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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

#121

Post by saalweachter »

magduf wrote: post #72
StavrosK wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

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'd indeed say it costs more than most people are willing to pay.

That said, a sleeper car on Amtrak gets you: a flat surface to lie down on, your own toilet (note the toilet is just there in the roomette, next to the bunk, prison style), access to a shower (your own shower in the rooms, one per car for the roomettes), access to the first class lounges, and includes meals in the dining car.

Rooms have a slightly wider lower bunk versus roomettes to sleep 2 (skinny) people and an enclosed toilet so you don't lose mystery from your romantic or work relationships. Roomettes are too small for a first world prison cell but have the beds oriented parallel to the direction of travel, which many people find more comfortable -- the rocking of the train is more soothing and less jarring.

If you have the time, don't mind paying four-star hotel prices for a two-star experience, and hate flying or have a medical condition that makes it infeasible you should definitely consider it.

Or, if you're on this site, it's a great excuse to sit in a small room with a view and not talk to anyone for several days, just read, write and program.

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

#122

Post by gomox »

StavrosK wrote: post #64
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…

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

It's very cheap to do in coach. I think I paid $300 or so. The key thing is to get off and spend some time at the major stops (Chicago, Denver, Salt Lake City).

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

#123

Post by ghaff »

StavrosK wrote: post #105
hudibras wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Yes. It means you get a bed. Even most people who ride Amtrak regularly aren't familiar with them. (I've never actually seen one on Amtrak in person.) They're only on long distance trains.

https://www.amtrak.com/onboard-the-train-sleeping-accommodat...

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

#124

Post by komali2 »

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.

>large party of school children going on a trip on the Caltrain.

Haha when I took Caltrain daily to mountain view this was my nightmare. Bluetooth headphones and a white noise app were a requirement.

Those field trip days, and the rides home on baseball game days... I do not miss that commute.

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

#125

Post by gomox »

nickjj wrote: post #15
afarrell wrote: post #6

Note that the author took a sleeper car. In terms of price, this is a bit of a luxury. As someone who has taken the Lateshore Limited service all the way from Chicago to Boston in just a regular seat, I would strongly advise you NOT to do that. It is just miserable.

Yeah that's a big difference. The regular seats are a much different story. I've never done it but I read about how it's basically 3 days of sitting shoulder to shoulder with someone and there's no showers. Can't imagine what that would be like in a car filled with 50+ people. I did take the Amtrak from CT To Boston once and it wasn't too bad, but that was a few hour trip. Much different than a few days.

When I did it the coach cars were mostly empty overnight. The seats are super wide and recline a lot. It's not like an economy airplane ticket.

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

#126

Post by wycy »

zackkitzmiller wrote: post #89
afarrell wrote: post #6

Note that the author took a sleeper car. In terms of price, this is a bit of a luxury. As someone who has taken the Lateshore Limited service all the way from Chicago to Boston in just a regular seat, I would strongly advise you NOT to do that. It is just miserable.

I disagree. I often take Amtrak from NYC to Chicago (and back) and just love it. The trip is about 24 hours each way. Train riders are generally friendly. Someone always has a couple of guitars, so it's fun to play and sing along. The bar car is typically friendly and the food car is generally pretty good eats. Also, some of the stopovers in small midwest towns are a few hours long so you can get out, stretch your le…

Being in a confined space forced to listen to some amateurs play their guitars sounds like one of my rings of hell.

Anyway, here's Wonderwall

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

#127

Post by ghaff »

dagw wrote: post #119
frosted-flakes wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Coach/economy/steerage means you spend the night in your seat. Sleeper means you get to sleep (in a bed).

But you get a whole 'room' to yourself for that price or just get bunk in a room with a bunch of other people.

In the case of Amtrak, I believe they're all private. (By contrast when I took an overnight train in China a few years back it was a shared bunkroom though there were probably different options available.)

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

#128

Post by oarsinsync »

darrenf wrote: post #97
jjoe wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> But get a sleeper compartment, don't sit with the cattle. Cattle?

"Cattle class" is a kinda faux-pejorative term for economy/coach/whatever the cheapest cabin is in some mode of transport.

Faux-pejorative indeed. Cattle are required to be given more space when being transported, than humans are, in Europe. Human class is below cattle class.

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

#129

Post by rtkwe »

dagw wrote: post #119
frosted-flakes wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Coach/economy/steerage means you spend the night in your seat. Sleeper means you get to sleep (in a bed).

But you get a whole 'room' to yourself for that price or just get bunk in a room with a bunch of other people.

The sleepers are all individual rooms of some description with 1-2 beds. There are some larger up to 4 adults. There are no hostel style bunk cars on trains. You're either sleeping in seats or in a room.

https://www.amtrakvacations.com/blog/3-important-things-to-k... (just googling 'amtrak sleeper' gets you this info!)

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

#130

Post by dawnerd »

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.

We did a school trip to ride the surfliner from Ventura to Santa Barbara a few times. Also once to ride the historic train in Fillmore. Good times.
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