Taking a Trip CA to NY

[brad kansas]

Clearfork, You're absolutely correct. I forgot to mention the booze. A wonderful relaxer. I like to take small bottles of

wine (don't buy the poison they sell on the train). Additionally, I take a some of the small airline bottles of scotch.

I took the Zephyr last March, rode coach and had a wonderful time. We formed a small community between Chicago

and Martinez. Sometimes it works that way. Your neighbors around your seat can be really compatible and you'll have

a really pleasant time. The return trip was not as sociable but it doesn't matter if you love train rides.

 

[Amfleet]

My mom gave me a sip of "Amtrak" wine and I thought it wasn't to bad. Then again I'm not an expert wine taster. She actually bought a few bottles to take home.

 

[AlanB]

While I'm certainly no wine expert, I'd consider myself to be above the novice level when it comes to wine. That said, I can't stand the Zinfandel that Amtrak carries onboard, however the Chardonnay and the Merlot aren't half bad considering that I usually like my wine bottles to have corks in them.

 

[tp49]

I too don't have much in the way of disposable income, but I pinch for my few luxuries when I can get them (going to a nice restaurant, ballgame, etc.). The longest train ride I have ever taken was between 300-400 miles and covered in under 12 hours. Normally I ride a corridor service that has minimal amenities. I was thinking about the sleeper just because I'd like to see what everyone here who has experienced them means when they mention how special it is. Not that I couldn't handle coach, I know I can without much problem but we can all agree that it's nice to see how the other half lives.

I've always wanted to do the cross country train ride so even in coach it would still be fun for me. However, if the cars were as cramped as coach on a plane I'd need to be in the sleeper (thankfully this is not the case.)

 

[EmpireBuilderFan]

I'm always amazed at the amount of money people must have who post on this discusion site.  There seems to be a great deal of emphasis on getting a sleeper no matter what the cost.

Clearfork,

I really don't think there's anyone who posts here that is extremely wealthy. If there was, I'd be begging them to pay for my train tickets. B) I regularly ride overnight in coach seating and don't find it to be too bad. As a matter of fact, I will probably be making many more trips in coach. It's my impression, however, that alot of the people here (myself included) feel that sleepers are a nice way to splurge on themselves, if they can afford it, when they catch an overnight train.

 

[battalion51]

I guess that I got all y'all beat. When I need a fix, I get a fix. The Florida Rail Pass is a great ting my friends. Some Saturdays I'll just be like, i need to take a train, so I get up, get my Dad to take me downtown, then it's off to Deland or Kissimmee and back in one day. And it doesn't cost me another dime (with the exception of food money).