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Now that I'm once again ambulatory, I'm planning a two-night photo excursion later this month aboard 3/4 to La Plata, Mo., and the choo-choo hostelry there. Is the place still as inviting as it sounded last winter? Any photo tips from folks who have been there -- i.e., what are the best times to take up residence in the trainspotter shack? (Also, is there high-speed wireless internet in the hotel?)
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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They definitely have high-speed wireless in the hotel---it works great and the signals are strong throughout. I'm trying to remember, but I think it was free. You will LOVE the Depot Inn---absolutely love it. You won't want to leave.
I'm not a photo guy, other than amateur vacation shots, so I'm of no help in that department.
Posts: 2355 | From: Pleasanton, CA | Registered: Apr 2007
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Thanks, Smitty. I pulled the trigger this morning, even to reserving the Pullman Suite, complete with jacuzzi. I'll have to pack my rubber ducky as well as laptop and cameras.
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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You are going to LOVE the Pullman Suite! I've never stayed in it, but I have been in it several times because some friends had that room the last few times I was there. You get your own fireplace, nice big TV, memory-foam mattress.....very nice.
You probably know this already, but just in case....as far as food goes, there is a very small continental breakfast in the hotel each morning. It's just coffee, juice, mini-boxes of cereal, and some danish individually wrapped in plastic. That's about it. But for a full meal (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) you can walk next-door to the Red Rooster Restaurant. Great food, reasonable prices, great services, and it seems like everybody knows each other in there. If you are there on a Saturday or Sunday morning, as I recall, breakfast can be a bit busy as all the locals seem to go there for breakfast. But other than the Red Rooster and the convenience store at the gas station (basically across the parking lot from the Red Rooster), that's it as far as food unless you have a rental car. I don't know if any local restaurants deliver to the Depot Inn---I've never asked. But if you want to rent a car, you can get an Enterprise Rent-A-Car right there at the hotel. But you have to plan in advance, as the actual rental office is about 15 minutes down the highway in Kirksville (but they will bring the car to you, and you can return the car to the Depot Inn when you are done).
You will really enjoy it. I understand they also have a live camera out at the C.G. Million Mile Lookout Point and you can watch it from the TV in your room. Pretty cool.
Posts: 2355 | From: Pleasanton, CA | Registered: Apr 2007
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Forgot to add....I hope you will give us some type of trip report once you're back home. I'd love to hear about your impressions of everything out there. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. My very first impression when I got there was that life moves slower and easier in La Plata. It almost hit me in the face (so to speak) as I am used to doing things fast-paced, fighting traffic, standing in lines, etc....but in La Plata, I had to constantly remind myself to slow down and enjoy. Not an easy task to do!
Posts: 2355 | From: Pleasanton, CA | Registered: Apr 2007
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WiFi out there now also? Now that's pretty cool. I need to go back for another visit.
Posts: 2355 | From: Pleasanton, CA | Registered: Apr 2007
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GBN, are you following this thread? If so, can you suggest a good (but not terribly pricey) red wine for me to take along to La Plata for consumption in the Pullman Suite? I shall sit in the jacuzzi and hoist a glass to all the denizens of Railforum.
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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Mr. Kisor, while I hold to everything John Adams (whoops Miles, whoops Paul Giamatti) notes in the lines of script from "Sideways" regarding the Pinot Noir varietal, I prefer those from Oregon winemakers.
Domaine Drouhin Oregon has an excellent Pinot Noir readily available, and moderately priced, at a Binny's near you.
Posts: 9977 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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Will Chris P. be there as well? I wish I could come out there and hang out on New Year's Eve in La Plata.
Posts: 2355 | From: Pleasanton, CA | Registered: Apr 2007
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GBN, many thanks. Duly noted. I shall buy two bottles, one for now and one to take along.
[Later, Nov. 12: Uh . . . that wine costs $43 a bottle at Binny's, a bit dear for me -- $20 is my upper limit, and that's only when the boss comes to dinner. I shall just take along a bottle of my usual honest plonk from the supermarket, a drinkable Australian merlot with the kangaroo on the label.)
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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In case of emergency, does the Red Rooster sell beer or wine, or perhaps the convenience store nearby?
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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I'm not a big drinker, so I never really paid attention to whether or not they serve alcohol at the Roo (my own madeup name for the Red Rooster---lol).
But the convenience store at the gas station definitely does.
Posts: 2355 | From: Pleasanton, CA | Registered: Apr 2007
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The Red Rooster doesn't but the gas station next to it sells beer and other things! You take the path between them and take a walk down the old Wabash Grade between the trees to get to the Chris Guenzler Million Mile Lookout Point.
Chris
Posts: 711 | From: Santa Ana | Registered: May 2003
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What's the distance from the hostelry to the Lookout Point?
Would the golf carts still be in use at this time of year, if there isn't what Streets and San here in Chicago calls "a winter precipitation event" rather than "snow" or "sleet'?
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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The Lookout Point is about a third of a mile from the hotel but an easy walk.
They haven't had golf carts for about a year but do have bikes. I have walked out there when they has been snow and just walk in the tire marks of the car and you shouldn't have any problems.
Chris
Posts: 711 | From: Santa Ana | Registered: May 2003
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That should be no problem. The other day I walked the dog for a mile and a half -- the longest ambulation for me in four years -- and finished strongly.
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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As for Pinot Noir, there are other good and less expensive choices from Oregon. I'm partial to Duck Pond which can be found for $20 or less.
Posts: 45 | From: Fullerton, CA | Registered: Jun 2005
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Duck Pond? Is that a cousin of Chateau Thames Embankment, the wine made famous by the "Rumpole of the Bailey" television series?
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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I loved his discription of his wife, "She who must be obeyed!", as he downed a claret. off topic, I know, but it brought a chuckle back.
Posts: 406 | From: La Grange, CA | Registered: Sep 2007
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quote:Originally posted by chrisg: The Red Rooster doesn't but the gas station next to it sells beer and other things! You take the path between them and take a walk down the old Wabash Grade between the trees to get to the Chris Guenzler Million Mile Lookout Point.
Chris
Beer and 'other things'? Does that mean that they have nightcrawlers.....as in a 'Beer and Bait' shop?
-------------------- 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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In one of the early Rumpole episodes, he and She travel to Florida to visit their son Nick. During a strange American custom called a "barbeque" Rumpole is served various local wines that he immediately christens as Chateau Wells Fargo or Chateau Sagebrush, comparable, I believe, to Chateau Thames Embankment. Here in Canada we have some horrors that Rumpole might have called Chateau Welland Canal
Posts: 524 | From: Toronto Ont. Canada | Registered: Mar 2001
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Mr. Royal, the best I can say about the wines from this vintner is "they're cheap".
Posts: 9977 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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If the wine is from near Orlando maybe it's Chateau Mickey Mouse?
(This thread is getting to sound like a listing of VIA Rail sleeping cars.)
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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Arrived in La Plata last night on No. 3 (a light load, even for a Tuesday) and found the Depot Inn all that its advance publicity said it was. There were two pleasant surprises, but I will not name names here -- my benefactor knows who he is. Many, many thanks!
One of the surprises was a goodie basket with a bottle of Solaris, a 2001 Napa Valley merlot that turned out to be far, far better than my usual tipple -- in fact, it is world-class. As promised, I sat in the whirlpool of the Pullman Suite and hoisted a glass to all my friends on Railforum.com. Sadly, there isn't room for all of us in the whirlpool, but we might be able to fit most of us in the lovely hotel swimming pool.
I think we had better start planning a mass get-together here of habitues of the Amtrak forum!
Today is forecast to be a nice sunny day, and I shall meander about with my camera. The results will be posted on my blog later this week.
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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Sounds like a good break for you. To be honest, should we ever meet, I think I'd prefer to share the wine as opposed to the whirlpool Posts: 406 | From: La Grange, CA | Registered: Sep 2007
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I'm so glad you are enjoying the Depot Inn, Henry! It's a very cool place. Who checked you in--Sally or Brock?
I understand from your blog that Carl will be there. He is a great guy---you will really enjoy meeting him. Tell him Andy said hi. He has quite an eye for photography, and we have been around that entire area by rental car and he can show you some really cool sights. Make sure you visit the Amish store!!! (and don't forget to pet the kitty cat) Posts: 2355 | From: Pleasanton, CA | Registered: Apr 2007
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I need to plan a trip on the Southwest Chief with multiple stopovers - That downtown hotel in Ft. Madison followed by a day or two in La Plata and then some time at the LaPosada in Winslow....
I could easily do a week with just one train.
-------------------- 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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One that will likely get LaPlata on the 'to do' list for my missus as well.
Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
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Sounds great, Henry. I'm glad you enjoyed it and had a nice time. Bummer though about only one train coming through in that amount of time. That sure hasn't been my experience, so my guess is that the front desk clerk was right about a work window somewhere.
How was the food at the Roo? And did you make it over to the Amish store?
Posts: 2355 | From: Pleasanton, CA | Registered: Apr 2007
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Smitty, I didn't have a car, so didn't make it to the Amish store. That will be next on the agenda when I go back with my wife.
As for the Roo food, I thought it was okay -- typical Midwestern small-town roadside-restaurant cuisine, unsophisticated but hearty. The Roo does, by the way, serve wine by the glass or bottle, but I chose to stay with the Solaris merlot in the room.
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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Sorry to be late getting the photos up on my blog -- I got sidetracked yesterday by the impulse to play grandpa to a 2 1/2 year old. They're up now, at http://henrykisor.blogspot.com/Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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