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I've just booked a late March trip to cash in some Guest Reward Points.......
In a nutshell, I have a morning flight to San Diego and will depart aboard a Surfliner for LAX that afternoon. (This one is about the train ride, not the en route cities).
From Los Angeles I will catch the Southwest Chief to Chicago and then the City of New Orleans to Memphis.
I have a few questions related to this trip if anyone has ideas or suggestions -
1) What options do I have for getting from the San Diego airport to the Amtrak station?
2) I have a 60 minute layover in LAX. Is it possible to linger on the platform or concourse area and board the Southwest Chief without entering the station? Do I miss out on something like getting to make dinner reservations on #4 by not going into the main station? Will I get picked up for loitering about before the SWC is open for boarding?
3) On the City of New Orleans I have Roomette #18 in the 5909 Car. I'm guessing that this room is in the Transition Sleeper as the normal sleepers only have 14 rooms. Anyone familiar with what to expect from Room 18 presumably in the Transition Sleeper?
-------------------- 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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It is a very short distance from the SAN airport to downtown. You can take the local bus for a dollar or two and be within a couple of blocks of the Amtrak station in 15 minutes. It is very easy.
Posts: 326 | From: San Antonio Texas USA | Registered: Dec 2003
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quote:Originally posted by City of Miami: It is a very short distance from the SAN airport to downtown. You can take the local bus for a dollar or two and be within a couple of blocks of the Amtrak station in 15 minutes. It is very easy.
That's what I was thinking......seems like I read that here not long ago.
-------------------- 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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From San Diego Airport take bus route 992 Downtown get off at Broadway and Kettner Amtrak/Santa Fe Depot is just a cross Broadway to the north. For more detail infomation go to www.sdmts.com
-------------------- R Milot Posts: 9 | From: San Diego, CA USA | Registered: Jun 2004
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David - in reference to your second question. I don't know if they will let you linger at the platform in LAX but you do need to check in at the counter in the station area and that is where you will get your dinner reservation of choice. If you don't do the dinner reservation there you may end up with the last of the last for your meal. Besides, who could not want to gaze upon the beautiful LAX station?
-------------------- Vicki in usually sunny Southern California Posts: 951 | From: Redondo Beach, CA | Registered: Aug 2006
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quote:Originally posted by HopefulRailUser: David - in reference to your second question. I don't know if they will let you linger at the platform in LAX but you do need to check in at the counter in the station area and that is where you will get your dinner reservation of choice. If you don't do the dinner reservation there you may end up with the last of the last for your meal. Besides, who could not want to gaze upon the beautiful LAX station?
I would certainly want to gaze on Los Angeles Union Station! I am bothered though that they don't use that fabulous grand hall with the original ticket counters for anything travel related now. I was just concerned that the Surfliner might be running late and I'd be pressed for time!
-------------------- 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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Made this same connection in October. Since my mom was with us, the red cap took her and my wife right to the SWC but advised me to go into the station and get dinner reservations. I did that at the Amtrak Information Booth, not the gate or the ticket office and went right back to the SWC. We had sleepers so perhaps that made a difference of being able to board "platform to platform."
I agree with you re: the former ticketing are at LAUPT. Also the former Harvey House restaurant is empty except for private parties few and far between. Seems like someone could make a go of a restaurant there.
-------------------- Railrev Escondido, CA Posts: 99 | From: Escondido, California | Registered: Jul 2003
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I happened on the last part of The Nutty Professor II while channel surfing last night and there are some great scenes filmed in the ticketing area. A fountain that was created for the film plays an important role in the story. I agree that it is really a shame that it is not used more for public events. Ditto the former Fred Harvey Restaurant area.
Frank in wet SBA
Posts: 2160 | From: Santa Barbara, CA, USA | Registered: Oct 2003
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quote:Originally posted by HopefulRailUser: in LAX but you do need to check in at the counter in the station area and that is where you will get your dinner reservation of choice. If you don't do the dinner reservation there you may end up with the last of the last for your meal.
I have taken the Southwest Chief many times out of LAX, and rarely do I check in at the counter in the station. Just last December I boarded the Red Cap's motorized cart that took me directly to my sleeping car, and very soon after departing the dining car steward came by and offered several sittings from early to late. Maybe this does not always happen and sometimes you may be stuck with the last sitting, but that hasn't been my experience in L.A. One other thing about the Chief, is that the steward did not give out reservations slips as they do on other Amtrak trains, he just announced your name over the p.a.
Posts: 524 | From: Toronto Ont. Canada | Registered: Mar 2001
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David Sounds like a good trip. I'll look forward to your verdict on the CONO diner-lounge. That's a nice route and a good train.
But, I wonder if it would be possible to fly in the night before? Sounds like you have a lot packed into one day and might be more enjoyable with an overnight in San Diego. Not to mention a possible late flight being a concern.
It's good to hear that the Chief is full to the point that they're using the transition car. I suspect you might find as many passengers in the sleepers as in coach.
I agree with Vicki, it's worth the effort to spend a few minutes in LAUPT to enjoy that great station and build up some anticipation for the boarding. I think Lucius Beebee compared the boarding of a train to the sailing of an ocean liner - although the SWC is hardly the Super Chief. Certainly the suggestion of grabbing a red cap is a good one to avoid the lines.
Posts: 2397 | From: Camden, SC | Registered: Mar 2006
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Regarding your question about being in room #18---yes, that is in the transition sleeper. As far as the room itself, it's identical to the roomettes in a regular sleeper....you won't notice any difference at all. And since it's a Superliner II, you won't run the risk of being in an old crappy, worn out, disco brown and orange non-refurb Superliner I sleeper. Also, if you are a coffee drinker, you will need to walk into the next car (regular sleeper) to get your coffee, since there is no coffee pot in the transition sleeper. Also, you have two showers in your sleeper---one upstairs and one downstairs.
As far as hanging out at LAX, it sorta depends on a few different things. If you look like you belong there and are just waiting for your train, in all likelihood you will be just fine. If, however, you set up a camera on a tripod and start snapping pictures, then you should expect to be contacted by law enforcement and they will tell you to go wait inside the station. Depends on the mood-o-meter of the officer or deputy though.
For Southwest Chief dinner reservations, there are several Railforum members on that train right now coming back from La Plata. Maybe someone who just took that train out of LAX a few days ago can let us know what the latest method is for dinner. The last few times I've taken it, you had to get your dinner reservation inside the station at the customer service counter. The only reservations that the sleeper attendant obtained for passengers was for those who were boarding in Fullerton, since they were not in LAX to do this themselves.
Posts: 2355 | From: Pleasanton, CA | Registered: Apr 2007
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It would have been possible to fly out the night before but I decided not to. I'm actually driving to Atlanta the night before and catching an early flight from there. It was a conscious choice having to do with jet lag.......if I'm going to be WIDE AWAKE at 4am Pacific Time (which from experience I know I will be) I'd rather be in a roomette on number 4 closing in on Williams, AZ instead of alone in a San Diego hotel room.
I do have a four hour cushion between landing and train time......should be enough.....I hope.
-------------------- 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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Good luck, you should be fine with a 4 hour cushion - wasn't their old slogan - 'Delta is ready when you are' and certainly no chance of ice and snow in San Diego.
By the way just returned from a quick visit to Jacksonville (by car). Stopped at the Folkston, Ga train viewing platform. What a good idea the town had to go after railfans. Even had speakers installed to hear the nearby defect detector as well as an adjacent restroom. The platform was packed including the president of Delaware and Lackawanna RR and his cronies and treasurer of the Adirondack Scenic RR. They'd been in Jax attending CSX's annual shortline conference. For those who may not know, Folkston is the point where major CSX lines from the west (Atlanta-Chicago) merge with the eastern lines to the carolinas and the northeast. They then fan out again when they hit Callahan, Ga about 20 miles south. For that reason it's sometimes referred to as the Folkston funnel.
CSX is completing a six week maintenance project on the Hamlet sub (Hamlet, NC to Columbia, SC). Should make the Silver Star route a little more reliable. Quite a collection of work equipment when they came through town last week.
Posts: 2397 | From: Camden, SC | Registered: Mar 2006
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Sounds like great fun--have a good time! Too bad I don't think you will have time to get across the street in LAX for some delicious Mexican food.
Posts: 2642 | From: upstate New York | Registered: Mar 2004
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