Continued from my previous thread (Chicago Architecture Tour):
The agent in the lounge announced that our train would be boarding a bit late, as they were waiting for an engine. She didn't have an estimated time, but she kept us updated every few minutes and said it would be "soon".
The departure time was 8:05, and they had us line up at 8:00, so it wasn't too bad. They walked us out shortly after that. I was in the transdorm, which is right behind the loco on this train. I'd learned my lesson on the TE, though, and had brought earplugs.
One thing I'd forgotten to take into account when I scheduled my "Get Away From People" trip - it was July. Everyone was on vacation. Many people had never been on a train, and almost everyone had kids with them. This was no longer the annual trip to ABQ where everyone we ride with has taken the train to visit relatives a gazillion times and it's relatively peaceful and quiet.
As such, there were packs of people in the transdorm who'd followed me on-board and were now looking for rooms 1-15. I kept saying, "Next car," as people stopped at my room to ask me where to go. Some people actually stepped into my room without checking the room number. I ended up locking my door and drawing the curtain.
Eventually, everyone was sorted into their respective rooms, and I opened my door and curtain back up. We departed around 8:35, so we weren't too late.
One thing I didn't realize about the CONO - you back out of Chicago and head south, and then you start moving forward, back toward Chicago, to get onto another line. So, once we pulled out, I sat in the seat facing forward, only to have to switch again. It gives you a really nice view of Chicago and the yard at night:
We also passed by Soldier Field, but it was too dark to get a decent picture.
At this point, I realized we were on/near the Metra line and pretty close to the South Shore Line. I saw a Metra shack, and I recognized some of the high-rises we passed. I was going to check my phone (Google Maps) to be sure, but my SCA showed up at that point.
My SCA was LaLa (Lala?) She was incredible. She asked if I'd been on a train before (yes), if I'd been on that trip before (no), if I'd been in a transition dorm before (yes), and if I needed any extra pillows or blankets (no). She told me to buzz her if I needed her and then asked me what time I'd like my bed set up. Then she said the dining car would be opening soon and that they'd make an announcement. She explained we'd gotten our equipment late, so they were still setting up for dinner. I advised I understood and that it was no big deal.
Shortly after that, the LSA announced dinner would be first-come, first-served. I expected a mad rush, but the dining car was actually pretty quiet. Either most people had eaten before leaving Chicago, or it was simply too late for them (it was around 9:00 Central time at this point).
Instead of a dining car, we had a CCC. The CCC gets some flack on this forum, but I really like them. The booths have more wiggle room, and they have these cool lights on the tables:
I was seated with a mother and her two kids. They were traveling to Memphis and had been on the train many times. Her sons were 14 and 11. The 14-year old spent part of dinner texting his two (!) girlfriends and setting up a movie date with one of them. He was polite, and he was such a spitting image of my brother at that age that I had to try really hard not to stare and/or take a picture to send to my brother.
They had a limited dinner menu, so I ordered the half-chicken. It came with a corn/pepper medley and rice pilaf. It was much more delicious than it appears here:
My only complaint was that the rice pilaf had a lot of pepper in it, so it was a bit too hot to eat. Same for the corn medley. I had anticipated this, though, being on a southbound train. The SWC is the same way - lots of spicy food.
It was the younger son's birthday. He asked our server if he could have a free dessert since it was his birthday, and she said, "Sure!" His mom and I tried not to laugh. When his dessert came out, the server and his mom started singing "Happy Birthday" to him, and our entire section joined in. He was smiling from ear to ear. It was pretty awesome.
For dessert, I had the cheesecake:
That bottle of wine you see is courtesy of the lady sitting with me. She had half a glass and didn't care for it, so she asked if I'd like to take it back to my room. YES, PLEASE.
When I got back to my room, LaLa had it all set up. I was pleased that she left the top bunk up, even though I hadn't asked her to. Leaving the top bunk up allows for more air circulation; plus, I don't feel so cramped.
I had one of those nights where I didn't think I slept, but I must have. I remember laying there while the train rocked, glancing at my phone a couple of times when we stopped, but then I sort of "lost time" between 1:30 and 4:30 AM. I must have slept for a couple of hours, even though I just felt like I'd blinked. Sometimes I dream about being on the train while I'm on the train, probably because my brain is still registering the noise from the horn, so that might be why it felt like I hadn't slept all night. I felt rested, though, despite it being 4:30 AM, so the jury says I got a good nap.
I thought about trying to sleep, but then I realized I'd be the first one into the shower. So, I grabbed my things and went downstairs. The conductor was sitting in the lounge at the base of the stairs. I tried to sneak by, since I looked pretty awful, but he saw me and said, "Good morning! Did you sleep alright?" I nodded and said "good morning" back to him, and he said, "Nobody's in the shower. It's all yours. Take your time. The shower rush won't start for another half-hour or so."
If you've never showered on a train, I recommend it. It's definitely an experience. The shower has grab bars and a little place to sit (I set my toiletries in that area), so don't worry about falling. Just practice shampooing with one hand. I usually don't need to hang on, but if I feel us going over a switch or going around a curve, I'll usually brace myself.
Some trains have push-button showers that run on a timer, and you have to push the button again once it runs out. This shower had a regular handle like most home showers and wasn't timed. Even though the shower rush hadn't started, I still showered and got dressed quickly so nobody would have to wait. I was a bit peeved over the size of the "towels". They were just a little bigger than a hand towel, which is useless when you have long hair. For some reason, I remembered the towels on the SWC being bigger, like a regular towel, so I don't know if this is a recent change or I'm simply losing my mind.
Anyway, shortly after I was dressed and presentable, we crossed into Tennessee. The sun was just starting to come up.
I went to the SSL to wait for the diner to open for breakfast. An older man started chatting with me. He was traveling on a 15-day rail pass, and this was the last leg. We talked about the routes he'd been on and admired the scenery north of Memphis. Before we knew it, we were riding along the river.
A teenage girl near us asked if that bridge in the background was the St. Louis Arch. I explained that we were in Memphis and St. Louis was quite a ways northwest of us, and that the arch is a single arch, like one half of the McDonald's "M". She sort of nodded and went back to her seat to look it up on her phone.
At this point, they opened the diner for breakfast. I ordered my "usual", which is a cheese omelet, croissant, roasted potatoes, and chicken apple-maple sausage patties. The Pepsi is my seatmate's. She couldn't pour it while the train was moving, so I helped her.
I was on the wrong side of the train, so I couldn't see the station at Memphis. Instead, I got to look at these pretty houses for 20 minutes:
Shortly after leaving Memphis, we started riding through farms and fields. I kept seeing these fields, completely and purposely flooded with water. I assume it's rice?
Our next big stop was Greenwood, MS, a "fresh air" stop. The engineer switches out at this point too.
As we continued south, I kept seeing scenery like this:
Then we'd ride into small towns. It alternated between swamps and small towns for quite a while. I started seeing more of these trees, which I love:
Eventually, we arrived in Jackson, MS:
Jackson is another "fresh air" stop. I got off the train for a few minutes and then ran right back on. It was HOT, and I could feel the humidity cranking up. I don't have it saved in my phone anymore, but I think the heat index was 93 at that point.
Leaving Jackson, I was thrilled to see magnolias and palms.
Immediately after Jackson, the dining car announced they were ready for lunch. Again, it was first-come, first-served. The Marketplace Special was chicken stir-fry, and the Specialty Sandwich was a "four smoked cheese" sandwich, i.e. a grilled cheese sandwich with four kinds of smoked cheese. YES, I WILL HAVE EIGHT OF THOSE. Unfortunately, I could only have one:
I love cheese, so I used my chips to scrape the rest of the cheese off the plate.
For dessert, I tried the chocolate parfait. It was perfect. It wasn't too sweet; it was creamy, like a mousse. In fact, I think it is mousse. You can see my (empty) glass of milk in the background. I always have milk at breakfast and lunch, and then I have a Sierra Mist during dinner.
Anyway, the top flavor of the parfait tastes a bit like mocha, but I don't know if there's actually coffee in it. It just tastes like it. The middle is creamy, and then the bottom is straight-up chocolate. I really liked it, so I alternated between that and the cheesecake on the Crescent and CL.
(Splitting to allow for the photo quota - next part, coming up)
The agent in the lounge announced that our train would be boarding a bit late, as they were waiting for an engine. She didn't have an estimated time, but she kept us updated every few minutes and said it would be "soon".
The departure time was 8:05, and they had us line up at 8:00, so it wasn't too bad. They walked us out shortly after that. I was in the transdorm, which is right behind the loco on this train. I'd learned my lesson on the TE, though, and had brought earplugs.
One thing I'd forgotten to take into account when I scheduled my "Get Away From People" trip - it was July. Everyone was on vacation. Many people had never been on a train, and almost everyone had kids with them. This was no longer the annual trip to ABQ where everyone we ride with has taken the train to visit relatives a gazillion times and it's relatively peaceful and quiet.
As such, there were packs of people in the transdorm who'd followed me on-board and were now looking for rooms 1-15. I kept saying, "Next car," as people stopped at my room to ask me where to go. Some people actually stepped into my room without checking the room number. I ended up locking my door and drawing the curtain.
Eventually, everyone was sorted into their respective rooms, and I opened my door and curtain back up. We departed around 8:35, so we weren't too late.
One thing I didn't realize about the CONO - you back out of Chicago and head south, and then you start moving forward, back toward Chicago, to get onto another line. So, once we pulled out, I sat in the seat facing forward, only to have to switch again.
It gives you a really nice view of Chicago and the yard at night:We also passed by Soldier Field, but it was too dark to get a decent picture.
At this point, I realized we were on/near the Metra line and pretty close to the South Shore Line. I saw a Metra shack, and I recognized some of the high-rises we passed. I was going to check my phone (Google Maps) to be sure, but my SCA showed up at that point.
My SCA was LaLa (Lala?) She was incredible. She asked if I'd been on a train before (yes), if I'd been on that trip before (no), if I'd been in a transition dorm before (yes), and if I needed any extra pillows or blankets (no). She told me to buzz her if I needed her and then asked me what time I'd like my bed set up. Then she said the dining car would be opening soon and that they'd make an announcement. She explained we'd gotten our equipment late, so they were still setting up for dinner. I advised I understood and that it was no big deal.
Shortly after that, the LSA announced dinner would be first-come, first-served. I expected a mad rush, but the dining car was actually pretty quiet. Either most people had eaten before leaving Chicago, or it was simply too late for them (it was around 9:00 Central time at this point).
Instead of a dining car, we had a CCC. The CCC gets some flack on this forum, but I really like them. The booths have more wiggle room, and they have these cool lights on the tables:
I was seated with a mother and her two kids. They were traveling to Memphis and had been on the train many times. Her sons were 14 and 11. The 14-year old spent part of dinner texting his two (!) girlfriends and setting up a movie date with one of them. He was polite, and he was such a spitting image of my brother at that age that I had to try really hard not to stare and/or take a picture to send to my brother.
They had a limited dinner menu, so I ordered the half-chicken. It came with a corn/pepper medley and rice pilaf. It was much more delicious than it appears here:
My only complaint was that the rice pilaf had a lot of pepper in it, so it was a bit too hot to eat. Same for the corn medley. I had anticipated this, though, being on a southbound train. The SWC is the same way - lots of spicy food.
It was the younger son's birthday. He asked our server if he could have a free dessert since it was his birthday, and she said, "Sure!" His mom and I tried not to laugh. When his dessert came out, the server and his mom started singing "Happy Birthday" to him, and our entire section joined in. He was smiling from ear to ear. It was pretty awesome.
For dessert, I had the cheesecake:
That bottle of wine you see is courtesy of the lady sitting with me. She had half a glass and didn't care for it, so she asked if I'd like to take it back to my room. YES, PLEASE.
When I got back to my room, LaLa had it all set up. I was pleased that she left the top bunk up, even though I hadn't asked her to. Leaving the top bunk up allows for more air circulation; plus, I don't feel so cramped.
I had one of those nights where I didn't think I slept, but I must have. I remember laying there while the train rocked, glancing at my phone a couple of times when we stopped, but then I sort of "lost time" between 1:30 and 4:30 AM. I must have slept for a couple of hours, even though I just felt like I'd blinked. Sometimes I dream about being on the train while I'm on the train, probably because my brain is still registering the noise from the horn, so that might be why it felt like I hadn't slept all night. I felt rested, though, despite it being 4:30 AM, so the jury says I got a good nap.
I thought about trying to sleep, but then I realized I'd be the first one into the shower.
So, I grabbed my things and went downstairs. The conductor was sitting in the lounge at the base of the stairs. I tried to sneak by, since I looked pretty awful, but he saw me and said, "Good morning! Did you sleep alright?" I nodded and said "good morning" back to him, and he said, "Nobody's in the shower. It's all yours. Take your time. The shower rush won't start for another half-hour or so."If you've never showered on a train, I recommend it. It's definitely an experience. The shower has grab bars and a little place to sit (I set my toiletries in that area), so don't worry about falling. Just practice shampooing with one hand.
I usually don't need to hang on, but if I feel us going over a switch or going around a curve, I'll usually brace myself.Some trains have push-button showers that run on a timer, and you have to push the button again once it runs out. This shower had a regular handle like most home showers and wasn't timed. Even though the shower rush hadn't started, I still showered and got dressed quickly so nobody would have to wait. I was a bit peeved over the size of the "towels". They were just a little bigger than a hand towel, which is useless when you have long hair. For some reason, I remembered the towels on the SWC being bigger, like a regular towel, so I don't know if this is a recent change or I'm simply losing my mind.
Anyway, shortly after I was dressed and presentable, we crossed into Tennessee. The sun was just starting to come up.
I went to the SSL to wait for the diner to open for breakfast. An older man started chatting with me. He was traveling on a 15-day rail pass, and this was the last leg. We talked about the routes he'd been on and admired the scenery north of Memphis. Before we knew it, we were riding along the river.
A teenage girl near us asked if that bridge in the background was the St. Louis Arch. I explained that we were in Memphis and St. Louis was quite a ways northwest of us, and that the arch is a single arch, like one half of the McDonald's "M". She sort of nodded and went back to her seat to look it up on her phone.
At this point, they opened the diner for breakfast. I ordered my "usual", which is a cheese omelet, croissant, roasted potatoes, and chicken apple-maple sausage patties. The Pepsi is my seatmate's. She couldn't pour it while the train was moving, so I helped her.
I was on the wrong side of the train, so I couldn't see the station at Memphis. Instead, I got to look at these pretty houses for 20 minutes:
Shortly after leaving Memphis, we started riding through farms and fields. I kept seeing these fields, completely and purposely flooded with water. I assume it's rice?
Our next big stop was Greenwood, MS, a "fresh air" stop. The engineer switches out at this point too.
As we continued south, I kept seeing scenery like this:
Then we'd ride into small towns. It alternated between swamps and small towns for quite a while. I started seeing more of these trees, which I love:
Eventually, we arrived in Jackson, MS:
Jackson is another "fresh air" stop. I got off the train for a few minutes and then ran right back on. It was HOT, and I could feel the humidity cranking up. I don't have it saved in my phone anymore, but I think the heat index was 93 at that point.
Leaving Jackson, I was thrilled to see magnolias and palms.
Immediately after Jackson, the dining car announced they were ready for lunch. Again, it was first-come, first-served. The Marketplace Special was chicken stir-fry, and the Specialty Sandwich was a "four smoked cheese" sandwich, i.e. a grilled cheese sandwich with four kinds of smoked cheese. YES, I WILL HAVE EIGHT OF THOSE. Unfortunately, I could only have one:
I love cheese, so I used my chips to scrape the rest of the cheese off the plate.
For dessert, I tried the chocolate parfait. It was perfect. It wasn't too sweet; it was creamy, like a mousse. In fact, I think it is mousse. You can see my (empty) glass of milk in the background. I always have milk at breakfast and lunch, and then I have a Sierra Mist during dinner.
Anyway, the top flavor of the parfait tastes a bit like mocha, but I don't know if there's actually coffee in it. It just tastes like it. The middle is creamy, and then the bottom is straight-up chocolate. I really liked it, so I alternated between that and the cheesecake on the Crescent and CL.
(Splitting to allow for the photo quota - next part, coming up)
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