Suggestions for a 15 day iterary (NYC > SF)

[Tim_Temp]

I will be doing a 15 day, 8 segment trip from NYC to SF. Looking at the Amtrak's service map, I see that there are many possibilities of getting to San Francisco from New York. Certainly, I'll do a stopover at Chicago, but then the options split:

A) via Spokane (most northern route)

B) via Denver (CZ!)

C) via Alburquerque

D) via San Antonio

What is in your opinion a beautiful route to take, with beautiful places to stop? I'm a student, so tied to budget hostels and no car, therefore a preference for larger cities with good transport systems is present.

Thank you all.

 

[Bob Dylan]

:hi: Welcome to the Forum and boy is your plan Great! You didnt indicate if you were going to only go One Way (NYP-West Coast) or return from the West Coast to NY City via the 15 Day/8 Segment Pass??!(NYP)It will help if you let us know this but if Going Round Trip I suggest you consider the following: 1) do you want to stopover and "rough it"/camp like @ Glacier Park, the Colorado Mountains and/or Sierra Nevadas or do you want to spend your time in Cities as you seemed to indicate??? There are great hostels in Chicago and Seattle,plenty of local Transportation (Busses/Lioght Rail/Street cars etc.)in Cities I suggest the following:

1)Cardinal #51 NYP-CHI (stay in Hostel Intl. Downtown)

2)California Zephyr#5 CHI-EMY(stay in Emeryville or Oakland**(* By Water Only**)May want to stay in Denver or Glenwood Springs?)

3)Coast Starlight #14 EMY-SEA (stay in SEA Hostel/its in the International District Close to King Street Station)or even get off in Portland and spend a couple of nights/take Talgo to SEA from PDX

4)Empire Builder #8 SEA-CHI (May want to stay in Cheap Place for Glacier Park???)

5)Lake Shore Limited #48 CHI-NYP or Capitol Ltd. #30 CHI-WAS/Regional to NYP

 

[johnny.menhennet]

It looks like he wants to finish in SF

 

[Blackwolf]

Curious, but are you desiring to do segments between major cities that involves overnight travel on Amtrak (say, riding from Chicago to Emeryville in one straight shot?) Or are you looking for suggestions for places to stay in cities along a choice of routes where you would ride the train by day and get off to spend the night in a Hostel?

Sounds like you're in for a great trip either way!

 

[johnny.menhennet]

OK. This is what I say:

Day 1: Leave New York on the Crescent

Day 2: Arrive New Orleans on the Crescent

Day 3: Depart New Orleans on the City of New Orleans

Day 4: Arrive Chicago on the City of New Orleans / Depart Chicago on the Empire Builder

Day 5: Empire Builder

Day 6: Arrive Portland on the Empire Builder / Depart Portland on the Coast Starlight

Day 7: Arrive Los Angeles on the Coast Starlight

Day 8: Depart Los Angeles on the Southwest Chief

Day 9: Southwest Chief

Day 10: Arrive Chicago on the Southwest Chief

Day 11: Depart Chicago on the California Zephyr

Day 12: California Zephyr

Day 13: Arrive Emeryville on the California Zephy

Day 14:

Day 15:

With this schedule, you get the 4 best of the 5 western long distance trains. The schedule also allows two extra stopovers wherever you please. If you want to spend an extra day in New Orleans, you may. If you want to spend an extra day in Chicago or Los Angeles, so be it. I'd also like to add that if you spend a day in Chicago between the City of New Orleans and the Empire Builder, then between the Southwest Chief and the California Zephyr, you can make a same-day connection in Galesburg, and free up another day to stopover. If you decide to spend an overnight in the Pacific Northwest, then you can also have the option of staying in Seattle instead of Portland. Have an amazing trip, and please let us know what your plans are so we can further help once you've decided on the exact routes.

Johnny

 

[Bob Dylan]

:hi: Outstanding Johnny! You must have been learn ing from the_traveler! Great itinerary, would like this one myself!!! :wub:

 

[TimM]

Thanks for the responses, very, very appreciated! What is your opinion on being fulltime in the train? The suggested iteraries seem great in terms of exploring the country, but regarding sleeping 15 days on a coach seat makes me wonder whether it might be better to create a stop-over of 1/2 nights in a hostel. What is your opinion about this?

 

[smee]

OK. This is what I say:

Day 1: Leave New York on the Crescent

Day 2: Arrive New Orleans on the Crescent

Day 3: Depart New Orleans on the City of New Orleans

Day 4: Arrive Chicago on the City of New Orleans / Depart Chicago on the Empire Builder

Day 5: Empire Builder

Day 6: Arrive Portland on the Empire Builder / Depart Portland on the Coast Starlight

Day 7: Arrive Los Angeles on the Coast Starlight

Day 8: Depart Los Angeles on the Southwest Chief

Day 9: Southwest Chief

Day 10: Arrive Chicago on the Southwest Chief

Day 11: Depart Chicago on the California Zephyr

Day 12: California Zephyr

Day 13: Arrive Emeryville on the California Zephy

Day 14:

Day 15:

With this schedule, you get the 4 best of the 5 western long distance trains. The schedule also allows two extra stopovers wherever you please. If you want to spend an extra day in New Orleans, you may. If you want to spend an extra day in Chicago or Los Angeles, so be it. I'd also like to add that if you spend a day in Chicago between the City of New Orleans and the Empire Builder, then between the Southwest Chief and the California Zephyr, you can make a same-day connection in Galesburg, and free up another day to stopover. If you decide to spend an overnight in the Pacific Northwest, then you can also have the option of staying in Seattle instead of Portland. Have an amazing trip, and please let us know what your plans are so we can further help once you've decided on the exact routes.

Johnny

I would love to do a trip like that, but my 1 major question is. When and where do you do your laundry?

 

[stntylr]

Thanks for the responses, very, very appreciated! What is your opinion on being fulltime in the train? The suggested iteraries seem great in terms of exploring the country, but regarding sleeping 15 days on a coach seat makes me wonder whether it might be better to create a stop-over of 1/2 nights in a hostel. What is your opinion about this?

I once spent 6 straight nights in coach. Some nights I got some good sleep and some nights I didn't. The biggest problem was lack of a shower and a lack of clean bathrooms.

 

[abcnews]

On every segment - you can simply ask the conductor for an onboard upgrade to a Roomette - which includes free meals in the diner, as welll as a nice shower on the train. If you ask on each train, you should luck out a few times and get a sleeper at a very low price - onboard upgrades can be as low as $75 or so dollars, it just depends on the train and how long you will be in the room. As you get closer to the destination of that train - the upgrade can be less...

Then you could get some good sleep, a shower and a nice steak dinner with a salad, and a decent desert.

 

[TimM]

On the one hand, I'm interested in staying in the train longer; lot's to see for a minimal price (+- $ 154 for CHI - Emeryville). On the other hand, stopping at some different stations in a multi-city would allow more site seeing but is more expensive (+- $ 314) and a train pass is $ 429,- that would allow me doing 2/3 stops along the CZ plus a visit to Seattle and Toronto, but restricts me in 15 days (the multi-city would be great to take 3-5 nights each stop). Hmm, what do you think?

 

[TimM]

As a follow-up: I decided to keep it more condensed as I haven't seen much of the cities myself. I'll do this kind of trip later. Thanks all!