posted
I just returned from my annual Amtrak adventure yesterday and while my memory is still fresh, I d like to share the experience.
I chose the Coast Starlight, the Sunset Limited and the Crescent anticipating late arrivals on 11 and 2 so I wouldn't have to book hotels. Unfortunately for me, both trains had some of their best timekeeping in quite some time. I was dissapointed there was no Parlour car on train #11. The wine and cheese for the winetasting was brought to one of the sleeper cars, so we had unlimited wine and cheese and crackers both days. A nice little bonus for the absence of the parlour car.
We were pretty much two to three hourslate most of the trip, which was incredible for train #11 which has been known to have come into LA 12 hours late or more at times. When we hit Sacramento at 8:30AM that was almost like being on time. I knew that passengers who are booked to LA take the bus from Santa Barbara to LA every day but Sunday and Monday for track work with Metrolink, if the train is running two and half hours late or more. I was delighted to find out because of the Labor Day holiday there was no track work on Tuesday, so we sailed right into Union Station with an 11:45PM arrival time. I did book a round trip on the Surfliner to San Diego to kill time between the arrival of #11 and the departure of #2 the next afternoon. I didn t realize I d have so much extra time, so the San Diego bound passengers were put on athruway bus at 12:30AM and got into San Diego at 3:45AM, so I had about two and a half hours before the first Northbound surfliner left at 6:15AM.
I had a few hours to kill at Union Station until #2 left on time at 2:30PM. The freight traffic was horrendous all the way to Pomona. When I saw we were only in El Monte by 4:30 I had a feeling we were going to be quite late into New Orleans. We did make up time overnight and were only two hours down by dawn when we were in the Arizona desert. Our stop at El Paso only lasted fifteen minutes and we arrived in San Antonio only two hours late. Still more freight traffic through Texas..hard to believe it takes 24 hours to go through the state from El Paso to Orange. We did arrive in New Orleans though only two and half hours late at 6:30PM.
One of the most impressive sights from the train is the long arrival into New Orleans starting from the Huey Long bridge. You are really elevated going across the bridge and the view is incredible. I have not been to New Orleans since Katrina and a lot of the area is still in pretty bad shape. I was talking with a woman who was directly affected by Katrina. She lost her home, her car and most everything she owns and she has relocated to Houston. She was coming back for a visit. You hear so many horror stories from that hurricane, but when you meet someone that was directly involved, it really hits home.
I was leaving on the Crescent to New York the following morning, Wednesday. Since we got in at 6:30PM Tuesday and I didn t have a hotel reserved I checked my luggage with the agent and walked to Bourbon Street which was alive and well. There werent as many people as in the pre Katrina days,but it was still a nice way to spend a few hours. I arrived back at the station at 11pm prepared to spend the night waiting for the Crescents departure at 7:20. After 11 the doors are closed until 5AM and the police check and make sure you have a ticket. I wish the Magnolia room was open all night. They did open at 6AM,but it would have been nice, being I had sleepers the entire way to spend the overnight in those big comfortable chairs instead of the bus terminal chairs in the main room.
On time departure from New Orleans on the way to New York. I usually don t get sleepers on the Viewliners, but the money was right. I still can t get used to having a commode right in your room! Rough track through Mississippi into Birmingham, and we were pretty much on time most of the way with an early arrival into NYP at 2PM the next day.
A few observations: Simplified dining service is not bad, but I do miss the steaks and the fresh eggs in the morning, and the pie alamode. Of course every train has standardized menus. The lamb and the catfish were quite good. If you were in coach you would be paying a lot of money for the dinner items..the beef ragout for example while good is certainly not worth $19.
The Sunset and the Crescent were not overly crowded, and I can t understand why the dining car attendent insists on putting four people at one table when all the other tables are empty. I asked her about it and she replied it was one less tablecloth to wash. Really...with four large people sharing a table, it does get a bit uncomfortable, not to mention sitting next to a stranger at that close range. Sitting two strangers at a table is fine, but four when all the space is available? Also the diner did not fill up at all the entire time we were having our meal.
There were so many empty sleepers on the Sunset. The coaches were pretty full though. Would nt it make sense to fill those sleepers with a no frills deal..just the roomette and the access to the coffee and juice without the meals included. I m sure many people in coach would jump at the chance for a bed they didn t think they could afford..say for 50 to 60 dollars per night, and as I mentioned no meals included for that price.
I spent seven full days on the train and I was sorry to get off in New York yesterday. I already booked the Empire Builder to Seattle for January. if only for that full service that no longer exists on the other trains. Even the Coast Starlight, once Amtraks premier train will be losing the Pacific Parlour cars in the months ahead. Too bad. I love traveling by train and have been doing it for many years but there has been a downgrading of service over the years. Unfortuneatly the price has stayed the same or gone up.
Interesting, the Empire Builder is the jewel of the Amtrak trains and the price of a roomette is the lowest of the four cross country trains. I wanted to book that before that too is downgraded in service.
As always a great adventure. No matter how many times I do these trips I never tire of them, and the sight of my train arriving at the station and getting into my sleeper or coach seat is still a thrill and I hope it continues to be for years to come.
posted
Thanks for the great trip report. I was recently on the SL too and reported on it in another strand. My train was much later in San Antonio, although I did then catch a Texas Eagle that was only 1/2 hour late into Chicago and a Lakeshore Ltd that was 1/2 hour late into Albany.
I have a question for you or others who know the route: On the westward bound SL out of New Orleans, is it just as interesting and scenic crossing the Huey Long Bridge? And what is the approach into New Orleans on the Crescent like?
Thanks very much.
Posts: 2642 | From: upstate New York | Registered: Mar 2004
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posted
Yes, you do get a great view crossing the Huey P. Long bridge in New Orleans, and you're up in the air for quite some time. According to my 1938 Official Guide (on CD), it's 5 miles from East Bridge Jct. to West Bridge Junction.
The Crescent, leaving New Orleans, crosses an arm of Lake Pontchartrain over about a 6-7 mile long causeway. The bridge is no wider than it has to be; there's no walkways or guard rails visible; the only thing you see out the windows is water. It's a little eerie.
Note: It's been at least twenty years since I went through New Orleans on Amtrak; I wouldn't be surprised to find that things have changed from the way I remember them. My favorite approach to New Orleans, though, was always on the City of New Orleans--you come in by the airport and then through old neighborhoods and past the above-ground cemeteries. A great end to the trip.
-------------------- --------Eric H. Bowen
Stop by my website: Streamliner Schedules - Historic timetables of the great trains of the past! Posts: 413 | From: Houston, Texas | Registered: Mar 2006
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quote:Originally posted by ehbowen: Yes, you do get a great view crossing the Huey P. Long bridge in New Orleans, and you're up in the air for quite some time. According to my 1938 Official Guide (on CD), it's 5 miles from East Bridge Jct. to West Bridge Junction.
In 2001 I was in suburban New Orleans one July day. I went out for an early supper with several other drivers for the youth group I was working with at a restaurant that was located under the approach to the Huey P. Long bridge. The main bridge was not even in sight and it was kind of strange hearing freight trains pass 30 feet over our heads......we could not see them BUT we could see their shadows on the ground outside our window......throughout the meal.
-------------------- David Pressley
Advocating for passenger trains since 1973!
Climbing toward 5,000 posts like the Southwest Chief ascending Raton Pass. Cautiously, not nearly as fast as in the old days, and hoping to avoid premature reroutes. Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
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quote:Originally posted by ehbowen: My favorite approach to New Orleans, though, was always on the City of New Orleans--you come in by the airport and then through old neighborhoods and past the above-ground cemeteries. A great end to the trip.
That is supposed to be the longest continuous railway curve in the US, just over 9 miles long with the curve varying from 8 to 12 minutes.
Geoff M.
-------------------- Geoff M. Posts: 2426 | From: Apple Valley, CA | Registered: Sep 2000
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posted
Wow, these all sound good. But I didn't make my question clear, I think: Is it just as exciting in whichever direction you are going, or is it better to be going INTO New Orleans to best view the bridgework?
Posts: 2642 | From: upstate New York | Registered: Mar 2004
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posted
Sojourner - I'd say leaving N.O. westbound you'd get a better view from the bridge, since it is DAYLIGHT then -- coming into N.O. from the west, it is usually dark, since the SL is often several hours late getting in to NOL.
Posts: 2428 | From: Grayling, MI | Registered: Mar 2002
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posted
Sojourner, the trip to New Orleans on the Crescent crosses Lake Ponchertrain(sp) and its quite a crossing. Train gets in about 7:30PM so the best chance to see it in daylight is during the spring and summer. It's quite a crossing. Either way you get to New Orleans by the Sunset or the Crescent you get incredible views. The ride West into New Orleans on the Sunset is very nice too, but of course there is no service East of New Orleans these days.
The best view is upon departure on #1 from NOL. You leave just before noon, and the train isn't too full, so you can get some good views from either side.
Posts: 286 | From: Knee deep in the retention tank | Registered: Jan 2006
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posted
Thanks. If I can swing it, timewise and moneywise, I am thinking of adding a trip down to New Orleans, over to San Antonio, and back up on the Texas Eagle to that Springfield/Indianapolis/Cardinal trip I'm planning for March or April (before the trees leaf in). I can either
(a) take the Empire service to NYC and catch the Crescent to NO (which I've ridden on before but only as far as Atlanta)--a fairly reliable train
or
(b) take the Lakeshore Ltd from Albany to Chicago (I don't really like taking the LSL westbound) and catch the City of New Orleans (on which I've never ridden) to New Orleans.
I would then stay 2 nights in New Orleans and catch the Sunset Ltd west to San Antonio, stay 2 or 3 nights (depending on the Sunset Ltd schedule that got me there) (and hopefully also see Austin if it's 3 nights), then catch the Texas Eagle back north to Springfield, stay 2 nights, then catch the local Illinois train/bus combo via Burlington/Normal to Indianapolis, stay 2 or 3 nights, then go into Chicago (on a Saturday morning perhaps on the Cardinal, more likely on an early bus) and later in the day catch the Cardinal eastbound to Charlottesville, overnight there, and take the Crescent or a bus/Regional combo to NYP and an Empire service train home.
This is a MUCH longer and costlier trip than I originally planned, esp with the hotels in NO and San Antonio, and I'm not sure I can afford it. But my main question is, Is it worth risking the dangers of a missed Chicago connection to take the City of New Orleans, which I've always heard is nicest southbound? Remember, my MAIN goal on this trip is still to take the Cardinal eastbound, which I consider more endangered. . . .
As for missing the Crescent into NO--I think it more likely I might do that another time, as I will be visiting my friends in Atlanta again. OTOH, I guess I could do the City of NO another time too . . .
What do you all think?
Posts: 2642 | From: upstate New York | Registered: Mar 2004
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posted
Good morning, Sojourner!! The City of New Orleans option sounds good, especially if you've never been on that train. The scenery upon departure from Chicago is mainly, well, uh -- DARK (depending on what time of year you travel), but south of Memphis in the AM, the train passes through the "Mississippi Delta" cotton farm country, which is unique and fairly scenic in its own way. Just remember the songs "Mississippi Cotton Pickin' Delta Blues" by Charley Pride and "Ode to Billy Joe" as you pass through the area (BTW, you pass right through ol' Charley's home town of Sledge, MS on the CONO route, and you also cross Billy Joe's Tallahatchee River a couple times!)
Posts: 2428 | From: Grayling, MI | Registered: Mar 2002
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quote:Originally posted by graynt: I checked my luggage with the agent and walked to Bourbon Street which was alive and well. There werent as many people as in the pre Katrina days,but it was still a nice way to spend a few hours. I arrived back at the station at 11pm prepared to spend the night waiting for the Crescents departure at 7:20.
Thanks for the report.
A few days from now, I'll be taking the Crescent from NYP to New Orleans. I plan to stay at a downtown hotel a few blocks from the station -- at St. Charles and Poydras.
In most cities, I wouldn't hesitate to walk such a relatively short distance. But since New Orleans is now post-hurricane, and my train will arrive just as it's getting dark outside (if not later), I'm curious to know what your impression was of Loyola Avenue (the wide street just outside the station) and the surrounding neighborhood after dark. Did it seem reasonably well-populated at 7-8PM?
Although I pride myself on my urban street smarts, and would normally find it silly to take a taxi for only four or five blocks, I don't want to get halfway to my destination on foot and suddenly realize. . . uh-oh. . . that it would have been far smarter and safer to splurge on a taxi.
posted
Hi Dilly. Canal and Loyola Streets are still heavily populated. I walked down to Bourbon and the French Quarter about 7 when it was still light out. I did plan taking a taxi back to the train station when I left the area by 11, but I braved it and being I knew where I was going I hoofed it back. There were fewer people on the street at 11, but I felt pretty safe. Just to get into cab in New Orleans is $11..Of course to save $15 to risk being mugged on my walk is kind of silly, but I had no problem with my walk back to the train station. I just wish the Magnolia Room was open all night. It would have been nice to spend the overnight hours there waiting for the Crescent.
I did not book a hotel for the night because I anticipated a very late arrival into New Orleans on the Sunset. We got in at 6:30 only two and a half hours late, and I really didn t feel like spending $100 just to get a few hours sleep, being I had a sleeper reserved on the Crescent the next morning.
A few days from now, I'll be taking the Crescent from NYP to New Orleans. I plan to stay at a downtown hotel a few blocks from the station -- at St. Charles and Poydras.
In most cities, I wouldn't hesitate to walk such a relatively short distance. But since New Orleans is now post-hurricane, and my train will arrive just as it's getting dark outside (if not later), I'm curious to know what your impression was of Loyola Avenue (the wide street just outside the station) and the surrounding neighborhood after dark. Did it seem reasonably well-populated at 7-8PM?
Although I pride myself on my urban street smarts, and would normally find it silly to take a taxi for only four or five blocks, I don't want to get halfway to my destination on foot and suddenly realize. . . uh-oh. . . that it would have been far smarter and safer to splurge on a taxi. [/QB]
From most accounts I have seen, the crime problem in New Orleans may be worse now than pre-Katrina. Governor Blanco sent national guard troops and state police in to assist the NOPD after a particularly violent weekend. IMHO, taking a taxi to your hotel would be very wise, especially considering your arrival time.
Posts: 73 | Registered: Aug 2006
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