AMTrak Cascade Train Ride
I met a friend through internet and never thought we'd meet in person, till he came to Vancouver. There are people have a "netglow", meaning they have a very charming personality on the internet, which makes them less than ordinary in real life. I was hesitant when he said i'd visit him in Seattle. My friend Chris came to Vancouver for a weekend and we decided to meetup. It was a short hangout but it was a pleasant experience. This changed my mind, and decide to buy a ticket to see him.
After knowing the option of taking the AMTrak train to Seattle, we decided on a weekend where i'd pack my bags and left Vancouver for the weekend. It was hard to plan a weekend when both of us would be free. Why? Because its December. I would pretty much say this month is the busiest time of the year for vacation trips, festive events, family gatherings, and etc. Though I have finals this week, the work load was less intensive than the previous semesters. For me, its still doable to get all the last minute assignments/projects done before heading out. So I stayed at his place for the weekend and did one of my finals there.
The train ride had me experience motion sickness, for the first time. There's little to do on the train so I spent hours surfing the internet on my ipad2. After focusing for a prolong period of time, my head was spinning for a day and a half after the 4 hour train ride. I went during the 5:45-10:50pm time interval, so its was dark out. However, the train's interior was so beautiful it made up for the missing scenic view.
The chairs were bigger than normal ones in the plane. They were made out of leather, in a light hazel color. The windows was dull red, with black swirly patterns. The train floor had a light colored carpet which made insulated the heat for everyone. Surprisingly, the whole train were not entirely filled with passengers so everyone had an extra seat beside them to put their belongings. For over-sized baggages, there's a metal rack at the end of each train stall available for passengers. The doors between each train stalls had an automatic glass door, with a silver-lining rim. The washrooms were the same size as ones you use on the plane.
Its a good option if you don't like to drive on the highway in the States, like me. Or if you want to take a trip for a weekend getaway without spending too much on the airfares.
