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My wife and daughter are going to be out-of-town the weekend of March 3 affording me the opportunity to hit the road for a 'guilt-free' Amtrak ride 'on the cheap'.
I'll leave Friday afternoon, drive to Atlanta and stage my POV at the airport parking lot, take Marta up to Peachtree Station where I've cashed in some AGR Points for a roomette to Washington aboard the Crescent and thence on to Chicago aboard the Capitol.
Note that using Guest Reward Points to book this available space only 8 days in advance was a bargain. I may buy back some of the points I used before the current special offer ends later this week.
Return travel is courtesy of a $90.00 Southwest Airlines flight from Chicago MDW back to ATL.
I want to read interrupted only by the view out my window. I want to have dinner requiring the use of silverware served to me on something resembling china plates....... I just need to 'get out of town' for a couple of days so that I can return to work recharged on Monday!
-------------------- 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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Sounds like a good trip, Notelvis. Which parking lot do you use at ATL? I'll be interested to hear your view about 'enhanced' dining on the Capitol.
I'll be doing a similar junket later in March to go to some Atlanta Braves spring training games.
Posts: 2397 | From: Camden, SC | Registered: Mar 2006
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I'll be very interested in your report on the WAS-CHI segment on the Cap. Want to see if the experience is as good as it was for me earlier this month.
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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This sounds like a great little getaway. I'll be looking forward to reading your review. I have to ask, though, POV? (Privately Owned Vehicle comes to mind.)
That weekend might be a good one to avoid travel on United or Continental. A major step in the merger process is scheduled to happen then with the switch in PSS (Passenger Service Systems -- the computer systems used for just about everything) from United's Apollo to Continental's Sonic/Shares. The say it will be "seamless" but...
Frank in sunny and cool SBA
Posts: 2160 | From: Santa Barbara, CA, USA | Registered: Oct 2003
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Frank, my "seamless transition page" results in graphics that don't show, blue type on blue background so nearly illegible. Hope the actual flying part works better.
David, your trip sounds great. I too am having some rail withdrawal and can't wait until my CS trip in July.
-------------------- Vicki in usually sunny Southern California Posts: 951 | From: Redondo Beach, CA | Registered: Aug 2006
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As you likely are aware, for both Mr. Presley and myself, that's a "been there done that".
Posts: 9976 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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Logged on - answered private message and am back to the thread -
Yes - POV is a military term for Privately Owned Vehicle. Many young privates cannot wait for their first POV which is why the highways leading to most stateside military bases are lined with 'buy here - pay here' used car lots.
Parking in Atlanta - there is a surface economy lot just beyond the parking garages. It's walking distance from the terminal thus no need for a shuttle bus. Last I checked this lot was $12.00 a day....... that's the one I'm aiming for.
Frank - hopefully any difficulties the good folks at Contiunited experience will not impact Southwest.
Henry - I fully believe that it is because of your trip report (and the recent debate about 'enhanced dining') that the Capitol Limited sprang to mind first Thursday evening when it became apparant that I had some 52 hours to play with next weekend!
The Capitol was always my first choice for a train to 'get out of town' on when I was in graduate school in the DC area. I've ridden it with dome coaches, I've ridden it with Superliners. At the risk of dating myself, I once wrote much of the first draft of a 60-page seminar paper with note cards scotch taped to the walls around me in a Heritage Fleet roommette aboard the Capitol Limited! I've not been on the Capitol Limited since riding it eastbound in July 2009...... and it's been at least twice that many years since I last rode it westward from Washington.
-------------------- 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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"Unitedental" is the term the United Flight Attendant I know (a McMansionite neighbor; her earnings are just her "play money") has used with me. Who knows what she uses with her colleagues or within her family.
My "POV" in this life was a 1966 VW bought from a Dover dealer. I put 55K on it "commuting" between home (Greenwich) and DAFB (I had a part time job in my Father's business) over 19 months Nov 65-Jun 67. when I found myself "off to the 'Nam".
Posts: 9976 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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I agree about that page being almost unreadable. We'll have to see if we can't do something about that!
Mr. Norman and Notelvis--
We hadn't heard either of these. The "official" terminology right now is s-CO (Subsidiary Continental) and s-UA (Subsidiary United). And there's a huge number of "Ex-Cons" out there. Lot of collectibles -- tee shirts, pens, bag tags, etc. are turning up.
If anything, I expect Southwest might be a little busier next weekend. All of the "dry runs", including several overseas stations, have gone well but...
Frank in sunny and warming SBA
Posts: 2160 | From: Santa Barbara, CA, USA | Registered: Oct 2003
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For what it's worth, in my racket "POV" means "Point of View." (I need a POV aboard a PV sometime soon.)
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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One question regarding the United-Continental merger -
Will some of the regional 'connectors' continue to business as 'Continental Express'?
I ask this because the entire family is flying in July Nashville-Albuquerque with a regional carrier. Bought the tickets in January with a carrier operating as 'Continental Express'.
So...... I suppose my question is whether they will still be Continental Express in July?
-------------------- 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 long as the official term of POV (and the unofficial terms Guam Bomb, G I Junker, etc.) are tolerated diversions, let me tell you about mine:
It was a 1962 Plymouth Fury. Typewriter Torqueflite, 318 CID poly-head, upholstery and headliner falling apart, rust holes in the floorpan and no carpet (the car had been flooded during Tropical Storm Claudette), and no brakes (at the time I bought it). My neighbor was about to have it junked; I interceded and bought it from her, then drove it home (still with no brakes) and proceeded in my amateurish way to make it driveable.
First I worked on the brakes, and thought I did a pretty good job. Late one night on the North Freeway I found that I had made one crucial mistake...and also found that with four-wheel hydraulic brakes when one wheel goes out, all four wheels go out.
After enlisting in the Navy in '82, I used my travel pay to buy five new tires and drove "Christine" (as my mother named it, in an homage to Stephen King) to Orlando. While stationed in Orlando I rebuilt the 318, then drove it back to Texas and eventually out to San Francisco. Then it was down to San Diego and back north to Long Beach and around the LA freeways for three years before renting a U-Haul trailer and pulling it back to Texas. I then drove the old car as my daily driver for another year and a half until I finally purchased my new 1990 Horizon.
I held on to the old Fury with thoughts of restoring it, but I fell behind on the storage payments while I was out at sea in the Merchant Marine and lost it. Still, I think I got my fifty bucks' worth from that wonderful old car....
-------------------- --------Eric H. Bowen
Stop by my website: Streamliner Schedules - Historic timetables of the great trains of the past! Posts: 413 | From: Houston, Texas | Registered: Mar 2006
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quote:Originally posted by notelvis: One question regarding the United-Continental merger -
Will some of the regional 'connectors' continue to business as 'Continental Express'?
I ask this because the entire family is flying in July Nashville-Albuquerque with a regional carrier. Bought the tickets in January with a carrier operating as 'Continental Express'.
So...... I suppose my question is whether they will still be Continental Express in July?
They will be United Connection flights, I believe. The only remnant of Continental seen at IAH tonight was clear plastic film signs that will be peeled off the walls at some point during the night of 3/2 to 3/3.
Frank in dark and cool SBA
Posts: 2160 | From: Santa Barbara, CA, USA | Registered: Oct 2003
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Double-checked the email confirmation on the July flight - while it still states the name of a regional carrier "operating as Continental Express", the email does bear the newest (absorbed from Continental) United logo.
A picture (or trademark) is worth 1,000 words!
-------------------- 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 will take some time for the changes to become complete. Several big ones happen this weekend. Continental.com will become United.com and the previous United website will go away. I imagine there will be a link for awhile.
At the same time OnePass, the Continental frequent flyer program will merged into United's MileagePlus. However, all MP numbers will be replaced by new numbers that follow the OP format. Is that clear?
I know some of you out there collect railroad and/or airline china, silver, glassware, etc. It appears that the current s-CO patterns will be the survivor but with UNITED on the glassware beneath the Globe logo. They are already turning up around the system as are new napkins with UNITED and the Globe logo on them. At least they kept the button hole!
Frank in sunny but cool SBA
Posts: 2160 | From: Santa Barbara, CA, USA | Registered: Oct 2003
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