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There is no reason to cross the U.S. by train, but I did it anyway

nytimes.com

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Re: There is no reason to cross the U.S. by train, but I did it anyway

#101

Post by mikeash »

chrisseaton wrote: post #31
CWuestefeld wrote: post #18

My wife and I did this several years back, New York to Chicago to San Francisco, and it really was a wonderful experience. But get a sleeper compartment, don't sit with the cattle. It's worth it, really. And that's even though we spent little time in our compartment almost the whole trip we were up in the observation car watching the American landscape roll by. One highlight of the trip was when storms over Helper, U…

> While waiting, there was a guy with a guitar in the observation car, and we had a nice sing-along. That bit sounds like hell to me but I'm glad you had fun! In the UK we have special carriages where you're not allowed to make a noise so you can avoid that kind of thing.

The observation car is a special car you can visit that has better visibility. Nobody is forced to go there.

Re: There is no reason to cross the U.S. by train, but I did it anyway

#102

Post by apple4ever »

Back in 2011 I took a trip from Philly to Tampa (to watch spring training).

Me and my buddy split the sleeper car cost (~$750 each). That also included three meals since it was a 24 hour trip. And at that time the food was good.

It was really fun actually. Yes, it was long, but we enjoyed the trip. Seeing the east coast up and down was neat. Talking with random people who are there.

I'd definitely do it again, but only for special trips.

Re: There is no reason to cross the U.S. by train, but I did it anyway

#103

Post by war1025 »

chrisseaton wrote: post #78
hjdehdfhjkj wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thats because there is a cultural difference between how americans and europeans see trains. For americans its something quaint and wild whereas for europeans its just a basic form of transportation.

I once saw a large party of school children going on a trip on the Caltrain. Turned out they weren't going anywhere... it was just going on the train that was the activity. A commuter train running alongside a highway through urban sprawl. They were whooping when it pulled into the station.

I've taken the train in Minneapolis from the mall to downtown several times, purely for the novelty of it. We have a lot of freight trains in Iowa. Passenger, not so much.

Re: There is no reason to cross the U.S. by train, but I did it anyway

#104

Post by chrisseaton »

mikeash wrote: post #101
chrisseaton wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> While waiting, there was a guy with a guitar in the observation car, and we had a nice sing-along. That bit sounds like hell to me but I'm glad you had fun! In the UK we have special carriages where you're not allowed to make a noise so you can avoid that kind of thing.

The observation car is a special car you can visit that has better visibility. Nobody is forced to go there.

But some people might want the observe the sights and not have a lot of noise around them, right? Not really sure it's fair to pollute a public space with your music when not everyone might like it, or have the confidence to say when they don't like it. Not very nice to say to people you're going to subject them to music and if they don't like it their only option is to leave. Doesn't really sound right does it?

Re: There is no reason to cross the U.S. by train, but I did it anyway

#105

Post by StavrosK »

hudibras wrote: post #94
StavrosK wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It's worth it, really How much does it cost?

According to the first paragraph in the article, it costs $1,089.

Does "sleeper car" mean you're getting a bed, or just that you're riding in that car but maybe in a seat? I'm not familiar with train travel, sorry.

Re: There is no reason to cross the U.S. by train, but I did it anyway

#106

Post by zeveb »

CaptainZapp wrote: post #83
magduf wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

An absolute fortune. I've looked into this, and it isn't economical in any way, shape, or form. Flying across the continent is MUCH cheaper, and with your number of vacation days usually being limited, gives you a lot more time at your destination. The only reason to do this is because you really want to spend your vacation time sitting in a train watching rural American scenery go by in states like Montana. It's sor…

I just looked it up. A sleeper for one is ~1'800$. About 300 more if you're two. That's about half of a yearly train pass for Switzerland (2nd class). The pass allowes you to travel in virtually any mode of transportation without restrictions. Except for taxis, some boats and some mountain railways. So yeah, that's pretty steep.

In fairness, the continental United States are over 195 times the size of Switzerland.

Re: There is no reason to cross the U.S. by train, but I did it anyway

#107

Post by adwww »

chrisseaton wrote: post #78
hjdehdfhjkj wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thats because there is a cultural difference between how americans and europeans see trains. For americans its something quaint and wild whereas for europeans its just a basic form of transportation.

I once saw a large party of school children going on a trip on the Caltrain. Turned out they weren't going anywhere... it was just going on the train that was the activity. A commuter train running alongside a highway through urban sprawl. They were whooping when it pulled into the station.

Ha my children both did that in preschool (aged about 3) here in the UK.

I don't think it would have been many children's first trip either, just a cheap morning's entertainment for the nursery...

Re: There is no reason to cross the U.S. by train, but I did it anyway

#109

Post by CWuestefeld »

chrisseaton wrote: post #104
mikeash wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The observation car is a special car you can visit that has better visibility. Nobody is forced to go there.

But some people might want the observe the sights and not have a lot of noise around them, right? Not really sure it's fair to pollute a public space with your music when not everyone might like it, or have the confidence to say when they don't like it. Not very nice to say to people you're going to subject them to music and if they don't like it their only option is to leave. Doesn't really sound right does it?

Most of the ride the observation car was quiet. The sing-along was a welcome diversion from the anxiety and ennui of sitting for hours waiting to see if the train would be allowed to proceed.

Re: There is no reason to cross the U.S. by train, but I did it anyway

#110

Post by frosted-flakes »

chrisseaton wrote: post #104
mikeash wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The observation car is a special car you can visit that has better visibility. Nobody is forced to go there.

But some people might want the observe the sights and not have a lot of noise around them, right? Not really sure it's fair to pollute a public space with your music when not everyone might like it, or have the confidence to say when they don't like it. Not very nice to say to people you're going to subject them to music and if they don't like it their only option is to leave. Doesn't really sound right does it?

The train was stopped, so if someone left the viewing car they weren't missing anything.
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