The Metropolitan
OBS Chief
I find it interesting to read how many first time "Select" members we have this year. I myself am one of them, reaching a goal I only began considering in late August.
As I write this, my account shows 92 points shy of select with 3 $14 tickets between here and DC still to post. I still have a NY daytrip planned for Tuesday, so I should wind up with about 5425 rail travel points for the year.
Since reaching this goal is so novel for me, I thought it would be neat to analayze how I accrued them, and for other AGR members to share their "Year in Points" to get a little feel for the wide range of ways people use Amtrak service.
Here's my break down (with some rounding to the nearest '25)
200 - FEB Presidents Day Weekend trip to Chicago in Coach, using Weekly Specials.
300 - MAR California short trips - Capitols and Coast Starlight hops while visiting SF.
200 - MAR Return from Pittsburgh via Capitol Ltd. and Regional (flew up)
975 - MAY Return from Denver via Zephyr, CL, and Regional in Roomette (flew over)
300 - AUG Odd 3 stop trip BAL-PHL-ALX-BAL using Silver Meteor on middle leg.
200 - SEP Weekender in Charlottesville using Crescent and Cardinal.
800 - OCT Columbus Day AGR Marathon via NEC and Keystone Lines.
100 - OCT Chicago to Joliet hop while visiting CHI.
450 - OCT Return from Chicago on Capitol Limited and Regional (Flew up)
This accounts for about 3500 points - almost all of the rest (1900 or so) were notched on little weekend or weekday daytrips to DC on the NEC, with the last 225 being the not yet taken NY daytrip.
Then there are those trips, I booked, only to cancel. These consisted of a January weekend trip to Raleigh whose plans got disrupted, the "make up" trip all the way to Charlotte that got scaled back to the Charlottesville trip I actually did take, one New York daytrip in August that got scrapped the day before, and a Cleveland return trip (Baseball trip) that bacame hopeless when that region got pelted with lots of late season snow!
Nearly booked was a Tampa to Baltimore return trip in June which then shot up in price to the point I could no longer afford it.
Even if I had made all of these, I'd still be well short of Select Plus. But, heck, I hadn't expected to make Select this year, so this is truly a plus anyway!
As I write this, my account shows 92 points shy of select with 3 $14 tickets between here and DC still to post. I still have a NY daytrip planned for Tuesday, so I should wind up with about 5425 rail travel points for the year.
Since reaching this goal is so novel for me, I thought it would be neat to analayze how I accrued them, and for other AGR members to share their "Year in Points" to get a little feel for the wide range of ways people use Amtrak service.
Here's my break down (with some rounding to the nearest '25)
200 - FEB Presidents Day Weekend trip to Chicago in Coach, using Weekly Specials.
300 - MAR California short trips - Capitols and Coast Starlight hops while visiting SF.
200 - MAR Return from Pittsburgh via Capitol Ltd. and Regional (flew up)
975 - MAY Return from Denver via Zephyr, CL, and Regional in Roomette (flew over)
300 - AUG Odd 3 stop trip BAL-PHL-ALX-BAL using Silver Meteor on middle leg.
200 - SEP Weekender in Charlottesville using Crescent and Cardinal.
800 - OCT Columbus Day AGR Marathon via NEC and Keystone Lines.
100 - OCT Chicago to Joliet hop while visiting CHI.
450 - OCT Return from Chicago on Capitol Limited and Regional (Flew up)
This accounts for about 3500 points - almost all of the rest (1900 or so) were notched on little weekend or weekday daytrips to DC on the NEC, with the last 225 being the not yet taken NY daytrip.
Then there are those trips, I booked, only to cancel. These consisted of a January weekend trip to Raleigh whose plans got disrupted, the "make up" trip all the way to Charlotte that got scaled back to the Charlottesville trip I actually did take, one New York daytrip in August that got scrapped the day before, and a Cleveland return trip (Baseball trip) that bacame hopeless when that region got pelted with lots of late season snow!
Nearly booked was a Tampa to Baltimore return trip in June which then shot up in price to the point I could no longer afford it.
Even if I had made all of these, I'd still be well short of Select Plus. But, heck, I hadn't expected to make Select this year, so this is truly a plus anyway!