posted
Please tell me what you think. Also I'll put the trip report on maybe tomorrow
Watching the scenery on the way to your destination. More then you would have ever seen if you flew. So much to see on Amtrak. One of the many things to see on Amtrak is the dinning car. I thought the diner was really nice. The food came very fast, and the food was right. The steak was very nicely done, and cooked to order. The waiter Reginald Haynes also made sure our drinks were full at all time. “I think it is one of the better things about rail travel. You can meet other people and it is like stepping back in time,” Reginald Haynes, 60 service/train attendant, said. The dinning car it self was really nicely put together. The roof had little lights to make it look like a starry night. Also if you are less then three people they will sit you with someone else, to influence conversation. So I will rate the dinning car 10 out of 10 stars.
The sleeping cars are very roomy. You have enough room to stretch out, and sleep in a bed. It is also well lit, I had a choice of which lights I wanted to use. The sleepers they use south of Washington have two levels of windows, which bring a decent amount of light into the car. I also found for longer trips for people, there is a shower in the sleepers, as sometimes when you travel you do stink. Another plus about the sleeper is that you have a private bathroom. In coach you share the bathroom with who ever walks by. What I didn’t like about the sleeper, was that when ever the train came to a crossing you could hear the horn. I also found one attendant that we had not very friendly. But on the way back the new attendant was as nice as he could be. So I rate this 8.5
“[In Coach I found it very] comfortable, spacious, and it had really nice temperatures,” Meg Martin of Southern Pines NC said. The coach I found to be very full this last trip. I was surprised how organized it was, as people get on and off it as the train goes a long. I also found the windows in some cars very clean, and in others not as clean. I also found it interesting how quiet it was, as there is 52 people per car. “In coach people always say they can’t sleep [sitting up], but when I walk by there seat later, I see them snoring, with their mouth open,” Haynes said. I would also say that coach is the best value, “It is cheaper then many planes going one way,” Martian said. You get a reclining seat, a window, and they don’t nickel and dime you like the airlines do. “Amtrak uses a red white and blue standard for the fares. Red being the most expensive and blue being the base fare,” Haynes said. I would rate the coach 7, because, the bathrooms needed a little work, and that having a seat partner is not for everyone.
Most of the crew was really nice. The sleeping car attendant Phred(fred with a ph) was very attentive, and also very funny. As coach passengers were boarding in DC, and they would ask if this is where they would board, he would say, “You follow that yellow brick road all the way to the next door.” The other sleeping car attendant Paul was also super funny. He made sure all of his passengers were well taken care of, and helped me find a place to put my bags. Most guys wouldn’t help out passengers that weren’t theirs but he did. Now going up, our attendant Kirk, I found him very rude. He really didn’t want us to board the train, and my sister who was also riding and visiting me in my room boarded, he made her go back and get her seat in coach, even if she was visiting with me only for a few minutes. Then the dinning car crew, was amazing. The supervisor Edgardo was helping the passengers by recommending dishes that he thought were the best. He also helped out the lone waiter Reginald. Reginald was a smiling face that was willing to talk to a person, and was very friendly, and he kept good care of us. The cook Marry was fabulous. When you think she was cooking for the whole train, and it was just her. All of her food was right the first time, and it tasted good. Then south of Rocky Mount NC, the Auto Train (Amtrak) broke down. So we stopped to give them one of our three locomotives. To do that, they had to cut the power from the cars. While we were sitting there in the dark the conductor, was no where to be seen. Reginald from the dinning car went to coach to make sure everyone was alright in coach. I was surprised about that as most people don’t think about others. Paul opened some of the windows in the vestibules so people could get fresh air. Edgardo let any passengers into the dinning car, as it was very cool. He also gave out little glow sticks so we could see. He did it very professionally. They also gave us free drinks that were still fairly cold while we were sitting in the little light, from the emergency lights. Then the locomotives recouping to the train came in a little to fast, and Paul said, “are they trying to kill the people in the sleepers,” to keep the mood light. After the lights came back on after about an hour in the dark the conductor came back on board the train. He looked like he had been laying in the ditch. I will give the staff an 8, as the conductor should have kept us in the know.
When you go be prepared for the ride. “[Make sure] that you bring blankets, pillows, and you need to be good with people. If you are in a hurry don’t take the train,” Haynes said.
I would say the train has a lot of value to it. You can eat, sleep, and ride in the same area. If you are going to New York, if you leave out of Charlotte, you can sleep on the way up, eat in the morning, and you are there before noon. Probably the same time you would get there if you flew, with security and the airport being an hour out of town, and Penn Station is downtown.
Overall 8.5. I would recommend that you try this. For reservations go to Amtrak.com or call 1-800-usa-rail.
Posts: 465 | From: elgin (s-line) | Registered: Dec 2008
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posted
I thought it both informative and well put although I'm not sure of the word "stink" but perhaps that's my Anglo-Saxon sensitivities showing! However, may I suggest that if you are going to make a comparison with travelling by aeroplane that you need also to show what the relative costs are.
(aside) is "dinning" an American term?
Posts: 211 | From: Norfolk England | Registered: Sep 2007
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posted
Dinning should be spelled dining. It would probably not show up on spell check because it is a word: (1 : to assail with loud continued noise 2 : to impress by insistent repetition). Easy mistake to make though.
Posts: 1572 | From: St. Paul, MN | Registered: Dec 2002
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posted
Amtrak 92, the effort you put into this is commendable and it gives the casual traveler a taste of some of the pleasures and inconsistencies of Amtrak travel. You might have an editor proof it before publishing, if that's your goal.
Posts: 2397 | From: Camden, SC | Registered: Mar 2006
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posted
Thank you guys so much. That is my problem I use spellcheck instead of a dictionary. Thank you guys. I do agree I need to get it editor proof. I'm planing on sending it to a friend of mine who is an editor and maybe she can help. Thanks
Posts: 465 | From: elgin (s-line) | Registered: Dec 2008
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posted
Sorry, you didn't appreciate my English humour - I wasn't really having a pop just a very gentle dig. I did enjoy the article - really!!- and more power to your elbow.
Posts: 211 | From: Norfolk England | Registered: Sep 2007
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posted
Thank you, it is ok. I love humor. Thank you so much. I'm working on finding a paper that will take it now. Which is the hardest part. Thank you guys so much
Posts: 465 | From: elgin (s-line) | Registered: Dec 2008
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quote:Originally posted by amtrak92: Then south of Rocky Mount NC, the Auto Train (Amtrak) so we stopped to give them one of our three locomotives.
Nice report. Since you asked for opinions, this is one sentence that doesn't make sense. You need to say what happened to the Auto Train. I guess that was a genuine omission rather than what you intended to say. There are a few other very minor corrections I would make but that's nit picking. Many big name authors rely on their editors correcting grammar and punctuation so don't take that as a criticism.
-------------------- Geoff M. Posts: 2426 | From: Apple Valley, CA | Registered: Sep 2000
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I don't think it is criticism, just big help, thanks. They didn't really tell us what happened to the auto train. A lack of communication on their part. I think and this is a long shot, that it is the motor failed. In the first of two units. Thanks
Posts: 465 | From: elgin (s-line) | Registered: Dec 2008
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posted
Oh I totally see my problem then. Thank you so much. I think failed might be the best word there. Thanks so much
Posts: 465 | From: elgin (s-line) | Registered: Dec 2008
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People at work hate me proofreading their documents as I scrawl over it with red pen. But if it's going to a customer then I want it to have a great impression so I will be really picky. Less so if it's just internal.
I've also been known to use a wet finger on a blackboard/chalkboard in pubs to rub out an errant apostrophe here and there. "Roast beef, roast potato's, Yorkshire pudding's, and vegetable's" - argh! I'm far from perfect though.
Posts: 2426 | From: Apple Valley, CA | Registered: Sep 2000
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posted
That is really cool. I agree when it comes to the client it has to be right. Nice, I had to edit a friends news story for a local paper once, and it was horrible. What was so bad was the way that she used ten quotes from different sources in one paragraph. My red pen was out that day. I had someone else look at the spelling. I find that funny that you correct the pubs. Thanks a million
Posts: 465 | From: elgin (s-line) | Registered: Dec 2008
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