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Doing some Adirondack Research
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[QUOTE]Originally posted by sojourner: [QB] David, Last year, when I took the dome car, I looked into going only as far as Plattsburgh. I opted to go all the way to Montreal after I decided to combine the visit with a quick one to one with my friends, who lives near Ottawa. For me it was a great trip; I went up mid-July on a Thursday. It was a tad rainy and overcast, so the foliage not quite as glorious as it would be on the return, but it was still a fun trip. There was a Rails and Trails person (not as knowledgeable as some out west!) but the dome car wasn't all that busy!!! The train got in to Montreal maybe 15 minutes late. I taxied to my hotel, had a light dinner, and had almost the whole next day in Montreal before my train left for Ottawa around 4PM. I went to Gare Centrale and left my luggage there, then went down toward the Old Port, which was kind of empty so early in the morning. I stopped at that glorious church there (I'm too lazy to look up name right now), the inside of which I'd never seen--they charge $6 but it was worth it. I went all the way down, then back up past the civic buildings and into the Plateau, where I walked around St. Louis Sq and went further east into the French neighborhoos with lovely parkside homes, then back onto the main drag, had a very nice meal at a French place there, then walked down Duluth I think and into the Parc of Mont Royal, then over to the English area near McGill . . . it was a glorious autumn day, really living up to Keats's description, and the maple leaves, Canada's symbol, were simply spectacular in the park!!! I got back to Gare Centrale and caught my train, and my friends met me in Ottawa. I spent Friday evening and with them, stayed at their house, then woke up at the crack of dawn Sunday, when they DROVE me all the way back to Montreal (what good friends, eh?!!) in time to catch my southbound Adirondack. The day was gorgeous, and the train quite busy, with lots of fun rail fans in the dome car. The foliage was simply splendid on the southbound trip--one thing to keep in mind is that the views on the Adirondack are usually best on the Lake Champlain side (right facing forward northbound from around Fort Edward, left facing forward southbound from Plattsburgh), but with the foliage in full flush, the other side was very splendid, so being in the dome car was simply wonderful. But also BUSY! The train was not appreciably late southbound either. MANY of the people on the train had gone up Saturday and back Sunday with only 1 night in Montreal. Even getting in late, I think this is way to go, David--to Montreal, rather than Plattsburgh. You can certainly get a better meal, most restaurants are open late, and if you're up for it there are probably music venues etc to visit too. Some of the people drove to Albany and picked the train up there (there's a good parking lot), overnighting in downtown Albany apparently. Most got on and off in NYC; a few came in between, or from the west and boarded in Schenectady perhaps--I don't recall. It's true hotels in Montreal will cost you more, esp with the taxes, but you will be in Montreal! Note that nowadays that means you will need your passport. Also, pick up a $5 Canadian calling card if you need to phone home; don't use your cell up there. You should also get some Canadian $$ although, if you are going just overnight, you can probably use American dollars for most taxis (esp at the train station) and tips to porters if any--they take credit cards for just about everything else. As for when to go, the main thing is that if you are going only overnight, you want to avoid doing it on a Monday, when so many of the Montreal restaurants are closed. Note that one bad thing about leaving Sunday from Montreal is that Premiere Moisson, the excellent little bakery-cum-sandwich chain that has an outlet in Gare Centrale, is closed on Sunday; but still, there will be food enough in Gare Centrale to take on the train, if not quite up to Montreal's usual standards, still much better than the Amtak fare. If you do decide to go to Plattsburgh, I spoke last year with the cab company up there that is said to run 24 hours. The phone number was 518-561-7777. The dispatcher recommended that I stay at the Best Western Inn at Smithfield, 446 Route 3, 518-561-7750. He said it was about 4 mi fr downtown Plattsburgh and the train station but was the best place to stay without a car because one could walk from there to the college campus & mall. The hotel had an indoor pool, included continental breakfast, and was very cheap in 2008 with an AAA rate, though I think it was higher on weekends (I was thinking of a Thursday overnight). The fellow said the cab fare should be under $10 but you had best check on that again! Also, I would think you need to phone for a taxi, but am not sure. Note: What delays the train very often is the border crossing. Anything can happen in that regard, so I'm not sure checking train times matters quite as much. [/QB][/QUOTE]
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