long time no post, but i thought i'd write up our year-hinge trip for anyone who'd like to read it.
first installment coming to you live from the chicago metropolitan lounge. pictures and updates to come after we've wandered around outside a bit:
Step one: NYP>WAS
This was supposed to be the easy part. 11:35 from NYP to WAS, arriving 2:59, leaving us just over an hour to catch the Cap. A guaranteed connection and no problem in the generally-punctual NEC, I figured. The snow that walloped the east coast two days before the trip left my wife worried enough that I sat on hold for 30 minutes the day before our trip, to be reassured by the Amtrak agent that this was indeed no problem. “Train does it every day.” “Even with the snow?” “No problem.”
After the usual last-minute leaving-town business (“I only have enough medicine for half the trip! What do you mean the pharmacist hasn’t shown up yet?” and the like), we hopped on the best little train in NYC, the Franklin Avenue Shuttle, transfered to the C to Penn Station.
We arrived at Penn with a bit over an hour to spare, checked our luggage through to LRK (via the LSL), bought a bagel and lunch to eat on the Regional, and headed to Club Acela….where they informed us that the 11:35 was delayed, no one knew how delayed — maybe canceled — and if we wanted to see if we could get on the 11:00 Acela and actually make our connection in WAS, we’d better get to the Station Manager, pronto.
At the station manager’s office, they confirmed what we knew: that we’d likely miss our train. The agent we talked to called down to WAS to see if the Cap was scheduled to leave on time, which it was, told us the 11:00 was sold out, the LSL was sold out, there were no other options, and all we could do was keep calling Julie to see if the Cap became delayed. All of this sounded a lot like we were going to get stuck in WAS for the night and end up in coach on the Cap the following day (since I assume sleepers would have been sold out). No fun. Obviously, the delay wasn’t the fault of the agent, and I’ve dealt with worse customer service people — he wasn’t rude or anything — but it was frustrating that he didn’t seem to make much effort to think through other options (like, could we have taken a train to Pittsburgh and met the Cap that way?). It didn’t seem to bother him much that we were being set up to have a pretty unpleasant trip.
We left the office frustrated, and then noticed that the (delayed) 10:35 Regional was still listed as boarding (at almost 11). Even though it was running late, we figured it might get us to WAS in enough time for our connection, if they’d let us ride. We booked it back to the office, waited in a short line, and by the luck of the draw wound up with the other agent, who told us to run to the gate and ask. “Tell them Valerie said it was okay.” After a brief confusion at the gate, we were told to ask down on the platform, where someone (I think maybe a redcap, actually) told us to just do it. We were a bit worried about what the conductor would say when he came for our tickets, but he couldn’t have been nicer. Yay, Valerie!
The ride through the NEC is unusually pretty, thanks to the deep snow and the frozen marshes in northern NJ. The white background makes the objects that are in color — trains, houses, trees, blue sky — look like drawings on an otherwise blank piece of paper. When we’re moving fast, the loose snow flies around us and gives the strange sensation of looking through fog at a brightly sunny world. The train is full, but we’ve found seats and may be able to sit together once my seat-mate gets off at Philly. So far, so good.
…And, a few long siding stops (weird on the NEC) later, we have made it to WAS, in time for the Cap! Arrived about 3:15 (scheduled 2:01). Awfully glad we didn’t take no for an answer and wait on the 11:35 — it’s not due here until 5:00, and the Cap is still scheduled to leave on time at 4:05. The lounge is crowded and the Wifi seems not to work, but I’m happy to be perched on an end table nibbling potato chips, instead of arguing over hotel accommodations.
first installment coming to you live from the chicago metropolitan lounge. pictures and updates to come after we've wandered around outside a bit:
Step one: NYP>WAS
This was supposed to be the easy part. 11:35 from NYP to WAS, arriving 2:59, leaving us just over an hour to catch the Cap. A guaranteed connection and no problem in the generally-punctual NEC, I figured. The snow that walloped the east coast two days before the trip left my wife worried enough that I sat on hold for 30 minutes the day before our trip, to be reassured by the Amtrak agent that this was indeed no problem. “Train does it every day.” “Even with the snow?” “No problem.”
After the usual last-minute leaving-town business (“I only have enough medicine for half the trip! What do you mean the pharmacist hasn’t shown up yet?” and the like), we hopped on the best little train in NYC, the Franklin Avenue Shuttle, transfered to the C to Penn Station.
We arrived at Penn with a bit over an hour to spare, checked our luggage through to LRK (via the LSL), bought a bagel and lunch to eat on the Regional, and headed to Club Acela….where they informed us that the 11:35 was delayed, no one knew how delayed — maybe canceled — and if we wanted to see if we could get on the 11:00 Acela and actually make our connection in WAS, we’d better get to the Station Manager, pronto.
At the station manager’s office, they confirmed what we knew: that we’d likely miss our train. The agent we talked to called down to WAS to see if the Cap was scheduled to leave on time, which it was, told us the 11:00 was sold out, the LSL was sold out, there were no other options, and all we could do was keep calling Julie to see if the Cap became delayed. All of this sounded a lot like we were going to get stuck in WAS for the night and end up in coach on the Cap the following day (since I assume sleepers would have been sold out). No fun. Obviously, the delay wasn’t the fault of the agent, and I’ve dealt with worse customer service people — he wasn’t rude or anything — but it was frustrating that he didn’t seem to make much effort to think through other options (like, could we have taken a train to Pittsburgh and met the Cap that way?). It didn’t seem to bother him much that we were being set up to have a pretty unpleasant trip.
We left the office frustrated, and then noticed that the (delayed) 10:35 Regional was still listed as boarding (at almost 11). Even though it was running late, we figured it might get us to WAS in enough time for our connection, if they’d let us ride. We booked it back to the office, waited in a short line, and by the luck of the draw wound up with the other agent, who told us to run to the gate and ask. “Tell them Valerie said it was okay.” After a brief confusion at the gate, we were told to ask down on the platform, where someone (I think maybe a redcap, actually) told us to just do it. We were a bit worried about what the conductor would say when he came for our tickets, but he couldn’t have been nicer. Yay, Valerie!
The ride through the NEC is unusually pretty, thanks to the deep snow and the frozen marshes in northern NJ. The white background makes the objects that are in color — trains, houses, trees, blue sky — look like drawings on an otherwise blank piece of paper. When we’re moving fast, the loose snow flies around us and gives the strange sensation of looking through fog at a brightly sunny world. The train is full, but we’ve found seats and may be able to sit together once my seat-mate gets off at Philly. So far, so good.
…And, a few long siding stops (weird on the NEC) later, we have made it to WAS, in time for the Cap! Arrived about 3:15 (scheduled 2:01). Awfully glad we didn’t take no for an answer and wait on the 11:35 — it’s not due here until 5:00, and the Cap is still scheduled to leave on time at 4:05. The lounge is crowded and the Wifi seems not to work, but I’m happy to be perched on an end table nibbling potato chips, instead of arguing over hotel accommodations.
