Tag: Grand Rail Adventure
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A Venue of Vultures
Day 14—Thursday, December 30, 2021 One nice thing about train travel is that you don’t have nearly the lines you do at the airport. So you don’t need to be at the station more than 30-60 minutes in advance, and that’s mostly if you need to check a bag or if you’re worried about traffic.…
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In Which Claire Gets Verbose
Day 13 – Wednesday, December 29, 2021 We woke up about 7 a.m., wanting to get an early start so we could have breakfast without feeling rushed to get to our first tour. We got ready and headed out, having decided to walk in the direction of Jackson Square and the place we were supposed…
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Everything’s Big in Texas, But Mostly, Texas is Big
Day 12 – Tuesday, December 28, 2021 It’s not easy to sleep in on a train. There are curtains, but they usually let in some light and that light will find its way directly onto your eyelids. People get off and on during the overnight stops. So Mom and I were both up and about…
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Dear Amtrak, Please Tell Us About the Burrito Lady BEFORE Lunch
Day 11 – Monday, December 27, 2021 When we woke up on Monday we were in Arizona. I was a bit annoyed because Lisa, our sleeping-car attendant, had made an announcement the night before that after 10 p.m. it was considered “quiet hours” on the train until 7 a.m., but several people got on around…
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Hooray for Hollywood!
Day 10 – Sunday, December 26, 2021 We took the opportunity to have a little lie-in since the only thing we had planned in L.A. was a hop-on-hop-off bus. We got up and got ourselves down to breakfast around 8 and had breakfast sandwiches at the Starbucks café that ran around the center tower base…
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Are Those Otters or Just Logs?
Day 9 – Saturday, December 25, 2021 When I woke up for good about 7 a.m., Mom had already gotten up and dressed. Once I was ready and she’d brushed her teeth, we went to the dining car for breakfast. We’d already passed through Sacramento and were heading towards San Francisco. We passed through the…
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Little Coyote Cutouts
Day 8 – Friday, December 24, 2021 Thanks to my early night and Mom just always waking up at an ungodly hour of the morning, we were able to get an early start, get our stuff together, and head out of the hotel by about 8. We got a Lyft to King Street Station, checked…
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The California Sea Lions in Seattle are Losers
Day 7 – Thursday, December 23, 2021 We wanted to fit as much in as possible, so an early start was essential. We got up about 7:30 so we could leave around 8 and find a place for breakfast. On Wednesday evening we had discussed a game plan and thought about starting at the Chihuly…
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It’s Always Raining in Seattle
Day 6 – Wednesday, December 22, 2021 We had requested a wake-up knock around 6:30 since breakfast was only set to be served until 7. We could always just throw on some clothes and finish getting ready later. But we hadn’t accounted for the extra hour gained during the night, so both Mom and I…
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You Can Love the Art and Strongly Dislike the Artist
Day 4 – Monday, December 20, 2021 Since the train to Seattle wouldn’t leave until about 4 p.m., we decided to leave our bags with the bell desk again, get some breakfast, and wander for a few hours before heading to the train station. We ended up at the Corner Bakery, using that coupon, before…
Strom Travel Diaries 