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I'll do a trip report after our return trip tomorrow. I had to write this story of what happened at the border, however, while it was fresh on my mind! It's posted on the blog.
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At least she bought your story. It might be different when you come back through US customs. Let us know what happens.
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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My first border crossing was interesting, too. The female border control person saw I was from Texas, so she asked me if I knew Canadian guns laws. I said "no". She said you do not know our gun laws because you did not bring any guns with you, right? I said that is right, I left all 46 of them at home.
I was moved out of line and sent to the "inspect everything" table...
Posts: 1418 | From: Houston, Republic of Texas | Registered: Jan 2001
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I remember riding the Adirondack back in 1974 just after it was inaugurated. It was a railfans delight using Delaware & Hudson equipment (not Amtrak) including the famous Alco PAs and also CPR Skyline Domes.
There were so many railfans riding then......all you needed to say to Customs was: you were just out for the train ride...... and they didn’t even give you a second glance.
Living in Montreal, it was easy to board the Adirondack in the morning, ride down to Whitehall and catch the northbound train back. And no advance planning was required then to obtain a passport. You could make a spur-of-the-moment decision to cross the border. All you needed was your driver’s license.
Now our quick weekend cross-border trips are a “grilling” exercise from US officials and really not worth the hassle anymore......such a welcoming experience!
Posts: 239 | Registered: Feb 2004
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I've learned that the most important thing when crossing the border is to give short, succinct answers to all questions. The more you talk, the more questions you will elicit from the border agents.
When I was younger I lived about 15 minutes from the Canadian border and crossed the border frequently. The CBSA had a habit of asking me if I was carrying any guns, weapons or pepper spray. "No" would always be my answer. "Pull your car over to the inspection area, we want to make sure" would often be the agent's response. Once I got to the inspection area, I always noticed that the first place they would look for my hidden gun would be in the ashtray. One time I did ask the agent if he really thought I would hide a gun in the ashtray, but he gave me a "shut your mouth look" and waved me on my way.
Posts: 831 | From: Seattle | Registered: Jan 2011
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Train Granny, Your experience reminds me of a similar experience I had several years ago. I flew from Boston to Halifax to start a cross-Canada trip to Vancouver. Upon my arrival at the Halifax airport a 20's something customs official asked me the same questions that were posed to you. When I told her that my purpose was to ride the train from Halifax to Vancouver, I got exactly the same reaction you did. Fortunately, I had a Via Rail printout that validated my claim.
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As a long time Rotarian, my wife and I attended the International Conference in Montreal a couple of years ago. I'd heard that getting back into the states can at times be a bit troublesome. When we arrived at the crossing, the US boarder inspecter noticed my Rotary cap and said welcome back. That was it. No questions, no nothing. At the car crossings, I think that they have all the answers about you in front of them including when we went to Canada 4 days before probably from our car plates.
Posts: 85 | From: Finger Lakes Region of NY | Registered: Jun 2008
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My experiences have been that the Canadian Customs agents have been friendly and professional, while the majority of the United States Customs Officials have been hostile, officious, and rude. The US guys seemed to be "badge-heavy."
-------------------- "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one corner of the Earth all one's life." Posts: 506 | From: Wisconsin | Registered: Mar 2002
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quote:Originally posted by CG96: My experiences have been that the Canadian Customs agents have been friendly and professional, while the majority of the United States Customs Officials have been hostile, officious, and rude. The US guys seemed to be "badge-heavy."
Concur -
One humorous story was in 2004 when my wife and I were flying from Winnipeg to Charlotte, NC on our way home from a trip on which we rode VIA's 'Canadian' from Vancouver to Winnipeg. The customs agent asked why we were flying from Winnipeg and all I could think to say was "Because this is where we got off the train."
Another, less humorous story, is about the night I was driving for one of the competitive drum and bugle corps bringing a bus full of 16-21 year-olds into New York State en route from Montreal to Ft. Edward.
-------------------- 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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Just to clarify... our trips through customs both ways were very easy and the agents were quite friendly and polite. The one interviewing us as we went into Canada, however, had more questions. (She was obviously less familiar with the notion of railfan travel than was the guy letting us back into the US.) BUT, we did not incur any incidents of rudeness in either direction. I know this is our first trip... and many more experiences are to come. This one, however, was not difficult at either border.
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Having worked in Asia, mostly in Taiwan, abut a couple of other places and done quite a bit of travel in that part of the world, I can say that all my negative border crossing experiences have been upon entering the US. That does not mean all my US entries have been negative experiences, some have been quite nice, but all the negative ones have been upon entering the US. The only near candidate otherwise was one leaving Shanghai for Hong Kong.
My classic for "how do you answer it" questions was the occasions when coming back to the US with a bunch of stuff when my oldest was about to start college, entering at Seattle, I think it was. We plopped down two US Passports and the guy looked at us and asked, "Why are you entering the United States?" I really had no clue what the right answer or wrong answer as the case may be would be to that one. I simply said, "for him to enter college." and that seemed to sastify him.
Posts: 2808 | From: Olive Branch MS | Registered: Nov 2002
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On our most recent cruise Canadian Customs and Immigration at the Canada Place dock was very fast and friendly. We went through U.S. Customs and Immigration at the Vancouver Airport and that was equally fast. It was a slow time of the day and there was time for me to ask about the symbol on the front of my new passport. It's apparently an international symbol for the electronic information (RFID) stored in the passport itself. He told me that the special passport cases and wallets that purportedly protect you from data theft are a rip off. The data can't, according to him, be easily accessed.
Frank in overcast and damp SBA
Posts: 2160 | From: Santa Barbara, CA, USA | Registered: Oct 2003
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Looks like there is hope for an improved customs inspection process on the Adirondack. This from today's newswire on Trains.com:
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ALBANY, N.Y. – The customs stop at the U.S.-Canada border on Amtrak’s New York-Montreal Adirondack may soon be eliminated, the Associated Press reports. U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D.-N.Y., said that the Department of Homeland Security and Canadian officials have tentatively agreed to end the two-hour inspection and screening delay at the border. ***********
It goes on to say final approval is needed.
Posts: 2397 | From: Camden, SC | Registered: Mar 2006
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quote:Originally posted by sbalax: He told me that the special passport cases and wallets that purportedly protect you from data theft are a rip off. The data can't, according to him, be easily accessed.
Correct. The RFID chip only holds a long string of computer numbers/letters/symbols which identify you. If someone had a reader and they were able to "grab" that information from your passport, it would be utterly useless to them because it would just be a line of nonsense. A thief would have to have access to a secure computer terminal (connected to Homeland Security's e-files) where your actual information can be accessed, and one of the only ways to do that would be via an inside job. So this is no riskier than it was before---if someone REALLY wants your info and they don't care about jeopardizing their job, then they'll get the info. But I would venture to say this is pretty rare (I hope).
Posts: 2355 | From: Pleasanton, CA | Registered: Apr 2007
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Dr. Hale, I'll see if I can be down at trackside this Friday when you pass aboard #4(16). I'll even plan to take my Red auto down there and park at MP 18 on the North (Fireman's side or Left if you are riding forward).
Clarendon Hills is seven miles East of Naperville (station stop). Track speed is 70 so you'll pass about ten minutes after you leave NPV.
Posts: 9975 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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Warning to Marty (and Gil): One time when I was supposed to wave to Gil from #5 it turned out to be an unusually foggy day in Chicagoland, and I believe Gil had a "fender bender" with Lex Noir that day. This would have been late Nov. in 2006.
-------------------- Ocala Mike Posts: 1530 | From: Ocala, FL | Registered: Dec 2006
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Try on for size that I was stpped in front of my house to remove a branch that fell on my driveway. Well, here comes neighbor in his Black Caddy and whacked Lex Noir. He was nice and so was his insurance company. I "let him off' from the traffic ticket by not showing up in court.
Posts: 9975 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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Try also on for size that the other time in his life with me, Lex Noir, a GS, was hit over at Lexus during Feb 07 - by a Lexus car porter driving like let's say "he shouldn't have'. They "took care of everything" (body shop my choice) including an IS for a loaner.
Oh well, who knows when Red Lex is going to get hit; it's not whether, it's when. But to whomever is going to hit him, how 'bout waiting until there is a source of "crash parts" over here. Pretty please?
Posts: 9975 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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Gil, I predict a bright future for Red Lex; after all, it's a lot easier to see, right?
Incidentally, apropos of nothing at all to do with Amtrak, I have been getting my name in the Albany Times-Union too much lately in connection with a scandal involving the NY Racing Association and my old job as a NY State auditor. Here's a link:
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