Celebrities & Politicians on Amtrak?

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snljamie0518

Service Attendant
Joined
Apr 29, 2016
Messages
131
Location
Aurora, Colorado
I am just curious. Has anyone seen any celebrities or politicans ride on the train or see in the stations? If so, which trains & which stations?

When I lived in NYC, I rode in the same subway car as Jake Gyllenhaal. My husband & I were sitting next to one of the doors & Jake was standing at the door right next to us. He looked like he didn't want to be bothered so I didn't make a scene or talk to him, even though I wanted to.

I would love to read your stories if you have any.
 
I can list Seth Moulton, Joe Kennedy III, and I think Charlie Rangel on the NEC. I had breakfast with Joe Haldeman on the Meteor some years ago as well.
 
I’ve ran into quite a few. More than I can mention. And some that I can’t because of non disclosures.

The ones I can mention

Taylor Swift-While I was fixing toilets on the Nashville wine train. Had a photo shoot at the same time.

-Martin O’Malley in DC Union Station

-Chris Matthews on the SM

And quite a few more.
 
Alan ran into Whoopi Goldberg on the Acela when she was on her way to DC for the White House Correspondent's Dinner several years ago. He texted me a photo. :)

I ran into Colin Powell in the WAS Club Acela. I also ran into Madeleine Albright and Hoda Kotb in the NYP Club Acela (at different times).

A few weeks ago, in the Club Acela in NYP I saw a bunch of Republican Senators having lunch in the conference room. They apparently were getting ready to board an Acela to WAS. Many of them look alike to me so I could not identify all of them, but I did recognize Rick Scott and Mitt Romney.
 
Many years ago on the Sunset Limited out of LA, Jaclyn Smith and a male companion (husband at the time?) were accompanying what appeared to be her parents on a trip. I believe Ms. Smith and the gentleman disembarked at Palm Springs, leaving the older folk to enjoy the rest of the trip.
 
Back in the days of steam heated Amtrak trains, I rode cross-country from NYC to LAX via the Crescent and Sunset Limited in the 'through sleeper' that passengers could use as an overnight hotel and chatted with John Astin (Gomez on the Addams Family in 1960s).

Then, about 2 months ago, I met and briefly chatted with ex-NJ Governor Chris Christie at Shake Shack in WAS. He then sat a couple rows behind me on Acela #2172 in First Class (I used an upgrade).
 
One morning right after 9/11 I saw Hillary Clinton (she was a senator from New York at the time) getting on a Regional, er, Northeast Direct (or maybe it was a Metroliner) at Washington Union Station. We were all piling off an inbound commuter train, and our path into the station was blocked off by the security cordon.
 
In my 40+ years of riding Amtrak ( and longer before A- Day) I have seen lots of Celebs on Trains and in the Stations.

During my 25 years in DC I rode with/met lots of them on the NEC,mostly Politicians ( Amtrak Joe Biden I saw the most)and Media types, but a few TV and Movie stars and Athletes.

Last fall during the NY Gathering, several AUers got to chat with Madeleine Albright in the NYP Club Acela. (We need more classy people like her in Public Office!!)
 
I was the celebrity twice, or at least my t-shirt was. For fifteen years before I retired, I was the organizer for a small renewable energy fair in middle-of-nowhere eastern Oregon. Once on the Sunset Ltd eastbound at Alpine TX, and once on the California Zephyr westbound near Winnemucca NV, strangers at the dining table looked at my t-shirt and informed me they had been to my event. I recognized the name of one from my email list, but not the other.
 
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Ive seen plenty in last 5 years or so in the Was lounge. I sat down once and it was Henry Kissinger next to me. Exchanged hellos, chatted briefly and that was about it. He had a group with him. Al Sharpton and a big group. He is very small. Newt Gingrich, Jesse Jackson came in with an interesting looking group and went into the small conference room and left after about 20 minutes headed towards a train I presume, Greta Van Susteren and shes very tiny also. A few Senators that I go...who is that? All headed north as their trains were called.
 
Spring of 2018 I was seated with a lady in the diner of the Empire Builder. She was traveling from her job as a writer in NYC to her home in California. Turns out she had been a writer & executive producer for Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
 
In the mid late 1980s I was in a (then) Via 1 car between Toronto and Montreal with Donald Sutherland and family. I was young and gauche enough to ask him for his autograph, something I would never do now, but he was most gracious. Then, in Central Station we (literally) bumped into each other, and again, he was gracious and apologized even though it was purely happenstance on both our parts.
 
Then, about 2 months ago, I met and briefly chatted with ex-NJ Governor Chris Christie at Shake Shack in WAS. He then sat a couple rows behind me on Acela #2172 in First Class (I used an upgrade).
What? Chris Christie using a train?!?
 
Earlier this year the actor who is on the Farmers Insurance commercials ("we know a thing or two because we've seen a thing or two") boarded the SW Chief at LA.
That would be Academy Award-winner J.K. Simmons. Great guy, he's done theatre with people I know. He's also the voice of the yellow M&M in those commercials.
 
As I tell in an article (http://www.theguardian.hnn.org/blog/153419), on one occasion I had dinner with an Inspector General of the CIA and the founder and CEO of Iraqi Kids, a NGO dedicated to easing the humanitarian problems caused by our war in Iraq. On the Capital Limited going W. Read the article. It does tell something we've lost as a result of not getting seated with others on Amtrak's Eastern runs.
 
When I worked at NYP, I met many celebs, as they would 'hide out' in the Station Services back room.

Rode the Zephyr when former NFL coach and tv commentator extraordinaire, John Madden was aboard, three different times...he never hid in his room, but 'held court' in the lounge car, entertaining fans. The crew all knew him, too....
 
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