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What is the Blue Water ride like? Is it all urban? Having never been in MI, I'm thinking the Blue Water in daylight is preferable to the Pere Marquette by night. However it will necessitate overnight in Port Huron and rising for a 5:15am departure. Where is the border crossing point from Sarnia to PH? Is there only the one bridge over the St. Claire River? For that matter, what's the scenery like from Toronto down to Sarnia or Windsor? Is this worth the trouble or should I just take the ferry over to Rochester and the Lakeshore Ltd to CHI? All comments appreciated.
Posts: 326 | From: San Antonio Texas USA | Registered: Dec 2003
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The Blue Water from Chicago to Port Huron is NOT all urban. Once you leave the Chicago-northern Indiana steel mill area, the route is mostly rural. Nothing spectacular, but an enjoyable ride. Small towns and a couple larger cities such as Kalamazoo and Lansing, where the train route passes college campuses such as Western Michigan and Michigan State.
Then old Blue Water took the tunnel between Port Huron and Sarnia.
Scenery Sarnia to Toronto is much like the scenery in Michigan -- mostly rural with a few small towns, and larger cities such as London and Guelph.
Posts: 2428 | From: Grayling, MI | Registered: Mar 2002
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As I posted just recently elsewhere, if you are travelling from Toronto to Chicago probably the most reliable way is Toronto To Niagara Falls Ont. taxi to Buffalo and the overnight Lake Shore to Chicago. As for the Rochester ferry, now that it is back in service it appears to be running reliably and on-time. I can see it from my 32nd floor apartment in downtown Toronto and it is almost always on time and I have yet to see it cancelled for any reason. The down side is that until the 6th of Sept there is one crossing departing Toronto daily except tues at 1130 am, and a daily crossing departing Toronto at 7:00 pm. The morning crossing means a long wait in Rochester for the Lake Shore's 10:45 pm departure, and the evening crossing makes for a too tight connection. It takes about 2 1/2 hours to cross Lake Ontario. From Sept the 6th, the ferry will operate with reduced frequency.
Posts: 524 | From: Toronto Ont. Canada | Registered: Mar 2001
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How far is the Rochester train station from downtown? There is a famous Victorian doll museum I would see if I had a long wait in Rochester, but I don't know the logistics of getting to it.
The Lakeshore Ltd has been running quite late lately; it even got in to Chicago too late to make the CA Zephyr connection once or twice. However, I think the last few days have been better.
Posts: 2642 | From: upstate New York | Registered: Mar 2004
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The Rochester Amtrak station appears to be right downtown, Sojourner. But I know it is hard to get a good sense from a yahoo map if you've never been there which I haven't. The ferry terminal, on the other hand, is on the lakefront several miles away. Royaltrain, do you really think it is out of the question to try that 7pm ferry connection, arriving Rochester at about 9:30? Lakeshore #49 arriving 10:45pm, if it's on time. The CAT ferry sure sounds like a fun adventure espcially since I'm planning to go through Niagra Falls (stopping for a night) on the way up to Toronto from NYC.
Posts: 326 | From: San Antonio Texas USA | Registered: Dec 2003
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To answer City of Miami, no it is not out of the question to try connecting with the evening arrival in Rochester. But any little delay could mean you miss the Lake Shore (of course if it is very late that increases the possibility of making the connection). I just observed the ferry's on-time departure from Toronto and most likely it will arrive at about 9:30 pm in Rochester. Having been on the ferry just last month, I can assure you that it takes about another half hour to disembark and go through U.S. customs and immigration, by now it is 10:00 pm and assuming there is a taxi waiting for you it is possible you could depart for the Amtrak station, which is in downtown Rochester, and arrive for the Lake Shore's theoretical 10:45 pm departure for Chicago. You will need lot's of good luck.
Posts: 524 | From: Toronto Ont. Canada | Registered: Mar 2001
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Why not just overnight in Rochester? It's supposed to be a nice town, and I know the Days Inn downtown is well located and not too expensive.
Things in Rochester (as you can see, I am planning a trip one of these days): Brown's Race Historical District (walking tour including the falls and gorge) Corn Hill (more walking) East Av (more walking--mansions etc) George Eastman House/International Museum of Photography Eastman School of Music (frequent free performances) Eastman Theater (said to be gorgeous but not always open) Erie Canal towpath Memorial Art Gallery at U of Rochester Mt Hope Cemetery (see graves of Susan B Anthony and Frederick Dougalss) Ontario Beach Park (this may be near ferry) Park Av (another historic neighborhood to walk in; cafes etc) Rochester Museum of Science & Planetarium Strong Museum (this is the big one here, and includes the Victorian dolls) Susan B Anthony House
Posts: 2642 | From: upstate New York | Registered: Mar 2004
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