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When I was on my Southwest Chief trip from Lamy-LA I met Dave Lasley who sang with Bette Middler in the song From A Distance. He is sining the lines"God is watching us" and I believe other parts in the song. He has worked with other groups as well. He was very personable and I had a long conversation over breakfast. I joined him at his table with an executive from The Cheesecake Factory one of my favorite places to dine. I had the opportunity to ask Dave about his career. He says it's a hard career singing with groups.
See why I like rail travel? You meet so many cool people. I doubt this would happen on an airplane where people are just their to get to their destination. The lounge car is such a nice place to hang out.
The reason I brought this up is because the song "From A Distance' was popular during my elementary school years and this was one of my favorite songs back then.
travelplus Member # 3679
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Oh and just to add to my previous post, I have found the car attendants to be very personable.
I feel like I am travelling in First Class when I go into the lounge car. I have had the same lounge car attendant three times(once on the Coastal Starlight back in 1999,once again on the Coastal Starlight this past summer and again on the Southwest Chief. It was so nice that he remembered me from a year before. I too doubt this would happen aboard an airplane.
Amtrak is the best way to go if you don't have to worry about your time. We need to support Amtrak so it won't go into Chapter 11 like US Air. Please do anything within your power to keep this mode of transportation. I would cut Greyhound but if you mess with my Amtrak then I don't know what to tell you. This will be the day the ground transportation in America comes to an eery halt.
Railroad Bob Member # 3508
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Good point, travelplus. Trains do lend themselves to a more casual and traveler-friendly environment. Amtrak trains can conceal many celebrities, who usually are riding somewhere up in the sleepers. I've encountered a few along the way. Some were suffering from the "outsized ego" problem and expected to be treated like royalty, but others were quite down to earth. Years ago, I recall a "dressed down" Robert Duvall showed up for breakfast in the 4/3 diner, and was seated with a rural family of three. They did not even recognize him.
Grandma Judy Member # 3278
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I shared a table with a guy who draws those single panel science cartoons. Can't remember his name right now but I see a lot of his work in The New Yorker. Meeting new people in the dining car can be a highlight of your trip.
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