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Recently completed a trip on the Cardinal from Chicago to Washington.
I had a full bedroom and really enjoyed the trip. The scenery really improves a trip. I will do this one again.
We left on time and got to the station within 10-15 minutes of scheduled arrival time. Dinnete person got sick in a.m. so rest of crew did double duty. Most complained about it. Should have just kept quiet, smiled and got the job done.
Our sleeper attendant was helping with breakfast so no coffee,juice,ice, etc. in the sleeper. I made my my own bed to help out but later went back to dinette several times to observe him sitting and doing absolutely nothing. Easily could have come back to the sleeper and done a lot more. He was pretty typical of my round trip cross country train trips this summer. The exception was a guy who went by the name of JR on the CZ. He was the best I have had in a while.
Since I really don't need much attention in the sleeper I enjoyed the Cardinal and look forward to a return trip.
The food was quite good. Ate way too much for breakfast (three cheese quiche, sausage,hash browns, etc.) so I had to skip lunch.
Ray
Posts: 70 | From: West Palm Beach, Fl. USA | Registered: Apr 2004
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Funny how two people can travel the same route and each come away with radically different impressions.
I took the Cardinal from Chicago to New York last week -- the first time I've ever traveled on that route. Unfortunately, it was a less-than-stellar experience.
I booked a Roomette -- and was blessed with a Sleeper Attendant who began exhibiting classic symptoms of an "attitude problem" before we even departed Chicago Union Station.
My inside window facing the Viewliner's corridor was missing its window shade. Someone had tacked up a half-assed, tissue-thin strip of fabric as a replacement. However, it didn't cover the entire pane -- which meant that glaring, halogen-powered light from the corridor would be pouring into my room (and directly into my face) all night long.
When I asked for a large bath towel to hang over the window, the Sleeper Attendant snapped, "I don't have another room to give you."
When I told him I wasn't asking for a different room, just a towel, he marched away, returned with a towel from the shower, and thrust it at me as if I'd just forced him to steal it from his own home.
I'd exhausted my small supply of duct tape earlier in my trip. So, logically enough, I asked the friendly Sleeper Attendant if he had tape or something else I could use to fasten the towel over the window.
"No," he said flatly, and walked away. I ended up scoring some tape off a woman passenger down the hall.
The Attendant did return later to sullenly put down my berth. But for most of the trip, he remained A.W.O.L. in his room at the rear of the car, with the door shut and shades lowered.
No tip for him.
In contrast, the two guys manning the Dinette Car were great -- friendly, conscientious, and helpful to the passengers. Unfortunately, most of the food they served was barely edible (rubber sausages anyone?), although my lunchtime hamburger wasn't bad considering where it came from.
For the final stretch, I gave up the Sleeper (I figured I'd be sitting up all day anyway) and moved forward to the Coaches.
'Twas a major mistake, ladies and gentlemen.
The three cars were jam-packed, every seat filled. Garbage was strewn everywhere. And every toilet in every car had either no running water, no paper towels, or a sign taped to the door saying "Out of Order."
The Amfleet Coach I sat in was, by far, the worst I've seen in all my years of taking Amtrak (which is saying quite a bit). Absolutely filthy orange/brown seats. Filthy orange curtains. Filthy windows. Even the walls were smeared with greasy grime. What's more, loose pieces of interior metal hardware were literally dangling from the ceiling, directly over the passengers' heads.
The Coach Attendant? Indifferent. The Conductor? Surly. And while the scenery seemed nice enough, I prefer the views, the crews, and the schedule on the Lake Shore Limited. For those reasons, I'm certain I'll never take the Cardinal to or from Chicago again.
In the end, the only note of Ultimate Misery my trip lacked was a 3AM engine breakdown in the middle of nowhere, followed by a 19 hour bus ride. So I guess I should consider myself lucky.
Or maybe not. The Cardinal arrived in New York nearly two-and-a-half hours late.
Posts: 793 | Registered: Mar 2002
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I understand the difference between a good and bad trip. On a given train some people can have a good trip and others have problems. My final leg was Silver Star from Washington to West Palm Beach.
Two of us checking in at the lounge at the same time for the same train. I was being told of my departure time for car 9110 room b. The guy next to me was being told his car had a/c problems and was taken off in NY. He now had no bedroom of any kind on this train. Happened to me once and I had them fly me home. He chose to wait for another train.
Ray
Posts: 70 | From: West Palm Beach, Fl. USA | Registered: Apr 2004
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