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Just back from a 12 day vacation out West and can't wait to share details with all who encouraged me throughout the planning process (a note to my travel agent is due!).
Our family of four flew from Chicago to Seattle to begin our journey. I found a bargain one way airfare of $89 pp on Alaska Airlines (incl taxes!) and we were on our way to visit friends on the Kitsap Peninsula. On Monday morning they dropped us off at the train station to catch the Coast Starlight. It was fun to be able to get a boarding pass at the special counter and board separately from the rest of the passengers.
We were booked in two standard bedrooms across the hall from each other on the upper level. I packed small bags for the sleepers, a backpack for the kids' toys/DVD player/etc. and stored the big stuff in the baggage area. Our car's attendant had soda, juice and coffee available, but advised us of the continental breakfast in the Parlour Car, which was quite enjoyable. The Parlour Car attendant was very personable. We explored the lower level movie theater, and the attendant offered to put a movie on for us any time we wished. In our compartment was a timetable and a Route Guide, which I had tried unsuccessfully to print off the Amtrak site. This helped me to anticipate scenic points along the way. This was not available in the station prior to departure or in the coach compartments.
We had a National Parks Volunteer in the observation car providing brief, somewhat colorless commentary for part of the journey. I was surprised how frequently people moved from one part of the train to another, always making it easy to find a spot to sit, whether in the observation car or the parlour car. The sleepers were full with a group of seniors traveling to Klamath Falls, so it was necessary to be strategic about getting to the parlour car early for the wine tasting and making our dinner reservations.
Sadly, the dinner was quite inedible. Three of us chose the prime rib. Our waitress brought us braised pork shanks by mistake, which was probably the chef's way of telling us we'd be better off with that. We sent that back and got what we ordered. The apple pie made up for the tough meat, however, and we were able to enjoy the movie on a full stomach!
The views of the Cascades, the sunset, and the mountains by moonlight were unforgettable.
Sleeping proved impossible for the adults, despite soft sheets and comparative darkness. The good news is that I got to see the sunrise from the window by my bunk.
Breakfasts of Railroad French Toast and Quiche and bacon were quite good.
Our bus transportation to Fisherman's Wharf was waiting for us when we arrived in Emeryville and afforded beautiful views of the city and the Golden Gate Bridge enroute.
A day later, we took the Capitol Corridor to Sacramento. This train was remarkably fresh smelling and clean compared to the commuter trains in the Chicago area, and offered a wonderful selection of reasonably priced items for lunch. We walked to Old Sacramento along the walkway under I-5, where we spent the day at the wonderful California State Railway Museum and the night at the Delta King, an old paddlewheel boat, now hotel.
The next day we boarded the California Zephyr (arrived early!) to Denver. On this train I reseverd the family bedroom accomodation. Since our kids are rapidly growing too tall for the short beds, I figured this was the only time I'd have a chance to try it out (assuming my husband would ever take a long distance train again).
I was disappointed in this accomodation for several reasons. First, three out of four seats were positioned so that we would be riding backwards. Second, there was no footrest of any kind for those seated on the bench seat. Third, there was less storage space in this compartment than we had with the two standard bedrooms on the CS. Fourth, the noise from the wheels was deafening during the night, alternating between high pitched screams and low rumbling depending on the speed of the train or the condition of the tracks. Fifth, the motion of the train produced more of a sensation of possibly being thrown out of bed (with the across the train width orientation) than the positioning of the standard bedrooms. Sixth, the windows are substantially smaller than those in the other compartments, which made it impossible to see anything approaching.
We chose to spend much of our time in the observation car. Unfortunately, the sound system in the observation car did not work, so the Rails and Trails commentary I was looking forward to over the eight hours between Grand Junction and Denver could not be heard unless you were in coach or your sleeper (and you couldn't hear any other annoucements, either). The two Park Service volunteers tried their best to mingle with the passengers and mention a few things here and there, but everyone else on the train certainly missed out.
Earlier in the journey, a volunteer from the Railroad Museum in Sacramento broadcasted from a booth somewhere in one of the sleepers and gave great commentary on the section from Sacramento to Reno, but I missed much of it in order to take in the fabulous views of the Sierra Nevadas. I hunted down the conductor to complain, but apparently nothing could be done.
The dinner menu was the same as on the CS, with the exception of a special item, country fried steak, which my husband enjoyed. This time I chose the Pork Shank, which was very good. We also enjoyed a bottle of Merlot.
Our sleeper attendant on this leg did not provide sodas, as we had available to us on the Starlight. She did not turn down our beds until she was done with her dinner break at about 9:30, which was rather late for the children.
The final day, about three hours out of Denver, the toilets all seemed to break down. This was true even in the deluxe bedrooms. The train personnel blamed it on the altitude and once we got closer to Denver, it was announced that everyone could now flush their toilets! Quite an inconvenience!
One benefit of sleeplessness on the train is that you get to see amazing views by moonlight! Beautiful snowcapped peaks near Provo. I experienced incredible thirst during the night, which may have been a function of the increasing altitude. Thank goodness for the little bottles of water Amtrak thoughtfully provides for each first class passenger each day.
The train was only 1 1/2 hours late into Denver, which gave us time for yet a third dinner on Amtrak (same menu), but we had beautiful views from the dining car and the waiters were able to provide some interesting commentary. I must admit that we consumed far more food than we would normally eat simply because it was included int he price of the ticket. This added up to a lot of tips, which many passengers neglected to leave for their waiters. I'm glad I read about tipping on this forum so I wouldn't be one of them!
Once in Denver, we were able to ride the free shoppers shuttle to our beautiful hotel, the Adams Mark. The next day we departed for Rocky Mountain National Park, where we attended a wedding. It was a wonderful excuse to plan a cross country train excursion. Our children enjoyed the trip immensely and look forward to traveling by train in the future. My husband and I found train travel to be extremely relaxing and restorative.
dilly Member # 1427
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Sounds like you had a great time. Thanks for telling us about it.
I think many sleeper passengers tend to eat more than they normally do. Three dining car meals per day, in relatively quick succession, can feel like one meal too many -- especially when you're sitting for hour after hour, with no way to burn off the extra calories.
As for your difficulty sleeping -- that's something that has afflicted long distance passengers since the dawn of rail travel. But as you found, a little insomnia means you see unforgettable sights that sleeping travelers miss. Some of my most vivid (and haunting) travel memories are of places I've seen from a train window in the dead of night.
My guess is that your family will be traveling again by train, sooner than you think.
sojourner Member # 3134
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It's very important, when traveling into a high altitude, to drink a ton of water even before and during you trip. It's even more important to do if the altitude is high desert (like Flagstaff, AZ, or Santa Fe, NM).
mary_228 Member # 3826
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I have another observation to share. Don't know if anyone else has experienced this, but I felt that the passengers on the Coast Starlight were far more friendly than those on the Zephyr. More of a light, fun attitude. I probably chatted with at least ten different passengers on each leg. It could be that we spent more time on the Zephyr and everyone was just tired of being there, plus everyone seemed to be going all the way to Chicago! Of course, the main difference between the trains is the Parlour Car, which did a lot for passenger interaction - especially the wine tasting with our great attendant, Garrett.
dilly Member # 1427
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quote:Originally posted by mary_228: Don't know if anyone else has experienced this, but I felt that the passengers on the Coast Starlight were far more friendly than those on the Zephyr.
Very perceptive of you.
I've met interesting people on every Amtrak route I've taken. But I've also discovered that each route has its own personality.
On the west-of-Chicago long distance trains, passengers tend to be more laid-back. More sociable. As you've noticed, those on the Coast Starlight (virtually all of whom seem to be on vacation) are perhaps the most relaxed of all. Blame it on California.
Overall, though, the friendlier atmosphere on the western trains is probably due to the high percentage of vacation travelers, plus the socializing space provided by Sightseeing Lounge cars. The greater distances covered by the western trains also give passengers more time to "settle in" and get acquainted with their fellow travelers.
On the other hand, the strictly eastern trains like the Lake Shore Limited tend to be fairly chilly on the friendliness scale. Passengers definitely don't socialize as much. They tend to keep to themselves.
I suspect this is partly because the eastern routes are single-nighters at best. A greater percentage of passengers use them for mundane reasons (i.e. work or school), rather than vacations. In addition, the towns served by the eastern trains tend to be closer together, leading to a higher passenger turnover en route. It limits extended interaction.
The most extreme examples of this are the Northeast Corridor trains (Boston-New York- Philadelphia-Baltimore-Washington D.C.). Because of the frequent stops, the heavy percentage of business travelers, and relatively few vacationers, the onboard atmosphere is more like that of a commuter train.
SubwayNut Member # 3948
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dilly, I completely agree with you. Having only traveled on Amtrak in the east, I live in NYC, I haven't had very many good conversations. Something I also think that makes The Western trains more appleling (this is from someone that has never ridden one) is the Sightseer Lounges. I was on the Lakeshore once in Coach on the short distance back from Syracuse and noticed that the Longe Car was empty. During lunch the diner was empty enough also so no one had to share. (I did notice some sleeping car passengers who I don't think were togeth perpously sitting together.)
For socalizing perpouses the Empire, NE Corridor, and Keystone trains are commuter trains, and people want to get work done, not talk.
royaltrain Member # 622
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About being sociable on trains, that doyenne of etiquette, the late Emily Post made the following observations from 1939-- "Train Manners: In a dining-car on a day's journey you do not usually speak to your campanion at table, beyond a possible 'May I have the salt, please?' But in a country hotel, or on an ocean voyage where you sit next to the same person for a number of meals, it is extremely snobbish and bad-mannered to sit in wooden silence. The fact that you are polite to people transiently placed next to you commits you to nothing." So I guess what Emily was saying, on The Lake Shore conversations are limited to "please pass the salt" but on the Coast Starlight the atmosphere should be more like a country hotel. Society and its manners (or lack thereof) have undergone a revolution since 1939, however, I agree with Emily (of course I should call her Mrs. Post) that even in the 21st century you should try to interact with your fellow passengers (depending on the train). Perhaps in the 20th century and on The 20th Century people were more sophisticated and knew how to act when travelling in "best society" (to paraphrase Mrs. Post).
mary_228 Member # 3826
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Until this trip, my ideas about train interactions were based on movies, such as White Christmas, Some Like it Hot and Silver Streak. Maybe that's why I tried to be so friendly? Well, ok, maybe not THAT friendly!
Plus, I'm from the Midwest, where people are generally very friendly.
dilly Member # 1427
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Don't feel guilty about being friendly. If others barely respond, that's their loss, not yours.
Remember, though, that most Americans have been conditioned by years of air travel, where everyone stays in their seat and there's little or no interaction between passengers. That's the accepted way to behave while "in transit" across 21st Century America. So even when traveling by train, many people automatically switch into that mode.
That's why, in the dining cars, first time rail travelers often seem quietly horrified by the discovery that they have to share a table with someone they don't know. Most lighten up (at least slightly) after a few minutes. But some never do. I've had tablemates who've eaten an entire meal without saying a single word.
Then again, not everyone is on vacation. I've met passengers who were on their way to funerals, or who'd just lost their jobs. I've met passengers who were on their way to receive "last resort" medical treatments. And I once met a very sad family whose farm (and car) had just been taken away by the bank, and who were on their way to live with relatives. Needless to say, none were in the mood for pleasant chatter.
So you have to know when to back off. Some people will respond to your friendliness. Some won't. And if they don't? You always have the view from the train window.
Mr. Toy Member # 311
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Another satisfied (mostly) customer. I'm glad you enjoyed your trip. As you noted, Amtrak offers a unique and wonderful experience, but it isn't perfect. Make sure you let your elected representatives know that you value this form of transportation and that you expect them to do the same.
If you are planning future travel, you might consider joining NARP at http://www.narprail.org NARP members get a discount on Amtrak rail fares, and the membership dues go into the fight to improve rail service.
The bit about the toilets was interesting. Apparently altitude can affect their flushing, but not always. It may be a design flaw that becomes apparent with the ageing of the fleet. We had the same trouble in the Cascades on our last Starlight trip, but it had never happened to us before.
I've heard from many people that the prime rib is tough. Perhaps we should be advising travelers to avoid it.
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