Part One: http://discuss.amtraktrains.com/index.php?/topic/60741-july-12-chicago-w-architecture-tour/
Part Two: http://discuss.amtraktrains.com/index.php?/topic/60742-july-12-13-chicago-to-new-orleans/
I woke up at 0-dark-thirty to catch the Crescent out of New Orleans. It leaves at 7:00, and I wanted to give myself time to get ready and catch a cab to the station. I had no idea how long it would take to get a cab at 6:00, but the doorman blew a whistle, and one showed up in about a minute. Awesome!
It was another $10 flat fee to go from the hotel to the station, but again, I was not about to walk. It was already pretty warm and muggy, despite how early it was.
This cabbie was really nice. I mentioned that it was muggy, and he turned on the A/C. I thought he'd had it on already. Only in New Orleans do people drive with their windows down when it's 85.
(My boyfriend does this too, though. It drives me crazy.)
When I arrived at Union Station, there were already a ton of people there. I got in line to show the check-in dude my tickets, as I had a coach ticket from NOL to Slidell and then a roomete from Slidell to DC (thus avoiding the crap two-zones times two nonsense - thanks, jimhudson and thetraveler!)
Anyway, I showed the ticket guy my tickets and said, "I'm in coach to Slidell, and then I have a roomette. Would it be okay if I waited in the lounge? If not, I'm cool with waiting out here." He replied, "It's not okay, but I'm going to let you." No smile. No indication he was joking around. I blamed it on the early hour, because I was totally polite about it and knew I was asking for a favor.
He wrote a Super Sekrit code on my ticket, and I walked over to the lounge. I punched in the code, and... nothing. Punched again. Door still wouldn't open. Punched a third time. No dice. Eventually, a nice young lady (pictured) opened the door from the inside.
The Magnolia Lounge isn't swanky like Chicago, but it's still nice. It has comfy furniture, a TV, coffee, soda/juice, and... I'm not sure about the Wi-Fi. I was watching the weather report along with those two.
Eventually, another person tried their code, and the door wouldn't open. The nice lady got up and let them in. It happened a few minutes later. And so on.
Finally, an Amtrak agent opened the door and yelled at us for letting people in. The nice lady said, "Nobody's codes are working. The door won't open," and the Amtrak agent glared at her and said, "People are given codes FOR A REASON."
She slammed the door shut, and another agent, who was getting coffee, turned to us and said, "Wow. This isn't Fort Knox. It's a waiting area, and not a very fancy one at that. Chill out, woman." Bahaha.
They called everyone to board, and I got in line with the sleeper pax. When it was my turn to show the conductor my ticket, I showed him both and explained the coach/roomette situation, just as thetraveler advised me. It worked! The conductor nodded, scanned both of my tickets, and said, "You're going to be with that gentleman down there. *pointing at an SCA* Just tell him [conductor's name I forgot] said it's okay and that you're all checked-in." So, I walked down to my sleeper, and Marlon (Marlin?) introduced himself. I showed him my tickets and said, "That guy *pointing* said it was fine. He checked me in." Marlon said, "Yup. Totally fine. Your room is ready to go. I'll help you on-board."
He picked up my suitcase and showed me to room #7. He gave me a little tour of the room - "Potty is here, sink works like this, fans here, call button here, all of your lights *flips switches*, and there are extra pillows if you need them." He gave the same spiel to everyone else who boarded.
I was in the last car before the baggage car. I didn't even notice we were on the end. I mean, I did, but I thought we were going to back out and hook up the loco because of the way we'd backed-in on the CONO the previous day. Nope. The loco was hooked to the front, so we just pulled out of the station. Yay, sleepers on the back!
This was my room. I always do a double-take when I see these pictures because the gravel looks like snow at first glance:
I put my suitcase on the seat next to the toilet, because ick. There is a reason you don't put carpet in bathrooms. I'm not a total germaphobe, but seriously.
I really like that the Viewliner roomettes have two sets of windows. It lets a lot of light into the room, and the upper bunk doesn't feel like it's right there. Plus, the white walls and bunks make it even brighter. The Superliners are almost dreary in comparison. There's a lot of blue trim as well, so combine that with the plastic-ish interior, and I felt like I was in an airplane. It was the best of both worlds - the clean, modern lines and colors of an airplane with the space of a train. If the Superliners are straight-up 1970s, then the Viewliners are "mod" 1960s.
Additionally, the rooms have two fans that you can set between low and high, and the vent along the bottom of the window can be closed. Very nice. I sleep with a fan, so it was nice having those on. Also, it kept the room nice and chilly.
It didn't take long for us to get moving. I was on the right side of the train heading north, so I got to see the Superdome up close.
Once you get out of the CBD, you're treated to a view of cemeteries! Yay! I hadn't had a chance to see any while there, and the train passes two large ones, so it was a treat. These two cemeteries go on for about two miles or so.
They bury the dead above-ground because, well, New Orleans is already below sea level. You can imagine the issues they'd have if they buried people IN the ground. :-/
I think it's really neat, like a true city of the dead. I'd love to walk around and explore a few of them the next time I visit.
Shortly after the cemeteries, we started riding close to Lake Ponchartrain. I spotted these gates, put in place to prevent flooding if the lake should overflow. I'm not sure if they were built because of Katrina or if they've always been there.
Traveling along Lake Ponchartrain:
At this point, we're crossing Lake Ponchartrain. The bridge is very narrow, just a railway actually, so if you look down, you can barely tell you're on tracks instead of water.
Once we crossed the lake, I decided to head to the diner for breakfast. The Viewliners have helpful signs at the end of the hallway that tell you if you're going the right way. Again, they remind me of an airplane:
(You can't quite see it in the picture, but "Other Way" lights up if you're facing the other side of the hallway.)
The dining car was really pretty. I liked the single seats in the booths, and the vintage posters and colors were nice. The only thing I didn't care for was this UNGODLY LOUD air compressor sound. It was coming from the area near the vestibule, and people had to almost shout to be heard. During lunch, I was seated closer to the vestibule, and everything on the table was vibrating. Between the compressor noise and the people yelling to talk, I ate very, very quickly. I'm sensitive to noise, so that was pretty nightmarish.
Thanks to Jis, I learned this was not a Viewliner diner after all. It's a "Timoinsa" rebuild diner. Thanks for the correction.
The dining car crew was awesome. The LSA was David, if I remember correctly, and he's the one taking our order in the first picture. He'll come into play later.
I ordered Railroad French Toast, as I've never had it before. It was yummy! They made it so it was firm and nearly crisp on the edges, which is exactly how I like it. The bread was the perfect thickness. Also, the bacon was crispy, which was perfect. I don't like soggy food.
As I ate breakfast, we pulled into Picayune, MS. I was pleased, as I'd just read a book that mentioned Picayune. I still don't know how to say it, though. I think of it as "pih-kane", which is probably wrong. Sorry, Picayune.
Hattiesburg, MS:
Most of the route looks like this, so it was really hard to get pictures. Don't get me wrong - it's relaxing - but it doesn't make for much scenery or trip-reporting. I kept seeing pretty/cool stuff, but the trees got in the way every time I tried to capture things:
At this point, we were rolling into Ellisville, MS:
That's when I finally gave up and started nodding off. I had the bottom seats in "chaise lounge" position (one seat reclined, and one seat all the way flat). I knew David would be coming around to get lunch reservations soon, so I shut my door and left the curtain pulled aside so he'd know I was in there.
We pulled into Laurel, MS, and this gent on the bike was none too happy about waiting for the train. He kept giving me a dirty look, so I went back to sleep.
Eventually, David did knock, lightly. I was in napping mode, so he didn't startle me. I opened the door, and he said, "Sorry, dear. I just want to get your lunch reservation, and then you can go back to dreaming." I gave him my reservation, and then he said, "Hey, let me show you how to power nap on these trains."
He adjusted my "chaise lounge" a bit, arranged the two extra pillows between my hip and the wall (without touching me or coming too close), showed me where to prop one behind my back, and then handed me another one to lean on. He said, "There. Now you won't bang into the wall when we hit a switch, and if you scoot down while sleeping, you won't bang your head." I smiled and thanked him, and then after he left, I started laughing because I realized I'd just been "tucked-in" by the LSA. It was too cute.
I slept for about an hour and then woke up when we stopped in Meridian, MS:
At this point, it was time for lunch. I went to the dining car, and I was seated with the young, blonde lady who'd been yelled at in the Magnolia Lounge. She was on a cross-country trip with her father. They were both from England, but he'd grown up in Wales. He started to tell me where Wales was, and I had to resist the urge to go completely U.K. fangirl all over them. Once they realized I wasn't the typical, geographically-deficient American, we started talking about all sorts of things - rail travel, the U.S, the U.K, Europe, driving on the left/right side of the road, soccer/football, various language differences (cookies, biscuits, crisps, chips, fries, etc). I gave them some fun American words ("In Wisconsin, drinking fountains are called bubblers,") and they told me about all of the states they'd been to.
I explained that they'd been to more states than some Americans, and that was pretty impressive. They'd started in CA and had traveled through CA, AZ, NM, TX, AR, and LA, and were on their way to DC for a few days. From DC, they were going to take another train to NYC and then Boston before flying home. The father told me that they'd had to drive from CA to LA because their train had been canceled or some such thing (the compressor was loud, and he was softspoken - maybe the SL got cancelled at some point?)
Anyway, we passed through Tuscaloosa while eating and wrapped-up lunch as we approached the outskirts of Birmingham. I'd ordered the Angus Burger. I didn't take a picture of it because I've had it a million times, and pretty much everyone here has seen it.
Lipscomb, AL:
Entering Birmingham:
Birmingham Amtrak:
Once we passed through Birmingham and started heading more northeast-ish, it became steadily apparent that we were reaching the very southern tip of the Appalachians. This area is known as the Talladega National Forest:
(to be continued in next post - reaching photo limit)
Part Two: http://discuss.amtraktrains.com/index.php?/topic/60742-july-12-13-chicago-to-new-orleans/
I woke up at 0-dark-thirty to catch the Crescent out of New Orleans. It leaves at 7:00, and I wanted to give myself time to get ready and catch a cab to the station. I had no idea how long it would take to get a cab at 6:00, but the doorman blew a whistle, and one showed up in about a minute. Awesome!
It was another $10 flat fee to go from the hotel to the station, but again, I was not about to walk. It was already pretty warm and muggy, despite how early it was.
This cabbie was really nice. I mentioned that it was muggy, and he turned on the A/C. I thought he'd had it on already. Only in New Orleans do people drive with their windows down when it's 85.
(My boyfriend does this too, though. It drives me crazy.)When I arrived at Union Station, there were already a ton of people there. I got in line to show the check-in dude my tickets, as I had a coach ticket from NOL to Slidell and then a roomete from Slidell to DC (thus avoiding the crap two-zones times two nonsense - thanks, jimhudson and thetraveler!)
Anyway, I showed the ticket guy my tickets and said, "I'm in coach to Slidell, and then I have a roomette. Would it be okay if I waited in the lounge? If not, I'm cool with waiting out here." He replied, "It's not okay, but I'm going to let you." No smile. No indication he was joking around. I blamed it on the early hour, because I was totally polite about it and knew I was asking for a favor.
He wrote a Super Sekrit code on my ticket, and I walked over to the lounge. I punched in the code, and... nothing. Punched again. Door still wouldn't open. Punched a third time. No dice. Eventually, a nice young lady (pictured) opened the door from the inside.
The Magnolia Lounge isn't swanky like Chicago, but it's still nice. It has comfy furniture, a TV, coffee, soda/juice, and... I'm not sure about the Wi-Fi. I was watching the weather report along with those two.
Eventually, another person tried their code, and the door wouldn't open. The nice lady got up and let them in. It happened a few minutes later. And so on.
Finally, an Amtrak agent opened the door and yelled at us for letting people in. The nice lady said, "Nobody's codes are working. The door won't open," and the Amtrak agent glared at her and said, "People are given codes FOR A REASON."
She slammed the door shut, and another agent, who was getting coffee, turned to us and said, "Wow. This isn't Fort Knox. It's a waiting area, and not a very fancy one at that. Chill out, woman." Bahaha.
They called everyone to board, and I got in line with the sleeper pax. When it was my turn to show the conductor my ticket, I showed him both and explained the coach/roomette situation, just as thetraveler advised me. It worked! The conductor nodded, scanned both of my tickets, and said, "You're going to be with that gentleman down there. *pointing at an SCA* Just tell him [conductor's name I forgot] said it's okay and that you're all checked-in." So, I walked down to my sleeper, and Marlon (Marlin?) introduced himself. I showed him my tickets and said, "That guy *pointing* said it was fine. He checked me in." Marlon said, "Yup. Totally fine. Your room is ready to go. I'll help you on-board."
He picked up my suitcase and showed me to room #7. He gave me a little tour of the room - "Potty is here, sink works like this, fans here, call button here, all of your lights *flips switches*, and there are extra pillows if you need them." He gave the same spiel to everyone else who boarded.
I was in the last car before the baggage car. I didn't even notice we were on the end. I mean, I did, but I thought we were going to back out and hook up the loco because of the way we'd backed-in on the CONO the previous day. Nope. The loco was hooked to the front, so we just pulled out of the station. Yay, sleepers on the back!
This was my room. I always do a double-take when I see these pictures because the gravel looks like snow at first glance:
I put my suitcase on the seat next to the toilet, because ick. There is a reason you don't put carpet in bathrooms. I'm not a total germaphobe, but seriously.
I really like that the Viewliner roomettes have two sets of windows. It lets a lot of light into the room, and the upper bunk doesn't feel like it's right there. Plus, the white walls and bunks make it even brighter. The Superliners are almost dreary in comparison. There's a lot of blue trim as well, so combine that with the plastic-ish interior, and I felt like I was in an airplane. It was the best of both worlds - the clean, modern lines and colors of an airplane with the space of a train. If the Superliners are straight-up 1970s, then the Viewliners are "mod" 1960s.
Additionally, the rooms have two fans that you can set between low and high, and the vent along the bottom of the window can be closed. Very nice. I sleep with a fan, so it was nice having those on. Also, it kept the room nice and chilly.
It didn't take long for us to get moving. I was on the right side of the train heading north, so I got to see the Superdome up close.
Once you get out of the CBD, you're treated to a view of cemeteries! Yay! I hadn't had a chance to see any while there, and the train passes two large ones, so it was a treat. These two cemeteries go on for about two miles or so.
They bury the dead above-ground because, well, New Orleans is already below sea level. You can imagine the issues they'd have if they buried people IN the ground. :-/
I think it's really neat, like a true city of the dead. I'd love to walk around and explore a few of them the next time I visit.
Shortly after the cemeteries, we started riding close to Lake Ponchartrain. I spotted these gates, put in place to prevent flooding if the lake should overflow. I'm not sure if they were built because of Katrina or if they've always been there.
Traveling along Lake Ponchartrain:
At this point, we're crossing Lake Ponchartrain. The bridge is very narrow, just a railway actually, so if you look down, you can barely tell you're on tracks instead of water.
Once we crossed the lake, I decided to head to the diner for breakfast. The Viewliners have helpful signs at the end of the hallway that tell you if you're going the right way. Again, they remind me of an airplane:
(You can't quite see it in the picture, but "Other Way" lights up if you're facing the other side of the hallway.)
The dining car was really pretty. I liked the single seats in the booths, and the vintage posters and colors were nice. The only thing I didn't care for was this UNGODLY LOUD air compressor sound. It was coming from the area near the vestibule, and people had to almost shout to be heard. During lunch, I was seated closer to the vestibule, and everything on the table was vibrating. Between the compressor noise and the people yelling to talk, I ate very, very quickly. I'm sensitive to noise, so that was pretty nightmarish.
Thanks to Jis, I learned this was not a Viewliner diner after all. It's a "Timoinsa" rebuild diner. Thanks for the correction.
The dining car crew was awesome. The LSA was David, if I remember correctly, and he's the one taking our order in the first picture. He'll come into play later.
I ordered Railroad French Toast, as I've never had it before. It was yummy! They made it so it was firm and nearly crisp on the edges, which is exactly how I like it. The bread was the perfect thickness. Also, the bacon was crispy, which was perfect. I don't like soggy food.
As I ate breakfast, we pulled into Picayune, MS. I was pleased, as I'd just read a book that mentioned Picayune. I still don't know how to say it, though. I think of it as "pih-kane", which is probably wrong. Sorry, Picayune.
Hattiesburg, MS:
Most of the route looks like this, so it was really hard to get pictures. Don't get me wrong - it's relaxing - but it doesn't make for much scenery or trip-reporting. I kept seeing pretty/cool stuff, but the trees got in the way every time I tried to capture things:
At this point, we were rolling into Ellisville, MS:
That's when I finally gave up and started nodding off. I had the bottom seats in "chaise lounge" position (one seat reclined, and one seat all the way flat). I knew David would be coming around to get lunch reservations soon, so I shut my door and left the curtain pulled aside so he'd know I was in there.
We pulled into Laurel, MS, and this gent on the bike was none too happy about waiting for the train. He kept giving me a dirty look, so I went back to sleep.
Eventually, David did knock, lightly. I was in napping mode, so he didn't startle me. I opened the door, and he said, "Sorry, dear. I just want to get your lunch reservation, and then you can go back to dreaming." I gave him my reservation, and then he said, "Hey, let me show you how to power nap on these trains."
He adjusted my "chaise lounge" a bit, arranged the two extra pillows between my hip and the wall (without touching me or coming too close), showed me where to prop one behind my back, and then handed me another one to lean on. He said, "There. Now you won't bang into the wall when we hit a switch, and if you scoot down while sleeping, you won't bang your head." I smiled and thanked him, and then after he left, I started laughing because I realized I'd just been "tucked-in" by the LSA. It was too cute.
I slept for about an hour and then woke up when we stopped in Meridian, MS:
At this point, it was time for lunch. I went to the dining car, and I was seated with the young, blonde lady who'd been yelled at in the Magnolia Lounge. She was on a cross-country trip with her father. They were both from England, but he'd grown up in Wales. He started to tell me where Wales was, and I had to resist the urge to go completely U.K. fangirl all over them. Once they realized I wasn't the typical, geographically-deficient American, we started talking about all sorts of things - rail travel, the U.S, the U.K, Europe, driving on the left/right side of the road, soccer/football, various language differences (cookies, biscuits, crisps, chips, fries, etc). I gave them some fun American words ("In Wisconsin, drinking fountains are called bubblers,") and they told me about all of the states they'd been to.
I explained that they'd been to more states than some Americans, and that was pretty impressive. They'd started in CA and had traveled through CA, AZ, NM, TX, AR, and LA, and were on their way to DC for a few days. From DC, they were going to take another train to NYC and then Boston before flying home. The father told me that they'd had to drive from CA to LA because their train had been canceled or some such thing (the compressor was loud, and he was softspoken - maybe the SL got cancelled at some point?)
Anyway, we passed through Tuscaloosa while eating and wrapped-up lunch as we approached the outskirts of Birmingham. I'd ordered the Angus Burger. I didn't take a picture of it because I've had it a million times, and pretty much everyone here has seen it.
Lipscomb, AL:
Entering Birmingham:
Birmingham Amtrak:
Once we passed through Birmingham and started heading more northeast-ish, it became steadily apparent that we were reaching the very southern tip of the Appalachians. This area is known as the Talladega National Forest:
(to be continued in next post - reaching photo limit)
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