My husband and I are planning a trip in mid July. Would like to see sights in Portland, OR, Seattle, WA and then take one of the Rocky Mountaineer trips up through the Canadian Rockies. This is our first trip to the area. We are in our mid-60's, but very young-minded. My husband uses a manual wheelchair. I am a strong walker. Any suggestions for places to see and places to stay and dine in and around Portland and Seattle would be great! Also, if any of you have experience on the Rocky Mountaineer, would love to hear your feedback.

Would it be best to rent a car and drive from Portland to Seattle or take the Amtrak?

Thanks for your help!

Are you flying into Portland and returning home from there?

While in Portland you have the opportunity to visit two of Oregon's major natural attractions--The Columbia River Gorge (with its waterfalls) and the Oregon Coast. Both are a short drive from Portland.

The major attraction near Seattle is Mt. Rainier, which is quite spectacular and worth a close up look. The Olympic National Park and the San Juan Islands are among Washington's other attractions.

Victoria and Vancouver are rewarding cities to explore.

I would want a car for this part of the trip, but picking up a car in one city and dropping off in another city is sometimes prohibitively expensive.

I have been to the Canadian Rockies several times, but I have no experience with the Rocky Mountaineer.

HTtY

My trips to the Canadian Rockies have all been on the ViaRail Canadian getting off in Jasper.
Start with a rental car in Portland and then turn it in and ride Amtrak Cascades to Seattle. Rent another car in Seattle if you want to see anything out of range of public transportation.
When you are done in Seattle, take either the Amtrak bus or train to Vancouver. The ViaRail Canadian runs 3 days per week from Vancouver. It arrives in the afternoon in Jasper and there are several rental car shops within walking distance of the train station.
The Rocky Mountaineer is very nice but overpriced compared to ViaRail IMO.
My other Rocky Mountain adventures involve riding the Amtrak Empire Builder to Whitefish MT and visiting Glacier NP in a rental car.

Starting to firm up our travel plans more seriously now! Thanks for the info on the Amtrak Cascades!! Sounds great! I think we might not even rent a car!
Interested now in nice hotels in Portland and Seattle that would be centrally located so we could walk around and get a good sense of the cities. I assume the cities both have hop on hop off buses that we can use too? Any help will be greatly appreciated!!

I don't remember ever seeing any hopon/off buses in those cities, but I could be wrong on that. Portland does have a hopon/off trolley.

http://graylineofportland.net/

so does Seattle http://www.emeraldcitytrolley.com/seattle-trolley-tour/

I stayed at the Mayflower Park in Seattle which I really liked a lot. I thought it was a convenient location, but Seattle is too big to walk everywhere you'd want to go. http://www.mayflowerpark.com/

In Portland, I stayed in the downtown Hilton Portland and Executive Tower. Now that isn't the kind of hotel I usually stay at but I really loved it, the room was very comfortable and the location just couldn't be beat, only a couple blocks from Pioneer Square and right near the light rail and bus lines. http://www.travelportland.com/plan-y...etting-around/

Check out the Travel Portland website for hotels deals and what is happening in town while you are there.

I have also enjoyed staying at the Hilton and the Marriot Waterfront.

I always recommend the Epicurian Walking Tour. You will try out some local foods, see some of the city on foot and even learn a little history.

The problem with taking ViaRail from Vancouver to Jssper is the fact that "The Canadian" leaves Vancouver at 8:00 PM at night so you see absolutely nothing of the spectacular Fraser River canyon on the way.

The "overpriced" as described above Rocky Mountaineer's one BIG advantage is that it travels only during daylight hours so you see all the scenery (worth seeing).

I've done the ViaRail trip both ways and at least westbound you'll see the great approach into lower British Columbia.

Any specific cuisines you like? Budget? There are endless dining opportunities in Portland.

Seattle Hotel suggestion:
Marriott (on waterfront) or Edgewater Inn
Both have easy access to waterfront---although most of "city" is uphill from this area. Mayflower is in center of town, actually adjacent to a 3 level shopping mall with food court AND access to Monorail to Space Needle.
July is a busy month in Seattle...make reservations early...

While in Seattle, you will find this helpful:

http://metro.kingcounty.gov/maps/sea...ssibility.html

I would also suggest ViaRail over the Rocky Mountaineer if you really want to take the train. The latter is VERY expensive and you won't be seeing much of the Rockies. Some people seem to enjoy it, but I've seen a fair bit of feedback that suggests people feel that the descriptions are quite misleading, that they felt they overspent for the experience and you could see far more for a LOT less $$ via bus tours or self drive.

With the trains, it's important to understand that the either train (Rocky Mountaineer or ViaRail) cut quickly across the Rockies, they don't run through them per se. The Rockies run approximately N-S in a long 'skinny strip', while the trains go W-E/E-W.

The most scenic and beautiful part of the Canadian Rockies is along the Icefields Parkway between Jasper and Lake Louise - where none of the trains run.

Much of the trip on the Rocky Mountaineer is going to be in non-mountain parts of BC. ViaRail runs through Jasper, so you get some mountains, but again you don't spend much time in the Rockies. Also, with Via Rail, you'd have to continue to Edmonton to fly onwards, or rent a car and do the fairly 4+ hr drive to Edmonton from Jasper (you leave the mountains less than an hour east of Jasper).


The Rockies are also one of a number of mountain ranges between Vancouver and western Alberta. On either train, you will probably in the Rockies proper for about 2-3 hrs max.

The best way to see the Rockies is to fly to Calgary and rent a car. That way you can go at your own pace - and choose accommodations and viewpoints/stops that best meet your mobility needs. Otherwise, I'd fly to Calgary, take airport shuttles and do tours with one of the many bus tour companies. They should all offer options for those with limited mobility. Brewsters is the largest company and offers the most options.

There are several rental car agencies within walking distance of the train station in Jasper if you take the ViaRail Canadian. In the east half of the station is a desk for Brewster bus tours. The bus tours stop at a few scenic locations along the Icefield Highway.

Thank you for all of your help!

Thank you Bobmrg for the great accessibility map of Seattle!!

We love all types of ethnic foods! Not overly concerned about budget if the food is worth it. We do prefer to stay casual and not have to dress up. Would love any suggestions in Portland and Seattle.

Stop by Kenny & Zukes Jewish Deli in Portland. http://www.kennyandzukes.com/delicatessen/
It is about 2 blocks south of Powell's City of Books.
Powell's also has a little cafe in the corner of the ground floor.
The TriMet is a great low cost system of light rail, bus and trolley to get around Portland all the way from the airport to Beaverton.
Parts of Portland and Milwaukie were flooded yesterday as as Portland broke its one day rainfall record.

Although the drive from Portland to Seattle is not scenic, assuming you take the shortest route direct north on the I-5 freeway... really either a car rental or Amtrak works equally well.

In Portland, we enjoyed the Mark Spencer Hotel. Good location downtown on 11th, wine and appetizers in the afternoon, continental breakfast. It is a historic location that has been updated with a modern feel.
www.markspencer.com/

FYI: The Mark Spencer is across the street from Kennny & Zukes.

We love Deli, so will definitely give it a try!!

You really don't have to dress up to go anywhere in Portland; you can if you want to, but really anything goes.

Since your trip is many months out, you have time to make reservations at some of the city's best restaurants (imho): Langbaan (Thai), Roe (seafood), and Natural Selection (vegetarian). They all serve prix fixe menus that change with the seasons. If any of these interest you, I would recommend making reservations as soon as the websites allow.

Other great places include Ataula (Spanish tapas) and Ava Gene's (Italian). Pok Pok is a favorite of visitors and locals alike, but if you want to avoid the lines there, you can go to Whiskey Soda lounge (across the street from Pok Pok) and enjoy Pok Pok's famous wings. After, you can go down the street to Sen Yai (a noodle bar) which is also owned by Pok Pok's Andy Richter. I'd also recommend Bamboo Sushi for sushi and Lovely's Fifty-Fifty for West Coast style pizza.

Some of our favorite casual places are Por Que No (tacos), Dar Salam (Iraqi/Middle Eastern), Bollywood Theater (Indian), and Little Big Burger (American fast food).

Salt and Straw serves great ice cream and they have several locations that are conveniently located near all of the above restaurants. If you are a doughnut fan, I would try Blue Star.

Thanks so much khor!!! This is such a great help! We love all those foods and now have some great ideas!