# chuljin's Gathering Mega-trip Part 1



## chuljin (Nov 9, 2009)

So as mentioned almost a year ago, I decided to combine the 2009 AU Gathering with these other long-time goals:

Visiting my hometown and family in Indiana for the first time in 2 years, and getting there by train;

Riding Acela First Class the *whole* way;

Slowly crawling along the NEC using mostly commuter railroads.

In the end, I wound up actually putting my foot in, or at least riding a train through, 22 states: CA, AZ, NM, CO, KS, MO, IA, IL, IN, MI, OH, PA, NY, MA, RI, NH, ME, CT, NJ, DE, MD, DC. (That's distinct states, of course...I actually crossed state borders 35 times by land.) Due to the way I went back and forth, up and down, a few were visited 2 or more times. States I visited for the first time in my life on this trip were MA, RI, NH, ME, CT, NJ, and DE.

Because the overall trip was 16 days (I think I might be runner-up, after Alice and Patrick, for overall Gathering trip duration), I'll be splitting the trip report into 12 different parts. I'm not going to obsessively cross-reference them as I did for e.g. my bay-area trip last Memorial Day weekend, because that already was maddening for just the four parts of that TR. Because there's going to be so much to write, I'm going to focus more on content than formatting, but will still try to make it readable. Note that if I mention landmarks or stations at what seems to you like a strange time of day, it is because I didn't timestamp the entries in my copious handwritten notes, and don't have the SWC timetable before me.

Pictures from this part are here.

Our own BJG had been doing a vacation hold-down on the SWC, LAX(4)KNG(3)LAX, and for a while, we thought she might conduct me, but in the end, she conducted the previous day's 4. I managed to mostly enjoy myself anyways. 

The trip started on Friday, 10/23, with Mr. chuljin dropping me off at GDL at about 5pm for a quick Metrolink ride in to LAX.

After hanging out a little, I boarded Train 4, the Southwest Chief. I'd redeemed my 30k points for a bedroom, so hadn't bothered to check my sizeable bag. The sleeper attendant was the excellent (and funny, as you'll read a little later) Gwen, AKA Gwendolyn McCormack (sp?) (I don't often mention people's full names, but as you'll read later, she made such a point of making sure we knew it, so...)

Pausing here for a brief overview of the very typical SWC consist: 10, 198, 1159, 39030 (strangely running as 1140), 32098 (running as 0431), 32097 (running as 0430, where I was in Bedroom B), 38063, 33004, 34044, 31029, 31044.

There were no reportably-big OTP issues anytime during the trip.

The first night, as we left LAX, I had the Flat Iron (which, in contrast to last year, was more pot-roast- than steak-like) with an excellent Shiraz, and cheesecake with strawberries for dessert. My tablemates were a couple going to some unknown corner of AZ, and the fairer half (her husband didn't dine) of a couple who were around day 38 of a 45-day all-train trip SEA-CHI-BOS-NYP-NOL-LAX-CHI-SAC-SEA (with several stopovers).

As we left VRV, Gwen came onto the PA to tell us that the toilets in our car (including the one in my room) would no longer flush, due to the high altitude, and that we should call Amtrak, and say that 'Gwendolyn McCormack' suggested we ask for compensation. For a little variety, I went to sit in the lounge for a while, even though it was pitch black outside, and *every* time the conductor walked past, he asked 'Enjoying the view?'

I did eventually go to bed, and actually missed all the stops in AZ. I did see the 'Welcome to New Mexico' sign beside the tracks, but didn't move quickly enough to take a photo of it. For breakfast, I had the french toast, which was quite good. I chose poorly for the accompanying meat though: the turkey sausage patties, which tasted good enough, but had a dryish and strange texture that made them like nicely-flavored foam rubber sponges.

We arrived at ABQ about half an hour early, and I explored the station a little, and bought some tchotchkes from the vendors there. I got a 12:30 seating for lunch, and so started while were still at ABQ. Even though I'm not a vegetarian, but because AUers rave about it, I had the veggie burger. It was actually quite good, but not remotely vegan, since I ordered it with cheese and then slathered it with mayonnaise.  My tablemates included a couple connecting at CHI to the LSL to BUF. After lunch, I went back to the lounge, because there *was* actually something to see. During my time there, a woman was (loudly) telling her friend on the phone, 'Yeah, I'm on the train...it's like riding the teacups at Disneyland!' Not having been on them, I didn't get the reference. As we went through the Raton Pass, in the absence of Rails-and-Trails park rangers, the Conductor herself told us the interesting story of the initial competition for the Pass, something I'd never known before.

For dinner, I had the other item on the menu, the trout, which came with something I described in my notes as 'dot veggies', the meaning of which I no longer remember, and a Riesling. For dessert, I had what my notes call the 'berry thing', which was actually a rich lemon-flavored cake with summer berries, quite tasty.

After dinner, for want of something better to do, I alternated (fortunately only a few times) between my room and the lounge. Of course, this was still dinner time, and Gwen was waiting table in the diner. Once as I passed, I asked 'are you tired of me yet?' (passing through), and she said the funniest thing on this trip: 'No, honey, I love your face.' 

At one of the longer station stops in the very late evening (the next crew change after ABQ), I wandered a little, and bought Gwen a can of soda from a machine at the station.

The next morning's breakfast (after a predawn nice short exploration of KCY) was better: the cheese omelet, with the sausage *links*, which had not just sausage flavor, but sausage texture. I remember nothing of my tablemates, because the entertainment was at a nearby table: a standup comedian recounting, among other things, how he'd once overstayed a visa in the UK, and became 'the first Latino deported *to* the US'. 

The last glide into CHI was uneventful. A few interesting things were: a PA announcement at about 2:15pm: 'Attention all attendants: Track 30 left side.' and when we met what I assume to have been the westbound EB at about 2:25pm. We arrived at CHI early (though not significantly). I'd given myself 2:40 to get over to Millenium (read: Randolph St) Station for the South Shore to IN, and wound up with 3:00. I went up to the street through what seemed to be the suggested path, and surprise! emerged actually across the street from CUS (I'd never been there before, and didn't know the structure of the station vis-a-vis the street).

I then went back inside to try my first Amtrak lounge. I told the attendant that I'd just *arrived* in a sleeper, and had S+, which did she want? She seemed confused by the question, and asked what train I was leaving on. When I said *Wednesday's* 448 (three days later), she gave a puzzled look and asked 'Oh, you just wanna hang out?' and let me do so. It was nice enough...spacious and clean, and with diet cola. As I wanted to get some pictures before it started to get too dark, I started off on my walk over to Millenium. My intention was to walk directly east to Michigan Ave, then north. I hadn't realized until I arrived at the front of the Art Institute how far south Union Station is.

I arrived at Millenium with still over an hour to spare, so I kept walking to just north of the river to take some pictures of it and the buildings next to it, such as the Wrigley and Tribune buildings.

My South Shore train left Millenium on time. They announced that due to trackwork, it would be bustituted beyond the Carroll Ave shops, which didn't bother me as that was where I was going. The problem, though, was that the westbound train was late due to traffic with the bustitute, and that screwed up all the meets, making my own train about half an hour late at Carroll. Met my aunt and uncle on the platform...my aunt was duly surprised; my uncle and I cooked up a ruse, telling her that I'd sent her her birthday present and they needed to pick it up at the South Shore station, when in fact the surprise was my visit.

After a quick fast-food dinner, off to my hometown of LaPorte (see Part 2).


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## Everydaymatters (Nov 9, 2009)

Fun reading this, Chris. Looking forward to the rest of it.


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## PRR 60 (Nov 9, 2009)

chuljin said:


> ...and when we met what I assume to have been the westbound EB at about 2:25pm.


I'm suspecting that you met the westbound California Zephyr, not the Empire Builder. The EB heads north out of Chicago Union Station and would not meet an incoming Chief. The wb CZ leaves CHI at 2pm, so that seems about right.

Nice report! Looking forward to the next 11 parts.


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## the_traveler (Nov 9, 2009)

chuljin said:


> In the end, I wound up actually putting my foot in, or at least riding a train through, 22 states: CA, AZ, NM, CO, KS, MO, IA, IL, IN, MI, OH, PA, NY, MA, RI, NH, ME, CT, NJ, DE, MD, DC. (That's distinct states, of course...I actually crossed state borders 35 times by land.) Due to the way I went back and forth, up and down, a few were visited 2 or more times.


I can do that with my eyes closed! :lol:



> Pausing here for a brief overview of the very typical SWC consist: 10, 198, 1159, 39030 (strangely running as 1140)


Now, if they only put a PPC on the SWC too! 

Looking forward to the rest.


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## BlueJeanGirl (Nov 9, 2009)

Wonderfully thorough, Chuljin, as usual. I'm looking forward to hearing the super-condensed version in person tomorrow night!

Looking forward to reading the remaining TRs too 

See you tomorrow! I'll be upstairs as early as possible.

HUGS!!

~BJG


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## PRR 60 (Nov 9, 2009)

BlueJeanGirl said:


> ...See you tomorrow! I'll be upstairs as early as possible.HUGS!!
> 
> ~BJG


No wonder the Surfliners are so popular! :lol:


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## chuljin (Nov 9, 2009)

Everydaymatters said:


> Fun reading this, Chris. Looking forward to the rest of it.


  Your first mention is in Part 3, the LSL. (FYI to everyone else, Betty [EDM] and her friend Winnie were in the roomette across from me on the LSL, and also coincidentally stayed in the same hotel.  )


the_traveler said:


> I can do that with my eyes closed! :lol:


Yeah, many of my state-border crossings were with my eyes closed too...either because I was fast asleep (e.g. NM/KS and KS/MO on the SWC, and OH/PA and PA/NY on the LSL), or because I was...er...'dozing off' due to 'abuse' of Acela FC 'hospitality' (PA/DE, etc...for the fun details of that, you have to wait for Part 7 [or ask *jis*, who was also on my Acela, and had the 'luck' of being a witness in the early stages]  )
As will happen a lot as I write these, I forgot one detail that I'd intended to include:

The 'chef's choice' (or whatever they call it) special for lunch was a chicken curry. I found this out after I'd already ordered the day 2 lunch (veggie burger), and it sounded good, so I asked if it would be the same the next day (last meal aboard), and it would have been, but they ran out.  So I had the default Angus burger, good as always.


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## Rumpled (Nov 9, 2009)

Hey, I've got family from LaPorte, too.

My grandfather was a county commissioner or such back in the day - dirty politics there.


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## BlueJeanGirl (Nov 9, 2009)

**blush**

Oops. I didn't re-read that with all possible interpretations in mind, apparently. LOL

Travel light!

~BJG



PRR 60 said:


> BlueJeanGirl said:
> 
> 
> > ...See you tomorrow! I'll be upstairs as early as possible.HUGS!!
> ...


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## chuljin (Nov 9, 2009)

BlueJeanGirl said:


> **blush**
> Oops. I didn't re-read that with all possible interpretations in mind, apparently. LOL
> 
> Travel light!
> ...


:lol: :lol: :lol: I didn't either...I thought it was just the 'HUGS!!' being referred to. 

She means upstairs on Track 9 at LA Union Station, reached by a staircase. 

And referring to the fact that tomorrow and Thursday, BJG will conduct the train I ride home.


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## BlueJeanGirl (Nov 9, 2009)

Yes, I certainly will! You know which door I'll be at 

Travel light!

~BJG



chuljin said:


> BlueJeanGirl said:
> 
> 
> > **blush**
> ...


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