hours with plenty to see. I plan on a couple of days in Whitefish then a return trip the same way in reverse.
I plan to rent a car while in Whitefish. I found out that there are a couple of car rental agencies which are in the same building as the Amtrak depot. They will be open when the EB arrives from Seattle, in the early morning, and open for boarding on the train back to Seattle. If the train is late, they will stay open at least 1-2 hrs after normal EB arrival time. If the Builder is more than 2 hrs late coming in from the east, you can park your rental car at the depot and place the keys in a lock-box.
Some questions:
1. With the Amtrak Cascades, is there still Regular and Business Class? I thought that the difference was a little better seat and leg room in Business class. Right or wrong?
2. Is there a Parlour Car on the Empire Builder?
3. Do you get freshly prepared meals on the EB, or is it the microwave type meals you get on most other LD trains?
4. I am thinking of staying at the Grouse Mountain Lodge, in Whitefish. What other lodging can you suggest for downtown Whitefish?
5. What Whitefish restaurants can you recommend?
6. Is there a laundromat in downtown Whitefish?
7. I have never been to the Izaak Walter Inn in Essex. Looking at a road map, it looks like it is about 98 miles from Whitefish to Essex. Knowing it would be a mountainous drive from Whitefish to Essex, should I figure about 2 hours for the drive? More than 2 hours?
8. If I decide not to drive over to Essex, I may wish to drive down to the Kalispell and the Flathead Lake area. Are there things to see and do at Kalispell and Flathead Lake?
9. The last time I was in Whitefish, a small group was touring through the Great Northern Museum which was in the Amtrak Depot building. Is it still there? If so, do they have specific open hours or do you need an appointment to visit the museum?
Thanks.
Richard
sojourner Member # 3134
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I cannot give you info on Montana (though I hope to get there some time myself) but I do believe that the Parlour Car is only on the Coast Starlight. Also, the Coast Starlight is no longer running late the way it was during that lengthy period of track repair. So you may want to reconsider taking the Starlight north if you want to check out the Parlour Car . . . You could stay the night in Portland (or perhaps Eugene, which is cheaper, and then take a Cascades up to Portland or Seattle). The run from Portland to SEattle is nowhere near as scenic as south of Eugene, though you do see Mount Raonier if the weather is clear around Tacoma. Of course, having the weather clear is not always the case in the Pacific NW!!! (A very pretty run is Seattle to Vancouver BC, however, if you have the time.)
EVen though I don't think there's a Parlour Car on the Empire Builder, there is a wine n cheese for sleeper passengers in the afternoon. I did think the l-d food on Amtrak was microwaved; maybe some things, but others taste better to me. I thought there was some kind of freezing process and heating up, but not microwave. The microwave is in the snack bar--that stuff has the soggy bread etc. But I could be wrong! I do know that the Empire Builder is supposed to have decent food and is one of the few trains that uses china, as opposed to plastic plates etc.
smitty195 Member # 5102
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I can only answer a few for you:
<<<1. With the Amtrak Cascades, is there still Regular and Business Class? I thought that the difference was a little better seat and leg room in Business class. Right or wrong?>>>
Yup, they still have biz class and coach class. Seating in biz is 2-1 instead of 2-2 in coach, as well as more legroom.
<<<2. Is there a Parlour Car on the Empire Builder?>>>
Nope--just the regular diner and sightseer lounge car.
<<<3. Do you get freshly prepared meals on the EB, or is it the microwave type meals you get on most other LD trains?>>>
Freshly prepared. The Builder and the Auto Train are the two trains that currently serve "real" food.
If you do end up flying to Seattle, which airport do you use from Santa Rosa---do you drive to SFO? If so, Virgin America flies nonstop from SFO-SEA and their service and aircraft are a lot of fun. Fares compete very well with the competition.
smitty195 Member # 5102
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I should also add that if you decided to take the Starlight for the sole purpose of using the Parlour Car, keep in mind that you have to be a sleeper passenger. You wouldn't want to buy a sleeper from PDX-SEA. They do offer wine tasting in the Parlour Car to coach passengers for a small fee (10 bucks I think).
yukon11 Member # 2997
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Sojourner:
I'm glad there is wine and cheese for sleeper passengers, on the EB. Do they serve in your sleeper or do you go to the main dining car for the wine and cheese?
I have had microwave re-heated food that was pretty good...the Rocky Mountaineer comes to mind. The had a re-heated egg breakfast which was quite good. However, I do miss the old days when food was freshly prepared..the early days of Amtrak and with the old, private passenger trains. My favorite part of the Coast Starlight is the stretch from Klamath Falls to Eugene. Also a nice run at night, around sundown, on the way back. I used to take the Starlight, a lot, when I lived in San Jose..taking a cab to the station and leaving my car at home. Now, living in Santa Rosa, I would probably have to drive to either Martinez or Davis to get on the train. I don't like parking my car either in a regular parking garage or at an Amtrak station parking lot for several days.
Smitty:
The airline I take, out of Santa Rosa, is Horizon, a division of Alaska Airlines. As of now, they fly from Santa Rosa to LA, Las Vegas, Portland, and Seattle. Horizon flies from many towns and cities, in Calif. to the 4 major locations.
Richard
a meyer Member # 4954
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On my last Coast Starlight trip (Feb.) the wine tasting was $5.
If flying to Seattle, I believe the light rail from the airport to downtown has recently opened. I haven't researched the connection from airport to downtown yet, but it may be a better option than a taxi.
Andy
smitty195 Member # 5102
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Okay, I forgot about the airport at Santa Rosa. My buddy calls it "Peanuts International Airport" (after Charles Schultz).
For the wine tasting on the Builder, they do it in the diner. It's sort of a funky way that they do it, because it's done in between lunch and dinner and there is hardly any time at all to relax and enjoy it. Depending on what type of mood the crew is in, they may pour the wine, throw the crackers on the table, and then say "Get out! We have to prepare the tables for dinner!" (seriously). Hopefully it won't be that bad when you go.
Henry Kisor Member # 4776
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Having ridden the Builder nine times in recent years and enjoyed the wine tastings each time, I can assure everyone that never did the crew throw the crackers on the table and brusquely order the patrons out so they could prepare for dinner. If we tarried too long, as occurs when one is happified with wine, they would gently and politely suggest that the tasting was over and they needed to get ready for the meal. I thought that was reasonable.
RussM Member # 3627
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The Izaak Walton Inn is a 50 mile drive from Whitefish, and takes about an hour. The road is very good. Stay there if you can. You'll love it !
RRRICH Member # 1418
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.......or just stay on the EB and get off at the Izaak Walton Inn (Essex stop) -- the Inn has rental cars available.
Moderator Member # 2933
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Click on the edit icon (paper and pencil), then click on the "delete post" button, then the "edit post" button.
smitty195 Member # 5102
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Got it----thanks moderator.
railrev Member # 2640
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The Hertz agency in Whitefish is the original Hertz Franchise and is still owned by the same family. In 2004 we wanted a car on a Saturday morning as the EB was leaving. All Hertz computers were down. The man in charge hand wrote a contract, handed me keys and said "You trust me and I'll trust you. Put the keys in the box when you get back." It all worked out well. Whitefish is a great town to roam around. Lots of good restaurants close to the depot.
sojourner Member # 3134
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Yukon 11, sorry not to get back sooner, but as I think you gathered from other posts, they do serve the wine n cheese in the dining car (or did whenever I've taken it). Sometimes on the EB there have been other amenities to sleeper passengers--I recall once getting a little champagne split (I think that was the year they had redone the EB so splendidly), a few times getting extra afternoon snacks (nuts and raisins, that sort of thing), and once even getting a little medley of promotional goods--lotions and foods and whatnot! However, none of this is a regular feature, and it could well be they are no more (I haven't taken the EB since 2007). And the Coast Starlight may now have such, since it too is newly refurbished.
Please report back on your stay in Whitefish--hotels, restaurants, etc. Railrev: any input on these would be great!
yukon11 Member # 2997
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Thanks for the info, Sojourner and Railrev. I will try to report on the journey when I get back. I am glad there are a lot of good restaurants in Whitefish.
I hope to rent a bicycle..just for the exercise. I believe there are bike rental shops in town. The last time I was in Whitefish was on a July 4th..and a lot of the shops and restaurants were closed. I did wander into a coffe pub place which turned out to have electronic poker machines. I sat there for a couple of hours and played video poker. The proprietor must have been "Native American" (that reference always bothers me..I spent 6 years of my life working on Indian reservations and the term "Indian" was never an insult and used by most people). Or, maybe the coffee pub was on a "reservation". Anyway, I won $45 and they gave me free mocha coffees while I worked the poker machines. That was fun.
TwinStarRocket Member # 2142
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I have rented a bicycle in Whitefish, and found Glacier Cyclery http://www.glaciercyclery.com/ to be the best bike shop I have ever experienced. All bikes are fully tuned before they go out. In fact, I preferred theirs to my own because they are so well maintained. When I had 2 hours left on my 3 day rental and asked "where can I go in 2 hours?", a crowd of enthusastic employees gathered to give me advice.
That trip I packed my rental bike into a rental car and did the "Route of the Hiawatha" 15 mile rail trail off I-90 near the Montana-Idaho border. It is a great trail for foamers because there are numerous displays of life on a luxury streamliner along the trail, not to mention the most breathtaking scenery on any rail trail in the US. But it is almost a full days drive from Whitefish. Bring headlights! The tunnel is so long you see no trace of light and there is rushing water in ditches on both sides of the tunnel center path. http://www.skilookout.com/hiawatha/
If you can get a ride to the top, biking down from Logan Pass on the Going-to-the-Sun highway is a thrill. You are required to be off the highway by 10am due to the narrowness and traffic. If you are in shape you could bike up, but no faster than walking -it is that steep.
You could bicycle from Whitefish to Glacier, about 20 miles. The highway is wide and not too hilly. There is a short bike trail from West Glacier where Amtrak stops into Apgar in the park's interior, where the scenery is excellent and there are lots of shops. It is level and easy and takes you through the woods rather than along the road.
The only downside of bicycling in the area is the traffic on the roads in the busy season. There are mountain bike trails in Big Mountain Ski Area and you can take a lift up, but they were too difficult for me. I am a level and paved kind of biker. Elevation is low enough to not make excercise difficult.
Gilbert B Norman Member # 1541
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quote:Originally posted by TwinStarRocket: That trip I packed my rental bike into a rental car and did the "Route of the Hiawatha" 15 mile rail trail off I-90 near the Montana-Idaho border. It is a great trail for foamers because there are numerous displays of life on a luxury streamliner along the trail, not to mention the most breathtaking scenery on any rail trail in the US. But it is almost a full days drive from Whitefish. Bring headlights! The tunnel is so long you see no trace of light and there is rushing water in ditches on both sides of the tunnel center path. http://www.skilookout.com/hiawatha/
Trust me, that was quite the journey in the cab of a Little Joe Eastward from Avery. Yes, there was a fringe benefit of two during my years with the MILW.
yukon11 Member # 2997
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Thanks, Mr. Norman, for the "Route of the Hiawatha" link. That looks interesting. Also thanks to TwinStarRocket for the information on the bicycle rental shop.
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