Re: Taking the Train Long Distance

Kachina624 · ‎03-10-2010

@Sweetbay magnolia wrote:
How is that, taking the train instead of flying? I don't like to fly (afraid it will crash - silly me). What a horrible way to go.

Spoiler
yes I know the train could crash - just not from 30,000 feet.

I need to visit a relative near the west coast, and I am in the east. Any recommendations about cross-country train travel?

@Sweetbay magnolia Funny we were just talking about this. I guess Amtrak travel regressed a step today.

New Mexico☀️Land Of Enchantment

Vivian · ‎03-11-2010

With all the derailments of the past several years, I think flying is probably safer and certainly faster, albeit a hassle. One of my daughters and family live in Orlando. One year they traveled north by train. They traveled up to Virginia and, with their car onboard, they drove the rest of the way to NY. All I can tell you is that they agreed never to do it again. Our rail system, like the rest of our infrastructure, is in dire need of repair. I’ve traveled extensively through France on their high speed trains, the TGV. With every trip I felt angry that we never did anything like that in the US. Yes, we are bigger than France but if we had put our minds, and money, to it we could have had a fantastic system.

BriggsiePeawiggle · ‎03-09-2010

Oh I'm sorry I just saw this......I took a new job last fall and got so busy. Then I was really really sick in December and January with a horrid virus. But yes, I DID travel by Amtrak in a roomette. It was one of my best trips ever. I took the Wolverine from Royal Oak (suburb of Detroit) to Chicago and then got on the Empire Builder. It was a WONDERFUL trip. I did take my binoculars, but the train really moves too fast to see anything with them. I loved the food, sitting with new people every meal, sleeping in my little tiny room was pretty comfortable really. I had my iPad with me, and I watched Netflix or played online all the way across. There was no wifi on the train but I have unlimited cellular data, so it worked for me. When we pulled into Minneapolis about midnight I think it was, I put on a Mary Tyler Moore episode.

I actually looked forward to the return trip, which was every bit as good as the outgoing ride. I absolutely loved it, and I plan on doing it again.

CANDLEQUEEN · ‎03-09-2010

My sister and her husband did several long Amtrak trips, and they loved it. They would travel from the Midwest to New Orleans, and they did get a Sleeper Car, and there was a separate Dining Room or rather Dining Car, but she said the food was good, although rather expensive, but you will need lots of time becasue traveling from East to West will be at least 3 days. My sister also said you need to have plenty to do, because after a while you can get a little bored, plus she said its importatn to get up often just to stretch and walk around a bit.....They really enjoyed it though. My sister woudl have preferred to fly, but her husband was afraid to fly, so they traveled by train.....Go onto Amtrak.com and check out the timing and costs and they even have a good display of the different sleeping accomodations....

Financialgrl · ‎03-13-2010

@itsmagic wrote:
I’ve never taken the Amtrak train across the country but I have some friends who took the train from Chicago out to California. They did enjoy the scenery and reserved a sleeper car for at night which is extra but they thought was worth it. And it sounds like there was an actual dining car rather than a snack car like you find on shorter train trips. It would be a good way for you to travel as long as you have the time since I think it may take about three days or so.

I live in N. VA and a friend and I drove to Charleston, SC and stayed 4 days there. He continued on to FL to stay with elatives and meet others I did not know so I took the train back home - this train was the northeast corridor one. My options coming back were not the greatest in that day trains would have been much longer rides with a 4 hour layover so I took one with the least stops back home but it left at 10pm so I used a sleeper car.

The sleeper car does have perks in that the actual car has a dedicated conductor who brings you water, snacks and they have coffee on that car and, breakfast started after I got off but if I were on it another hour or so the conductor brings around menus and delivers breakfast to your berth. The train I was on - each sleeping berth slept 2 and there was a toilet and sink in each individual sleeper. It's super compact but they manage to put all that in. I thought the extra cost was well worth it.