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I did it when I was really young, maybe 19 or 20 years old from Portland, OR to Oakland, CA, without a sleeper car with a friend. It was really exhausting. I'm not good at sleeping in a seat and I'm a light sleeper. We played cribbage pretty much the entire way or otherwise just got up and walked up and down the cars to just keep busy and pass the time. But, I'd never do it again without a sleeper bunk/car.
Trains are always late, in my experience, and your arrival time can be really late. It's better than a bus, because the bathrooms are cleaner and don't smell for one, plus you really can't just get up and walk around.
It's also nice to have the food car on the train, although, I usually bring my own, too, but it's usually a nice place to sit and read and watch the scenery. I'll spring for a coffee and then sit in a corner and eat my own food.
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Originally Posted by Sun Belt-lover L.A.M.
Unless you're afraid of heights, speed or just flying specifically... (I fear the latter.)
I suppose if you are afraid of flying then it's an option, although 36 hours is going to exhausting.
Can you not break up the jouney in to three stages and spend the night at a cheap hotel before catching another train, as 36 hours straight without a bed seems a long time.
How good are you at sleeping sitting up, partially but not fully reclined, in a noisy environment? Keeping in mind that a stranger will probably be sitting in the seat next to you? And knowing that what was expected to be a 36-hour trip will most likely be a lot longer than that, in part due to the train's having to sit somewhere for long periods of time to wait for a slow freight train (which has the right of way) to pass by?
If you're ok with all that, by all means take the train. I love trains too, but after one experience of trying to sleep on the auto-train between Florida and DC, I'll never try to sleep on a train again.
When I was under 21, I would travel a lot in "The North East Corridor (?)", NYC to Boston and back again.......and I met some interesting people. One of them was a black man who rode the train back and forth. He missed his stop at one place, woke up at the next, and reflected of how he would catch a baseball game there. Such optimism! The conductor said he did that all the time.
On other trips, had some darn good conversations with people. Didn't quite agree with them, mind you, for they were talking about how people were making too much money and I was in a pipeline for MEGABUCKS, but they were memorable conversations, all some 40 years ago.
Of course, that was 40 years ago, and trains probably have changed since then. Of course, that was a "short" trip. It was back in a time when I didn't carry a gun. It is still, however, an experience that I cherish.
As far as sleep goes, that depends on the person as well. Me, I have the ability to be sitting up right and go to sleep like I am a puppet and someone cut my strings. It is not a deep sleep and it is more of a mind technique to clear the mind and cut out the outside noise (essentially raise the back ground white noise so it blocks out everything). I probably wake up often but then I just apply the technique again.
My husband and I travelled round trip from east to west on Amtrak in coach.
Glorious shower and sleep once we hit Santa Cruz.
We were in our twenties so it wasn’t so bad though husband
slept on floor of scenic car in his sleeping bag. Probably not allowed,
but only the drunks from the bar car bothered him.
You do go a bit stir crazy, but at the time all we had was a Walkman for entertainment.
Yep, almost 23 years ago last vacation on our own.
You will see some beautiful spots and a lot of alleys and parking lots.
1700 miles from New Mexico to Cleveland, Ohio.
One way. At the holidays. No sleeper car ($$$). Budget seating. Maybe about 36 hrs?
Is this idea like an awful Greyhound bus trip on rails? Or will I enjoy the heck out of it (first time Amtrak, lover of trains but only have done lots of city subways and tourist trains).
Or am I just flying and getting there fast? I am in no real hurry. Middle aged male, solo.
thoughts?
That sounds fun for the first 5-hours. The same time it would take to fly there for the same money!
Lots of snoring and smelly people around you. No thanks!
The ride will be nice, but you will stink at the end of the journey.
A thirty-six hour journey amounts to about one overnight, so I doubt he's going to stink that much. We did have sleeping car accommodations when we rode the Coast Starlight from Seattle to L.A., which takes about the same amount of time, and the water pressure in the shower was so feeble as to hardly be worth it.
An Amtrak train is way the hell better than a Greyhound bus. You'll have more room. you can walk around or go to the observation car. You can go to the snack car, or for that matter the dining car. Unlike sleeper passengers, who get dining car meals with their fare, you'll have to pay. I have no idea how expensive it is, but the food was pretty good when we went. Basic meat-and-potatoes type fare; probably not very good if you're a vegetarian.
1700 miles from New Mexico to Cleveland, Ohio.
One way. At the holidays. No sleeper car ($$$). Budget seating. Maybe about 36 hrs?
Is this idea like an awful Greyhound bus trip on rails? Or will I enjoy the heck out of it (first time Amtrak, lover of trains but only have done lots of city subways and tourist trains).
Or am I just flying and getting there fast? I am in no real hurry. Middle aged male, solo.
thoughts?
Take lots of your own food in your baggage. That is what my brother said. Otherwise super high prices Rules say no but totally ignored, Take a good pillow and blanket.
Have never ridden long trips such as OPs, only the St. Paul (MN) to Chicago route (with returns) a few times and between NYC and D.C. (no return) a few times, all within the past five years.
St. Paul to downtown Chicago (and return) is about eight hours. Lots of passengers who are also on it as a leg of a longer trip. Some had sleepers, some did not. The trains themselves were dated but clean and comfortable. The seating is much, much better than airline seating - big, comfortable, reclining, with ample leg room and AC sockets. I could easily sleep in one (male, just under 6', average build). So much more comfortable than an air plane. My daughter basically set up camp with her blanket, snacks, pillow and an iPad and a stack of books. So nice to easily walk around (again, unlike an airplane) and go to the observation car or snack car or dining car. In the dining car, they fill seats, so unless you have a party of four, you will be seated with someone or have someone seated with you. Snack car was well-stocked, including cold sandwiches and microwave pizzas, in addition to snacks, soda, water, beer. And you may take two suitcases per traveler without extra charge plus a carryon.
Next trip to Chicago will be Amtrak. It is about the same amount of time as driving from here. Flying there is about five hours for me, once I factor in drive to airport, wait at airport, flight and transport from airport to downtown. Longer than eight in the car or on a train, will look to flying. But would like to have more train opportunities for travel.
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Solly says — Be nice!
