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I'm back from my loop journey to Boston, and it was great! The trip began with a very early Empire Service down to NYC, which arrived five minutes early into Penn Station! Because I was traveling with my husband, I decided to splurge on an ACELA to Boston; we got a decent price because I booked it so far in advance. I also was able to use my Amtrak Select free upgrade ticket to upgrade from regular ACELA (business class) to first class, which I really wanted to check out. Between trains, we used the First Class Acela Lounge in NYP, getting some coffee and muffins for breakfast. Turns out we didn't need to--ACELA First Class includes food! We used a Red Cap to board the ACELA, to make sure we got seats on the right side facing forward, for the views of the LI Sound.
It all seemed very nice, until the bozo across the aisle began talking on his cell phone. He talked business deals ALL THE WAY TO NEW HAVEN, where thank goodness, he got off. Good thing--I think my husband might have punched him otherwise! Next time, I think I'd prefer the quiet car to First Class.
Still, the meal service was fun--not delicious food, but not bad. We opted for a second breakfast (after out ACELA Lounge muffins, I mean) but not lunch, though we did get cold drinks later and enjoyed the free nuts passed around. We enjoyed the trip--the scenery around New London is really lovely; I'd love to get off there some time! We detrained at Back Bay--right on time, or maybe 5 minutes early--and walked to the Chandler Inn, recommended here. This hotel was perfectly serviceable, old rooms a bit frayed but comfortable enough. Could have used a little more light, a little more shelf space in the bathrooms, and especially a quieter air conditioner (it was the window sort), but the showers were surprisingly excellent, and there were instant "cappuccino" machines in the lobby. Nice, helpful staff, too. The location was excellent--no way we could have found any other hotel with a similarly good location for the money we paid. One tip if you stay here: Be sure to access downtown by crossing the highway and then walking right--don't attempt using Tremont, it's very confusing and on the return you might wind up on a fairly unpleasant street (Shawmut) by accident.
After four delightful days in Boston--what a terrific city, and excellent for walking, not to mention boat rides and MTA!--we left on the Lakeshore Ltd, which luckily was a train on the day we left. Again, since my husband was with me, I splurged on business class seats. Since the train (the LSL shuttle) did not leave till noon, we took an early taxi to South Station and left our luggage with a Red Cap, then returned around 11:15 for the trip, having stocked up on some food goodies from the Haymarket and Faneuil Hall (bread, cheese, grapes, and delicious cookies from that place John Kerry used to own) to take with us on the 5-1/2 hour trip to Albany. The train left nearly 1/2 hour late but the ride was pleasant and we wound up arriving about 15 minutes late into Albany-Rensselaer. Though fellow passengers in business class with whom I chatted with were going to western New York, Cleveland, and Minneapolis via Chicago, I was surprised to see, when we got off in Albany, that quite a number of people were going only that far--I thought we'd be the only ones!
All in all, a very nice trip, which my husband, too, enjoyed (except for the cell phone user!)
RR4me Member # 6052
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Sounds like a fun trip. But I thought the free nuts were usually in coach
notelvis Member # 3071
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Thanks for your report Sojourner. Top rate as always.
I rode the Boston section of the Lake Shore just once......in January 1984. Eastbound. I really need to ride that train again to see what I missed......and frankly, much of what I didn't miss, I've forgotten.
sojourner Member # 3134
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I forgot to mention one of my favorite things in Boston: the Charley Card on the MTA, what a great name, had me singing and wondering if I should go to Jamaica Plain (I didn't) . . . .
David, LSL is better eastbound, timewise and reliabilitywise. I'd ecommend it in early to mid-April, when the days are long enough to see everything but before the trees leaf in and the leaves block the view. A nice loop would be Regional (from Baltimore, in your case?) to Boston (sit on right side facing forward), spend a few days in Boston, then LSL to Albany, change for last Empire Service (could be Maple Leaf etc) south, perhaps overnight in Rhinecliff NY, staying at The Rhinecliff (elegant new hotel by the train station & tracks--and river/dock--weekday prices probably won't be too terrible, or at least, better than NYC & restaurant there would be very good food but pricey, hopefully will still be open when you arrive! assuming trains are reasonbly on time), then catch an early Empire Service south, changing in NYC for your train home. You could also stay in Albany, perhaps for less money, but the taxi costs added onto the hotel might not be very different from The Rhinecliff, which is walking distance from the train. And it's very posh; it just opened.
RRRICH Member # 1418
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I second Ms. Sojourner's advice to ride the LSL before the trees leaf out -- on our trip this summer, we could see almost ZERO scenery from either the LSL or the Maple Leaf in New York State because of the abundance of trees!
notelvis Member # 3071
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I just happen to have a week off in mid-April this school year. A New England sampler might be just the ticket........
In all probability I would fly to BWI to start such a trip. I have so many rides on the various Silver Service trains and Carolinian-Palmetto that CSX between Selma and Alexandria is like an extended commuter district for me. Between Southwest from Raleigh and AirTran from Charlotte there are still 8 to 10 reasonably cheap, little more than an hour, nonstop flights from North Carolina to BWI each day.
I'd be tempted to shorten the stay in Boston a couple of days to work in an up and back on the Vermonter which I have NEVER ridden. (I did ride the Montrealer to Montreal years ago and after a couple of nights there returned on the Adirondack.)
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