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Am I being too ambitious?
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[QUOTE]Originally posted by MetSox: [QB] Your itinerary is quite similar to the trips I take. The ratio of overnight stays to train trips should be fine. I wouldn't worry about the time zones. When you travel by train, it's one time change per day and personally, I barely notice. I don't think I've heard anyone complain of "train lag". What concerns me is the same-day connection from the Empire Builder to the Coast Starlight, which would have to be made in Portland. The current Amtrak schedule allows 4:15 between trains. Normally, this should be plenty of time but with Amtrak, you never know. For a trip like this, a missed connection could be catostrophic. You may want to consider staying overnight in either Seattle or Portland. Another alternative would be to take the California Zephyr instead of the Builder and stay overnight in Emeryville/Oakland/San Francisco. The CZ is the most scenic train ride in America and would allow you to keep from adding another day to your itinerary. On the other hand, the EB is generally more reliable than the CZ and a late arrival could wipe out any time for sightseeing in the Bay Area. Amtrak also has a Thruway bus connection from Salinas to Monterey and Carmel. It makes 5 stops in Monterey taking 35-55 minutes. In LA, I would recommend the Days Inn/Metro Plaza (I'm not sure what they're calling it this week, I've heard it called both but it was the Metro Plaza when I stayed there in 97). It's just a few minutes walk from Union Station, opposite Olivera St. and on the edge of Chinatown. For a visiting railfan, It's the ideal place to stay, especially if you want to do LA "car free". When I stayed there, they let me check in at 8am after the SW Chief arrived early. I also think it's wise that you're staying overnight in Chicago both ways. My rule of thumb for cross country travel is that a same day connection in Chicago is OK westbound but always stay overnight eastbound. If you've never been to the US before, this trip sounds like an ideal way to see a very significant portion of the country with out the aggravation of air travel. It is very close to what I would recommend to any overseas visitor. Hope you have a great time. P.S. Don't be afraid to ride the subways! [/QB][/QUOTE]
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