RAILforum: Seeking destination suggestions

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Posted by Mr. Toy (Member # 311) on :

My wife and I will be celebrating our 20th anniversary on January 8. We have been thinking we'd like to take a train trip, perhaps to the Southwest desert states. But we're not sure where to go, so I'm looking for suggestions from those of you who may be familiar with the stops along the Sunset and Chief routes.

The Grand Canyon would be fun, but train #4 arrives at Williams Jct. long before I am willing to get out of bed. (Another example of why LD trains need multiple daily departures.)

We've thought seriously about spending time at La Posada in Winslow or perhaps going from Lamy to nearby Santa Fe. The latter is at 7,000 feet so I'm wondering if it will be very cold that time of year.

We would be coming south on the Starlight then transferring to another train. If we take the Chief, we'll have to overnight in LA. Does anyone know of a decent place to stay that is not too expensive within walking (with luggage) distance of LAUS?

I've also toyed with the idea of making a loop through Raton, via bus to Denver where we have a niece, then returning on the CZ. But I think that may consume too much time.

Go wild with your suggestions, because we are just in the conceptual stages. We're still reeling a bit from our trip to Hawaii, so I'm having some trouble getting motivated. But if we're going to do it, we'd better start planning now.

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Trust God, love your neighbor, and never mistake opinion for truth.
-Mr. Toy

The Del Monte Club Car

Posted by RRCHINA (Member # 1514) on :

Several ideas!!

The La Posada is a great place, adjacent to the track so you may train watch all you wish and with a wonderful restaurant. I think
the restaurant is closed on Monday.

There are 90+ - trains per day through Winslow and they stop for crew change. If you have a scanner you may listen to all of the RR chatter. I can furnish frequencies
if you request.

The Grand Canyon is much less populated with
tourists in January and would be an excellent choice, but allow more than 1 day.

Williams is about 90 miles from Winslow and if you wish to ride the SW Chief to Winslow
the arrival time would be more to your liking
then you can go back to Williams with ground transportation, or #3, and do the GC.

I recommend the El Tovar hotel at GC which
is right on the rim, but so is the Bright Angel Lodge and less expensive. I can furnish 800 #'s if you ask.

Lots more to talk about and I will await your response with any questions if you have an interest in what I suggest.

RRCHINA

Posted by mho357 (Member # 1204) on :

Mr. Toy,

Santa Fe is a beautiful town but can be expensive. It might be a bit cool but I wouldn't let that stop you - I would love to be there in January myself. If you go, try to get a hotel near the plaza so you can walk around the downtown area.

Great food, lots of art, if your wife likes to shop...

A less expensive alternative is up the road about an hour in Taos. Get off the train in Albuquerque and drive up through Santa Fe to Taos. I recommend taking the "high road to Taos" AKA the back way. It's very scenic with lots of interesting sights along the way. Be sure to stop and see the El Santuario de Chimayo: The Lourdes of America.

Enjoy your trip!

Mark

Posted by MPALMER (Member # 125) on :

If you choose to go to Santa Fe, the plaza is nice but as stated is expensive. Further south on Cerrillos Road are several more affordable hotels. We were there in Feb 94; it snowed a bit (too much to drive to Taos).
We went back in July 96, and rode the Santa Fe Southern between Santa Fe and Lamy. It does not really connect time-wise with the Chief though.

Posted by MPALMER (Member # 125) on :

Also, I am not aware of any hotels close to LAUS that are that great. Would you be willing to spring for a Shuttle Van (Super Shuttle & Prime Time Shuttle are there), or you could take the MTA Red Line. Check out Expedia, and use the "hotels on a map" function to see how they stack up. There are a few several blocks away but you might not want to walk it, esp. with luggage.

Posted by CK (Member # 589) on :

Mr.Toy, you have helped me many times and perhaps now I can help you. In LA, I suggest you stay at the Days Inn Downtown at 711 Main Street (formerly the Metro Plaza Hotel). It is directly across the street from LAUS. It is adjacent to Olvera Street and within easy walking distance to Chinatown. It is a nice, comfortable place for a short stay. At: RoomUSA.com, they have rooms at $62 per night, pretty good for downtown LA. Happy Anniversary!

[This message has been edited by CK (edited 11-20-2002).]

Posted by Konstantin (Member # 18) on :

I am biased towards the Grand Canyon. I have been to it and through it many times. You can take the Southwest Chief to Williams. As you said, the timing is not very good. The Fray Marcos Hotel in Williams is a good one. I think it is now operated by the Grand Canyon Railroad, but it an old historic Santa Fe hotel. Beyond Williams at the canyon itself, I would agree with RRCHINA about the El Tovar. Williams and the Grand Canyon could be very cold. Either could have a few feet of snow on the ground, or the weather might also be nice, and only cool.

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Elias Valley Railroad (N-scale)
www.geocities.com/evrr

Posted by Mr. Toy (Member # 311) on :

Thanks for all of your suggestions. Unfortunately, I've now learned January tepmeratures in Winslow and Santa Fe only get up to about 40 in the day and down to 20 at night. We were looking for something warmer, which we expected to find in the southwest. We could actually take the Starlight to Oregon and Washington and find warmer (if wetter) weather. So we'll save the Winslow and Santa Fe destinations for a springtime or fall trip (as if we'll have the time).

Perhaps someone knows of a romantic destination along the more southerly (and warmer) Sunset route? Or maybe we'll drive to Vegas or Southern California or something. But I really want a train ride!

------------------
Trust God, love your neighbor, and never mistake opinion for truth.
-Mr. Toy

The Del Monte Club Car

Posted by mho357 (Member # 1204) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Mr. Toy:
Perhaps someone knows of a romantic destination along the more southerly (and warmer) Sunset route? Or maybe we'll drive to Vegas or Southern California or something. But I really want a train ride!

Mr. Toy,

How about San Antonio or New Orleans? In SA, you could get a nice hotel overlooking the riverwalk. Of course NO has the French Quarter.

Mark

Posted by RRCHINA (Member # 1514) on :

Well we in AZ do not give up easily. Tucson
is a great location with the U of AZ, museums
and great resort hotels. The Saguaro National Park has two locations, one east and one west of Tucson and about 10 miles either way.A travel agent will have many
details, which I do not since I live 230 miles away.

RRCHINA

Posted by Mr. Toy (Member # 311) on :

Actually, we were wondering about Tuscon. The AAA Tourbook indicated a few interesting sights nearby, and more comfortable weather. We shall look into it further.

------------------
Trust God, love your neighbor, and never mistake opinion for truth.
-Mr. Toy

The Del Monte Club Car

Posted by MPALMER (Member # 125) on :

Tucson seems to be prouder of its rail heritage when compared to, say, Phoenix. But then maybe that is because Tucson was lucky enough to be on the mainline and not a branch loop.

Tucson is sunny in the winter and not as cold, and the train schedule times are reasonable.

About an hour east in Benson there is the San Pedro & Southwestern (San Pedro is a river, not a town) that runs tourist trains, but I don't know if they run all year. Benson is also a Sunset stop but there isn't much "there" (see separate rail hotel listings), although Karchner Caverns are about 5-10 miles away.

As you've seen on other threads the SP/UP is single track for many miles in AZ; therefore delays from freights are more likely than on the double-track BNSF through Flagstaff etc.
Both lines get heavy freight volume