We are a retired couple (70 yrs.) Last year we took a 9,000 mile Amtrak in the West. This year (April 2- April 15) we went 6,000 miles North and East from Louisiana. In our opinion, the scenery and the trains and tracks are better in the West, but this trip was very nice, too.
Our first train, Sunset Ltd., was 7 hours late arriving in LCH. I have learned to always call Amtrak and check the Dixieland site for the status of the trains. We arrived in NOL at 3:45 am. There was plenty of taxis there waiting. The Magnolia Lounge at the station isn't much.
We had a roomette for the rest of the trip. It was very small, but adequate.
We caught the City of New Orleans to Chicago. We had a great SCA named Al. That really makes traveling more pleasant. The lounge at CHI Union station is nice, but we did not have any Wi-Fi. The station is huge. We had about a 9 hour layover, so we rode a bus to the Museum of Science and Industry. It was very interesting, but there was lots of school groups for field trips.
We then caught the Capitol Limited to Washington, DC. Our SCA, Darryl, put us in the wrong car, didn't supply ice, toilet paper, etc. The scenery in PA, MD, and WV was pretty. Lots of historical towns and sites and some pretty rivers ( the Potomac and Shenandoah, I think). We also saw the Eastern Continental Divide, the Mason/Dixon line, and the Cumberland Gap. We entered the Graham Tunnel in WV and exited in MD. We saw the Martinsburg station, the oldest(1847) working one in the US (4 stories tall). We saw Harper's ferry and part of the Appalachian Trail. The Club Acela lounge in WAS is great. We caught a taxi to our hotel in Arlington, which was just 2 blocks from the Metro. We stayed 2 nights. The Metro is really easy to ride. We even had sr. discount fare cards. We visited the Museum of American History. Very nice, but again very crowded. On Saturday, we had tickets to Ford's Theatre, etc. The 2 man play was wonderful, as was the museum and Peterson house, where Lincoln died. We then caught a city bus to the National Cathedral. The ride was about an hour, but we got to see lots of the city. The Cathedral was absolutely gorgeous. We had a tour guide who was very knowledgeable. It was extremely interesting and awe inspiring. The views of the city are great from the 7th floor tower. On Sunday, we took the Metro to the Tidal Basin where we watched the Cherry Blossom Marathon (15,000 runners). The trees were not in full bloom, but we saw a few pretty ones. We stored our bags at Club Acela at Union Station and walked to Capitol Square. We went to the US Botanical Garden and Conservatory. We saw hundreds of beautiful plants. This was our third trip to WAS, so we had already seen the monuments, White House, etc.
Enough for now, I'll continue my report in another post.
Our first train, Sunset Ltd., was 7 hours late arriving in LCH. I have learned to always call Amtrak and check the Dixieland site for the status of the trains. We arrived in NOL at 3:45 am. There was plenty of taxis there waiting. The Magnolia Lounge at the station isn't much.
We had a roomette for the rest of the trip. It was very small, but adequate.
We caught the City of New Orleans to Chicago. We had a great SCA named Al. That really makes traveling more pleasant. The lounge at CHI Union station is nice, but we did not have any Wi-Fi. The station is huge. We had about a 9 hour layover, so we rode a bus to the Museum of Science and Industry. It was very interesting, but there was lots of school groups for field trips.
We then caught the Capitol Limited to Washington, DC. Our SCA, Darryl, put us in the wrong car, didn't supply ice, toilet paper, etc. The scenery in PA, MD, and WV was pretty. Lots of historical towns and sites and some pretty rivers ( the Potomac and Shenandoah, I think). We also saw the Eastern Continental Divide, the Mason/Dixon line, and the Cumberland Gap. We entered the Graham Tunnel in WV and exited in MD. We saw the Martinsburg station, the oldest(1847) working one in the US (4 stories tall). We saw Harper's ferry and part of the Appalachian Trail. The Club Acela lounge in WAS is great. We caught a taxi to our hotel in Arlington, which was just 2 blocks from the Metro. We stayed 2 nights. The Metro is really easy to ride. We even had sr. discount fare cards. We visited the Museum of American History. Very nice, but again very crowded. On Saturday, we had tickets to Ford's Theatre, etc. The 2 man play was wonderful, as was the museum and Peterson house, where Lincoln died. We then caught a city bus to the National Cathedral. The ride was about an hour, but we got to see lots of the city. The Cathedral was absolutely gorgeous. We had a tour guide who was very knowledgeable. It was extremely interesting and awe inspiring. The views of the city are great from the 7th floor tower. On Sunday, we took the Metro to the Tidal Basin where we watched the Cherry Blossom Marathon (15,000 runners). The trees were not in full bloom, but we saw a few pretty ones. We stored our bags at Club Acela at Union Station and walked to Capitol Square. We went to the US Botanical Garden and Conservatory. We saw hundreds of beautiful plants. This was our third trip to WAS, so we had already seen the monuments, White House, etc.
Enough for now, I'll continue my report in another post.
