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After a hiatus this year due to major work done in/on/around what used to be the white house at the top of the hill (now it's sorta putty colored) we're starting to plan a cross country trip for next June. The current thoughts/plans are to somehow get to Chicago. Then take the CZ to EMY and actually spend a couple of days in the Bay area for the first time in over 35 years...my first visit was in '59 as a callow youth working for TWA. Now here's where we're really feeling our way and would appreciate your knowledge and advice. From EMY we want to travel to PDX and spend a couple of days there. Then take AC (Amrak Cascades) to Vancouver, BC. Spend a couple of days there and then ride the AC down to SEA where we'll again spend a couple of days. (We've been to SEA a couple of times in the last 3/4 years). From SEA we'll take the EB back to Chicago and again find our back to Boston somehow. We strongly dislike the LSL both for service and cost so we'll probably take Acela BOS/WAS/BOS and the CAP WAS/CHI/WAS. But that's neither here nor there. Any and all knowledge/advice you folks can provide about lodging in Portland and Vancouver would be appreciated as well as thoughts on our tentative AC itinerary and the services provided. Thanks. Best regards, Rodger
Henry Kisor Member # 4776
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We are just back from our Alaska trip, during which we spent a night in Vancouver, at the Fairmont Waterfront. It has huge rooms and unbeatable views of the harbor and the cruise ship docks.
It is expensive, however, at $343 a night. We stayed there only because Holland-America booked us there and included all transfers and a four-hour sightseeing bus trip in the price.
We liked the Hampton Inn downtown a couple of years ago; it was at the time Tripadvisor's No. 1 choice. Current rates are $215 a night.
yukon11 Member # 2997
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While in Vancouver, BC, we also stayed at the Fairmont Waterfront. As Henry says, it is really nice but expensive. It came as part of the "Rocky Mountaineer" train tour package. It is close to Gastown which is a good place for restaurants and shopping. Don't miss "The Station" within walking distance of the Fairmont and Gastown. It is a refurbished old Canadian Pacific RR station now a transportation center and has a really neat restaurant inside, as well.
However, my favorite hotel in Vancouver is the Westin Bayshore (W. Georgia & Cordero). It is within walking distance of Stanley Park and the downtown area. Expensive but not quite as expensive as the Fairmont.
In Portland, I like the Heathman Hotel (especially their restuarant), The Doubletree Inn at the LLoyd Center, and my favorite is the Benson, an older hotel in the downtown area, and near at least one of the 2-3 of Jakes Restaurants and Powell's Books.
Richard
notelvis Member # 3071
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If you're up for a little more adventure, you might want to consider taking the Pacific Coach bus (via BC Ferries) to Victoria. The bus departs from the same station Amtrak and VIA use in Vancouver and there are several hotels within four or five blocks of the Victoria bus station.... we stayed at a Best Western in 2004.
sojourner Member # 3134
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I would like to second David Pressley's (Not Elvis's) rec for a stop at Victoria if you have never been there--in fact, I took his advice and that of others here & did just that about 5 years ago as part of one of my best trips ever. What I did was overnight in Seattle and then take a taxi to the Victoria Clipper terminal and catch a morning Victoria Clipper to Victoria (I had purchased my ticket in advance at obtained an AAA discount as I recall; discount wasn't so big but it was good I bought ticket somewhat in advance as the boats were busy! I arrived around lunchtime in Victoria and stayed at the Best Western Inner Harbor, 412 Quebec at Oswego, 888-383-2378 (tool free), nice place, decent prices, included a nice breakfast, & was walking distance of the ferry and of most major attractions in downtown Victoria. Right near it was an equally nice Days Inn Inner Harbor (BC Days Inns seem to be much nicer than many inthe US!) which had slightly higher prices. I was traveling in May, which is kind of middle season; I believe in June prices went up.
I stayed 2 nights, walking around the lovely Inner Harbor & up Government Street etc.; touring the Parliamentary Bldgs; visiting the BC museum right next to Parliamentary with its esp fine First Peoples exhibits (similar to the one across the river from Ottawa, in Hull); having tea at the glorious old rr hotel, now the Fairmont Empress--the tea was a bit of a ripoff, but definitely see the hotel lobby etc!' & a bus to the Butchart Gardens, one of the finest gardens I've ever visited, and simply glorious the time of year I went (& I'm sure June too).
I recall that I left for Vancouver around noonish on that third day (though there were earlier buses too) on a Pacific Coach bus (I did not have to book it much in advance--but remember, I was there in May, no idea if June is same)--it left from the little bus terminal behind the Fairmont Empress, so again, I could walk to it even with my luggage--passengers are only on the bus briefly before arriving at the BC ferry, on which the bus parks and passengers get out and walk around etc, getting back on the bus only right before it docks on the mainland. The bus then heads to downtown Vancouver and drops you at the Hotel Vancouver (the rr hotel in downtown Vancouver, not as fancy as the Empress), from where I easily walked down the hill to my hotel, the Days Inn Downtown, 921 W Pender, 1-877-681-4335--a bit pricier than other Days Inns because it's close to the cruiseship terminal in Vancouver, it sometimes gets all booked up on nights before cruises leave. The second night I was there, my friend flew out and we took an 8-day Inside Passage Alaska cruise on Holland America, which was great. On the morning we returned form the cruise, the Days Inn kindly let us leave our luggage there gratis even though we weren't staying there again!; later n the day I caught a taxi to the train station (but the Skytrain stop near the Days Inn could have taken me there too), arriving more than an hour early (as instructed)for the Amtrak Cascades train that left around 6:30PM. Seats were assigned, but I had a single business class on the Talgo, which was on the water side (right side heading south), the side you want to be on. For two people, I think I'd go coach and beg for a seat on the water side; my guess is the double business class seats would be on the other side--but I'm not sure. I got into Seattle around 10:30 and again stayed there--both going and coming at the Best Western Pioneer Square; decent prices and continental B; am not sure if you would have trouble booking single nights there (people say they now don't do that) but perhaps not if you are going and coming?
Another time I went to Seattle, stayed overnight (again at BW Pioneer Sq), meeting a friend who flew out that night, took the Cascades up to Vancouver for 2 nights (the Talgo was broken so we had a Superliner with sightseer lounge, which was simply fantasic), and (the Days Inn being booked) we stayed (again based on recs here--I think from Frank?--at the Ramada Ltd Dwntwn, 435 W Pender at Richards (btw Homer & Richards) nr Gastown, 866-223-9330. Though further down Pender, it was still pretty conveniently located & priced, & again included continental breakfast. (Just be careful you book this Ramada--there's another downtown that a friend told me is not very nice!) Nearby was my favorite restaurant in Vancouver, an upscale fusion Chinese called Wild Rice, 117 W Pender at Abbott, 604-642-2882, wildricevancouver.com, pricey at dinner but good at lunch (lunch served weekdays only I think) with fantastic interesting small plates like taro & crabcake (good to pick things and share) and a fabulous red date & plantain banana bread dessert. After adventures including the Rocky Mountaineer and VIA Rail, we returned to Vancouver and I again caught the 6:30ish Cascades (at that time there was still only 1 train a day; now there are two) to SEattle, staying again in the Best Western Pioneer Square.
I just want to add that the food and service on the Lakeshore Ltd is much improved the past year or two. However, that doesn't mean its on-time performance is better. . . and of course it's a Viewliner, no sightseer lounge. I like going out through DC on the Cap Ltd so I can leave really early, get there for lunch, and do a free museum stop, but that is hard to do from MA. I usually return on the LSL because it gives me more time in Chicago and I'd rather eat there and just have the wine and cheese on the LSL; and of course the LSL is shorter for me. But the past couple of times I tried the Cap Ltd for the scenery, very nice from Pittsburgh east, some of which I always missed heading west.
graynt Member # 17
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A wonderful hotel in Vancouver is the Cascadia Suites, a short walk from Granville Island. Beautiful location and not that expensive.
We also are planning a May 2011 trip using AGR. Using the two zone roomette for 20,000 points we are leaving from Toledo,transferring to the Empire Builder in Chicago to Portland and then to the Coast Starlight to San Luis Obispo. Overnighting there,then using 2000 points for the full Pacific Surfliner to San Diego..renting a car for a week to explore SoCal,The Grand Canyon,Las Vegas and Palm Springs and then fly back to Ohio. Two people,ten meals and four full days on the train.Nice.
Always good to have a great train trip to look forward to.
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