I'm looking for any advice. Our plans have begun to center around a long Amtrak trip for Christmas of this year - probably 10-12 days. We are mom, dad, soon to be 13 year old daughter. We've never been anywhere up East as we live in sunny Florida.
Right now, our plans are to begin on the Crescent in New Orleans and go to DC (two roommettes). We'll spend a couple days in DC, followed by a few days in NYC (taking regional service from DC to NYC).
To get back to New Orleans, we plan to go through Chicago. It's one of our favorite cities and it puts our last leg on our favorite train - the CNO. We love that train and take it whenever we can but have never taken the full length.
BTW, New Orleans is the point of origin due to family being there - especially two little nieces!
The big question is what to do after NYC and before Chicago. We've thought about getting to Philadelphia and renting a car in Philly and doing a couple of days in Hershey and Lancaster. We've considered going further east first and then west. We've also thought about maybe taking the Lakeshore Limited. Niagra Falls is also on our mind. Vermont? We have no clue.
Any ideas? Is there a scenic train (the Airondack for example)? A way to insure seeing snow in late December?
Thanks for any opinions. We're having a blast planning this trip.
Posts: 9 | Registered: Feb 2005
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Christmas is a busy time for Amtrak; it is not too soon to make reservations. I would get my plan together as soon as possible. You can always easily cancel reservations later IF you make them online and don't take delivery of the tickets. Also I would make the reservations in separate segments as much as possible; Amtrak will not make any alteration in a reservation - you have to cancel the WHOLE thing and start over with the current availability and undoubtedly higher pricing. I hope this makes sense.
Posts: 326 | From: San Antonio Texas USA | Registered: Dec 2003
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The weather in the northeast is pretty "iffy" in Dec. It could be great for traveling or you could get stuck somewhere by bad weather. How about spring vacation? Then you could go to Philly first. there you can see the liberty bell , independence hall and walk the narrow streets. Drive to Lancaster and see the Pa. Dutch country..great food and fun shopping.Also the Strassburg Train ride. These things are fun for a 12 yr.old as well as adults. Maybe someone on the forum who lives "up north" could give you bettter ideas from their experience.
Posts: 1577 | From: virginia | Registered: Jun 2005
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I appreciate the advice. We're in the process of booking certain segments and we always book piece-wise. I should add we're super experienced travelers. We spend about 35-40 days a year on the road - somewhere. Our Amtrak experience is more limited than many here but we have a little. I've been taking it since I was a teen and our daughter's very first trip was at four weeks old on the CNO from Memphis to New Orleans to meet her grandparents for the first time. Since then, we've taken Amtrak whenever we can. It's harder now and we're in the area of Florida the Sunset served but we still make it to New Orleans for a trip when we can.
As to why Christmas, it's the nature of our profession. We are college professor types and our longest break is winter break. It's a little more limited with the kid in middle school but we still have over two weeks to work with. We actually played around with a Sunset/Zephry/CNO round trip but the 13 year old's dream is NYC at Christmas. Our usual choice is Disney for Christmas. My sister and I lost both our parents in the last few years and as a result choose to not to do a big family thing on Christmas Day. My husband, daughter, and I take a vacation somewhere and then meet up with my sister and her crew for New Year's Eve.
Anyway, thanks for the advice.
Posts: 9 | Registered: Feb 2005
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M B,it occurred to me there are several other possibilities which may or may not appeal. 1. Go directly to N Y, from there to Philly ,DC ( the Capitol to CHI). Then CNO to Memphis for x number of day . Then back to NO. or2.D.C. to NY either to Philly or directly to Chic and then to Memphis.Finally to NO You may have spnt time in Memphis before so this wouldn't be a first choice but I thought(not knowing where you have been ) this might be worth mentioning
Posts: 1577 | From: virginia | Registered: Jun 2005
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I once planned a trip from NYC on the Mapleleaf to Toronto (via Niagra Falls). Then take VIA to Sarnia, overnight in Port Huron MI then Blue Water to Chicago. I'm sure it would be quite snowy and beautiful and c-o-l-d. It seemed quite doable to me, in springtime, anyway. I never got to do it though because of obdurateness of the Canadian immigration authorities over a youthful transgression 30+ yrs ago.
Posts: 326 | From: San Antonio Texas USA | Registered: Dec 2003
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Sounds like your priorities are to be in NYC around Christmas and see some snow.
You might consider the CONO northbound as it is less crowded at the south end than the Chicago departure. An important consideration given the limited capacity apparently of the new 'Cross Country Cafe' diner - others who have ridden since this 'innovation' can comment.
This also gives you all day to enjoy Chicago, then clearly the Lake Shore Limited is the best choice. If you don't see snow as the train passes the snow belt from lake effect snow around Buffalo, then mother nature is in trouble.
You might get off in Albany to avoid a late evening arrival in NYC and give you a chance to rent a car and check out the Adirondacks in the winter - more snow and Lake Saranac is somewhat of a time warp but I suspect a real snow storm could cause problems.
Certainly New York in winter requires a visit to Rockefeller Center for the Christmas tree and ice skating as well as the Radio City Music Hall for their Christmas show.
If you want a side trip from NYC, I would suggest a quick trip to Wilmington, DE (I believe car rental is available at the station). Then enjoy some of the Chester county attractions such as the Winterthur Musum (west of Wilmington on route 52), Brandywine River Museum in Chadds Ford, PA - on US 1 (if you enjoy the Wyeth family art), Longwood Gardens also on US1, then head out to Lancaster as Train Lady suggests. The above attractions are mostly inside so will be enjoyable even if the weather is nasty. If you get a one way rental you should be able to leave your car in Lancaster and take the improved Amtrak Keystone service back to NYC and not have to retrace your steps.
Then you'll be all set for a leisurely ride on the Crescent as the train meanders through the south - and the weather warms up before the evening arrival back in New Orleans.
Posts: 2397 | From: Camden, SC | Registered: Mar 2006
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The Adirondack is probably the prettiest train east of the Mississippi. I've never taken it in winter, but I'm told it's especially gorgeous. You run from NYC to Albany with the lovely Hudson River on your left (LSL does this too), cross the river after leaving Albany station (the station is actually in Rensselaer; there is a nice view of downtown Albany and the old D&H building as you cross); then after Schenectady and crossing the Mohawk, instead of heading west you continue north through Saratoga and Fort Edward, around where the ride gets super-gorgeous, with the Upper Hudson/canal into Lake Champlain now all on the right and the views of the Vermont mountains across the water--you want to sit on this right side of the train if it's crowded; you can see the lower Hudson on your way back down. It's a long but a fairly inexpensive day trip, so you can cancel last minute and get your money back from Amtrak (book the trip separately, you can arrive early at NYP and pick up your tickets from the machine) if the weather is really bad. You'd need to overnight at least one night in Montreal, but I'd recommend two so you can relax and see something of the city--there's a nice little archaeology museum in the attractive Old Port (the old French) area, and if it's too cold for you, there are the shops etc of an Underground City (Canadians know how to "do" winter), among other things. Food is fantastic; be sure to get take out from Premiere Moisson in the train station (gare) for the trip back down--don't go on a Sunday, PM is closed! (Note the train is always letting getting in, figure at least an hour late, and the border crossing time varies; don't forget passport! Also note: Fridays and Sundays most NE corridor trains invariably cost more, starting out at higher prices!) Make sure you book your hotel in a way you can cancel without a night's fee if the weather is super bad too. The (Fairmont) Queen Elizabeth Hotel is right upstairs from the Montreal "gare"; you can even use their porters! It might be very pricey right at Christmas but probably not too bad in winter otherwise; try joining the Fairmont President's Club and seeing if you can do a winter special (but watch out for specials where you can't cancel cheaply). Since the train is invariably late, and it will be winter, it might be the best place to stay.
If you REALLY want to see winter and have time, you could also do a round trip on Canada's VIA Rail to Quebec City--they even have an ice palace up there, I believe. At the very least, you'd need to overnight in Montreal, leave first thing next morning for Quebec (it's only about a 3-hr trip), overnight there (I think you'd want 2 nights there to really see anything; but it's gorgeous!), then return to Monteal for another night, and then head back down. For best winter mobility in Quebec, stay in the upper city, not down near the train staiton; Fairmont's hotel here, Chateau Frontenac, should be wonderful if you can get a good price. (Both Q Elizabeth and Chateau Frontenac are the old Canadian RR hotels.)
If you do this and come back down on the Adirondack, you'd need to split up your NYC reservations too, with another night in NYC before leaving next day for Chicago (or a night in Albany NYC if you prefer, you have to take taxi from station to downtown Albany's Hampton Inn, or try to the Crown Palace, which has a free shuttle but hotel costs more and no breakfast; both are cheaper weekends; since you'd be getting in fairly late you'd just have dinner in Albany but the next day you could visit state capitol, which I think is closed Sunday btw; or state museum; both free, but you'd probably have to take a taxi, as hill is steep, and I am not sure you'd want to be in Albany on a really icy day). In fact, I like Train Lady's suggestion of going to NYC first, doing this Adirondack trip (or Philly or even Wilmington, see more on those below), and THEN heading for DC afterward, from where you catch the Capital Ltd to Chicago--esp since, it you take the Adirondack, you would have seen the nicest part of the Lake Shore Ltd anyway (it's the 2-1/2 hours or so between NYC and Albany). Also, I believe there is a way of getting back down from Montreal with a bus to Vermont and then taking the Vermonter, which goes to NYC and then continues on to DC--it's a nice train (and business class on it is a pretty good one, compared to most in the NE corridor, btw), but I'm not sure how that connection works any more or whether it's a good idea in winter, esp since you will be missing something of the Adirondack because of the early winter dark (very very early up there, much earlier than FL anyway because FL is so far west in the time zone) but would be able to see it if you take the Adirondack south . . . the crossing St Lawrence at the very end is pretty impressive.
Also, if you go to NYC first and then not the Adirondack but instead to Philly (either Lancaster Co or, if you think twice about winter driving, just stay in Philly, plenty to see there! and it will be cheaper than many other cities), you could take NJ Transit and SEPTA from NYP to Philly, not as nice as Amtrak but a heck of a lot cheaper, and it will take you beyond 30th St Sta in Philly, further downtown, more conveniently, if you like (although 30th St would be better if you are getting a taxi with luggage). You buy through tickets (even at last minute, price is the same, though there are peak and off peak times, it's pretty cheap) at NJ Transit section of NY Penn Sta, although you change trains (just across tracks) from NJ Transit to SEPTA in Trenton.
Note that if you go to Lancaster Co/Amish country, however, you would likely want to take Amtrak from NYC to Lancaster, PA--you don't need to go to Philadelphia, though your train will go through there with perhaps a 15-minute layover (so you could rush up and see the Witness statue in 30th St Station maybe) . . . I don't know about hotels/motels or car rentals in Lancaster, but I imagine they would be cheaper than in larger cities (although watch out for cars from car rentals being difficult to pick up on weekends/holidays). I do know there is a very good restaurant in Lancaster called the Stockyard. As for driving to Amish country, that is mainly in Intercourse (many jokes) and Stratford. I am not sure what would be open at what hours this time of year; or if you'd want to drive if it is snowy (snow is best scene from a train window, not driving through it, esp if you are not used to it!). I myself would be more inclined to stay in Philadelphia and see Independence Hall, Constitution Hall, the many other old buildings in that area, the art museum and boathouses behind it, perhaps the Franklin Institute or the excellent archaeology museum at U Penn etc, Reading Market . . . .
Another option I'm surprised no one mentioned yet is that you visit Boston. Hotels can be high here but maybe not too bad in winter if it's not right at Christmas, and others perhaps can give you a suggestion on some good-value ones. Anyway, for this, you'd go to DC first, then NYC, then another Regional to Boston (maybe splurge on ACELA, cheaper BTW on Saturdays; be sure to sit on right side facing forward for the views after New Haven, though the left is nice just leaving NYC), and then take the Lake Shore Ltd from Boston straight to Chicago! The shuttle train from Boston to Albany is slow but can be quite pretty--crossing the Berkshires on a route partly designed by Whistler's father, as people here told me all about it--just hope for no bustitution! Consider booking business class for this shuttle portion of the LSL (you don't automatically get it if you are picking up a sleeper in Albany); it's nicer IMO. . . .
Or if Boston hotels were too pricey, you might consider leaving NYC early for Providence RI, spend a night there in a downtown hotel where you possibly could find a better deal, and then head into Boston South Station early the next morning, leaving luggage in the ACELA lounge, going for a little walkabout to Quincy Market/Faneuil Hall/Old Statehouse area and maybe the current statehouse on the Commons, getting back to Boston South in time to catch your LSL shuttle at noon. Providence has the RI statehouse (free), the lovely old colonial homes on College Hill (steep but nice; could be bad in ice), a little national park thingie to Roger Williams, a Little Italy with a great pasty shop, and a river walk but that is more of a summer thing.
If you want to go somewhere closer to NYC, and like small towns and colonial history, you might consider Rhinebeck NY (Amtrak station is Kingston-Rhinecliff, 2 miles from Rhinebeck; there is a 24 hour taxi you can phone to arrange for a pickup). If you stay right in the village of Rhinebeck at the Beekman Arms, which says it is the oldest hotel in America, you won't need a car (you might be better to stay in one of the buildings on their Delamater property, probably nicer rooms than the old inn, though the inn has a great old bar you'll want to see). Without a car, one night should be enough here: The village has nice Christmas lights, many shops and old homes, lots of restaurants (Culinary Inst of America not far away), many quite pricey but not all. If you stay longer, you'd want to rent a car (and could visit FDR home & Vanderbilt mansion, national sites in Hyde Park, 20-30 minutes south on Route 9); check with the hotel about that. Note that Rhinecliff station has quite a bit of commuter traffic, but for people with luggage there is an elevator. It's located on a very nice spot on the Hudson (you can see the Kingston lighthouse, for example, and the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge); and going to Rhinecliff from NY Penn, you'd get a nice Hudson River viewing (it's about l hr 40 minutes to NYC; sit left side going north, right side going south; also try to catch trains southbound that start in Albany NY and they would be more likely to be on time). You could even catch an early morning train back to NYC and change for the Regional to DC, going to DC after NYC and taking the Cap Ltd to Chicago. Or, if you don't want to do that but want to do the Lakeshore Ltd, instead you could actually catch the LSL without going back to NYPenn; although the north/westbound LSL doesn't stop at Rhinecliff station for some odd reason (it goes right through it), Amtrak would put you on another train from Rhinecliff to Albany and then you would pick up the LSL there.
Posts: 2642 | From: upstate New York | Registered: Mar 2004
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Thanks for the all the help - really. These are invaluable tips and I appreciate the time people took to write them.
Posts: 9 | Registered: Feb 2005
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MB--I revised mine with more additions so you may want to reread. . . . sorry not to do it all at once, lots of holiday stuff. . . .
Posts: 2642 | From: upstate New York | Registered: Mar 2004
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Here's another possibility centered around going into the Albany, NY area -
Rent a car and drive over to Williams, MA. There is a small college there (always attractive to professor types) and that small New England town feeling. Nearby is skiing, a corner of Vermont, and the highest peak in the Berkshire Mountains.
My wife and I visited Williams (via the Amtrak station in Albany) for a family reunion in March five years ago and we saw snow. Lot's of it. Might be a greater chance of snow than in Pennsylvania.
-------------------- 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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Oh, I meant to say, if you take the Lakeshore Ltd to Chicago, you are quite likely to see snow. Lake-effect snow comes early in western NY!
Posts: 2642 | From: upstate New York | Registered: Mar 2004
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Home of the small, yet highly respected Liberal Arts, Williams College.
Located on the Boston & Maine RR; route of the "Flying Yankee".
Posts: 9976 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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You are correct sir.....I was typing in haste. Near the famous Hoosac Tunnel as well. We saw LOTS of snow and even took a drive up to Vermont (about 6 miles away) because we are rarely in the neighborhood!
-------------------- 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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