We just picked up our tickets for BOS-CLE and the return trip on the LSL. We have 4 coach tickets going west so we opted to start at Boston in the hoped of getting 4 seats in a block or across the isle. When the train gets to Albany and they combine it with the NYP section, will we be on the same car or will they move us to another car based on our destination (3:30am)?
For the return trip we booked 2 roomettes which I know will require us to switch to coach seats from ALB-BOS. Last time we took the LSL from Chicago to Boston we were bussed from ALB-BOS due to track work, so maybe this time we'll make it all the way by train.
Thanks, Dave
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
"No room at the Inn" in the Boston sleeper?
If you are assigned to a New York Sleeper CLE to ALB, you will have to detrain from 48 at the station then board Boston bound 448 there. The 448 CHI-BOS cars are cut from CHI-NYP 48 at the yards to the North of the station.
Posted by sojourner (Member # 3134) on :
Dave, There is now a through sleeper from Boston to Chicago and vice versa; if you booked an eastbound sleeper from Cleveland to Boston South (or any place east of Albany) you should be on it; I don't know why Mr Norman assumed you weren't (maybe I've misread your post?). If your sleeper ticket says train #448, you are on it; however, I suppose if that sleeper were full, they would put you in the NY sleeper, in which case your sleeper ticket would say train #48, and everyone would have a second ticket for the coach trip from Albany to Boston.
If everything is as it was in coach westbound on the LSL from Boston as it was just over a week ago, when I rode it, you will not have to move or change your seat. When I took it, they were putting all Albany bound coach passengers in the same car as those bound for Chicago (that's the one I was one) and everyone else in the other coach. Especially going to Cleveland, where you detrain in the middle of the night, you will want to be on the Cleveland coach to make sure your car attendant awakens you. It's a busy train, but starting at Boston South Station, you should be able to get your 4 seats across the aisle, or two behind the other two. Just get to the station early and have a red cap put you on the train early (you will have to tip him), giving him your special seating request. If you are looking to sit on the more scenic side, I'd say that is the left side facing forward, although a lot of trees have leafed in this time of year, you can still see some of the nice water along the train west of Springfield (the best thing is the bridge crossing right after you leave Springfield).
I'm not sure if the coach might also have 1 set of 4 facing seats (that is, two facing two othersl the latter riding backward) but if they do, I wouldn't want to sit in those for a night trip; you wouldn't have the moveable footrest on the seat in front of you, which is helpful when you try to sleep.
In Albany, unless your train or the NY "main branch" is unduly late, you will be given the option of detraining for the longish layover when they put the two trains together. You may want to get off to watch the procedure from the platform or to go into the Albany-Rensselaer station and check it out, though it's nothing magnificent, it is new.
There also may be an option for coach passengers to pay cash for a full dinner in the diner (which is on the NY branch); I'm not sure. It's nothing extraordinary, and kinda overpriced for coach passengers, so you may want to skip it and bring your own food or snacks for dinner. The experience of dining is fun when they put you with fellow travelers, but with four people you won't meet any strangers any way. You might also opt for the snack car, which is on the Boston branch--i.e., you could go in there before getting to Albany (but not too close, because I believe they close it, perhaps after Pittsfield, you will have to check). EVen if you don't have anything more than a drink, I recommend spending some time in the lounge adjoining the snack car, if it's not too busy--the best views are west of Springfield sitting in here (and again, sit on the left side for the better views, if you can).
Posted by Dave Burden (Member # 88) on :
Thanks for the info about the sleepers on the ALB-BOS leg. For some reason I thought it was just coach, so that will make our return trip that much better. We do have just 4 tickets on 448 from CLE-BOS. We've made the ALB-CHI leg of this trip a few times, but just never the ALB-BOS by rail.
Our plan is to grab food in Boston before the trip, then dinner at the Albany station during the switch-over. The dining car meals are usually very good, but we typically reserve those trips for when we're riding in a sleeper.
Dave
Posted by RRRICH (Member # 1418) on :
As someone said, if your sleeper tickets say Train no. "448," then you are in the through sleeper from CLE-BOS.
Posted by notelvis (Member # 3071) on :
Sojourner -
Compared to the previous Albany-Rennselaer Amtrak station, I think the new one (which my wife and I used on a trip in March 2003) IS magnificent!
Posted by sojourner (Member # 3134) on :
DaveB, I have never had more than a beverage from the food place in the Albany station, but I'm not sure it's much better than the snack facilities in the Amtrak lounge car--but perhaps I'm wrong. However, I will tell you what I just did when I was going westbound on the LSL in coach (only to Albany, in my case). I arrived really early at Boston South (in my case, I came by taxi from Boston North, having taken the Downeaster from Maine, but how I arrived doesn't matter) and saw a redcap (John is a good one, but there are others also good) and left my luggage with him; I told him my train & gave me a check for it and told me to meet him by Track 10 at 11:30. I then walked down to Quincy Market and bought some of those fantastic overpriced Kilvert & Forbes cookies (they are big but $3 each; I like the chocolate peanut butter best, though on a hot day I'd get without the chocolate). I then wended my way back down the Freedom Trail (basically) to Chacarero, 26 Province St, between Bromfeld & School (at the corner of Province Ct, I think), not far from the Old Meeting House. It was only 10:30 but since they open for breakfast, they were ready to make me my early lunch. I had a "small" chararero with BBQ beef & chicken mixed and everything on it except salt! If you like Mexican food, you will love it. It's a Chilean sandwich. It was huge and delicious and not very expensive; you can eat a whole small one (but it's still quite big!) or can get a large and share halves, I suppose. I got also with it a bottle of water, some of which I took back to the train. I'd say you need to get to Chacerero by 10:30 for them to make the sandwiches and you to eat it because you want to be back at Boston South by around 11:15. (IMPORTANT: Chacarero may be closed on weekends!!!) You can also get chacareros takeout and eat them a little later but I was afraid carrying and eating it elswhere would be messy and that walking with it would spoil mine in the heat.
After my chacarero, I then headed for Boston South Station. I am sorry Boston streets are a little crazy and I'm not a native, so I cannot give you 100 percent directions to get from Faneuil Hall to Chacarero (plus, there are two Chacareros, but I've only ever been to this one, on Province), but I think I can tell you how to go from the one I went to to the train station: continue down Province to Bromfeld, and take a left; it will become Franklin. Continue on Franklin to Arch, take a right. Go down Summer, which curves around and brings you past the T stations to Boston South.
DavidP, I agree, it's a VERY nice station compared to the one before. I was on a train out of it the day it opened too! But keep in mind, the old one you mean was the REnsselaer "Amshack"! If they had kept the train station in downtown Albany, then there would have been one really worth talking about.!!!
Posted by notelvis (Member # 3071) on :
Yes Sojourner,
I was talking about the cinder block Rensselaer Amshack. The downtown Albany station was gone long before I made it that far north riding passenger trains.
Posted by Stephen W (Member # 6059) on :
We've been through Albany in 2000 when it was just the shack and 2 years ago with the nice new station. There were some good food options then so we'll see what they offer now. Boston isn't a problem, we're only 2 hours away and spend quite a bit of time there.
Thanks, Dave
Posted by RRRICH (Member # 1418) on :
On our trip last summer, we passed through the Albany-Ren station twice -- it is a pretty nice station, and I particularly enjoyed the "waiting room" on the second level where you can look out the windows and watch trains pull through the station below. The station is nice, and has a couple fast food places, if I recall, and maybe also a Starbuck's (?)
Posted by sojourner (Member # 3134) on :
No Starbucks; may have Sbarros or Subway. It is fun to watch the trains from the second level; you can also watch delinking on the platform (if they let you down or you are down there already). If you are up on the second level where you can watch the trains, and go to the very end (behind the elevator), there is a lovely view across the (narrow here) Hudson of downtown Albany, including the exquisite old D&H Building. The Alfred E Smith Building is noticeable, as is Rockefellar's Elephant including the Egg (concert hall that looks like a boat hull!), the NYS Mall, but the Capitol, wa huge Victorian mansion-style building (rather than the usual dome), is a little hard to see if you don't know what you are looking at. (The station is actually in Rensselaer, across the river from downtown Albany)
You also get some of this view, as well as the park along the river and some older buildings, as you cross the river right after leaving the station westbound, if you are on the left side of the train (you can go into the lounge to see it if you are not).
Posted by DeeCT (Member # 3241) on :
In the Albany/Rensselaer train station there is a coffee shop ---- Coffee Beanery is the name that I recall. They sell sandwiches, salads, desserts (all prepackaged --- but fresh (not days old). They have the usual assortment of bagged chips and if I remember cookies. They have excellent coffee (lots of flavored and specialty roasted coffees). Soda dispenser also.
There is also a Newspaper/Magazine/souvenir sort of shop in the station opposite the ticket counter. It has the usual candy rack assortment. Do not hold me to it, but I seem to recall a cold drink refrigerator with soda/juice available.
Last I was there was about a year ago -- perhaps someone has more current info.
Dee
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
Sbarro? "uh, not exactly" a reason to want to visit the Northeast.
While primarily a Northeast "institution", they have now "invaded" two malls, both of which I have reason to use - my Dentist is in one such, within five miles of my home.
Of course, pizza is a VERY subjective subject. Best national chain (doesn't mean I want to go too far out of my way) is Papa John's, but Sbarro is down there in the bilge with Dominos and Little Caesar's.
Posted by DeeCT (Member # 3241) on :
Have not seen a Sbarro in ages.
Best pizza is usually a local family owned place - not a chain resturant.
To return this to an Amtrak subject - I hope the pizza that was on the Amtrak lunch menu has been eliminated. By comparison Dominos or Little Caesars is "Fine Dining".
Dee
Posted by RRRICH (Member # 1418) on :
GBN - I wholeheartedly agree with you about Papa Johns being the best national chain pizza!!!!! (although my wife and stepdaughetr will disagree with me.......)
Dee - you might be right about the coffee place at ALB being called "Cofee Beanery" -- it's been a year since we were at the station, and the type of coffee concession at any given AMTRAK station is not exactly what I remember about a station (I don't drink coffee)!! If there was a Starbuck's there a year ago, it very well could be something else by now.
Posted by sojourner (Member # 3134) on :
That's right--it's not Subway or Sbarro (I was mixing it up with the one I saw recently in New Orleans Amtrak/bus station!)--it's Coffee Beanery. Thanks for remembering, Dee; I am sorry I couldn't remember the name. I have never had anything there except coffee perhaps; don't remember.
The news agent has candy bars and an ice cream cooler, but the ice cream is overpriced. I don't remember if it has a soda/water cooler too but I suspect it does. I recall buying some joke post cards there too!
If you go outside the station you can see the clock tower on top. When this new station first opened a few years back, they forgot to put a clock INSIDE--everyone was commenting on it, a station with no clock (my husband and I left on a train from the new station the day it opened). There was a player piano, now gone. But now there IS a clock inside.
Posted by Dave Burden (Member # 88) on :
Well, we're heading out to Boston South Station to catch train 449. I'll report back in a week or so.
Dave
Posted by Dave Burden (Member # 88) on :
Quick update - the trip from Boston to Cleveland was fine. We were near the front of the line for boarding so our son was able to grab 4 seats in the middle of the coach across the isle. All seats have electrical outlets which is nice. Train was doing good time until we hit Pittsfield where we had to wait for 50 minutes for an east bound freight train and the east bound 448. But it looks like this delay ius built into the schedule because we got into Albany only 10 minutes down, at 5:45pm.
We took a walk while they put 49 and 449 together. It's an easy walk outside, down the ramp across the tracks and then left to a Dunkin Donuts. We grabbed some food and headed back to the train. They re-boarded 49/449 at 6:30 and we left on time.
By the time we left Rochester we were 30 minutes down. Then the conductor asked the engineer to back the speed down to 65 since the lounge car was banging side to side when going around corners. Slowing down seemed to help.
By Buffalo we were an hour late and had a crew change. Apparently they also checked around the lounge car for any problems. Once back up to speed the new crew said the lounge car was fine.
We left Erie at 3:13am, only 15 minutes before we were due into Cleveland. Ended up arriving at 4:53am. Took a cab to the hotel and then spent yesterday exploring downtown Cleveland.
Dave
Posted by Ocala Mike (Member # 4657) on :
Nothing wrong with the lounge car that some better track didn't fix, right, Dave. I presume the banging was over CSX "deferred maintenance" trackage, right?
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
quote:Originally posted by Dave Burden: We took a walk while they put 49 and 449 together. It's an easy walk outside, down the ramp across the tracks and then left to a Dunkin Donuts. We grabbed some food and headed back to the train. They re-boarded 49/449 at 6:30 and we left on time.
Mr. Burden, are 49 and 449 combined at the station?
I was previously lead to believe, from a posting made by Ms. Sojourner, that work was done more in the vicinity of the Maintenance Facility; your posting would suggest I'm mistaken.
Posted by Dave Burden (Member # 88) on :
I'm assuming they did it in the yard, but we did not watch the process. We have sleepers on the way back so will probably stay aboard and will let you know what we observe.
As for the lounge car, yes, the track did seem to smooth out a bit after Buffalo...
Dave (bumming around Cleveland for a few more days)
Posted by sojourner (Member # 3134) on :
Mr Norman, I don't remember about any maintenance facility--did I say that for my trip on 49 and 449? I have a vague memory of a 2nd stop but I'm sorry, I've forgotten. I do know that in my usual Albany experience, the replacing of engines (for NYC, or the dome car put on last fall on the Adirondack) was done just past the platform on the track--you can watch it, but not up close the way you can in New Haven, for example, because there is a sign that says you cannot go past this point on the platform.