Saturday, May 10, 2008
Open for business!
Hello all. I'm trying to set up a place where ordinary folks can go and talk about Amtrak (and other) rail travel in the USA. Post your questions here and get them answered. If this works out I intend to open a blog on European rail travel. Please let others know of this blog and I hope to hear from you soon.
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2 comments:
Contratulations on your new blog, Claude!! I look forward to interacting with you and all others who have an interest in USA rail travel. Am trying to plan a cross-country trip for a family of 4 (via southern route from NYC to LA, returning via northern route) this summer. Any suggestions?
This is an easy one. Take an early Friday escape and book Amtrak's Crescent, train #19, which leaves NYC's Penn Station at 2:15PM ET. Let's make that a Friday. You'll have dinner just out of DC rolling through the lush Virginia countryside. Partake of breakfast around Atlanta, GA, Lunch around Birmingham, AL and take dinner somewhere around the MS/LA state border. You'll arrive in New Orleans at 7:33PM CT if things go as scheduled. Spend Saturday and Sunday nights in New Orleans to view one of our most lovely cities, even after the devastation of hurricane Katrina. Monday you'll leave on the Sunset Limited, train #1, at 11:55AM CT. You'll have lunch after departure. You'll have dinner around the Lake Charles, LA/Beaumont, TX area, breakfast, the next day, around Alpine, TX, lunch around Sanderson, TX, dinner the second night around El Paso, TX. During the second night you'll pass through New Mexice, Arizona and breakfast around Palm Springs/Ontario, CA before arriving in Los Angeles, CA around 10:10AM PT if on time.This is a Wednesday morning. Say you spend the rest of that day and Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights in LA. On Saturday morning you leave on Amtrak's #14, the Coast Starlight for Emeryville, CA arriving there at 10:02PM PT and taking the transfer bus to San Francisco. I suggest spending Saturday night in San Francisco, as well as Sunday and Monday night, then departing on the connecting bus on Tuesday morning for Emeryville, CA to take Amtrak's train #6, the California Zephyr East towards Chicago. The train leaves at 8:10AM and you can have breakfast on board. You'll lunch before Truckee, CA (Lake Tahoe), pass through Reno, NV in mid-afternoon. Dinner before Sparks, NV, pass through Salt Lake City, UT in the early AM hours, breakfast around Helper, UT, lunch around Grand Junction, CO, dinner before arriving in Denver, CO. Overnight, pass through Lincoln, NE, probably start to stir around Omaha, NE around "6AM-ish", breakfast around Creston, IA and lunch around Burlington, IA. You should roll into Chicago's Union Station at 3:50PM CT on Thursday afternoon. Thursday night in Chicago, same for Friday night. Saturday evening you'll leave on train #50, the Cardinal at 5:45PM CT Have dinner upon departure, if you haven't eaten before boarding. You'll pass through Indianapolis, IN around Midnight, Cincinnati, OH around 3:30AM-ish, have breakfast around Charleston, WV, lun around Clifton Forge, VA, dinner approaching Washington, DC and finally arrive back in NYC at 9:36PM ET after an approximate 2-week adventure that you and your children will NEVER forget. You'll see sights and meet people that you'll never forget. Don't be like people I always meet who say, "I always WANTED to take a long train trip." Do it! The Sunset Limited and Cardinal only run three days a week so be careful if "adjusting" your schedule. Go to www.amtrak.com or call 1-800-USA-Rail to book with Amtrak. Let me know if you have any other questions.
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