Seattle's Orient Express Restaurant Has A Tie To This President - Tasting Table

"According to the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, the carriage was used by both Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor on their travels across the country during his 1944 re-election campaign. It even sports a tribute to the former president painted on the side which can still be read today: "Assuming the presidency at the depth of the Great Depression, FDR helped the American people regain faith in themselves.""

"The FDR car was one of Andy's Diner's most prominent carriages, which were all repurposed with booths and supported by metal structures. The founders of the restaurant, Andy Nagy and his nephew Andy Yurkanin, wanted to highlight the area's train track history with a playful new concept. The carriages were home to a steakhouse, a ballroom, a bar car, and a large collection of historical items."

Seattle's Orient Express restaurant occupies seven repurposed vintage rail carriages in the SoDo neighborhood, originating as Andy's Diner in 1949. The diner began with a single decommissioned rail car before expanding to multiple carriages that housed a steakhouse, ballroom, bar car, and a collection of historical items. One carriage traveled with Franklin D. Roosevelt and Eleanor during his 1944 re-election campaign and still bears a painted tribute to FDR. The FDR carriage retained some original Roosevelt furniture and the platform used by the president. The car was purchased decades ago for $18,000 and remains a permanent fixture as a Chinese restaurant.

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