D
Dorothy Walker
Guest
Hi - just a comment on travelling across America via Amtrak.
I am from New Zealand and decided I wanted to go from New York across to San Francsisco - childhood dream, watching too much Waggon Train etc. I guess? - as I did not want to drive and did not like the idea of being sat on a bus for hours Amtrak was the choice.
So arranged the trip myself, i.e. no travel agent or group travel. I took 6 weeks total and will not mention how long in each place as it is not really relevant.
New York was my first stop and loved it and yes want to come back - will do so one day. I had to visit a friend in Liberty so the nearest station was Poughkeepsie, so the first train was there - the guard helped me on with my bag - I did not realise just how high up those doors were! He also refused a tip when he helped me off - what a surprise. But of course this was only a short trip and all went well.
I then travelled onto Cleveland and sadly we had a 3 hour delay and I was concerned that this may be a suggestion of what was to come but happily that did not happen. I was very impressed with the seats and space you are allocated, after travelling for over 20+ hours on a plane it was much appreciated.
From Cleveland I travelled to Chicago and once more was impressed with the service and seating. From Chicago I had one of my first 'awkward' journays, in the fact I arrived at Newton (which is the nearest stop to Wichita where I was meeting another relative) at 2:45 p.m. in the morning. I had arranged my hotel with this in mind but had taken the presumption of thinking there would be taxis waiting. This is not so and perhaps most people travelling on Amtrak know this but it may pay to advertise the fact as myself and possibly people travelling from Europe expect taxis to be there when a train pulls in. I had discovered this fact a few days before so had booked a taxi.
From Newton I was travelling to Dodge and once more fell foul of the taxi situation as the conducteress informed that there would not be taxis at Dodge at 5:00 a.m. on a Sunday morning. But she came to the rescue and the volunteer at the station gave me a lift, refusing all payment and even when I offered a donation to the volunteer group he would not take it. Fantastic people throughout.
From Dodge I travelled to Flagstaff and the station master on duty (Justin) tried and tried to get me a sleeper for my journay to LA - but these had all been booked out by a travel group a year in advance ( had been trying for a year to get a sleeper it was not a sudden decision!) all to no avail but he did try.
I then went onto Los Angles where I spent only one night, having been there before, before heading to San Fransisco. The train did not arrive until 10:10 p.m. and the bus from Oakland desposited us off at our hotels - mine was the last but luckily I had also informed this hotel that the train would be late at night, so when I turned up just before midnight they were more then welcoming. The bus driver was a gem.
Then it was time for - to me anyway - the most exciting part as I had never slept on a train before. The Starlight Costal to Seattle. The bed was turned down when we got on and there was coffee availabe in the corridor if we wanted it. However we did have a delay but as we were sleeping it did not really matter - the driver did make up some time but these things happen. The service was excellant and the food really good.
So all in all an excellant journey and I would encourage anyone to try it but perhaps with not as many stops as I did!
Dorothy
I am from New Zealand and decided I wanted to go from New York across to San Francsisco - childhood dream, watching too much Waggon Train etc. I guess? - as I did not want to drive and did not like the idea of being sat on a bus for hours Amtrak was the choice.
So arranged the trip myself, i.e. no travel agent or group travel. I took 6 weeks total and will not mention how long in each place as it is not really relevant.
New York was my first stop and loved it and yes want to come back - will do so one day. I had to visit a friend in Liberty so the nearest station was Poughkeepsie, so the first train was there - the guard helped me on with my bag - I did not realise just how high up those doors were! He also refused a tip when he helped me off - what a surprise. But of course this was only a short trip and all went well.
I then travelled onto Cleveland and sadly we had a 3 hour delay and I was concerned that this may be a suggestion of what was to come but happily that did not happen. I was very impressed with the seats and space you are allocated, after travelling for over 20+ hours on a plane it was much appreciated.
From Cleveland I travelled to Chicago and once more was impressed with the service and seating. From Chicago I had one of my first 'awkward' journays, in the fact I arrived at Newton (which is the nearest stop to Wichita where I was meeting another relative) at 2:45 p.m. in the morning. I had arranged my hotel with this in mind but had taken the presumption of thinking there would be taxis waiting. This is not so and perhaps most people travelling on Amtrak know this but it may pay to advertise the fact as myself and possibly people travelling from Europe expect taxis to be there when a train pulls in. I had discovered this fact a few days before so had booked a taxi.
From Newton I was travelling to Dodge and once more fell foul of the taxi situation as the conducteress informed that there would not be taxis at Dodge at 5:00 a.m. on a Sunday morning. But she came to the rescue and the volunteer at the station gave me a lift, refusing all payment and even when I offered a donation to the volunteer group he would not take it. Fantastic people throughout.
From Dodge I travelled to Flagstaff and the station master on duty (Justin) tried and tried to get me a sleeper for my journay to LA - but these had all been booked out by a travel group a year in advance ( had been trying for a year to get a sleeper it was not a sudden decision!) all to no avail but he did try.
I then went onto Los Angles where I spent only one night, having been there before, before heading to San Fransisco. The train did not arrive until 10:10 p.m. and the bus from Oakland desposited us off at our hotels - mine was the last but luckily I had also informed this hotel that the train would be late at night, so when I turned up just before midnight they were more then welcoming. The bus driver was a gem.
Then it was time for - to me anyway - the most exciting part as I had never slept on a train before. The Starlight Costal to Seattle. The bed was turned down when we got on and there was coffee availabe in the corridor if we wanted it. However we did have a delay but as we were sleeping it did not really matter - the driver did make up some time but these things happen. The service was excellant and the food really good.
So all in all an excellant journey and I would encourage anyone to try it but perhaps with not as many stops as I did!
Dorothy
