Train trip to Seattle

We finally went on a train trip that I have been wanting to go on since we first started homeschooling. Every year the Amtrak field trips to Seattle are posted, but every year we have had a child under 5, so we couldn't go. Now we finally have no one under 5! I was super excited for this day. The children were extra excited for this day as it was their first ride on a train.

It was a whirlwind of a trip! The plan was to ride 4 hours up to Seattle, WA, spend 4 hours walking all over, and then 4 hours back. We had to start our day super early and be to the train station at 7:15, although the train didn't load until 8. So, we waited, and waited.

Waiting for the train at the Portland Union Station

Finally! It was time to board!

The train seemed a lot bigger up close. It doesn't seem that big when you see it going by on the distant track.

We were off on our adventure. Being on the train for 4 hours is a long time, but everyone had a good time looking at everything as it went by.

When we arrived it was so nice to finally be out and walking around, but we would certainly be tired by the time it was time to get back on the train again. We planned on getting everywhere on foot. No cabs or buses for us.

Our first stop after getting off the train was lunch. We opted not to eat on the train, and eat as soon as we got there. We decided to head to the waterfront.  It was a beautiful day for walking!

We found a Red Robin at the waterfront, and decided we were all hungry so that would be where we would eat. April was hoping for something different since we eat at Red Robin in Oregon, but being on foot we didn't have a lot of choices since we were hungry.

Then, we headed up to Pike's Market. It was busy, but so fun! I didn't take many pictures there because I was just trying to keep up and not lose any kids in all the crowds. Lots of cool things to buy though!

We had to stop and rest once in a while. Alex did pretty good over all. This was actually taken on our way up to Pike's market.

After Pike's Market we headed to the Seattle library. But, first we stopped for a snack at Piroshky, Piroshky. It was a pretty yummy stop.

 On our way up to the library we had to walk uphill. It doesn't look as steep as it really was in this picture, but Alex likened it to mountain climbing...

The Seattle library is pretty amazing. It's big and tall, and it has 10 floors! I went up to the 10th floor with April and immediately knew I had made a mistake. I am terribly afraid of heights, and this is what you see up there...

Luckily April's got to explore lots with her Dad. They found some fun things like neon yellow escalators, and a red floor. The whole hallway/floor is painted red.

I was happy to sit down and relax for a bit while Alex built with some blocks. It was a nice cool reprieve from the walking outside.

He built...

And built...

And built, finally getting it taller than himself!

The amount of books that this library must hold!...

 Finally it was time to head back to the train station. We wanted to make sure to not miss that train!

Back at the train station we had a little bit of waiting to do again. It was a beautiful train station!

It's so neat that they still have these old train stations around. See how tired we were?

We arrived back at the station around 10:15, but we weren't home yet. Another hour home, and that was a late night! So glad the next day was Friday, but it threw me off because it felt like a Monday since we just had a trip. I enjoyed the train part of it, and the walking around, but I kinda wish we had a little more time to explore. Fun trip though, and all the kids loved it.