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Pony Express-Lake City
Category:
Mailing Services
12345 Lake City Way NE
Seattle,
Washington 98125
(206) 367-6245
You guys are great. For years---even when I've been "pokey" getting my Christmas things...
More 11 months ago
You guys are great. For years---even when I've been "pokey" getting my Christmas things ready for mailing---you have always been pleasant (even tho very busy), and always my packages have gotten to their destination on time---and undamaged because they were packed as they should be. Thanks so much. J. Jones
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Amtrak
Category:
Railroad Companies
303 S Jackson St
Seattle,
Washington 98104
(206) 382-4125
This was such a surprise! When I heard we were taking the train to Portland, I was...shall we...
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This was such a surprise! When I heard we were taking the train to Portland, I was...shall we say, not looking forward to it. I was genuinely and pleasantly surprised at how enjoyable this was. While it wasn't exactly luxurious, it was very comfortable and roomy. We got to sit back, visit, play some cards and just relax. The scenery is so much prettier than what you see from I-5 and the very best part--no traffic! At all! I will never drive to Portland again, but I do plan on taking the train again very soon.
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Artech Inc
Category:
Art Galleries & Dealers
Seattle,
Washington 98101
(206) 728-8822
Artech is the best place in town for framing, art handling and other services. It's pretty much...
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Artech is the best place in town for framing, art handling and other services. It's pretty much the only place that offers such a high level of quality, not just in Seattle, or even in Washington, they're one of the best in the nation. Really. They're passionate and they hire local artists.
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Pacific Movers
Category:
Wheaton Movers
Seattle,
Washington 98101
(206) 774-7677
I just recently moved from Seattle to Tempe, Arizona and used Pacific Movers, which is the local...
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I just recently moved from Seattle to Tempe, Arizona and used Pacific Movers, which is the local Seattle branch of Wheaton Movers, and I cannot recommend them highly enough. Even though it's a large company, every step of the way felt local and family owned.
Kevin Smith came to do the estimate. He stayed for about an hour was really thorough and helpful in answering all my questions. Don Moe was the driver (his wife took inventory) and picked up my stuff with a couple of guys. Everyone was really nice and professional and super efficient--even the dispatcher was really helpful when I misplaced Don's number and wanted to confirm arrival time.
I lived in my one bedroom apartment for six years of grad school and had accumulated a lot of stuff--books and wedding presents especially. They picked it all up in exactly an hour and a half, and when they delivered it they put everything back together that had been taken apart and were done in about two and a half hours.
The total came to about $3700 which was a few hundred lower than the estimate itself--probably because I got rid of a bunch of stuff just before the move, which leads me to believe that the estimate itself was pretty darn accurate. I'm ashamed to say that I didn't get it together early enough to get more estimates, though my experience with Kevin left me trusting him.
The only down side was that they allocate two days that they might come to pick up and same for the drop off, though they confirm 24 hours in advance and then stick to it. Also, I had to wait a week and a half for my stuff which was a bit on the long side, but I was the first pick up and the last drop off so I guess that's to be expected. They were really good about calling to confirm the day before exactly when they'd be arriving and then getting there within minutes of the time they quoted, though.
Although the time windows were a little annoying, it struck me more as a matter of honesty about when they could actually come unlike some stories I've heard where they'll set up a definite appointment and then flake at the last minute. So anyway, I'd definitely use them again.
Oh, and one more thing--because of Seattle city ordinances that don't allow really large trailers to park in the city, there was an extra charge for the shuttle that they had to bring in, but they were up front about that and there were no extra fees or hidden charges. And they take care of arrangements with the city to block off parking spaces and stuff like that.
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Amtrak
Category:
Railroad Companies
303 S Jackson St
Seattle,
Washington 98104
(206) 382-4128
Amtrak has got to be one of the poorest run businesses in the country. Without the billions of...
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Amtrak has got to be one of the poorest run businesses in the country. Without the billions of annual government subsidies, they would sink like the Titanic. I was immensely disappointed by the Amtrak Cascades Vancouver to Seattle train.
Getting on the train:
Reserved seats: nope, no worries yet, this is how southwest and nearly all commuter trains run.
Assigned seats: yup. uh oh. somehow they have to give a seat to all 180 passengers on the train.
Check-in kiosks: nope, just one giant first-come, first-served line that forms 1.5 hrs before departure (maybe even earlier). This same line takes every passenger through seat assignment, customs, baggage x-ray and finally baggage check. But it doesn't stop there. Once you are on the train, they check your ticket again.
Boarding the train took 1 hour and 15 minutes. While I waited in line, 2 busses bound for Seattle boarded and departed. While I stood in line I also learned that the busses would arrive before me, and do the trip 30 minutes quicker (and cost less).
The passengers:
Mostly the cruise-going set. They carry enough luggage to clothe a small African nation. They are on this vintage 1960s train because they aren't in a hurry, don't value efficiency and have some romantic perception of train travel. They play Uno and wait on the hour-long waiting list to eat in the dining car (not like you have much else to do on the train).
The train:
Built in the 60s. 7 passenger cars, 2 dining cars & 1 baggage car. Each set of two seats has a regular 110V plug (important on a 4.5 hr journey). A bit more leg room and seating room than a plane (or a bus) and marginally more comfortable. Apparently the dining car is an experience that people taking trains long for - I ate in the Bistro and enjoyed a soggy microwaved hot dog.
The trip:
Our train made 3 full-stops outside of stations, twice because of ?traffic?, and another time for passport control (why didn't we do this when we went through customs). The passport control stop was especially painful, as the agents went through the train seat by seat asking everyone the standard 4-5 questions they ask at borders. They did show the movie, Curious George, which is definitely a step below your typical B/C grade airline movie - I think I enjoyed the GPS map more. The view along the trip varied from industrial wasteland to water on both sides with views into the sound. The most scenic portion of the trip by far was south of Bellingham (although I missed the last bit because it was dark out).
So, exactly what niche does the train fill? Clearly not either the inexpensive segment, or the efficient segment (both bus). It does harken back to an era when train travel was profitable, romantic and the fastest way to travel. That time is long gone though. If you do want to experience the train, pick up the the evening train in Bellingham and take it to Seattle. You'll skip the huge line, customs & border control plus you'll get the best vistas and a far shorter wait for the dinner car.
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U-Haul Co
Category:
Propane
453 Rainier N
Seattle,
Washington 98101
(206) 772-3106
If you'd like your trailer hitch lights blown, your dashboardfuses blown,and the manager to insult...
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If you'd like your trailer hitch lights blown, your dashboardfuses blown,and the manager to insult you, this is the location for you!
My husband and I tried to rent a trailer from them this past weekend (5/20/06)--the kid they sent out to hook us up was nice, but had never hooked up a trailer before!
Unfortunately, his inexperience caused him to hook things up incorrectly, not only blowing out one of the wires in our trailer hitch hook up, but blowing the fuse to our dashboard panel as well. When we tried to talk to the location manager about the problems (they of course wouldn't let us rent at this point, since we "came in without working lights"), she disavowed all responsibility, and insulted us.
So, we went to Costco and bought a $659 trailer instead, thereby guaranteeing we will never rent from U-Haul again.
Surly attitude, untrained employees and overall antagonistic staff.
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We Haul-Not U
Category:
Garbage & Rubbish Removal
Seattle,
Washington 98101
(206) 418-0711
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