greatcats
Engineer
About ten days ago I posted the eastbound portion of this very wonderful journey now completed - Williams Jct., Az to Chicago to New York. Here is the return. I will fill you in a bit on what I did for activities during my time in the east, being a native of suburban New Jersey and now Flagstaff, AZ.
I stayed four nights at the Hilton Garden Inn on 28th St., which I can recommend as a decent place to stay near New York Penn Station. I took in jazz by the Juilliard Jazz Band at Dizzy's on Columbus Circle, heard a jazz guitar combo ( don't remember the artist's name this morning ) at the Village Vanguard in Greenwich Village, attended symphony concerts at Carnegie Hall of the Detroit and National Symphonies,and had a reunion of sorts when I dropped in on the famous Riverside Church, where I sang in the choir for eleven years until early 2002. Some old friends were mighty surprised when I appeared unannounced. In the afternoon was the splendid English style choir and organ recital at St. Thomas Church on Fifth Ave. Also, I visited the Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side, a neighborhood that only saw me pass through occasionally when I lived in the vicinity. That is like another planet to me. I do recommend this museum for those visiting New York. This was my first visit to New York City in ten years and must say it was impressive and positive. With the exception of one rude dude who shoved me and another man aside on the subway platform at 7th Ave. and 53rd street, nearly knocking the other man over as the dude ran for a train, the behavior of the populace was generally civil and polite. As some of you who have read my posts of my tour guiding jobs in Arizona, Alaska, and Hawaii, I believe I may have stated at one time or another that my favorite tour guests are New Yorkers. Yes, that is my opinion. They are usually friendly, interested, and good tippers. ( As a National Park volunteer, I do not accept tips. ) That is some of what I spent my time in New York doing, but the main purpose of the trip will be described shortly.
Some of you may know that I am a former employee of New Jersey Transit. I met two of my former Crew Dispatcher colleagues in Hoboken, NJ, Lillian, now retired, and I drove in her car for lunch and a few days later met my buddy Roger for dinner on the sidewalk of a Cuban restaurant on Washington St. ( The poor guy is still working and seems really burned out. ) Hoboken Terminal suffered severe damage from Hurricane Sandy and while repairs are underway, it is a depressing place.
Since I left NJ Transit over 11 years ago, the faces have of course changed greatly, but one conductor who was originally a yard brakeman came running down the steps to greet me, now a union official and looking dapper in the passenger uniform, which he used to avoid. He steered me down the platform to one of the engineers, another cheery meeting. I then took the train from Hoboken to Walnut Street station in Montclair to spend the night at the home of good friends. The next day I boarded NJ Transit again via Secaucus Junction to Princeton. The main purpose of my journey was to attend the Alumni Week at Westminster Choir College of Rider University, this being the 40th year of my class of 1973. Only a small group of classmates show for these events, but it was a fabulous two days seeing these former students, some of them for the first time in forty years - just can't say enough for the laughter and great conversations that ensued. Great music takes place at this distinctive music college, of which I am proud to be an alumnus, culminating in the magnificent graduation ceremony in the Princeton University Chapel, with the entire student body of several hundred constituting an immense choir. Spine tingling and highly emotional.
A detail of this trip that was haunting was when I made a day trip from Princeton back into New York City. Boarding the Northeast Corridor train at Princeton Junction I looked down to the end of the car and saw a familiar face who has been in the news the past few years. I looked up pictures on my phone and stood by his seat in the tunnel leading into New York. This was Dharun Ravi, the Rutgers University student who was convicted of invasion of privacy and other charges following the tragic suicide of his gay roommate, Tyler Clementi. His family lives near Princeton Junction and I had followed this case closely and watched the Internet broadcast
when the judge convicted him a year ago in New Brunswick. I did not attempt to speak to him, as he is entitled to be left alone, and he got off in New York with the rest of the crowd.
For those of you who have reason to visit Princeton, it is easily reached by NJ Transit, although the " Dinky " shuttle now does not start running on weekends until 9:30am. Most of the hotels in Princeton are out on U.S. 1, not very convenient for those without a car. Only two lodgings exist within the town, the Nassau Inn, and the boutique Peacock Inn, where I stayed for four nights. Neither are inexpensive, which is not a surprise for high falutin' Princeton and the lack of competition. The Peacock Inn has 24 rooms and is a nice place indeed, although not that special for the price. This past Saturday I departed Princeton on the 10am shuttle train, waited about 20 minutes for a southbound train to Trenton, and had a brief look at the current Trenton station, which is a fairly nice modern facility. I recall many years ago the old Pennsylvania RR Trenton Station had a nasty reputation of being on a par with the Black Hole of Calcutta.
Boarding Amtrak Train 143 Business Class to Washington, I collapsed and relaxed after a hectic week for a routine ride to DC. Nothing much to remark about - the Business Class car does have more legroom, I passed on the free beverage, and the car was a bit worn looking, but otherwise fine, with a very courteous Conductor.
Metro took me out to Dupont Circle and I checked into the attractive Topaz Hotel on N Street, a Kimpton hotel, my favorite chain. I paid for this hotel with United Airlines miles. ( I do use United but prefer Amtrak, thank you. ) That evening found me at Blues Alley jazz club hearing Cuban trumpeter Arturo Sandoval, and on Sunday spent the day at Washington National Cathedral, an old routine of mine, enjoying the services, beautiful music, and magnificent building, still having netting in the ceiling from the 2011 earthquake. Monday morning I took a tour of the Library of Congress, a new location for me, another impressive building, for sure.
OK, now to the Amtrak part of the return trip. Returning to the Acela Lounge, I picked up my baggage and waited for the Capitol Limited to board. Business on both westbound trains was booming. I enjoy the ride up the Potomac, though Maryland, West Viginia into western Pennsylvania. Daylight lasted until Ohiopyle, along the Youghigheny River. My SCA was Nathan, who I did not speak to very much, but his performance rated well. My dining companions were delightful and I had the BBQ ribs for dinner. Joanne, a retired army officer from California was returning home from a visit to her son in New Jersey. He is a United flight attendant, but she hates to fly and was most engaging company, who I revisited in the Sightseer car yesterday in New Mexico. Not the greatest ribs I've ever had, but an adequate portion and quite good. I don't tend to sleep well the first night on the train, and woke up frequently. Arrival in Chicago was about 20 minutes late. We were delayed a bit by freight trains appraoching Chicago through that Industrial mostly Wasteland. I spent the morning at the Chicago Institute of Art, toting a Monet reproduction for my home, and had lunch at Begrhoff's on Adams St.
The finale to my Amtrak travel this time was the best part,from Chicago to Williams Junction. I have ridden the Southwest Chief many times, but this was the best trip I have ever had in terms of camaraderie and good service. I was fortunate in having a man who I believe has been mentioned before on this Forum as my SCA, Victor Kral. He is the most professional Amtrak employee I have ever encountered and I have met many excellent ones. ( and a few turkeys. ) Now this man really takes care of his car and his passengers. He and I had extensive railroading conversations. Yesterday at Albuquerque he asked me a favor - he had a full sleeper and a turnover of several rooms at this stop. He asked me to stand on the platform as he locked the door and made up several rooms, and for me to advise the passengers what was taking place. Since I am a tour guide, this was not a difficult assignment. Victor and I laughed when I asked him to put in a timeslip for four hours.
The dining car was well run by SCA Jackie ( a lady from Wales ) and a new server, Landon, who only has a few weeks on the job and was a tad awkward, but he tried hard to please. They were running out of some food items by the 6:30 seating. I had the last portion of the fish, Mahi Mahi, which was surprisingly good with the vegetable medley on the crunchy side, not boiled beyond recogntion. Yesterday morning the breakfast was shared with a couple from Toledo; she is the Extra ticket agent based in Toledo for Amtrak and he retired last year from running the Lakeshore from Toledo to Chicago. He had actually worked for a year or two in the late 80's for NJ Transit. I did recall his name, and the ensuing conversation turned out to be pretty lively and humorous. Owing to my tour guiding nature, I freely dispensed travel advice and Grand Canyon suggestions to other passengers, had a final cordial chat with Victor, before arriving at Williams, where I had chosen to leave my car at the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel. The car had not been bothered and I made my way back to Flagstaff and my kitty cats.
I hope I have conveyed the impression that my Amtrak trip was a very positive experience. There were a couple of negatives on the eastbound portion, with the westbound being almost wrinkle free. The topic of sleeping car fares has been discussed widely. I paid over $2,400 for this roundtrip, with senior discount, which is a hefty piece of change. While I certainly enjoyed the trip, I really don't think the level of service is what I would call " First Class. " The employees were generally great, the food pretty good, the condition of the equipment so-so to good, but not great. This could be discussed widely. Obviously, some people are willing to pay these fares, as there were few empty rooms. My friend and I will be taking another trip together next month, which will partially be by air, but on June 14 we will be on the SWC Chcago to Flagstaff! Another plus is that while I enjoy driving around Arizona and cross country ( but not in heavy urban traffic ) is that this trip was entirely by rail, except for two brief rides in the cars of friends and one taxi in DC!
I stayed four nights at the Hilton Garden Inn on 28th St., which I can recommend as a decent place to stay near New York Penn Station. I took in jazz by the Juilliard Jazz Band at Dizzy's on Columbus Circle, heard a jazz guitar combo ( don't remember the artist's name this morning ) at the Village Vanguard in Greenwich Village, attended symphony concerts at Carnegie Hall of the Detroit and National Symphonies,and had a reunion of sorts when I dropped in on the famous Riverside Church, where I sang in the choir for eleven years until early 2002. Some old friends were mighty surprised when I appeared unannounced. In the afternoon was the splendid English style choir and organ recital at St. Thomas Church on Fifth Ave. Also, I visited the Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side, a neighborhood that only saw me pass through occasionally when I lived in the vicinity. That is like another planet to me. I do recommend this museum for those visiting New York. This was my first visit to New York City in ten years and must say it was impressive and positive. With the exception of one rude dude who shoved me and another man aside on the subway platform at 7th Ave. and 53rd street, nearly knocking the other man over as the dude ran for a train, the behavior of the populace was generally civil and polite. As some of you who have read my posts of my tour guiding jobs in Arizona, Alaska, and Hawaii, I believe I may have stated at one time or another that my favorite tour guests are New Yorkers. Yes, that is my opinion. They are usually friendly, interested, and good tippers. ( As a National Park volunteer, I do not accept tips. ) That is some of what I spent my time in New York doing, but the main purpose of the trip will be described shortly.
Some of you may know that I am a former employee of New Jersey Transit. I met two of my former Crew Dispatcher colleagues in Hoboken, NJ, Lillian, now retired, and I drove in her car for lunch and a few days later met my buddy Roger for dinner on the sidewalk of a Cuban restaurant on Washington St. ( The poor guy is still working and seems really burned out. ) Hoboken Terminal suffered severe damage from Hurricane Sandy and while repairs are underway, it is a depressing place.
Since I left NJ Transit over 11 years ago, the faces have of course changed greatly, but one conductor who was originally a yard brakeman came running down the steps to greet me, now a union official and looking dapper in the passenger uniform, which he used to avoid. He steered me down the platform to one of the engineers, another cheery meeting. I then took the train from Hoboken to Walnut Street station in Montclair to spend the night at the home of good friends. The next day I boarded NJ Transit again via Secaucus Junction to Princeton. The main purpose of my journey was to attend the Alumni Week at Westminster Choir College of Rider University, this being the 40th year of my class of 1973. Only a small group of classmates show for these events, but it was a fabulous two days seeing these former students, some of them for the first time in forty years - just can't say enough for the laughter and great conversations that ensued. Great music takes place at this distinctive music college, of which I am proud to be an alumnus, culminating in the magnificent graduation ceremony in the Princeton University Chapel, with the entire student body of several hundred constituting an immense choir. Spine tingling and highly emotional.
A detail of this trip that was haunting was when I made a day trip from Princeton back into New York City. Boarding the Northeast Corridor train at Princeton Junction I looked down to the end of the car and saw a familiar face who has been in the news the past few years. I looked up pictures on my phone and stood by his seat in the tunnel leading into New York. This was Dharun Ravi, the Rutgers University student who was convicted of invasion of privacy and other charges following the tragic suicide of his gay roommate, Tyler Clementi. His family lives near Princeton Junction and I had followed this case closely and watched the Internet broadcast
when the judge convicted him a year ago in New Brunswick. I did not attempt to speak to him, as he is entitled to be left alone, and he got off in New York with the rest of the crowd.
For those of you who have reason to visit Princeton, it is easily reached by NJ Transit, although the " Dinky " shuttle now does not start running on weekends until 9:30am. Most of the hotels in Princeton are out on U.S. 1, not very convenient for those without a car. Only two lodgings exist within the town, the Nassau Inn, and the boutique Peacock Inn, where I stayed for four nights. Neither are inexpensive, which is not a surprise for high falutin' Princeton and the lack of competition. The Peacock Inn has 24 rooms and is a nice place indeed, although not that special for the price. This past Saturday I departed Princeton on the 10am shuttle train, waited about 20 minutes for a southbound train to Trenton, and had a brief look at the current Trenton station, which is a fairly nice modern facility. I recall many years ago the old Pennsylvania RR Trenton Station had a nasty reputation of being on a par with the Black Hole of Calcutta.
Boarding Amtrak Train 143 Business Class to Washington, I collapsed and relaxed after a hectic week for a routine ride to DC. Nothing much to remark about - the Business Class car does have more legroom, I passed on the free beverage, and the car was a bit worn looking, but otherwise fine, with a very courteous Conductor.
Metro took me out to Dupont Circle and I checked into the attractive Topaz Hotel on N Street, a Kimpton hotel, my favorite chain. I paid for this hotel with United Airlines miles. ( I do use United but prefer Amtrak, thank you. ) That evening found me at Blues Alley jazz club hearing Cuban trumpeter Arturo Sandoval, and on Sunday spent the day at Washington National Cathedral, an old routine of mine, enjoying the services, beautiful music, and magnificent building, still having netting in the ceiling from the 2011 earthquake. Monday morning I took a tour of the Library of Congress, a new location for me, another impressive building, for sure.
OK, now to the Amtrak part of the return trip. Returning to the Acela Lounge, I picked up my baggage and waited for the Capitol Limited to board. Business on both westbound trains was booming. I enjoy the ride up the Potomac, though Maryland, West Viginia into western Pennsylvania. Daylight lasted until Ohiopyle, along the Youghigheny River. My SCA was Nathan, who I did not speak to very much, but his performance rated well. My dining companions were delightful and I had the BBQ ribs for dinner. Joanne, a retired army officer from California was returning home from a visit to her son in New Jersey. He is a United flight attendant, but she hates to fly and was most engaging company, who I revisited in the Sightseer car yesterday in New Mexico. Not the greatest ribs I've ever had, but an adequate portion and quite good. I don't tend to sleep well the first night on the train, and woke up frequently. Arrival in Chicago was about 20 minutes late. We were delayed a bit by freight trains appraoching Chicago through that Industrial mostly Wasteland. I spent the morning at the Chicago Institute of Art, toting a Monet reproduction for my home, and had lunch at Begrhoff's on Adams St.
The finale to my Amtrak travel this time was the best part,from Chicago to Williams Junction. I have ridden the Southwest Chief many times, but this was the best trip I have ever had in terms of camaraderie and good service. I was fortunate in having a man who I believe has been mentioned before on this Forum as my SCA, Victor Kral. He is the most professional Amtrak employee I have ever encountered and I have met many excellent ones. ( and a few turkeys. ) Now this man really takes care of his car and his passengers. He and I had extensive railroading conversations. Yesterday at Albuquerque he asked me a favor - he had a full sleeper and a turnover of several rooms at this stop. He asked me to stand on the platform as he locked the door and made up several rooms, and for me to advise the passengers what was taking place. Since I am a tour guide, this was not a difficult assignment. Victor and I laughed when I asked him to put in a timeslip for four hours.
The dining car was well run by SCA Jackie ( a lady from Wales ) and a new server, Landon, who only has a few weeks on the job and was a tad awkward, but he tried hard to please. They were running out of some food items by the 6:30 seating. I had the last portion of the fish, Mahi Mahi, which was surprisingly good with the vegetable medley on the crunchy side, not boiled beyond recogntion. Yesterday morning the breakfast was shared with a couple from Toledo; she is the Extra ticket agent based in Toledo for Amtrak and he retired last year from running the Lakeshore from Toledo to Chicago. He had actually worked for a year or two in the late 80's for NJ Transit. I did recall his name, and the ensuing conversation turned out to be pretty lively and humorous. Owing to my tour guiding nature, I freely dispensed travel advice and Grand Canyon suggestions to other passengers, had a final cordial chat with Victor, before arriving at Williams, where I had chosen to leave my car at the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel. The car had not been bothered and I made my way back to Flagstaff and my kitty cats.
I hope I have conveyed the impression that my Amtrak trip was a very positive experience. There were a couple of negatives on the eastbound portion, with the westbound being almost wrinkle free. The topic of sleeping car fares has been discussed widely. I paid over $2,400 for this roundtrip, with senior discount, which is a hefty piece of change. While I certainly enjoyed the trip, I really don't think the level of service is what I would call " First Class. " The employees were generally great, the food pretty good, the condition of the equipment so-so to good, but not great. This could be discussed widely. Obviously, some people are willing to pay these fares, as there were few empty rooms. My friend and I will be taking another trip together next month, which will partially be by air, but on June 14 we will be on the SWC Chcago to Flagstaff! Another plus is that while I enjoy driving around Arizona and cross country ( but not in heavy urban traffic ) is that this trip was entirely by rail, except for two brief rides in the cars of friends and one taxi in DC!
I'm envious, Great Trip Report to a Great City! Since I'm one of the Senior Citizen Members of AU, I too have concerns about the Pricey Rooms on the LD Trains. (although I understand Revenue for Amtrak is Crucial) I'll be spending more time in Coach as Prices continue to Rise! My Trips in the Sleepers will be limited to AGR Awards which are still the Best Travel Deal going!
