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Looks like I my need to visit Greensboro or Charlotte. Not sure if I'll take the Carolinian or the Crescent down but I'm pretty sure I'd have to come back on the Crescent northbound. That means a middle-of-the-night departure (and possibly arrival in NC). Can anyone tell me what these stations are like and where they are located in relation to hotels? I recall David (Not Elvis) saying Greensboro was a nicer station, but it's been a while and I lost my notes!
Also, any recs for convenient nice safe but not too pricey hotels in either city? Would it be a good idea to stay near the train station?
Thanks so much
notelvis Member # 3071
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Hi Sojourner....
Given the choice, I would pick Greensboro in a heartbeat. The station has far more character and it is much closer to downtown Greensboro than is the station in Charlotte.
Also, the area around the Greensboro station is beginning to rebound into a vibrant neighborhood. Not the case in Charlotte.
I would not recommend traipsing around either neighborhood on foot alone after dark...... but I wouldn't recommend doing that in Charlotte even in the daytime. The Charlotte station area is beginning to look 'seedy' and, frankly, little has been done with the station itself since there have been plans and the books (and perhaps now some stimulus seed money) to relocate the Charlotte station back downtown for at least a decade.
Hotels - I think you'll find the downtown Greensboro hotels a bit more reasonably priced than in Charlotte..... and they are nearer the train station.
Here is a site with information on downtown Greensboro Hotels - The 'Biltmore Greensboro' is near Amtrak and looks interesting.....though may be ''too trendy' as it's in the heart of the chic area. The Haynes B&B (the dot in the lower right corner of the map) is also very near Amtrak and according to their website a single night is $85....... that may be your best bet in Greensboro but the place is small. No clue about the Greensboro Inn but I have stayed at the Greensboro Marriot (whilst at a conference on my employers expense account) and found it to be everything one expects from a Marriot.
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Thanks so much David. Do you have any hotel advice for Charlotte? The hotels there do seem very pricey.
Also, if I wanted to stay extra and take a bus RT to Asheville (which I still have never visited), can you tell me where the bus stations are in relation to the downtown in each city's downtown (which I gather is called uptown in Charlotte) and also in relation to the train station.
notelvis Member # 3071
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Greensboro is your choice if you're looking to incorporate a trip to Asheville via Greyhound.
The Greyhound Station in Greensboro is located in the former Railway Express Agency building adjacent to the former Southern Railway passenger station which Amtrak now uses. Essentially it's around the front of the Amtrak Station and up a small flight of stairs (or elevator) to the building Greyhound is in.
At last check of the timetables, Greyhound still offers a single frequency each way between Greensboro and Asheville each day. This bus is, I believe, non-stop west of Winston-Salem. The time spent on the bus would be just under four hours each way.
The Greyhound Station in Asheville is nothing special but it isn't dangerous. It's a very short city bus or cab ride into downtown Asheville. I would not advise walking though as the toute passes through a heavily trafficked tunnel. We can address lodging possibilities in Asheville a little later once you get into more serious planning.
There is also a single Greyhound frequency from Charlotte to Asheville but that bus operates via Spartanburg, SC and on the return doesn't reach Charlotte until midnight.....
*****A thought - On your return You might consider Greyhound departing Asheville (on current schedule about 9:15pm), riding to Spartanburg, SC (due at 10:40pm), and then catch the northbound Crescent at Spartanburg due at 11:56pm. This isn't optimum BUT it does get you on the Crescent two to four hours sooner than you would get it in Charlotte or Greensboro.
Charlotte Greyhound is only a few blocks from the heart of 'uptown' and is within a block or two of where the proposed new Charlotte multimodal station would go. It's not a place I would want to be after dark and it's going to require a cab ride to/from Amtrak.
Spartanburg...... Back in the day (1970's and 80's) I regularly caught what was then the Trailways Bus from Asheville to a connection to the Crescent in Spartanburg. You would still want a cab BUT the Amtrak station there is not unsafe..... the waiting room is in a tiny segment of the old Southern Station which was renovated 8-9 years ago to house Chamber of Commerce type offices.
Charlotte Hotels - I generally will stay at a Country Inn near UNC-Charlotte when I need a hotel there..... BUT it's not convienent unless you have your own transportation. Once you get to this hotel there is nothing close by food-wise except a diner-style place serving hamburgers, gyros, and ice cream..... pretty limited choices. Charlotte Hotels tend to be either pricey or seedy (or even very seedy) with little choice in between.
OK....I've gotten longwinded again - I hope you're able to make this trip....... and even reach Asheville this time. If you do, you would find options for getting around Asheville....such as on one of those sightseeing tours which uses buses made up to loo like trolley's.... without a car available.
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