Local train fun

This week the kids and I took a day trip to downtown Portland. At this age, they're excited by the smallest things. When I told them they were going to visit Mommy's work, they were thrilled. But I was going to make the day more exciting by adding trains. We started out at my office, where I tried to get a few things done. Then we hopped on the MAX train for a surprise trip to Union Station - the Amtrak train station in downtown Portland.

I've seen the train station many times, but I've never actually been inside. The building is beautiful. It reminds me of Flagler College in St. Augustine. 

When we got inside, we tried to find the best place to watch trains arrive and leave. There wasn't a great viewing area, so the best solution seemed to be to go into one of the "gates" and watch the tracks through the windows. Only ticketed passengers were allowed to go outside, due to security reasons, I imagine. I asked an employee there if there was a better place to view trains, noting that Ronan is a big train fan. He said that where we were standing was the best spot. But then he surprised me by saying that if we could wait a few minutes, he'd take us for a ride around the tracks and trains in his golf cart! We waited around, and a little while later he opened the doors to let us stand outside to watch the next train arrive.

A little while later, the staff person pulled up in a golf cart and invited us to jump aboard. He only had a few minutes to drive us around, because he was busy transporting disabled people to and from the trains. But we had a few minutes to zip around quickly in the cart, with me and the kids holding onto each other and shouting, "Weee!" He took us around the rows of tracks and next to the trains waiting to depart. That was really nice of him.

After visiting Union Station, we jumped back onto the MAX to return to my office. Interestingly, Ronan seems more interested in high-speed and modern trains than classic trains. So the big excitement of today was probably riding that MAX train to and from Union Station. When we got off the train at the station next to my office, I took a picture of the kids in front of both of my offices. The tall building behind them with the dome is the State of Oregon building, where my new job is. The building right next door to it, on the lower right (behind trees) is the current ORI office.

This was one of many local fun experiences that I hope to provide for the kids during their summer break. They seemed to have a great time.