# The Great Slidell Loophole Trip Pt 2



## JayPea (Aug 12, 2009)

Leg #2, from New Orleans to Washington DC on the Crescent, began bright and early for my uncle and I as we were up and ready to go by 5:30 AM. We grabbed a cab from our hotel and arrived at the New Orleans station around 6AM. We tried to get into the Magnolia Lounge, but the door was locked. From what I've heard, I don't think we missed much.

Security at New Orleans was as tight as I've ever seen on Amtrak; it's the first time I've ever seen such close scrutiny of photo ID. And the only place where EVERY carry-on item needed a luggage tag. I had a suitcase, which of course had a tag, but had to put one on my backpack and small camera bag as well. As we waited in line to board, one woman, obviously nervous, asked another passenger if the train stopped anywhere between New Orleans and Atlanta, her stop. "A newbie", I thought to myself. As we had coach tickets to Slidell and sleeper tickets from there to Washington, we asked if it was all right to sit in our sleeper between New Orleans and Slidell. The conductor was fine with that. We boarded the train and pulled out a little after 7AM, right on time. The consist of the Crescent this day was:

2 Engines

baggage car

4 coaches

cafe/lounge

diner

2 sleepers

We were in the rear sleeper, thus experiencing for ourselves firsthand what all the recent commotion on AU about sleepers on the rear was all about. :lol: We found out, too: The track was rough throughout the trip and we got tossed around pretty good. Give me sleepers on the front of the train any time!

Our car attendant was Tony, much more personable than was Terry from the day before on the CONO. And we had bottled water this time, though if we wanted more than one bottle, we had to ask. It was this way throughout the trip; in all my previous trips the water was always right by the coffee machine. Speaking of which, our coffee machine was broken, as was the one in the other sleeper. Ah, well, I'm not much of a coffee drinker anyway.

I had never been in a Viewliner sleeper, and I must say, I wasn't that impressed! I know I'll get some flack for that, but for one person, a Viewliner roomette is just fine, and in some ways better than the Superliners. For two people, however, it was crowded. We should have checked our luggage to Washington, but we had no idea how big the cubbyhole in the room for storing luggage was. As it was, our suitcases, by no means that big, were wedged in tightly. I finally got my change of clothes down for the next day and put them in my backpack rather than deal with fighting the suitcases. The two windows in the sleepers were a big improvement, however, and I found the single level car far enough off the ground so that viewing out the window wasn't much different than the upper level of the Superliners.

One of the advantages of being the rear car was the easy opportunity to videotape the view out the back window, especially over the Huey Long Bridge over Lake Ponchartain. Unfortunately, an elderly gentleman had the same idea, and he got the best spot! :angry:  :lol: He was from Georgia and told me he had helped lay rail across the lake, back in 1961. We had breakfast just as the train was pulling into Slidell. Our dining car steward was Cheryl, and she seemed to do much more of the administrative type stuff of the job, reconciling tickets and that sort of thing. One of the staff, Zenolia, actually seemed more in charge. The dining car service was excellent, by the way. And one of the waitstaff looked familiar. I know I'd seen him before, but couldn't place it.....until he asked us if we'd been on the CONO the day before. Durr! Turns out he was the same Melvin from the day before on the CONO. He'd been called at the last minute to do the run on the Crescent. I got the idea he wasn't overly pleased with that idea but didn't let that affect his excellent service.

For breakfast I chose the cheese omelette; I had the choice of plain cheese or cheese and a whole lot of vegetables. I stuck with the cheese, for the time being. I had the same thing with it I would for the entire trip (nothing like sticking with a winner! :lol: :hash browns, biscuit, sausage patties, and milk. The food on this train was better than the food on the CONO. Seated with us was a couple from Mobile on the way to Baltimore. The year before, they had traveled in their motor home from Mobile to Alaska.

After breakfast, I assisted the woman across the hall from us (the same nervous passenger who had asked about stops while waiting in New Orleans) as she had all sorts of questions about the room, the bed, and other assorted things about Amtrak. Turns out she was new to Amtrak, and she told me she was asking all the questions because, as she put it herself, she was neurotic. So I did my best to help her.

We settled back to watch the countryside roll by, and again I was amazed at how lush and green it is in the South. Quite a contrast to the Spokane area. And it was here that the kudzu vines became prevalent. That stuff is everywhere! And the red clay roads. I'll bet that must be a nasty quagmire after a heavy rain! We were right on time if not early throughout the entire trip, as we had no problems with freights at all. We hardly saw any.

After a breath of fresh (and muggy!) air at Meridian, MS, we had lunch. This time I stuck with the old standby, the Angus burger. Our neighbor from across the hall was our lunch companion. and she was hooked! She had gone to New Orleans with her daughter, and was going back alone. It was indeed her first Amtrak trip and was thoroughly enjoying it. She was already formulating plans to treat her dad, who will turn 78 in March, to a train trip for his birthday. My uncle and I gave her tips on the best places to go. He lives in Chicago, and I think we convinced her to try the California Zephyr.

At Birmingham, due to our train being early, we had a lengthy stop, long enough to inspect the "scene of the crime": the infamous stairs that caused a guest here on AU a few months ago so much angst and the uproar that ensued. I'm happy to report the elevators were in fine working condition. :lol:

As we made our way through Alabama into Georgia, I was struck by how hilly and wooded this area is. Having never been through here before, I had a lot of preconcieved notions--most of which weren't true. It's really pretty country.

When Cheryl came around for dinner reservations, the woman across from us made sure she got reservations the same time we did and made sure she got seated with us for dinner. I guess we must have helped calm her neuroses and made her feel comfortable. Dinner took place amidst many small towns in Georgia. I had the catfish, which was excellent. We had a very good conversation with our dinner partner--both at dinner and at lunch. We pulled into Atlanta plenty early, giving time to inspect the small station I've heard so much about. Small it is, and crowded, but I have to assume it meets Atlanta's needs just fine.

After stepping out for a breather at Greenville, South Carolina, I retired for the evening, awakening for good at Greensboro, NC, after which I showered for the day. I was very pleasantly surprised to find a shower with not only hot water, but fairly high pressure! I haven't encountered that too much before. After that, I took in the beauty of the countryside of Virginia.

For breakfast I had the old standby of cheese omelette, biscuit, hash browns, sausage, and milk. Having breakfast with us was a most unpleasant gentleman. He was mad because instead of offering a croissant, corn bread was offered instead. He proceeded to tell Zenolia in as loud and obnoxious fashion as possible, that he hated Amtrak biscuits, they were always hard as a rock, and this one better not be. As it turned out, it was too soft for him! He bitched about the "microwaved" biscuits and everything else about Amtrak: Poor and rude service, bad conditions, etc. He also told us how he rode Amtrak all the time. If I hated it that much, I think I'd find another mode of transportation.

We got into Washington DC about half an hour early. We had made plans to meet up with a longtime friend of mine, a boyhood pal I grew up with who now lives in the DC area, at the Capitol Visitors Center. So we wandered to the Capitol, taking in the various buildings along the way, and after a wait of about 15 minutes, went into the Visitors Center for a quick look around. My friend met us in the cafeteria, where I experienced just what rip-offs run Washington DC: $16 for a cheesburger, small fries, banana, and Diet Coke! Government waste, I tell ya! After lunch, we rode the Metro down the National Mall to the Smithsonian, where we strolled past the Washington Monument, along the Reflecting Pool, and to the Lincoln Memorial. We then returned by way of the Vietnam Memorial (chilling doesn't quite capture it) and the White House. We caught the Metro to Union Station, then waited in the lounge for our next leg, the Capitol Limited to Chicago. While the lounge at Washington might not be as big as Chicago's I thought it was very nice (could have used ice, though). And I like the idea of the Metro going right to Union Station, something I think Chicago could learn by.

Until next time!!!!!!


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## Steve4031 (Aug 12, 2009)

Nice report. We had zenola and company on the railfest. She was great.


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## cpamtfan (Aug 12, 2009)

Nice report. I think you could have gotten into the lounge if you asked the atendant, who would give you the secret code h34r: .


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## Bob Dylan (Aug 12, 2009)

Good report,only one point: the Huey Long Bridge crosses the Mississippi River going West on the SL,

you crossed the Lake on a causeway(long bridge),you were right about the prices in DC but they are not as bad

as NYC or San Francisco!Look forward to the next episode!


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## JayPea (Aug 13, 2009)

jimhudson said:


> Good report,only one point: the Huey Long Bridge crosses the Mississippi River going West on the SL,you crossed the Lake on a causeway(long bridge),you were right about the prices in DC but they are not as bad
> 
> as NYC or San Francisco!Look forward to the next episode!



You're right about the Huey Long Bridge! Brain cramp! :lol:


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## Long Train Runnin' (Aug 13, 2009)

Thanks I enjoyed part 2 even more looking forward to part 3


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## AlanB (Aug 13, 2009)

JayPea said:


> My friend met us in the cafeteria, where I experienced just what rip-offs run Washington DC: $16 for a cheesburger, small fries, banana, and Diet Coke! Government waste, I tell ya!


And people think that Amtrak's food prices are high.


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## Bill Haithcoat (Aug 13, 2009)

What an enjoyable report. It all sounds so familiar to me since I live in Atlanta.

About the Magnolia Room: as cpamtfam said it can usually be unlocked. Possibly something specific was wrong with it that morning. But you may just have not seen the sign, that directs you to go to the ticket window to ask for the combination.

I am glad you enjoyed so much scenery, some more than you expected.

Thanks for being understanding about our tiny station in ATL. Just remember----it was never built to be a major downtown station. It was meant to serve as a brief suburban stop only, no more,no less. Trains on that route paused at this little station first for the northern suburbanites, then went down town for the "real" business, adding and subtracting engines and cars,etc and the expected amenities. At least Atlanta had this standing when the two big stations downtown were torn down.

The lady who asked if the train made any stops before ATL reminded me of something in my experience. I was in Nashville in pre-Amtrak days. The South Wind, a train from the past which went from Miami to Chicago, was expected 20 minutes late. A lady asked, "Oh my, has it ever been that late before?" The ticket agent did not even look up to say "yes." Just to add to the pain the train was actually one hour late leaving. She was probably having fits.


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## the_traveler (Aug 13, 2009)

JayPea said:


> jimhudson said:
> 
> 
> > Good report,only one point: the Huey Long Bridge crosses the Mississippi River going West on the SL,you crossed the Lake on a causeway(long bridge),you were right about the prices in DC but they are not as bad
> ...


But you were 2/3 right. It is a Long Bridge! :lol:

Keep up the good reports. Maybe I'll get to do this trip one day!


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## acelafan (Aug 13, 2009)

Your reports are fantastic...very detailed and I feel like I am riding right along! The South is very scenic, indeed. Glad you enjoyed it down there.


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## JayPea (Aug 13, 2009)

the_traveler said:


> Keep up the good reports. Maybe I'll get to do this trip one day!


You mean I took a trip that you haven't done yet??? I didn't think that was possible! :lol:


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## Bob Dylan (Aug 13, 2009)

JayPea said:


> the_traveler said:
> 
> 
> > Keep up the good reports. Maybe I'll get to do this trip one day!
> ...


Stop the presses!Call the networks!Get the twitterers going!Notify Ripleys Believe it or Not!There is a major LD Amtrak route that the traveler

hasnt ridden!9th Wonder of the World! :lol:


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## the_traveler (Aug 14, 2009)

jimhudson said:


> JayPea said:
> 
> 
> > the_traveler said:
> ...


Calm down - it's not the end of the world yet! :lol:

I didn't say I didn't do it - it's just that I started in BHM!  (In fact, I only did BHM-NOL once - southbound!) So I didn't do NOL-WAS!


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## JayPea (Aug 18, 2009)

More pictures! http://jlpb60.multiply.com/photos/album/16


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