I left upstate NY on an unreserved Empire train and made a stopover in NYC to visit someone there. Since this portion of the trip is unreserved, it does not cost any extra to make a stopover. This trip was before the big snow storm and ensuing equipment woes, so my Empire train was right on time as they generally are. It wasn't too busy, so I was able to get a double seat all to myself and chose the first one, with plenty of leg room and a convenient place to leave my luggage (without hoisting it up on the shelf). I sat on the right side facing forward as I usually do so that I could see the beautiful Hudson River, but it was foggy and I didn't see as much as usual.

After my NYC stopover, I headed back to Penn Station to catch the Silver Meteor. The new (to me) departure time of 2:15 was convenient enough, though it wouldn't be if I were going to Charleston, since the arrival time there is pretty awful!!!

Since I had a sleeper, I was able to avail myself of the special lounge Amtrak provides in Penn Station for Acela and sleeper (first class) passengers. This lounge is pretty nice--I mean, it's not like the grand old days in Grand Central, but it's nice by Penn Station/modern standards--with couches and even a computer room. There is free soda and bottled water, and I think bags of chips or nuts and coffee and tea. I had one bottle of water and took another onto the train with me, since I had heard here that there may no longer be free beverages in the hall by the sleepers. However, I needn't have worried, there was water there too, as well as juice, I think, and coffee and hot water for tea.

The train left NYC right on time. My sleeper was compact but nice, as in the past, and the sleeping-car attendant was really top notch, friendly and helpful. It was on the left side, facing forward, which I like a little better out of NYC--there's that interesting bridge in NJ and so on-- and which I esp find the nicer view once we get to Florida next day. Two pillows were out on the seats, and I made myself very comfortable indeed, removed some of my layers of clothing (I did not want to wear a heavy coat so I wore thermals and other layers), got out my toiletries, my Walkman, and a nice book to read, took off my shoes and put my feet up. I was surprised that the sleepers were not too busy, but the attendant told me it would be full when we left Washington--seems the majority of people were boarding there on this trip.

I went in for early dinner at 5:30 a little before we got to Washington. I had the steak, it was excellent, and the cheesecake, it was a little too cold but otherwise OK. The car wasn't too busy yet, as the DC passengers had not yet boarded. When I returned to my sleeper, they had. The woman opposite me had come from New Haven, CT, but was getting on the Silver Meteor in DC instead of NY (i.e., even though her train from New Haven went through NY). I was surprised by this--if I had a sleeper I'd get on as early as I could to get it!

By this time it was dark, though I could see the Capitol lit up and a couple of other buildings as we left DC. I think this was after I returned to my compartment but it could have been when I was still at dinner. Anyway, we were running on time.

I had the attendant make up my bed and retired pretty early. I got an extra pillow from the top bunk and was very comfortable. Still, it was hard to sleep because I was too excited, as I usually am when I travel on the train! The lulling motion puts me to sleep, but I wake up at every stop and look out the window to see what it is! There isn't much to see in the dark, but I check the time and the schedule.

We were right on time through departing Fayetteville, NC. Then we encountered the perennial Carolina freight train derailment, and lost about an hour and a half. I dozed through Florence, SC (near Myrtle Beach) and Charleston but was able to check the time--we remained about an hour and a half late. However, we got back some of the lost time after that and by the time we left Jacksonville we were less than an hour late. I went in for breakfast around then, had the vegetable omelet--it was OK but the side of home fries was bad (and the side of grits I had when I was on the Crescent last fall was not great either, so I resolved to try French toast for future breakfasts)

Many of the views were very pretty out the window both in the dining car and back in my sleeper, esp the water views of Jacksonville, crossing the St John's River, going through Winter Park, and around Lake Okeechobee. I think it was around Winter Park that I had lunch--salad with a piece of fish and for dessert something called a brownie that also had caramel or praline and was absolutely delicious.

We passed some freight trains and waited for one just before the West Palm Beach stop, but in the end I still arrived only about 40 minutes late.

Going back around a week later, I went again on the Silver Meteor (#98) but this time coach because, instead of paying for the sleeper I decided to pay for a hotel stopover in Jacksonville, where I'd never been. The train trip was fun, there were even some people singing on the train! I had to share my seat--the train was busy--and my overhead light didn't work, but it was daytime so I could still read. However, after the train emptied some at Orlando, I was able to get a seat to myself with a working light the rest of the way. The train got to JAX about an hour late.

I enjoyed Jacksonville, beautiful city, and they were sprucing it up for the Super Bowl. That taxi trip into downtown sure was long, though, just like people here said.

I left JAX on another Silver Meteor, still going coach, and headed back up to NYC. This was when cold weather was acting up in the Carolinas and further north, and so my train was two hours late. Still, it was no problem. I ate food I brought except for breakfast in southern Virginia, the rolling hills covered with snow. And this time I did indeed have the French toast, which I liked very much.

The worst part of my journey was, surprisingly, the Empire train back upstate from NYC. That's because, owing to frozen equipment, the train I expected to take was CANCELLED. I didn't mind waiting in Penn Station for another--the wait wasn't very long--but then the train I took was more crowded than I've ever seen it on Amtrak--more like a local commuter train in rush hour. Well, it was getting to that time. I was lucky to get a seat! And when I got off the train, wow, it was kkkkkkcold.

But I had a very nice trip. Only wish it were longer! I would have loved to get on the Sunset Limited and head west, instead of come back north to the snow and ice and cold. Maybe next time!

[This message has been edited by sojourner (edited 01-30-2005).]

[This message has been edited by sojourner (edited 01-30-2005).]

[This message has been edited by sojourner (edited 01-30-2005).]