Hi to you all,and thanks for being here. i took my first amtrak trip in early december.it was something my wife and i wanted to do for a long time. we went from ft. worth to miami,then on down to key largo with a rented car. we stayed there 5 days then bak to miami and flew home to ft. worth. man our arms were tired(couldn't resist that one lol) the best part of the trip was the train travel,so much so we are planning another trip sometime in june using a 15 day rail pass.if all goes as planned we will be on the texas eagle,soutwest chief,cali. zephyr,coast starlight empire builder, the city of new orleans,sunset limited and then bak on the texas limited home.by using this site and all your experience(s) i am anticipating a great trip. i will keep using your suggestions as i find them,and will be greatly appreciative of any and all suggestions that you may have.i am still hammering out my itinerary for now as well as questioning a 15 or 30 day rail pass.money for hotels is a bit of an issue so thats why i am leaning toward a 15 day pass. but i sure would like to add the cardinal and the crescent to my list.but enuff of that i just appreciatte you guys sharing your experience to benefit others. i have heard "sometimes you have to give it away to keep it" thanks!