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On the 26th we departed Milwaukee from the Airport Rail Station on the Hiawatha. We did an early train to get some dinner in Union Station, have a beer, etc., and board the train early, as is advertised on the Amtrak web site. Supposedly all passengers can board at 8:00 PM, with the sleeper passengers getting a special reception in the diner car. Well, we took coach and were told that coach passengers couldn't board until 9:20 pm. Hmm. Something's wrong with this picture. We weren't the only passengers that were taken by surprise. Amtrak's site specifically says that the snack car would be open at 8:00 PM for coach passengers. Oh well.
Most of my group had never taken a train before. Most were ultimately disappointed. More on that as I continue. Aside from sleeping (or not!) in new and strange positions, and some additional perks that coach passengers don't get, I didn't find traveling in coach to be unpleasant. I felt we were treated the same in coach as we have been when having sleeping accommodations. And I found the seats to be more comfortable than a roomette.
After purchasing a couple of White Zins, we watched a movie (Call Northside 777) and then attempted to sleep. I really couldn't and so spent time either reading or looking out the window when we passed through a town. It’s a shame that the LSL passes through northern OH at night. It’s a beautiful area and there is a lot to see there. I was hot all night and couldn't cool off enough to rest for any length of time. I got my best rest after a nice breakfast in the dining car. I had the scrambled eggs, my wife had the French Toast. Then I nodded off in my seat for about an hour.
The rest of the day was uneventful, and we got to Albany about an hour and a half late, which I more or less expected. Some of our friends were climbing walls by this time and couldn’t wait to get off. No one really slept and all were commenting that they would not do an overnight in coach again. I frankly agree. Noise was not a problem. Just trying to get comfortable was.
We got a ride to the airport and as promised, Hertz reimbursed us $20 for the cab rides. We rented 2 cars and so got the discount for both cabs that we used. We arrived at our final destination in Patterson, NY about 9:00 PM. The next day, we ventured into NYC. Our first shock came when we found out how much MTA charges for such a trip. We bought a one-way ticket to GCT, then purchased a week long pass to save a few dollars. $107 dollars for the week. If we had known, we could have saved more by purchasing on the Internet prior to our trip. GCT was wonderful. As the week progressed, we had ample time to explore it and eat a few meals there.
We did not get to do a lot of things in NYC that we had planned. The first half day was spent getting to know the subway system. One member of our group has problems with her feet and could not walk fast. And other things slowed us down, like the massive security checks to see the Statue of Liberty. We spent an entire day there and had only planned a half day. The subways were a blast and I loved every minute of it. What a great way to get around. And New Yorkers were very helpful. A number of people jumped in to help us get around. My favorite place to be was Times Square. I did not think I'd like NYC, but I felt very comfortable there and enjoyed it very much. Most of our meals were nothing special, but we did have a great and surprisingly reasonably priced Mexican dinner at a place just off Broadway on either 45th or 46th streets. The weather was mostly lousy, and we weren't really dressed for it. Several members of our group picked up colds and ended up missing part of the sight seeing.
By the end of the week, we were all exhausted. A lot of walking and a lot of waiting. But it was a lot of fun too. We got to Albany a bit early on the 2nd, and really didn't know a good place to kill time, so we went right to the station. Funny thing, we thought there was a Hertz counter there, but its only a drop box. There is however an Enterprise counter. I haven't seen my final bill yet, so I don't know how well this really works. We had a couple of really good, fresh made, BLTs for dinner at the Albany station Deli. The LSL arrived on time, but left late. We were entertained by two women who refused to take their assigned seats. Of course the conductor had to intervene and finally convinced the one who started it that she would be able to sit with her mother when she got on at Syracuse. You don’t get that kind of fun in a sleeper! During all this ruckus, my wife realized she left a bag in the terminal! Doh! I asked the conductor if I had to time to run and get it. No problem. It turned out we were delayed by 40 minutes for something else anyway. That’s very unusual for either of us to forget something like that.
After we got going, we got a couple of White Zins, and watched movies. In the middle of "Rise of the Silver Surfer", my wife went to sleep. She wasn't feeling well and took a couple of Nyquils to ward off the cold. She slept 10 hours! I finished off her Zin. I wasn't tired so I also watched "The Italian Job". It was actually a very enjoyable evening and I didn't want it to end. After that I read for an hour and finally went to sleep about 1:00 am. I actually managed to sleep about 5 hours. The next day was quiet, just looking out the windows and reading most of the way. Gary, IN is so scenic, don't you think? . We arrived in Chi late and missed the 10:20 Hiawatha. So we had to wait for the 1:05.
When all was said and done, most of us had a great time and enjoyed the train. None of us will do an over night in coach again. One couple in our group will not take an LD train again at all. But they did say that they were glad for the experience.
-------------------- Chuck
“Adventure is just bad planning.” - Roald Amundsen Posts: 80 | From: Wisconsin | Registered: Feb 2007
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Great report.....thanks for posting it. I'm not sure I would have used the Lake Shore Limited to introduce someone to Long Distance rail travel though.......maybe one of the Superliner trains instead?
-------------------- 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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First point: you never sleep well the first night. Welcome to the club.
I disagree about the Superliners. You could lobby Amtrak to make a few improvements to the Lakeshore (real dining facilities will be nice if they ever return) instead. I don't think you would have slept well even in the Supers. I think it would be nicer if there was better uniformity across the entire long distance system, that way it doesn't matter which train goes where you need to go.
I'm intrigued with how much your trip seemed to center around movies and wine. Did they have a decent stock onboard? Did you spend any time in either of the two lounge cars? Did you ever get off to stretch at station stops? Were there any route guides? What other modes did your group consider for this trip?
Posts: 391 | From: Schenectady | Registered: Jan 2002
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I also disagree about the Superliners. I've taken short trips on the Empire Builder and the seats were exactly the same. Personally I think first night has less to do with it than atempting to sleep in a mildly contorted position and not being flat. No one but my wife really slept on the way back either. Daytime they are quite comfortable, just not good for sleeping.
If you consider Sutter Home decent stock, then thats it I guess! I'm not a connoisseur by any means. We enjoy a glass of now now and again. Its just relaxing and enjoyable. And what else to do at night riding on a train besides movies and reading? There's nothing to see outside? Even during the daylight hours, the LSL doesn't offer much in the way of scenic delights. Besides, one of the appeals of rail travel for us is the downtime, the ability to read listen to music, or watch a movie uninterupted.
As far as stretch stops, no, we didn't get off. My wife and only spent a short time in the only lounge car. Some of our group played cards for a while on the way back. We did consider flying. I love planes but I really hate the non-sense associated with security. Driving was out of the question. The group chose the train because most had never done it before. All of us opted not to get roomettes because we didn't think sleeping in coach would be a big deal and decided we'd rather save the money for other things. Live and learn. We would not have even considered coach if it had been two nights.
-------------------- Chuck
“Adventure is just bad planning.” - Roald Amundsen Posts: 80 | From: Wisconsin | Registered: Feb 2007
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I would agree with the idea of sleeping on the LSL overnight. We have taken several trips from Chicago to Cleveland and although I enjoy the ride, trying to sleep when you are 6'6" tall is not fun. My wife can usually fall off to sleep but I am in various pretzel positions most of the night. Next trip is sleeper on the Capitol. Railroad Bill
Posts: 87 | From: Ohio | Registered: Apr 2007
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. We arrived in Chi late and missed the 10:20 Hiawatha. So we had to wait for the 1:05. 
