Some final thoughts from our recent trip from the Midwest to the east coast and back.
Not all train stations actually have a train. I'm still confounded by this one.
Buses are not for me.
Power is everywhere!
Regional trains are a level or more above long distance trains.
Comfort is in!
A few things you may want to bring on a train:
Blanket – You can buy one on the train for $15, but I would just bring something if you know you'll be cold.
Food – You can buy it, but it's expensive and could run out.
Entertainment – Books, iPod, laptop, DVD player, and chargers. I don't mean you should bring all of these, and it should be tailored to your trip, but the options are wide open. We read through all of the books we brought and I was able to write posts as we went along without being cutoff by my battery. I really appreciated that.
Improvements:
Provided entertainment – It could be a nice perk to have “in route” entertainment like planes provide. There is plenty of space in the back of the seats to provides a nice size screen. The Acela train did have headphone jacks in the chair arms, but I didn't check them out to see what was playing.
Speed it up – No question, we need high speed trains for long distance train travel. We may take a train from the Midwest again if we find an option that doesn't include a bus, but it won't be our only mode since it does take so long.
U.S. train travel isn't for everyone right now. Our bus mishap could have been a lot worse if we were traveling with anxious kids. I don't want to deter anyone from this mode of transportation, but I also don't want to paint the picture too pretty. Give Amtrak a chance or at least compare it to other options when you plan your next trip!
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Monday, July 7, 2008
Trip Part 5: Sold Out!
Well, we have visited all three of our locations for this trip and are settled in on the train taking us (closer to) home. We boarded at Union Station in D.C. and the train is sold out! We had to wait a bit to find seats because every one of them was going to be filled. This brought to light a great benefit of train travel. If the train is full or, I imagine, over booked, you can still get on and will eventually find a spot from conductors reshuffling people, or people getting off at the next stop. With planes, you don't have the option. You don't get to go if there isn't a seat and the plane doesn't move if it is taking longer to seat people. So far the train is on time so there is hope that our trip back will be better than the Indi-Philly trip out. This will be my last “during trip” write-up, but I will pull together some final thoughts about our trip once we are home.
Trip Part 4: Acela, King of the Rails
Our trip from New Haven to D.C. was on the Acela Express business train. It is a "high speed" train that runs from Boston to D.C. and it was definitely the nicest train we rode on during this trip. The train cars were more modern and had almost a futuristic feeling, and the dinning car was more organized than the first train we were on. The trip took about five hours, but it didn't feel like it. Other than watching some of the sites as we pulled into New York, Philly, and D.C., I took a nap and arrived rather refreshed.
After dropping off our things at my friend's house in Arlington, we ventured toward the city and watched how our capitol does the 4th of July from the Iwo Jima park (thanks to marzipan9 for uploading that video from almost exactly where we were). It was a good show and other than the firework smoke blocking some of the view, we had great seats. The Metro trip back to the house was quite the experience, but didn't take at all as long as I had planned. The D.C. Metro is more of what I expect public transportation to be like in a big city. We used it most of Saturday to visit the few attractions we left time for, one of which was the botanical gardens. We didn't make it in time to go inside, but the outdoor gardens feature two areas highlighting solar and Seattle's eco ratings for new building structures. It's free to see and great to read about some of the specifics being added to city building plans. D.C. was a great way to end our east coast trip.
After dropping off our things at my friend's house in Arlington, we ventured toward the city and watched how our capitol does the 4th of July from the Iwo Jima park (thanks to marzipan9 for uploading that video from almost exactly where we were). It was a good show and other than the firework smoke blocking some of the view, we had great seats. The Metro trip back to the house was quite the experience, but didn't take at all as long as I had planned. The D.C. Metro is more of what I expect public transportation to be like in a big city. We used it most of Saturday to visit the few attractions we left time for, one of which was the botanical gardens. We didn't make it in time to go inside, but the outdoor gardens feature two areas highlighting solar and Seattle's eco ratings for new building structures. It's free to see and great to read about some of the specifics being added to city building plans. D.C. was a great way to end our east coast trip.
Trip Part 3: Regional Bliss
Our second train brought us to Connecticut, New Haven to be exact. We are actually visiting a friend closer to Hartford, but there were more connection times available in New Haven. We did rent a car since the part of Connecticut we are visiting is more a collection of villages than a city. The train ride had no surprises other than we had to search a bit for seats. We found two fairly quickly and got to watch the mass exodus in New York City.
I love the style of the New Haven station. It is the smallest for us this trip, but has a ton of character! I have also decided that all sizable U.S. train stations have only four options for a name or can combine those names: Union, Penn/Pennsylvania, Grand, or Central. Smaller towns along the way just use their name. No major travel excitement other than getting two power sources in our aisle!
As for Connecticut, it's awesome and beautiful! The area we were in and drove through was so lush and so full of history. The town we stayed in was established in 1702! We went blueberry picking with a friend of our friend and were able to eat them right from the bush. No spray, yay!
Final stop, D.C. for the 4th!
I love the style of the New Haven station. It is the smallest for us this trip, but has a ton of character! I have also decided that all sizable U.S. train stations have only four options for a name or can combine those names: Union, Penn/Pennsylvania, Grand, or Central. Smaller towns along the way just use their name. No major travel excitement other than getting two power sources in our aisle!
As for Connecticut, it's awesome and beautiful! The area we were in and drove through was so lush and so full of history. The town we stayed in was established in 1702! We went blueberry picking with a friend of our friend and were able to eat them right from the bush. No spray, yay!
Final stop, D.C. for the 4th!
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Trip Part 2.5: Philly's Spoke Problem
We were only in Philadelphia for a full day and some change by the time our late train (three hours late) got in and we had to catch our next one to Connecticut. We had a pleasant trip visiting Keith's cousins and staying with his aunt and uncle.
While in The City of Brotherly Love, we used the local rail system to get to and from the Amtrak station and downtown. It was pretty much like any other public rail system, but we found out from the cousins that they have a similar "wheel spokes" problem as the Cedar Rapids bus routes. They do have buses that help offset the problem and they allow full size bikes on the trains during off-peak hours. Folding bikes are always allowed!
The big negative was the cost. Off-peak, one-way rides from our "hotel" to the center of the city were $4.25 per person and peak, one-way rides were $5. Obviously people making this commute frequently would buy a month pass, but as a tourist it was more expensive than I had anticipated.
One of the great "green" things about our Philly trip was wandering around the downtown area and finding a great local ice cream shop, called Franklin Ice Cream or Franklin Fountain, that used bio-compostable spoons and garbage bags. They had really good ice cream and an untouristy, but historic appeal. I believe it is located on Market St. near the river. As we walked back from the river on Market St., we found The Big Green Earth Store and stopped in. They seemed relatively new and their website isn't quite up yet, but it would be great to see them grow and expand. The guy behind the counter was very friendly and informative. I loved that he wasn't overbearing with other customers that had stopped in to check out being green. The store had decorative and functional items including recycled glass bowls, recycled cardboard wall designs, bicycle chain frames and bowls, recycled dinnerware, cleaning supplies, home fragrances, solar backpacks, reusable bags, I could go on. They even had a laundry detergent refilling station which Keith dubbed The Vat. The idea is that you can bring in any container and fill it up with detergent, then pay for how much you take. You reuse containers and prevent more containers from entering the landfills.
Our Pennsylvania portion of the trip was short, but extremely fun and well worth the stop. Good luck to The Big Green Earth Store, and cheers for public transit that runs on time!
While in The City of Brotherly Love, we used the local rail system to get to and from the Amtrak station and downtown. It was pretty much like any other public rail system, but we found out from the cousins that they have a similar "wheel spokes" problem as the Cedar Rapids bus routes. They do have buses that help offset the problem and they allow full size bikes on the trains during off-peak hours. Folding bikes are always allowed!
The big negative was the cost. Off-peak, one-way rides from our "hotel" to the center of the city were $4.25 per person and peak, one-way rides were $5. Obviously people making this commute frequently would buy a month pass, but as a tourist it was more expensive than I had anticipated.
One of the great "green" things about our Philly trip was wandering around the downtown area and finding a great local ice cream shop, called Franklin Ice Cream or Franklin Fountain, that used bio-compostable spoons and garbage bags. They had really good ice cream and an untouristy, but historic appeal. I believe it is located on Market St. near the river. As we walked back from the river on Market St., we found The Big Green Earth Store and stopped in. They seemed relatively new and their website isn't quite up yet, but it would be great to see them grow and expand. The guy behind the counter was very friendly and informative. I loved that he wasn't overbearing with other customers that had stopped in to check out being green. The store had decorative and functional items including recycled glass bowls, recycled cardboard wall designs, bicycle chain frames and bowls, recycled dinnerware, cleaning supplies, home fragrances, solar backpacks, reusable bags, I could go on. They even had a laundry detergent refilling station which Keith dubbed The Vat. The idea is that you can bring in any container and fill it up with detergent, then pay for how much you take. You reuse containers and prevent more containers from entering the landfills.
Our Pennsylvania portion of the trip was short, but extremely fun and well worth the stop. Good luck to The Big Green Earth Store, and cheers for public transit that runs on time!
Trip Part 2: The Whistle Goes Woo
We finally made it on the train! After waiting for almost five hours in the Indianapolis train station, we were finally able to climb aboard and crash in our spacious seats. The train was two hours late getting into Indianapolis, so the dark, quiet train car was a welcome change from the harsh buzzing lights of the station.
Boarding the train was different than I expected. All passengers getting on were lined up and we were allowed to board by size of group (large parties first) and then by the order that we were standing in line. They assigned us seats on the fly. Keith and I were the first couple in line so we were given seats at the front of the first train car. We have a large set of windows, seats that recline and have leg rests and foot rests. We were given the seat numbers to sit in when we boarded, but several people have switched seats as people have gotten off. The only complaint about our seats so far is that there is an Amish family sitting behind us and they woke up way earlier than my 3am bedtime would have preferred. Not only did they wake up early, but they were talking in normal voices across the aisle, not helping us get a full morning's rest. This could happen in any travel situation, so no marks against Amtrak for this. I do think it would be worthwhile to try traveling in a private room during a long distance trek. I haven't tried exploring beyond the dining car to see if this train has any.
We have a single power socket on our section of the wall, which we have used to recharge our laptops from their use in the train station (picture also posted later). So far access to gadget food has been a pleasant surprise. The people food, however, met my expectations exactly. Expensive, mediocre, and runs out fast. With the train being near full capacity the whole trip, several of the food choices have diminished before we ventured back to eat. Both hot and cold options were listed including pizza, hot wings, hot dogs, sub sandwiches, chips, candy, and a variety of drinks. I bet we will stock up on food supplies for the trip back.
The scenery as of late has been very pleasant. We are somewhere in West Virginia and there are creeks and rivers winding along our path, and we are surrounded by green foothills. At least I'm guessing they are foothills.
As the second section of our journey, things have gotten better. I would rate this long distance train better than the smaller, slow trains in Europe, but nowhere near the high speed, first class trains like the TGV, not surprising. Our first real stop will be Philadelphia where we will be attempting to use the public transit system to get around!
Update: Picture of power on the train
Boarding the train was different than I expected. All passengers getting on were lined up and we were allowed to board by size of group (large parties first) and then by the order that we were standing in line. They assigned us seats on the fly. Keith and I were the first couple in line so we were given seats at the front of the first train car. We have a large set of windows, seats that recline and have leg rests and foot rests. We were given the seat numbers to sit in when we boarded, but several people have switched seats as people have gotten off. The only complaint about our seats so far is that there is an Amish family sitting behind us and they woke up way earlier than my 3am bedtime would have preferred. Not only did they wake up early, but they were talking in normal voices across the aisle, not helping us get a full morning's rest. This could happen in any travel situation, so no marks against Amtrak for this. I do think it would be worthwhile to try traveling in a private room during a long distance trek. I haven't tried exploring beyond the dining car to see if this train has any.
We have a single power socket on our section of the wall, which we have used to recharge our laptops from their use in the train station (picture also posted later). So far access to gadget food has been a pleasant surprise. The people food, however, met my expectations exactly. Expensive, mediocre, and runs out fast. With the train being near full capacity the whole trip, several of the food choices have diminished before we ventured back to eat. Both hot and cold options were listed including pizza, hot wings, hot dogs, sub sandwiches, chips, candy, and a variety of drinks. I bet we will stock up on food supplies for the trip back.
The scenery as of late has been very pleasant. We are somewhere in West Virginia and there are creeks and rivers winding along our path, and we are surrounded by green foothills. At least I'm guessing they are foothills.
As the second section of our journey, things have gotten better. I would rate this long distance train better than the smaller, slow trains in Europe, but nowhere near the high speed, first class trains like the TGV, not surprising. Our first real stop will be Philadelphia where we will be attempting to use the public transit system to get around!
Update: Picture of power on the train
Trip Part 1: No Trains in Peoria!
My husband and I have finished the first section of our East Coast vacation and the adventures have already begun.
We have been planning on going east to visit friends and relatives for a couple of years and this one was set to be that year. I convinced my husband that we should take Amtrak out since we could travel between our three destinations via rail and I would love to see how good or bad US rail travel is. I had high hopes and was very excited.
The hardest part was planning our routes. I can't say that Amtrak's website is terrible, but it definitely leaves several things to be desired. I am only partially blaming this for our first "adventure" of the trip. Having never ridden Amtrak before, I probably should have called to get help in finding the best way from the midwest to the east. I saw that Peoria had an Amtrak station and we happen to have friends who live there. We decided this would make an easy starting point to our journey plus provide a place to stay overnight. Well surprise surprise when we find out that Amtrak doesn't actually have a station in Peoria. You get bussed to an Amtrak station. We found this out after our friends asked some co-workers and informed us when we arrived. They speculated that we would ride the bus about 30 minutes to the Bloomington-Normal station. Wrong! We got to ride the bus from Peoria to Indianapolis, about 5 hours including the various stops along the way. I felt my excitement hit the bottom of my stomach and I immediately felt terrible for pulling Keith into my crazy plans. So far he hasn't killed me or complained, but I'm still sorry!
Now why am I sorry? Nothing bad happened, we aren't later because of it, the other passengers were enlightening, but didn't interfere with anyone's trip. I think comes from two places: the fact that we didn't know ahead of time, and the fact that I realized my euphoria during our trip declined with this news. I believe I have just found a personal boarder between willing to do the "right thing" and finding little benefit while adding perceived unnecessary annoyance. Keith and I discussed the difference between driving a personal vehicle and riding a bus, and while I will proudly support people who always choose busing long distances, to me, this will always be the last option I look at and will most likely pass on. I imagine that I won't be on any more long distance buses unless it is involved in a group tour. Sorry, here is my limit.
I am currently writing this in the Indianapolis station so we still have quite a way to go on our journey. While sitting here I have been comparing my surroundings to my other travels. There are large wooden benches reminiscent of old train stations. Not the most comfortable if you have to sit for three hours, but they do add some charm if you pretend you're in an old movie. The lack of wireless is unfortunate considering our long "layover", but that isn't a given at all airports either. Maybe we will have better luck further along our trip. The buzzing lights also detract from an otherwise sparsely occupied, quiet environment. The object of awesomeness here is that there is a charging station available to charge electronics (I will post separately when i can pull the picture off our camera). Now why can't more airports have these? I am impressed.
This is just the first post for this trip, so check back for an update and my first impression of actually being on an Amtrak train (still hopeful).
Updated: Picture of the charging station
We have been planning on going east to visit friends and relatives for a couple of years and this one was set to be that year. I convinced my husband that we should take Amtrak out since we could travel between our three destinations via rail and I would love to see how good or bad US rail travel is. I had high hopes and was very excited.
The hardest part was planning our routes. I can't say that Amtrak's website is terrible, but it definitely leaves several things to be desired. I am only partially blaming this for our first "adventure" of the trip. Having never ridden Amtrak before, I probably should have called to get help in finding the best way from the midwest to the east. I saw that Peoria had an Amtrak station and we happen to have friends who live there. We decided this would make an easy starting point to our journey plus provide a place to stay overnight. Well surprise surprise when we find out that Amtrak doesn't actually have a station in Peoria. You get bussed to an Amtrak station. We found this out after our friends asked some co-workers and informed us when we arrived. They speculated that we would ride the bus about 30 minutes to the Bloomington-Normal station. Wrong! We got to ride the bus from Peoria to Indianapolis, about 5 hours including the various stops along the way. I felt my excitement hit the bottom of my stomach and I immediately felt terrible for pulling Keith into my crazy plans. So far he hasn't killed me or complained, but I'm still sorry!
Now why am I sorry? Nothing bad happened, we aren't later because of it, the other passengers were enlightening, but didn't interfere with anyone's trip. I think comes from two places: the fact that we didn't know ahead of time, and the fact that I realized my euphoria during our trip declined with this news. I believe I have just found a personal boarder between willing to do the "right thing" and finding little benefit while adding perceived unnecessary annoyance. Keith and I discussed the difference between driving a personal vehicle and riding a bus, and while I will proudly support people who always choose busing long distances, to me, this will always be the last option I look at and will most likely pass on. I imagine that I won't be on any more long distance buses unless it is involved in a group tour. Sorry, here is my limit.
I am currently writing this in the Indianapolis station so we still have quite a way to go on our journey. While sitting here I have been comparing my surroundings to my other travels. There are large wooden benches reminiscent of old train stations. Not the most comfortable if you have to sit for three hours, but they do add some charm if you pretend you're in an old movie. The lack of wireless is unfortunate considering our long "layover", but that isn't a given at all airports either. Maybe we will have better luck further along our trip. The buzzing lights also detract from an otherwise sparsely occupied, quiet environment. The object of awesomeness here is that there is a charging station available to charge electronics (I will post separately when i can pull the picture off our camera). Now why can't more airports have these? I am impressed.
This is just the first post for this trip, so check back for an update and my first impression of actually being on an Amtrak train (still hopeful).
Updated: Picture of the charging station
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