May 2023 Train travels: From NC to Michigan

[Old MM]

We had a variety of train excursions in May, spread out among several states and family members. All in all, it was a good overall combined episode of travel. I'll try to recount our trips here and cover the highlights and lowlights with hopefully not too much detail!

It was a sunny, clear and pleasantly cool spring evening in southeastern Michigan. I had made arrangements to meet my daughter in downtown Ann Arbor, to take the Amtrak connector bus to Toledo, to board the Capitol Ltd to Washington DC. Originally, I thought of ticketing out of Dearborn, which, like Ann Arbor has free parking, and which unlike Ann Arbor, has a larger lot that doesn't fill up to capacity on weekends. I've used the Ann Arbor station for parking back in the day, in recent years not keen on showing up there with a car and not finding a spot. So for this trip, since my daughter was already going to be in town concluding a work shift, I took public transportation to meet her for dinner after which the plan was to walk to the Amtrak station.

We arrived in plenty of time, and with it being a gorgeous evening we waited outside and chatted until the bus arrived. There weren't many of us boarding and the bus was not crowded as we pulled away to the next station stop of Dearborn. As night fell, we enjoyed the sights along the way and after Dearborn, then Detroit, the bus headed south on I-75 towards the Toledo Amtrak station. The bus arrived on schedule, and wonder of wonders. the Cap was on time. How many times am I lucky enough to be able to say that? The evening was still warm enough that we waited by the tracks instead of inside, and were right there for the thrill of the train arriving in the station.

I had a surprise in store for my daughter: instead of a roomette, I had managed to snap a low bucket Bedroom. She was so pleased, it was more than worth it. We boarded the car and headed upstairs to room C. We met our friendly and personable SCA, and so help me I've already forgotten his name, nice guy. We had limited conversation since it was midnight and basically nothing to do but get ready for bed. It's been years since I've been in a BR on any train. The extra space for 2 people is really nice, and of course the ensuite toilet and shower is that extra bit of luxury (yes I know, we don't consider that luxurious, but if you compare that to Amtrak coach overnight, kind of takes on a different character). I was a bit disappointed seeing the condition of the bathroom floor in the room. Dried up sticky stains of unknown origin. This train spent the night in Chicago, can the cleaning crews not do better than this? I got out another pack of wipes and cleaned the floor. (You're welcome Amtrak). The other minor issue was the door under the sink banging and rattling loudly to the extent sleep wouldn't have been possible, happily there is a very easy fix:

 

[Old MM]

This is the fix. The loud bang is actually from the right side, not the side that opens on the left for the trash. Simply take a Kleenex or two from the supplied box, and close the cabinet on the tissues. The banging is silenced for the whole trip.

 

[Old MM]

My old friend, Train 30, proceeded through the Ohio landscape in the splendid darkness that you can only enjoy in a train. Every light that's on shows a house, a station, a town, a warehouse, and it all looks so much more artistic from a train window. I tried to convince daughter to stay up and enjoy the view but she wasn't as entranced by it and had a long day so she was more than ready to fall asleep after getting cleaned up. My goal was to stay awake until Cleveland and it didn't happen. Both of us did wake up a few times, grateful to have our own bathroom, and went back to sleep until quite late in the morning. The SCA had advised there were not set breakfast hours, and we didn't want much anyway. Staying in bed was so much more appealing. We finally got up and got cereal for her, coffee for me, and as we got closer to Washington we monitored our phones more carefully. Cell service is spotty through the gorgeous mountain scenery. My son was boarding the Carolinian to meet us in DC that afternoon, and we started getting some text updates from him. In my opinion he cut it way too close arriving at Durham 10 minutes before scheduled departure; but it was fine and the train was a few minutes late. I booked the BC seat for him, and the car was quite full. He did enjoy the train and the scenery, did not enjoy his seatmate who was coughing and sneezing, maskless, continually, for the entire journey, fortunately he still had an N95 in his backpack and made use of that. He didn't get sick so FWIW I will always have one in my travel bag too. We girls got to Washington well ahead of him, since 30 was on time, and we took the Metro to our hotel in Bethesda (Hyatt Regency) to wait for him there.

 

[Old MM]

3 days, 2 nights in DC: We had a very successful trip. It's been so many years since I've spent any significant time in the area. All I can say is plan, plan, plan, and then plan some more, in advance, for however long you intend to be there. Maybe it's easier for people who are not mired in the past like me. But times certainly have changed, many attractions you used to be able to just walk in to, now require online tickets, which are free, but still need to be procured in advance. We were able to cover every museum and attraction we planned, it made for long days, which was fine given the feeling of accomplishment. DC is a wonderful place to visit, such a feeling of discovery around every block, such a feeling of possibility. We loved using the Metro train to get around and the 3 days passes are an excellent value.
Warning: DC is also expensive. You'll pay more for accommodations no matter where you stay. This is mitigated somewhat with all the free museums and such. Speaking of the Metro, it's more costly to use than than the Chicago CTA, it's also a contrast in that the Metro feels "spiffier" but the CTA has a certain neighborhood character and charm and again, less costly.
On our checkout day we took the Metro to DCA, we were flying to Chicago using my flight benefits, which also mitigated the cost of the train and hotels.

 

[Old MM]

Got our flight to Chicago with no issue. We stayed there for a "buffer" night and had plenty of time to walk around downtown. The next day we had tickets on the Wolverine back to Michigan. This was a very interesting ride, I had previously experienced the rehabbed coaches with leather seats (loved them, easy to clean) that replaced the old time fabric seats. This time, there were even newer, modern coaches, the young people liked the modern vibe, I'm definitely not a fan. First off the seats are hard and uncomfortable, and smaller with less leg room. It seemed as if Amtrak is trying to emulate the worst aspects of coach airline seating with these, except that airplane seats are not this bad. One positive is the windows are nicer, more expansive, and clean. The bathrooms are also updated and have more electronic functions as opposed to the old fashioned manual controls. There is electronic signage in the new car which apparently must be in the testing stages as the prerecorded announcements made no sense, such as "we are now leaving Chicago" when we were leaving Kalamazoo. Please bring back the humans making the announcements, Amtrak. Also, the floor was shockingly dirty for such a new car; there was a plastic divider between our seats and it was covered in a grimy sticky stain, that appeared to be spilled coffee that dried and picked up other dirt. Again however this train spent the night in Chicago, does no one care? Oh to be fair the car probably went back and forth between multiple overnight stations with no one caring. Can you, reader, guess what I did? yes, got out the wipes and cleaned the plastic (can't do anything for the fabric on the floor) (you're welcome, Amtrak)
And overall? We had a great time, son has now flown back to NC, and we are currently planning our annual trip to Florida. Not looking like a train trip in either direction, seeing sold out or crazy expensive trains, so I'm extra thankful we did have our spring train adventures.

 

[jiml]

Great report. I sense a theme:

This train spent the night in Chicago, can the cleaning crews not do better than this? I got out another pack of wipes and cleaned the floor. (You're welcome Amtrak).

Again however this train spent the night in Chicago, does no one care? Oh to be fair the car probably went back and forth between multiple overnight stations with no one caring. Can you, reader, guess what I did? yes, got out the wipes and cleaned the plastic (can't do anything for the fabric on the floor) (you're welcome, Amtrak)

Kudos to you for being prepared.

 

[Mystic River Dragon]

Wonderful report—thank you!

The Cap on time, a low-bucket bedroom, and a “spiffy” DC Metro? What secret do you know that has escaped the rest of us?

Seriously, I’m so glad you had such a great trip with your daughter and son.

 

[Old MM]

We did indeed have a great time. The youngens have both grown up to be dedicated fans of public transportation.
Couple other notes on the newer Midwest cars, as noted elsewhere the outlets are between the seats, which is convenient, sadly however the cheap plastic parts are nowhere near as sturdy as the older wall mounted outlets. My device cord kept falling out of the outlet. The tray table is a little bigger and more stable, which my son liked and it was a comfortable height for his laptop. The restrooms have electronic locks, definitely nice if they don't malfunction, and the sink faucets work better, the water doesn't spray everywhere. Maybe these new car restrooms will stand up to Midwest winters better and not be taken out of service as often.