September 2021 Amtrak Empire Builder Rail Trip with stays in Chicago and Seattle - Photo Galleries Ready to View

 

Amtrak's Empire Builder in Minot, ND

September 2021 Amtrak Empire Builder Rail Trip with stays in Chicago and Seattle

I am home from my September 2021 rail trip on Amtrak's Empire Builder with stays in Chicago and Seattle.  I really enjoyed this 17 day vacation after staying home over 17 months mostly isolating to avoid COVID-19 virus. I enjoyed staying six nights in Chicago at the Sheraton Grand Hotel right on the Chicago River. It was a relaxing time mixing walking with riding CTA(Chicago Transit Authority) buses to visit Michigan Avenue Miracle Mile, Navy Pier, and the Field Museum with a side trip to Glenview, IL, to do some railfanning. After Chicago, I rode Amtrak's Empire Builder to Seattle, WA, where I stayed five nights at the Embassy Suites Downtown Pioneer Square. While in Seattle I visited the Waterfront, Bainbridge Island via Washington State Ferry, and Seattle Center's Chihuly Garden and Glass. I also Googled and found a new Old Spaghetti Factory Restaurant in Tukwila, WA, where I ventured out to eat my favorite spaghetti with meat sauce and Spumoni ice cream. After Seattle I rode Amtrak's Empire Builder from Seattle back to Chicago and then a short Southwest Airlines flight home to Nashville.

I have created five photo galleries you may enjoy checking out.  Click on the photo or caption to visit the galleries.

Chicago - Six Days at the Sheraton Grand Hotel

Chicago's Field Museum

Amtrak's Empire Builder

Seattle and Bainbridge Island

Chihuly Garden and Glass at Seattle Center

That's my travel for 2021

Friends, I have enjoyed having you follow my travels these past few years.  Since I will celebrate birthday number 80 this October 17, my Amtrak travel will be limited in future years. I have no rail travel plans for the foreseeable future. Some of my future travel will be family related and also more relaxing like the week I just spent in Chicago. I know Chicago is a BIG CITY but my stay at the Sheraton Grand was very relaxing and I may take more trips like that and since Nashville does not have rail service, I will probably be flying for similar weeks of relaxing as I did in Chicago.  I plan to continue updating those travels on this blog. There will just not be many rail trips and I know several of you follow me for the rail trips. I will be traveling in 2022. I just don't know where for now.

In November 2021 I am planning to drive to my Louisiana home in Shreveport/Bossier City/Benton/Haughton to spend a complete Thanksgiving week with my sisters and my Louisiana family and friends. I'm not really planning to post updates as this will be a personal family time at home.

 

Proverbs 3:5-6 New King James Version (NKJV)

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.

2021 Amtrak Trip - Chicago - Amtrak Empire Builder - Seattle -- Six Days in Seattle September 7 - 12

 

Seattle Skyline

Six Days in Seattle

Amtrak's Empire Builder delivered me to Seattle Tuesday morning September 7 to stay at the Embassy Suites Downtown Pioneer Square right next to Amtrak's King Street Station. While I have been active and still walked a lot, I did slow down from how much I walked in Chicago so this has been much more relaxing. While I did something everyday, the things that stand out was the Seattle Waterfront, Washington State Ferry ride to and from Bainbridge Island, the Chihuly Glass Gardens at Seattle Center, and finding and eating at the Old Spaghetti Factory in Tukwila. I took lots of digital photos of which I am sharing only a selected number of the photos in this update. 

Sunday afternoon I board Amtrak's Empire Builder for my eastbound return trip to Chicago and after a short stay at Marriott's Midway Hotel, I fly Southwest Airlines home to Nashville, Tennessee. As on the westbound Empire Builder trip, I will only take a few photos with my IPhone 11. 

After returning home to Nashville/Franklin, TN, I will be celebrating the completion of 80 years of life October 17 and then traveling to Northwest Louisiana to celebrate Thanksgiving week with my sisters and Louisiana family. For now, I have made no travel plans for calendar year 2022.  I will post updated photo galleries for this trip and do a blog update to share those galleries with you after returning home.

Thanks for traveling with me and enjoy these selected photos from Seattle.

I was happy to find that Seattle has built a couple new Old Spaghetti Factories after their Waterfront location was closed a few years ago. This gives me hope that a new Old Spaghetti Factory can be built in Nashville since our 40 year old location was destroyed by the Christmas Day 2020 bombing of historic 2nd Avenue.

2021 Amtrak Trip - Chicago to Seattle on Amtrak's Empire Builder - September 5-7

 

Reagan at Minot, ND

Chicago to Seattle on Amtrak's Empire Builder - September 5 - 7

I left Chicago Sunday afternoon on Amtrak's Empire Builder. We left on time and arrived in Seattle on time on Tuesday morning. I felt very safe from COVID as Amtrak is enforcing the mask required policy very effectively. Conductors preceded most announcements stating that masks were required and must cover both mouth and nose. I and other passengers were allowed to remove our masks only when in our sleeping car room with the door closed and while eating in the dining car. The dining car was enforcing social distancing so I ate alone at all meals where I use to eat with up to three others pre-COVID.

While I do have my digital camera with me, I chose to only take photos on the Empire Builder trip with my IPhone 11. Yes, I did take digital photos in Chicago and am taking digital photos here in Seattle. I took around 70 IPhone photos on this train ride which I will include in my photo galleries at the end of my 17 day trip. For now I am sharing these selected photos from the train trip for you to enjoy. The photos are in the order I took them. The last two are from Seattle including a view from my Embassy Suites room and from my walk on the waterfront the afternoon after I arrived.

If I take the time, I will possibly do an update from Seattle Saturday before I depart Sunday back to Chicago on the eastbound Empire Builder. If not I will do a wrap up update with all the photo galleries after I return home September 16.

Enjoy these selected photos of my Amtrak Empire Builder ride.

On Board in my roomette and ready to travel

Crossing Mississippi River in Minnesota

Cut Bank, Montana

Arrived Seattle's King Street Station

View of Seattle Waterfront from my hotel room

Do you believe I caught this?