This post originally appeared on Orphan Road.

Quite a bit off topic, but my family provided a train-based Fathers’ Day for me that was wonderful and I thought I’d recommend both experiences for those with interest in old trains.

1. A ride on the Snoqualmie Valley Railroad, open weekends in the summer. This was a short ride on old unused tracks through Snoqualmie and ending in a beautiful view over the Snoqualmie Dam. All of the cars have been restored, several dating back a good hundred years.

2. Dinner at the Orient Express, a Chinese restaurant in Seattle made from 8 rail cars. Don’t let the run-down exterior fool you – it’s beautiful on the inside. This place has been open since 1949, and because we had a group of seven people they sat us in a private room where Roosevelt once slept. The furniture was original, and all of the fixtures were in great condition – even a speedometer (-100 to 100 mph) and steam pressure gage. My niece ran around trying every button and switch. I’m a little sad I missed eating here when it was Andy’s – a diner that was family run since 1949. But then I like Chinese better than diner food, and though slightly heavy on grease for my taste (though not heavy compared to typical Chinese food), the flavors were wonderful and I’d recommend it based on the food alone.

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This post originally appeared on Orphan Road.

Matt Fiske has a neat piece on density in, of all places, Crosscut. He argues that the land currently occupied by the soon-to-be-closed T.T. Minor elementary would make a great urban neighborhood in the Amsterdam mold.

Trouble is,The problem with the article is that the Seattle School District has no intention of selling or demolishing the school (which is probably a good thing, as someday the demographics of the neighborhood will change to make it useful again).

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