# What to do? (19 hours in coach)



## kendoggbyrd (Sep 1, 2017)

I'm on a 19 hr train trip from NYC to CHI. I've never been on coach that long. What do the rest of you do for such a long ride? Read a book? Walk up and down the train? Sleep?


----------



## me_little_me (Sep 1, 2017)

Turn on Google Maps on your smartphone. Plot your train and see what the roads are along your route. Once I used the gasbuddy map and entered tons of gas prices that I could see from the train.

Read a book? Walk up and down the train? Sleep? Yes. Yes. Yes.

Last but not least, relax and just look at the world passing by.


----------



## Cecilia B (Sep 1, 2017)

I always take a sleeper room on long trips like this, but I think it is doable. Firstly, I recommend getting a security belt to wear under your shirt; this eliminates the worry of leaving $$ behind or carrying a heavy bag. Now, you are free to walk to the Sightseeing Car, and Lounge Car. If your train has WiFi you can watch previously downloaded movies on Netflix, or just relax and listen to downloaded music. Books, adult coloring books, crossword puzzles and any other activity you enjoy can all be brought on your trip. Of course, chatting with people is always a great way to pass the time on Amtrak. I've met so many nice people on long train rides!

Have fun!


----------



## AmtrakBlue (Sep 1, 2017)

kendoggbyrd said:


> I'm on a 19 hr train trip from NYC to CHI. I've never been on coach that long. What do the rest of you do for such a long ride? Read a book? Walk up and down the train? Sleep?


Yes (all of the above).  Oh, and look out the window and see our great country.


----------



## SarahZ (Sep 1, 2017)

I like to listen to music and take pictures of the scenery and interesting things I see when we pass through towns (quirky bookstores, bars with funny names, cute houses, etc.)

I also use my laptop to look up the route guide. I keep the route guide open in one tab, Google Maps open in another, and Google Search open in a third so I can follow the train's path and quickly search for and read about interesting buildings or an overall history of the areas we're passing through. I take notes about all of these things so I can write a trip report when I get home. Since my phone tags the pictures with my location, it's easy to incorporate the pictures with my notes.

Once it's dark, I read a book and look up whenever we pass through a town. I continue to take notes on occasion, but it's a bit harder to get good pictures if we're moving.

Mostly, when we travel along a roadway or through a town, I like to imagine where all of those vehicles are going and what the people are up to. Are they going out for the night? Are they coming home from second shift? Are we making them late for work? Are they on their way to a party? Did they have a good day or bad day? What are they thinking about as the train passes? Are the kids excited to see the train?

Even if it's just a house with lights on, I sometimes wonder what the people inside are doing. I particularly like when people decorate the side of the house that faces the tracks, like a special treat for the passengers. It's especially endearing in areas where they only see 1-2 trains per day. Now that I live near an Amtrak line, I put seasonal lights and decorations in the windows that face the tracks.


----------



## jebr (Sep 1, 2017)

Cecilia B said:


> I If your train has WiFi you can watch previously downloaded movies on Netflix, or just relax and listen to downloaded music.


Just a couple notes on this:


The pre-downloaded movies and music do not require wi-fi. I'd recommend having some movies/music downloaded in case cell service or wi-fi becomes spotty, or you're on a limited data plan.
Even if the train has wi-fi, Amtrak often blocks streaming sites, especially streaming video sites. I wouldn't count on wi-fi allowing you to watch Netflix on the train or allowing you to download additional content.


----------



## BCL (Sep 1, 2017)

jebr said:


> Cecilia B said:
> 
> 
> > I If your train has WiFi you can watch previously downloaded movies on Netflix, or just relax and listen to downloaded music.
> ...


I was doing that. However, I also forgot to bring my earbuds, but I bought some in the cafe.

And I found out how limited 16 GB was. When my kid dropped our iPad Mini 2, I replaced it was a 32 GB version I found on sale. I figured I'd get more, but that was also kind of limited. Now that they're both kind of iffy I went out and got a new iPad Mini 4, which only comes in 128 GB now. I really don't know if I can manage to come close to maxing that out. I decided to load every movie I had already downloaded to iTunes and that's only a quarter of the capacity used.


----------



## Lonestar648 (Sep 1, 2017)

I use my iphone for music with noise canceling ear phones, kindle with a selection of books, and I end up loving to watch the scenery pass by during the day, and at night once the lights are dimmed, look at the stars and the passing towns. If I sleep, I use an eye mask and a couple melatonin.


----------



## Devil's Advocate (Sep 2, 2017)

kendoggbyrd said:


> I'm on a 19 hr train trip from NYC to CHI. I've never been on coach that long. What do the rest of you do for such a long ride? Read a book? Walk up and down the train? Sleep?


Melatonin & dyphenhydramine with an ethanol chaser.



BCL said:


> I found out how limited 16 GB was. When my kid dropped our iPad Mini 2, I replaced it was a 32 GB version I found on sale. I figured I'd get more, but that was also kind of limited. Now that they're both kind of iffy I went out and got a new iPad Mini 4, which only comes in 128 GB now.


The lesson I learned with Apple's portable products is that people who actively download/record videos and travel through extended offline areas (remote locations, aircraft, ships, etc) need to buy the largest memory options available. Otherwise you're screwed. One thing that really annoyed me was that even when Apple finally started releasing iOS devices with 128GB of storage they only sold them direct and not through third parties. Not sure if that's still true but that's how it was with $800 6S.


----------



## shelzp (Sep 2, 2017)

I listen to audiobooks I've downloaded on my phone. Sometimes I'll have a book about say railroad construction or fiction that's set in the area we're passing through. I have an earbud that splits right and left into one bud and I like that better than using the regular dual type but of course with the single you don't have noise cancelling ability.


----------



## PVD (Sep 2, 2017)

19 hrs NYP to Chicago is more likely LSL than anything else, that pretty much nixes the "sightseer" idea... Left side leaving NY going up the Hudson would be the best views until daylight runs out


----------



## me_little_me (Sep 4, 2017)

BCL said:


> jebr said:
> 
> 
> > Cecilia B said:
> ...


If you have tablet with micro-SD slot, Sandisk has a 400gb (yes, four HUNDRED GB) card. You'll never have to look out the window even if traveling across country!

Edit (thanks to CCC1007). Changed MB to GB.


----------



## CCC1007 (Sep 4, 2017)

me_little_me said:


> BCL said:
> 
> 
> > jebr said:
> ...


MB? What about GB?


----------



## Lonestar648 (Sep 4, 2017)

why would you not want to be looking out the window? That is one of the features of traveling by train, see this beautiful country we are blessed to live in.


----------



## me_little_me (Sep 4, 2017)

CCC1007 said:


> If you have tablet with micro-SD slot, Sandisk has a 400mb (yes, four HUNDRED MB) card. You'll never have to look out the window even if traveling across country!
> 
> MB? What about GB?


Thanks. I fixed my post. It is GB.


----------



## PVD (Sep 4, 2017)

Much of the year it will be dark after Albany, with very little to see until the next morning...I like the run up the Hudson, and the Mohawk/Canal section is ok on the Empire Service trains I use, but its pretty dark out there on the LSL running time...


----------



## SarahZ (Sep 4, 2017)

Lonestar648 said:


> why would you not want to be looking out the window? That is one of the features of traveling by train, see this beautiful country we are blessed to live in.


Well, if it's dark, there's not much to look at.


----------



## LookingGlassTie (Sep 9, 2017)

"99 bottles of beer on the wall

99 bottles of beer

Take one down, pass it around.............."


----------



## Lonestar648 (Sep 10, 2017)

Sarah I find night time a great time to watch outside, seeing the small towns, watching the stars on a clear night, the lightning lighting up the sky on a stormy night, the silouets created by the moon, seeing people in side businesses or homes living their lives not looking at your train passing by. Now, I love to listen music as the world passes my window. I always carry reading material but rarely read on the train.


----------



## SarahZ (Sep 10, 2017)

Lonestar648 said:


> Sarah I find night time a great time to watch outside, seeing the small towns, watching the stars on a clear night, the lightning lighting up the sky on a stormy night, the silouets created by the moon, seeing people in side businesses or homes living their lives not looking at your train passing by. Now, I love to listen music as the world passes my window. I always carry reading material but rarely read on the train.


Same here. If you read my earlier post, you'll see I mentioned a few of those things.

Sent from my iPhone using Amtrak Forum


----------



## PVD (Sep 10, 2017)

I agree with your general sentiment about night travel. I just never really found it to be particularly good on that specific route.......


----------



## dlagrua (Sep 11, 2017)

Although we rarely travel in coach we do face the same challenge as to how to keep busy on the trip. During daylight hours we will go over to the sightseer lounge and view the scenery until it gets dark. When in our room or at a seat, I pair my laptop to my cell phone and cruise the net on hobby sites, travel sites and news sites. Also bring a few magazines, some movie DVD's and a set of earphones. . Come bedtime it can be hard to sleep on the train so my solution is a small cup of strong chamomile tea with a few drops of Bach's rescue remedy added. Works every time and doesn't make you drowsy like Benedryl. Amtrak coach seats recline far more than airline seats and it is possible to sleep in coach. If you have a few extra bucks to spare consider breakfast in the dining car.


----------



## PVD (Sep 11, 2017)

Sadly, the particular route in question in this thread is single level, and lacks an SSL. The lounge comes from Boston and joins at Albany, and to sell B/C seating is a "split car" so there isn't even a lot of table space..... best bet is left side out of NYP, it gives you the Hudson and the Mohawk/Canal view at least through dark....


----------



## dlagrua (Sep 11, 2017)

PVD said:


> Sadly, the particular route in question in this thread is single level, and lacks an SSL. The lounge comes from Boston and joins at Albany, and to sell B/C seating is a "split car" so there isn't even a lot of table space..... best bet is left side out of NYP, it gives you the Hudson and the Mohawk/Canal view at least through dark....


OOPs sorry that I missed that. My bad.


----------

