seattle-portland

[tielan]

Are either of these cities very public-transport friendly? Seattle seems to be, but I know that "seems to be" is not the same as "actually is".

At this point, I don't necessarily need 'accessible' but it's good to know. Also I am (perhaps foolishly) not particularly concerned by 'safeness'. Safety, yes; safeness, no.

Comments

[james]

Both cities have public transit, trains and buses. I haven't used it in Seattle much but you can get around in Portland though it's been 5-6 years since we were up there.

My partner and I are both willing to walk several miles, so we consider Portland to be sufficient in terms of public transit, taking the trains and walking. It is walking friendly (and bicycle friendly) though there are areas with homeless folks camping on the sidewalk or right off it, depending on your sensitivity to such things.

Also, a suggestion for Seattle to San Fran trip is the Coast Starlight via Amtrak: https://www.amtrak.com/coast-starlight-train

It is a truly gorgeous ride, even though you wouldn't be able to stop and get off and on unless you bought your tickets for segments of the journey as separate tickets (like get the ticket from Seattle to Portland and stay the night, etc).

It doesn't strictly go down the coast (it goes from Portland to Salem, Albany, Eugene, Klamath Falls), but it is very picturesque and you do go by the ocean between Seattle and Portland. We take Amtrak all the time and this ride is a very nice one.

[tielan]

I am definitely doing the Coast Starlight via Amtrack from Portland to Sacramento overnight - 16 hours, it says, arriving at 6am in Sacramento. I can get a room for actual sleeping, and it arrives bit early but eh.

I was going to take Amtrack from Seattle to Porland, too - a couple of hours on a Sunday afternoon, spend Sunday night in Portland (maybe Monday night, too? I'm trying to remember who was willing/able to see me in which city) and then arrive in Sacramento by Tuesday or Wednesday.

[jenab]

I found Portland's transit easy to use. The main meeting point in downtown is Pioneer Square. I also found the city very walkable. There is a lot of homeless people but had no issues with them.

[tielan]

Okay, good to know. It's always better to hear from people who've been there!

Do you know anything much about what are good places to see or visit? Things that you think were noteworthy? Experiences that you'd try if you went back?

[jenab]

I mainly spent most of my time at Powells, which was three storeys of books and I loved it.

The International Rose Test Gardens were lovely to walk through but probably not good for December. There were the Japanese Gardens in the same area but I didn't get to them as they were too hilly for my knee to take.

A friend took me to McMenamis Kennedy School Hotel which I really enjoyed between the good and seeing how they converted the school into a hotel, restaurant, music, and movie events. It's about a 15-20 minute drive from downtown.
https://www.mcmenamins.com/kennedy-school

Cheryl's on 12th downtown was good for breakfast.

[tielan]

Ooh yes, Powells bookshop, and the Japanese Garden!

Thanks for letting me know.

[ringsandcoffee]

Another DW friend lives in Seattle and usually uses public transit to get to work. She seems to say the bus system is good.

[tielan]

Good-oh. Always best to know from someone who uses it locally.

[raine]

Seattle has a robust public transit system; you can get pretty much anywhere using an interlinked bus/light rail/ferry pass called ORCA. Passes can be purchased in advance or you can download the ORCA app and buy passes that way. Routes can be planned online, either using the ORCA website, Google maps, or https://onebusaway.org.

That said: all the public transit options are ADA compliant but the drivers are sometimes super impatient about dealing with people who need help. Also, Seattle is a city of hills, sometimes steep ones. The city founders bulldozed and reshaped the land to make it so that they could slide lumber downhill to the port. There are paths through the city that are more accessible than others but I can't vouch for how safe it is (or if those buildings are open) because I haven't personally walked that way in >2 years. You're probably better off figuring out where you're going, getting an Uber or Lyft to your destination, and conserving your energy for exploring your destination.

[tielan]

Thanks for the ORCA link!

We'll see how it goes when I get there - the main things I'd like to do is meet with people and watch a hockey game. :)

[raine]

You're welcome! I live north of the city but work downtown one day a week - would love to meet up if it works out!