Choo Choo Choose Cheap

"..take me from the city lights
on a shiny Amtrak train
riding up the riverside
bring me home to you again"
- Out in the Country, Kristen Hall

Just wanted to point out Amtrak's great sale for Sept thru Dec. (You have to buy the ticket before August 8th and travel between Sep 2 and Dec 11, 2008).

Me on the train last November with my

brand new laptop ("what does this
Photobooth thing do? oh." is the caption)

Seattle to Portland one way is only $24! And Amtrak has a rewards program, too, just like airlines and you can use it for other things, not just another train ticket. (When did I become the spokesperson for Amtrak?)

If you have never taken the Seattle to Portland route, I highly recommend it. Gorgeous views! Near Tacoma to Olympia, the tracks are right next to the waters of Puget Sound. And if you are on the other side of the train, views of cute little farms or creeks in a wooded area (or locals dropping trou). From Kelso to the Oregon Border, it runs along the Columbia River. The trip is short enough that the cheapest seat is just fine. My other favorite thing about trains - if you don't like your seat, move! Wander to the snack car, find a spot on the observation car, walk the entire length of the train, stand in an entry way and flirt with an employee.

For those of you who know Quinn, a long time ago she made a mix tape with songs about northern states on one side and southern states on the other. It is an almost perfect mix for the Seattle-Portland trip (nowadays I guess it would be a playlist on the iPod). As quoted earlier, "Out in the Country" I suggest playing along the Puget Sound stretch. Same with Dar's "Ocean" (works better when it is gray out - and was written about a Washington coastal town). Billy Joel's "Allentown" when going through more industrial areas like Tacoma. Simon & Garfunkle's "America" at anytime. Dar Williams' "Iowa" and Counting Crows' "Omaha" for the southern Washington stretch, The Eagle's "Seven Bridges Road" works near Multnomah Falls for some reason (you would think it would fit coming in to Portland, but it is just slightly too southern to fit this northern city). Jimmy Buffet's "Love in the Library" just because it tells a cute story.
I don't know why U2's "Angel of Harlem" fits coming in to Portland, but it does to me. Probably because I listened to it a lot in high school, in Portland.

Not from her mix: I like Hendrix's "Waiting for the Train" for King Street Station. "The Wind Cries Mary," too. Good for old, small stations like Centralia.
Once you are in Union Station, Andrew Sisters might come to mind...

• "Where Are You Going" DMB
• "Sing Sing Sing (With a Swing)" A fantastic version on the Swing Kids soundtrack. Better when pulling out of the station, excited to take a trip. It can make you feel like you're in a hurry and stressed when pulling slowly into your arrival station.
• "Least Complicated" Indigo Girls (anywhere on trip)
• "Blackbird" The Beatles (best when dark out)
• "Wild World" Cat Stevens
• "i Carry Your heart" Michael Hedges
• "Let the River Run" Carly Simon
• "Wait" The Beatles
• "When the Levee Breaks" Led Zeppelin (Portland end)
• "Mad About You" Sting
• "See the Constellation" They Might Be Giants (better at night - didn't even notice the beginning lyrics about the train when first picked, just liked the beat)
• "Shelter From the Storm" Bob Dylan (is it Edie Breckell that has a good cover of it?)
• "I Will Follow" U2

And if you are wondering why I'm not choosing songs that are actually about this area there really isn't that many songs about Oregon & Washington. Or if they are, they don't fit riding in a train (Smithereen's "Sick of Seattle"; themes song from Here Come the Brides; Everclear's "I Will Buy You a New Life" might work...). You have to go pretty far back, like Woody Guthrie's "Roll On Columbia" which was written 67 years ago - and federally commissioned.

Any other suggestions for good songs to listen to on a train? And not just for the Cascades & Coast Starlight Routes (suggest "Starlight Express" and you get it right in the eye!).
[well that was a tangent from cheap tickets!]