I've just completed arrangements for an April trip. Details in a moment but thanks here to Charles Rueben, Kiernan, and TwinStarRocket for their suggestions and links for how to spend my 16 hour turnaround in Albuquerque.
Here are the details -
On Tuesday, April 10 I will make the four hour drive to Atlanta and park at the airport. I will catch the MARTA train and connecting bus back into town (and beyond) to the Amtrak Station on Peachtree.
I will use the AGR loophole where a trip originating in Atlanta going to Albuquerque is only 15,000 points for a roomette even though I will be aboard the northbound Crescent to Washington, DC.
From Washington I'll take the Capitol to Chicago and then the Southwest Chief arriving in Albuquerque on Friday, April 13th.
Atlanta is on the eastern edge of the central zone and Albuquerque the western edge. This was essentially the most nights I could muster onboard for the 15,000 points.
Off the train I'll be spending the night in Albuquerque's Plaza Hotel (looks like it will be nice but also good value) and then flying back to my vehicle in Atlanta via Frontier Airlines Saturday morning. I'll be home shortly after dark that night.
Again, thanks for the links and suggestions.....I'll report when I return home.
-------------------- David Pressley
Advocating for passenger trains since 1973!
Climbing toward 5,000 posts like the Southwest Chief ascending Raton Pass. Cautiously, not nearly as fast as in the old days, and hoping to avoid premature reroutes. Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
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Let's hope we make our connections in Chicago, David. #29 performance seems to be atrocious lately. I will be doing the same thing a week from Saturday, Mar 10, except #5 out of CHI. My original reservation was for the Cardinal WAS-CHI but I lost it yesterday when I inquired at the Ferry Building Amtrak station about a tiny change adding the bus from EMY over the bridge to SF. The agent rewrote the entire reservation with the change to #29 AND printed out the tickets without asking me. I was SO disappointed to lose my trip through New River Gorge! I could do nothing about it. Since #29 is sold out he declared the inventory was instantly seized by someone else blahblahblahblah and then I noticed the new reservation is for Mar llth and blabhblahblah. I was so upset: awake half the night tossing and turning. Now I've got to go back down there agian today to exchange the ticket; since it was AGR the agent would do nothing and AGR office was closed blahblahblah!!!! This was probably my only chance to do #51 because it's so expensive. Oh well........
Posts: 326 | From: San Antonio Texas USA | Registered: Dec 2003
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I would like to make a trip on the Cardinal eastbound using some of my remaining AGR points......BUT the Cardinal leaves so early the only same day connection I would consider trying to make would be off the northbound City of New Orleans.
We'll keep our fingers crossed for #29 as it is.
-------------------- David Pressley
Advocating for passenger trains since 1973!
Climbing toward 5,000 posts like the Southwest Chief ascending Raton Pass. Cautiously, not nearly as fast as in the old days, and hoping to avoid premature reroutes. Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
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As you can see in the Google alert the reason the Capital is so late is due to CSX and the freights wrecking the tracks. I heard that they are expecting another monster snow storn in the mid west so that will probably slow things down again. On the other hand I'd rather be late than stuck in an airport for days.
Posts: 1577 | From: virginia | Registered: Jun 2005
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Looking here, I only see 2 maybe 3 times in the last 3 weeks that #29 was too late to meet the Soutnwest Chief to depart from Chicago.
Posts: 218 | Registered: Apr 2003
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I love those "planes, trains, and automobiles" trips, all. Took one myself a few months ago, driving to New Orleans, taking the CONO and the CZ to Salt Lake City, then flying back to my car in the Crescent City. Worked out fine, and I hope your trip does too.
Posts: 1530 | From: Ocala, FL | Registered: Dec 2006
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I have one of those "planes trains automobiles" trips for July booked. Harrisburg Pa to New Orleans on the Crescent coach, a night in New Orleans, the Sunset to LA in a sleeper, Surfliner to San Diego and back, flying to Seattle, renting a car in Seattle for a few days..flying to Las Vegas, a night in Vegas, then another Southwest flight to Baltimore, Amtrak back from Baltimore to Philly to Harrisburg..actually Elizabethtown, the stop before Harrisburg where I can leave my car for free.
I was going to take the Starlight to Seattle, but I realized it was summer and didn't relish arriving in Seattle anytime past Midnight, so I opted to fly. I m glad that flyaway bus is in operation. It makes it so much easier than that subway ride on three different lines from Union Station to LAX.
Posts: 176 | From: Bloomsburg Pa | Registered: Jul 2000
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quote:Originally posted by Ocala Mike: I love those "planes, trains, and automobiles" trips, all. Took one myself a few months ago, driving to New Orleans, taking the CONO and the CZ to Salt Lake City, then flying back to my car in the Crescent City. Worked out fine, and I hope your trip does too.
I particularly look for cities where there is some decent mass transit between the airport and rail station for my trips......after retirement I'll shuck the airplane part and use the train both ways!
Some of my favorite airports for air/rail interface are BWI, Washington National, Chicago Midway, St. Louis, Portland, OR, Albuquerque, and Denver.
This will be my first time trying it in Atlanta though MARTA gets close to the Amtrak station and there is a city bus that will take you the rest of the way. I'm also eager to try it in Milwaukee but have not yet had the opportunity to utilize the General Mitchell airport on a rail roadtrip yet.
-------------------- David Pressley
Advocating for passenger trains since 1973!
Climbing toward 5,000 posts like the Southwest Chief ascending Raton Pass. Cautiously, not nearly as fast as in the old days, and hoping to avoid premature reroutes. Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
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I completely agree, notelvis, about the intermodal public transportation thing. Atlanta's not bad. Oakland and SFO here in my area are not bad, though limited. For example BART doesn't run early enough to get the early flights to the east coast. This Saturday for a 6:00 am flight I can't get there early enough on BART. I did figure out a way to get there on a bus that stops about 10 minute walk from here at 4:20am; fortunately a friend volunteered to drive me. I thought St. Louis was the best I've ever experienced. You just walked out of the airport building and there was the lightrail! And now they have another line. I liked St. Louis.
Posts: 326 | From: San Antonio Texas USA | Registered: Dec 2003
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Well, from MSY (New Orleans) airport to the Amtrak station in NOL where I left my car required a $28 cab trip, but I didn't feel too bad about that because we got to talk to the cabbie about how the city was coming back from Katrina. Also, I parked my car real cheap right at the Amtrak station for a week, and nobody bothered it.
-------------------- Ocala Mike Posts: 1530 | From: Ocala, FL | Registered: Dec 2006
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Atlanta Hartsfield is to the South of downtown. Amtrak Peachtree Street Station is well to the North at roundly where I-75 and I-85 diverge (it is visible from I-85).
Posts: 9976 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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quote:Originally posted by Gilbert B Norman: At least $50 Mr. Room Service.
Atlanta Hartsfield is to the South of downtown. Amtrak Peachtree Street Station is well to the North at roundly where I-75 and I-85 diverge (it is visible from I-85).
Won't be cabbing it in Atlanta. I'll use MARTA to get to Peachtree Street north of downtown and then transfer to the city bus for the last 3/4 of a mile or so. Total fare will be a couple of bucks.
-------------------- David Pressley
Advocating for passenger trains since 1973!
Climbing toward 5,000 posts like the Southwest Chief ascending Raton Pass. Cautiously, not nearly as fast as in the old days, and hoping to avoid premature reroutes. Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
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