What is the procedure upon crossing the border into Canada on either the Cascades or Adirondak? Is it pretty perfunctory? Are there immigration agents? With computers? What documentation is needed? Etc.

When/if you succeed in getting an upgrade onboard, how do you pay for it? Cash, credit card, check? Do you get your GuestReward credit?

Thanks in advance for the invariably enlightening input. Looking forward enormously to my ride in two weeks on the Surfliner and Starlight!

getting into Canada isn't that big of a deal. I've done it on several occasions, and have found the Customs officers to be polite and friendly. Returning to the United States, it was quite the opposite. I found the US customs officials to be verbally abusive, hostile, impolite, angry, and quite ill-tempered. It was as if the Canadian customs folks had a much, much, much better, more positive customer-service "attitude" than thier U. S. counterparts. The US Customs agents acted as if they had all taken jackass pills instead of vitamins that morning - I mean they treated me like I was dirt. I'm a US citizen, I pay for their salaries **** it, and I did nothing that warranted being treated as if I was under arrest. Unfortunatly that was how they treated everyone that day. Canada: nice, helpful, polite, professional. US Customs: ***holes, impolite, hostile, unprofessional.

During several trips to Canada, I've always found Canadian customs and immigration agents to be fairly nasty, with a distinctly inflated aura of superiority.

When I traveled to Montreal on the Adirondack a few months ago, the Canadian officials who boarded the train were the most grim and unpleasant I've ever encountered. Mind you, they simply glanced at my passport, barked out a few questions regarding my "intentions," and moved on.

But I was surprised by how hostile they acted toward a number of perfectly benign-looking passengers -- who clearly had trouble understanding their French-Canadian accents and didn't answer their questions fast enough.

It's possible that the Canadian agents on the West Coast are more laid-back. But their counterparts in Quebec? Let's just say I won't be inviting any of them to my next birthday party.

On the other hand, when I returned to the States via the now defunct Montreal-St. Albans bus connection with Amtrak's Vermonter, the U.S. Customs and Immigration people at the border were absolutely pleasant.

One agent was actually pretty amusing, too. Somehow, we got into a brief conversation about the "meaning of life" that left everyone in the room -- Amtrak passengers and the other agents alike -- laughing. Lots o' fun, for sure. And all at the taxpayers' expense!

But if you have a U.S. Passport? Definitely take it with you. You'll have an easier time while the authorities are grilling you.

The US's bad reputation amongst individuals overseas is mostly the result of our State Department and Customs Service, which seems to stay much the same regardless of who occupies the White House. As for the state department: If you are a foreigner calling a US embassy wanting information, the telephone line is a pay per minute, as if it were a porn talk line or fortune teller, and sometimes they are about as helpful. A visa application for a foreigner is US$100 per application, non refundable. No reason need be offered for refusal. Check out their information. Here they state that anyone applying for a visa is assumed to attempting to become an illegal immigrant unless they prove otherwise! "You have a good knowledge of English? We are more suspicious than ever!" What happened to innocent until proven guilty? This is not a result of 9/11 either. The application fee was raised, but the illegal immigrant assumption was there before. I find myself frequently apologising to my local friends for the idiocies of our State Department.

Orr embassies and consulates do not offer any of the tourist information and enticements and other welcoming information that seems to be almost standard for other coutries. Why not? There are plenty of people out here with both the money and the interest to visit the US, and they are discouranged. And then we whine about balance of payments? Some of it is our own fault!

Later, I realized that she knew I was from Texas. Next time, I'll tell them that I left all 47 of them at the house.

Coming back was no problem at all.

Sometimes the border agents are friendly, sometimes they are impatient and frustrated. Sometimes they bring enormous german shepards through the train.

This is my strategy: Always have your passport ready to hand them immediately. Be focused, friendly and don't be drunk. Have your luggage tagged with your name and address prominantly displayed. Don't carry fruit across the border and don't even think about transporting anything illegal.

And also, have a pen ready because you're going to have to fill out some forms before you cross the border.

Some border agents can be really intense, so be prepared with names and addresses of the people with whom you are going to stay. An itinerary would be useful. If you are going on a cruise, have your cruise tickets handy.

One thing I have learned is that when you are being questioned, just answer their questions simply and honestly. Don't go off on some sort of tangent. It will just complicate things.

As far as food is concerned, if you are taking the Adirondak, your food will probably be eaten by the time you reach the border. Just don't bring fruit along with you. For some reason they really don't like fruit. Or nuts, for that matter.

One other thing: Get a passport. If not for this trip then for the next. Passports are the ultimate form of identification. No muss, no fuss. Just be sure the photo is good. Don't settle for a crappy photo. I've been getting some flack for my photo lately.

New York - nasty, rushed, grumpy, impatient, go to end of line if you dare call the United Kingdom Great Britain (or vice verse, I can never remember which they want). I've been through JFK and EWR numerous times each and virtually every occasion was the same.

Everywhere else - fine.

Fruit, nuts, etc can carry insects, diseases, etc, which is why they're not allowed. Sealed foods are not so bad.

When entering the US, be sure you write your 1's and 7's American style, not European style. That is, a single vertical line for the one and no slash across the seven. Otherwise you may have to redo the form. Some of the knucklehead will try to clam that the European style one is a seven and they do not know what the seven is supposed to be. Oh yes, also in numbers written in Continental Europe, commas are used for decimals. Then either decimals or about half-width spaces are used for commas in large numbers.

Also, decimals are written with a decimal point, not a comma. Thousands seperators are commas.

Europe is not as integrated as you seem to think! (Thankfully)

Strangely enough, the US visa waiver forms ask that you write dates in DD/MM/YY format rather than the American MM/DD/YY format.

"Here they state that anyone applying for a visa is assumed to attempting to become an illegal immigrant unless they prove otherwise!"

Check your own writing before you criticise other people reading it! ;-)

U.S. customs, on the other hand...Post 9/11, I agree with taking your passport, even though you're not *supposed* to need it. But pre- 9/11, I actually refused to carry mine on Canadian trips -- after I handed it to a U.S. customs agent, who looked me in the eye (didn't look at the passport) and asked, "Citizen of what country?" I was flabbergasted, finally saying, "They give those to non-citizens?" at which point he said, "I always like to ask, just to see what response I get". ***hole! After that, I took only my voter registration card.