I've been threatening to recount our second cross country trip since July. With the cool weather setting in I'll fulfill the threat; but save you from having to take it all at once. This year's trip included: #2253BOS/PHL,#19PHL/NOL,#1NOL/LAX, #14OXN/SEA,#8SEA/CHI,#48CHI/ALB & #448ALB/BOS. Today, I'll just talk about the BOS/PHL leg. We originally were scheduled to take an Acela to PHL, but with the brake problem we wound up on a metroliner pulled by an HHP8. The Acela would probably have been much nicer inside, but I doubt the trip would have been any faster. That HHP8 really "hauls a**". We left the Newburyport(MA) parkNdrive on a C&J bus to Southstaion at 0730 on a Saturday morning. We arrived at the station about 0815 and I stood in line to upgrade our business class tickets(which we had acquired via the internet the previous August). After a 40 minute wait I was informed ALL Amtrak's computers were down. We proceeded to the Club Acela to wait for the system to come back to life...it never did...until after we left. The folks at Club Acela were as usual pleasant and since Saturday is not a big day on the NEC there were very few other travelers in the club. About 1045 the redcap came and took us and our baggabe down to the train. A note here about our baggage. Last year's trip was of 9 days duration. We asked you folks about what kind of cases we should use (we worked and "non-reved" on planes for over 30 yrs) as this was our first long distance train trip. The consensus was;one large bag and one small bag for each of us. This year we changed this a little. While my bride of 41 years took a large and small bag; I took two "underseat" bags we used when "non-reving" on planes. I attached both of them to a trolley with folding wheels. It worked out very well. But back to the trip. Although we had business class tickets, I had rung Amtrak and made first class reservations. We boarded the FC car, the interior of which reminded me of a DC9 circa 1964. There were two and one seating in the front of the car, a service area "midships" and tables with benches in the rear. Not my idea of first class. The attendant took our tickets and I informed her about the inability to pay the upgrade at BOS. I assumed the conductor would be by to pick up the additional collection along the way...he never did. We've traveled between Boston and New York well over a hundred times by auto and air over the last 27 years, so the scenery along the way was nothing new. At New London and again at Bridgeport we were able to see the ferries we'd taken over the years across the sound to Long Island. The attendant asked if would like some lunch and served us excellent Caesar salads with chicken and a tasty Chardonay to wash them down with. As we approaced New York it became overcast and began to rain. Just before we "dove" into the tunnerl under the East River we passed through the Sunnyside Yards and I caught a glimpse of the LIRR's Hunters Point Ave station; a location with a special spot in my heart from my New York commuting days in the late '60's and early '70's. Many the day I was able.some how, to make it from 39th Street and 3rd Avenue in Manhattan to Hunterspoint Ave in less than 15 minutes. But those days are gone forever. During our station stop at NYP we struck up a conversation with the couple behind us. Bill was a RR buff. His wife, Paige's father worked for the old PRR and she waited tables in a RR cafe in Pennsylvania as a girl. She said she was into geneology and was often asked for assistance by organizations like the DAR. We left NYP on time and exited Manhattan under the Hudson River, without ever once coming to the surface in our transit of the island...a first for me. The ride on down to PHL was uneventful and not especailly interesting. We arrived PHL on schedule and were met by a red cap who assisted us to a cab. We were staying at the Embassy Suites at 18th and Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The hotel is "in the round". The form allows for a maximum of revenue square feet in relation to the total square footage. Unfortunately if doesn't allow for many elevators...3. And only two of those were operating. It took nearly forty minutues to get to our room. THEN we found the only ice machines were on the 3rd floor (15 down from our suite). With the elevator snafu it made trying to get ice another 40 minute ordeal. When I arrived at the ice machines (there were 3)ALL were out of service. Fortunately a woman from house keeping came to my rescue and provided me with ice. I'd been in PHL a number of times on business but only from the airport to downtown for a meeting and lunch and then back to the airport. We spent two and half days in PHL and I was impressed. The city is beautiful, and well near as historic as BOS. We're walkers, so we walked most of the time. The walk from the hotel to the historic district was less than 2 miles. On the way back to the hotel we "cheated" and took a trolley bus that runs through the tourist and hotel areas of town. In that we're over 62, it was free...a buck for any one else. We had an excellent dinner at place called McCormick and Schmick's. A little pricey, but excellent in all regards. Like the Grand Canyon, until one experiences Independence Hall in person you really can't understand what it's all about. I feld humbled being on the spot where those great men cobled together our Declaration of Independence and Constitution. Next leg: PHL/NOL on the Crescent.
Posted by JDE (Member # 2817) on :
Very interesting. Looking forward to the rest of your travelogue.