Hello all and I hope that you excuse my long absence...I've been rather busy with work. Anyhow, Railfan Madness Part I was my circle trip this past spring: HOS-NOL-CHI-FUL-ANA-LAX-HOS; all in roomettes (save the Surfliner, of course); all by myself; with two nights in my usual B&B in New Orleans and three days/two nights visiting the Mouse in Anaheim.
For this year I've decided that I want to make at least one more long trip with my parents while they are still healthy enough to travel and enjoy it. I also want to use up my last stash of AGR points under the old zone rules while I can. Hence, Railfan Madness Part II!
Timing: Late summer/early fall (after Labor Day). Routing: HOS-NOL (day bedroom); two nights in NOL, hotel TBD, will visit WWII museum and probably Camellia Grill; NOL-CHI-PDX (2 roomettes; paying cash), may take a walk with my mother through downtown Chicago (her old [pre-1962] stomping grounds) if CONO is on-time; overnight PDX then Cascade up the coast PDX-VAC; overnight near the station in Vancouver (hotel TBD) then bus/ferry to Victoria the next morning; three nights in the Fairholme Manor B&B in Victoria before returning to Seattle via the Clipper ferry; overnight in Seattle then return to HOS the long way via SEA-Coast Starlight-SAC-California Zephyr-GBB-SPI-Texas Eagle-LVW-HOS [2x2-zone Roomette AGR award].
I've never taken either the California Zephyr or the Empire Builder (save for SEA-WFH in spring 2014) before, so this will let me cross the last of the Western Amtrak runs off my to-do list.
Does anyone have recommendations for activities and diversions [senior-friendly] along the way? I would also entertain hotel suggestions for New Orleans (something downtown near Harrah's), Portland (never visited there before), Vancouver and Seattle (overnighted there twice in 2014, once at Mediterranean Inn and at Courtyard Pioneer Square, but willing to consider new ideas).
Looking forward to the trip!
Posted by MargaretSPfan (Member # 3632) on :
Hi, Eric!
Your planned trip for this year sounds great -- with one exception: reserving only 2 roomettes for the 3 of you.
Disclaimer: I have not ridden in Amtrak sleepers since the mid-1990s.
But -- I read several railfan forums regularly, and everyone on them says Amtrak roomettes are very small, and not really comfortable for more than one person. Yes, 2 people have shared one roomette, but it is cramped in there and one person has to climb up into the upper bunk, which has very little headroom and no window. That can make some people feel claustrophobic -- not pleasant at all, and something to be avoided if one can.
From what I have read railfan forums, your parents would be much more comfortable in the family bedroom or using 2 separate roomettes (one for each of them). So you will need to reserve either one roomette (for you) and the family bedroom (for your parents), or 3 roomettes.
I also have to mention something some folks are talking about now on Trainorders: the strong sewage smell that is sometimes present in Superliner sleepers.
This thread is on Page 1 of the Passenger Forum so you do not have to be a TO member to read it, and it has not gone beyond one page of comments, so you do not need to be a member to read all the comments.
This has been a problem since around 1990, when Amtrak was required to use retention tanks for sewage. (Even Ross Rowland said that!) The smell may not be present for the entire trip, but it might be. One guy on TO said that he used to be a pig farmer, so he knows what waste like that smells like -- and that Amtrak Superliner sleeper rooms sometimes -- when the smell was present -- smelled worse than his pig barn!! Please be aware of that before making travel plans. Especially for folks who have not traveled on a train for a long time. I really hate to have to bring this subject up, but people must know what to expect before riding Amtrak.
The other thing that has been happening all too often is that one of the locomotives will die en route, and Amtrak has to get a freight locomotive from one of the Class 1s. Thus Amtrak may be many hours late -- like 5 or more, so please do not plan any same-day connections. Put a lot of padding in your schedule.
When you rode Amtrak in 2014, did you experience any problems in your sleeper room with that awful smell I spoke about? Were you ever delayed a lot because one of the locomotives failed en route? TIA!
Posted by ehbowen (Member # 4317) on :
No smell in 2014 or 2015, or 2012 (AUS-CHI-WAS) for that matter. While a bedroom or extra roomette might be nice, it would bump the trip completely out of my price range. I can sleep in a roomette's upper berth...it's roomy compared to the bunk that I had for three years aboard a battleship! So my mother can have one roomette to herself and I can share with my dad. During the day I expect that we will float around between each other's room and the lounge car.
This is not our first rodeo...in 2006 we took a Big Family Trip along with my sister, brother-in-law and their (at the time...more now!) six kids aged 1-13. [ETA: Four roomettes + the family bedroom, HOS-LAX (Hollywood/Disneyland) and return.] So my parents are well aware of the size and limitations of Amtrak sleepers, even if they haven't done as much traveling in them as I have.
Posted by palmland (Member # 4344) on :
Eric, sounds like a great trip. I'll speak to New Orleans since it's one of our favorite cities (especially in the cooler months). I don't think there is any bad food in that city. While most every New Orleans restaurant has good food, the service at Commander Palace is what sets it apart. We like lunch there so you can walk off the great meal through the Garden district - might even tie it into a guided walking tour. And of course the way to get there is on the St. Charles streetcar. Another restaurant we discovered recently that was much less formal (dress up a bit at Commander's - jackets in the evening) is Superior Seafood also in the Garden district - great food and drinks. A usually quick and relaxed restaurant we like in the Quarter is the Gumbo Shop which is strictly local food. Irene's Italian restaurant is also a nice change from Cajun. And while very touristy, Sunday brunch at the Court of the Two Sisters is almost required. But be sure and make reservations at the higher end restaurants.
If you want to splurge a bit, the Omni Royal Orleans hotel is wonderful. But watch out for the antique shops on nearby Royal St. - great stuff and way to easy to spend money. The Le Pavillion and Place d'Armes are moderate hotels in the Quarter with a bit of character. You can stay at a chain hotel anywhere so try something different in this very unique city. Any hotel in the Quarter or along Canal St. near the river will be near Harrah's but we've never been to it.
For evening entertainment Preservation Hall is also a fixture - classic Dixieland Jazz in a very authentic old building but you will stand for the hour during one of their sets. Snug Harbor is another spot for great music.
And a good way to see the river is from the Steamboat Natchez- make on line reservation so you can get a table reserved in your name and escape the crowd. The New Orleans Jazz National Park also on the river is worth a visit and most definitely the WWII museum you mention. Most importantly bring your walking shoes as this is a great city to just walk aimlessly and admire the architecture, street musicians, local eateries, bars and churches. Finally, you almost have to go to Cafe du Monde for cafe au lait and beignets. Go early as it does get crowded.
Posted by MargaretSPfan (Member # 3632) on :
Eric --- Thanks so much for the kind reply. SO glad the bad smell was not ever there at any time when you rode i the past. Your plan to use just 2 roomettes sounds great, and will work well. Glad you don’t at all mind using the upper berth. Man -- those battleship bunks must have been incredibly small! That experience will stand you in good stead on this trip. I very much hope all your connections work well.
Your trip sounds like a lot of fun! I bet you and your parents are enjoying the anticipation. That is part of the fun -- looking forward to a wonderful trip like this one.
Posted by ehbowen (Member # 4317) on :
Just to give you some idea of enlisted accommodations aboard the USS Missouri (BB-63) as refitted in 1985-86: If I put one hand above my head and pointed my toes I could touch both ends of the bunk at one time. If I put my arms by my sides one arm hung out over the edge of the bunk. And if, while lying flat in the bunk, I bent my arms and then raised them, my elbow would hit the bottom of the bunk above mine. A coffin would have been roomier....
Posted by TBlack (Member # 181) on :
Eric, It sounds like Palmland has given you some good ideas for NOL. When I'm there, I like the Lafayette hotel which is walking distance to Harrah's. Tom Black
Posted by George Harris (Member # 2077) on :
Eric: Sounds great. Only one part I can say anything about both recent and first hand: In May? this past year rode the Coast Starlight Seattle to Emeryville. Reasonably smooth trip. On time or early from Seattle at every stop to Klamath Falls OR, getting into Klamath nearly an hour early. However, we got into Sacramento about an hour late and stayed there to at least Emeryville. It seemed that we met very few trains between Portland and Klamath, which if outside the norm may have been the reason behind the time keeping.
Was in Seattle a few nights for work. Hotels in downtown area of Seattle are plentiful, usually full and above all are EXPENSIVE. Look for $200 plus. If one appears to be not so high, check out the location carefully.
Since my wife is a Florida (Pensacola) girl she is facanated with both mountains and snow. So a few years ago we took a ride Emeryville - Reno - Emeryville. It is an awesome ride for both mountains and if anywhere in or near winter snow also. You climb from near sea level at Sacramento with no break until Donner Pass which is at around 7,000 feet elevation, then down some to Reno. Might add that there is some good mountain scenery on the Starlight as well.
I did not notice much if any of the sewer smell on the Starlight, and I was in a lower level roomette. Don't recall it on the CZ, either
Posted by ehbowen (Member # 4317) on :
Reservation for New Orleans made at the Old No. 77 Hotel; we stayed there four years ago when it was the Ambassador Hotel and it was nice then and just a block from Harrah's. (My mother is a big casino fan!) It has since changed ownership and been renovated, so it should be a pleasant stay.
I have decided to rent a car for the three days in Victoria; it's actually cheaper than buying tour bus tickets for the three of us! Looking at some of the "must-dos" such as Butchart Gardens and tea at the Empress Hotel...but my mother has expressed an interest in zip-lining! Posted by PullmanCo (Member # 1138) on :
Eric,
You're not as fit as you were when you served in an Iowa class BB. That 18" upper is thin, and the overhead space to the roof is tiny.
I understand the economics, but ...
You're warned.
Posted by ehbowen (Member # 4317) on :
I traveled with Dad HOS-LAX-SEA-WFH in spring 2014, and slept in the upper berth in the H-room all the way...which is exactly the same size as the uppers in the roomettes. I slept fine...and I've lost 30 lbs since then.
Posted by RRRICH (Member # 1418) on :
Eric -- when I go through New Orleans, I have stayed at the Holiday Inn-downtown (aka Holiday Inn-Superdome) the last few trips. It is a nice hotel and has both a bar and a restaurant, and best of all, it is on the new light rail line which serves downtown NOL. You can catch the light rail at NOL passenger terminal ("Tulane/Uptown" line or some such name), and it is about a 5-minute ride to, I believe, Poydras St, which would be the stop for the Holiday Inn. But, be warned -- YOU MUST HAVE EXACT CHANGE TO RIDE THE LIGHT RAIL OR THEY WON'T LET YOU BOARD!!! The light rail can also be SAFELY taken from Holiday Inn to the French Quarter and other locations. I am not sure where Harrah's is, but I would guess it is quite convenient to the light rail line.
Posted by Vincent206 (Member # 15447) on :
If you are only spending one night in Seattle I would suggest getting something close to downtown. But George is right--you will pay plenty. Most of the cheaper rooms are either in remote locations or dumps. Be sure to avoid anything that is south of the stadiums but north of the airport. I'd suggest reading Trip Advisor and if anything looks interesting I'd be willing to comment.
Posted by ehbowen (Member # 4317) on :
I decided to splurge. For the two one-night stays south of the border I've booked us into the Marriott Courtyard Downtown in Portland and the Marriott Courtyard Pioneer Square in Seattle. Double queen rooms both nights...it helps that if I book in my Dad's name we get a senior discount. In Vancouver for the single night we're currently booked into the Rosedale on Robson Suites.
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
Mr. Bowen, Marriott Courtyard was formerly my brand preference in the "Limited Service" segment; now I avoid 'em.
Not mad at Marriott per se (upcoming trip; 3 nites (pay) in Miami at their Biscayne Bay; one more at a TownePlace (points) in Fredericksburg), but they have rebranded to appeal to the "Millennial" segment - and I ain't one of 'em. Their "Bistro" format with their "line up and pay up" food service may as well be a MickeyD. Their Starbucks coffees are no selling point to me.
But then, there are plugs galore to charge up the "electronic playthings".
In that segment, Hilton Garden has become my "it" (one in Tifton GA (pay) on the trip next week).
Posted by ehbowen (Member # 4317) on :
If I were "on my own" or even with just my Dad I'd be willing to try more of the quirky and offbeat...I liked the Plains Hotel in downtown Cheyenne which Mr. Norman "not so much". But with Mom along I'd rather not take chances. Dad & I stayed at the Seattle Courtyard two years ago and were pleased with their double queen rooms and the location is hard to beat.
Posted by Vincent206 (Member # 15447) on :
For convenience in Seattle, the Marriott Courtyard Pioneer Square is good. Pioneer Square can be a bit gritty after dark, but it's close to King Street Station, light rail, the stadiums and the waterfront. There are a number of homeless shelters between the Marriot and KSS so be prepared for some panhandling and other "interesting" street activities.
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I very much hope all your connections work well.