Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Tram Tuesday - Seattle, Washington

King Street Station (on the right) was completed in 1906 and still looks very much the same, at least on the exterior. The Oregon-Washington Station (later named Union Station) was built alongside King Street Station in 1911. Both Union Pacific and Milwaukee Road trains served this station for 50+ years. Then, Union station sat empty until it was renovated in the 1990s. Now you can rent the grand hall for your wedding or party, but mostly the building is used as the headquarters for Sound Transit.  I haven't seen much of the building interior, but the last time I was in King Street Station it was terribly run down inside and showed evidence of bad remodels. I understand that a restoration process is underway.


Seattle is also bringing back streetcars. See the official Seattle Streetcar website for details.


As for the message on the back, it's page #2 of an extended message, so it doesn't begin or end on this card. Make of it what you will:

2.  mine (you can get them for fifty cents for any camera and they are well worth while and got portraits of about all the bunch. As long as you don't know the people,  and wouldn't probably be interested in the portraits as you would the scenery I'm going to keep them to look at myself until I come home - when I'll show them to you. I have prints of all of that the others took that I was in - too.
I have got mixed up with a jollier, more congenial bunch of young people and we were all just like one big family. After "being in the family" so long, I felt pretty blue at leaving them, and I'm afraid my blueness  was a good deal to blame for my not writing sooner. There is quite a 

And with that abrupt ending, we're off to card # 3, which along with card #1 is not in my possession. It means we don't know who the sender or the recipient was. All we have is that little snippet from the middle.
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8 comments:

  1. Lisa BOctober 18, 2011 at 9:44 AM

    Great postcard, it's a shame that all these buildings fall into disrepair, I hope the current restoration is better.

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  2. HaddockOctober 18, 2011 at 9:51 AM

    When ever I see such old pics I just close my eyes and imagine myself there (of course with the help of a time machine) And just now I heard the clang clang clang of an approaching tram.

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  3. AnnOctober 18, 2011 at 4:48 PM

    i just love the color on these old cards! this is a fabulous one!
    streetcars coming back to Seattle?..another reason to visit!!!

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  4. PostcardyOctober 18, 2011 at 7:14 PM

    I think it is unusual to see two train stations right next to each other. Your "Tram Tuesday" made me think I might like to do a "Train Tuesday," but now I had another idea--"Transportation Tuesday."

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  5. AnonymousOctober 18, 2011 at 7:50 PM

    King Street Station has been is a state of renovation for 20+ years. I hope they get somewhere with it within my lifetime! That false ceiling from the 60's is hideous. Now Portland's station is something to be proud about!

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  6. LindaOctober 18, 2011 at 7:54 PM

    Nice! And glad to hear the station is being restored.

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  7. Archie TechtOctober 18, 2011 at 8:07 PM

    The 'two-station' condition Postcardy mentions is a bit odd, but the city sort of ran with the duality theme, and has the both the pro football and baseball stadiums right next to the stations too- you roll right by them when you come in on Amtrak, quite an interesting view...

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  8. Postcard RoundupOctober 19, 2011 at 12:02 PM

    Fabulous card....I just love it!

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