# First Amtrak vacation underway.



## scrollmaster (May 25, 2018)

•Left Longview TX station 21 May on Texas Eagle overnight to Chicago. Had good SCA for our bedroom. Enjoyed first day and night immensely.

•Stayed overnight at The Palmer House, very beautiful and oldest operating hotel in the US but otherwise I considered it a severe waste of my money. Chicago Union Station quite impressive even with the construction. Very large and a bit overwhelming to an old country boy born, raised and still living in the sticks and deer trails of northeast Louisiana but enjoyed wandering around and through it as well as the Metropolitan Lounge.. great place to grab a drink, lite eat and visit. Gotta say the young Red Cap driver from train to Lounge very exciting. Felt more like the rollercoaster ride at the state fair with the fast speed, constant honking of the horn, dodging people and columns. Gave him a few dollars tip.. more for the excitement of the ride than a lift to the Metropolitan.

• 23 May - Empire Builder from Chicago overnight to Havre, MT. Very busy train. Lotsa people but handled well by the staff. I found out what an outstanding SCA can do to enhance your stay on the train. Her name was Suzanne from Seattle and working Amtrak for 5 years. Energetic, conversational, and seemed to be always close at hand. Told me I kept the neatest and tidy bedroom ever. Lots of cudos from the travelers. She should be the study for Amtrak SCA's. Thank you Suzanne!

•24 May - Departed at Havre, MT Station and Tara from Budget Rentals waiting in the lot for me with rental car.. nice service. Drove to great Falls for the night, wonderful meal and live music at the Celtic Cowboy Pub and Restaurant and in bed early before driving to Livingston for week with wife's family and a day at Yellowstone then driving back to Havre to catch Empire builder again to Seattle. Have the exact same car number and bedroom and praying Suzanne the SCA again.

•Gotta say that overall I love the train so far. Surprised the sleeper beds fairly comfortable and the motion of the train seemed like a sleeping pill. Bedrooms fairly small but layed out well for me and I have owned 5th wheels for more than 15 years so my room shower/toilet wasn't a problem to use. Food good.. not great but better than a lot of restaurants I've been to including The Palmer House Hilton.

•And by the way.. Thank You to the many people on this forum that has helped me learn and understand so much about Amtrak and Guest Rewards to make planning and enjoying not only this trip but how to best accumulate and use points for future travel.


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## Mystic River Dragon (May 25, 2018)

Glad the trip has gone well for you so far, and hope the rest does as well.






I rode with the same young Red Cap (I'm sure it was him--couldn't possibly be two of them like that!) when I went cross-country by train. That ride with him was the scariest part of the whole trip, and then I got him again on the way back!


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## Bob Dylan (May 25, 2018)

Wonderful trip, thanks for sharing!

And I've found the same Thing to be true about some "Classic" Hotels, which tend to have High Prices,shabby and faded Decor, ancient Plumbing and spotty HVAC ( such didn't exist in the olden days).

The current Luxury places such as Four Seasons,Grand Hyatts,W etc. are generally Superior for comparable prices.

When's your next Amtrak adventure?

Edited: I see you're still traveling so you've answered this! The trip to Seattle on the Builder has really nice Scenery even if the Sightseer Lounge goes to Portland from Spokane.But you'll have the Diner for Breakfast!


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## scrollmaster (May 25, 2018)

Mystic River Dragon said:


> Glad the trip has gone well for you so far, and hope the rest does as well.
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We are about a third thru so far. Get back on Empire Builder 31May at Havre MT and continue to Seattle. Cruise to Alaska from there and back for two more days in Seattle then Coast Starlight to LA couple days before Texas Eagle working our way back to Longview Texas mid June.


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## scrollmaster (May 25, 2018)

Mystic River Dragon said:


> Glad the trip has gone well for you so far, and hope the rest does as well.
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You not kidding.. bet my heart rate probably 90 by the time we reached Metro Lounge.


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## railiner (May 25, 2018)

Sounds like a great trip, thanks for posting! Curious as to which ship you're sailing on?


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## cpotisch (May 25, 2018)

Sounds great so far! I’ve gotta say I’m a bit jealous.


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## scrollmaster (May 25, 2018)

railiner said:


> Sounds like a great trip, thanks for posting! Curious as to which ship you're sailing on?


Ruby Princess


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## railiner (May 25, 2018)

scrollmaster said:


> railiner said:
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> > Sounds like a great trip, thanks for posting! Curious as to which ship you're sailing on?
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Nice! Leaving tomorrow? Bon Voyage!!!





A little preview for you....



https://www.princess.com/bridgecams/ click on 'Ruby'...


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## scrollmaster (May 25, 2018)

No we will spend a week yet here in Montana driving around and visiting relatives of my wife. Then we will head to Seattle and depart on June 2nd I believe.


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## Dakota 400 (May 25, 2018)

Many years ago, I stayed at The Palmer House and am glad that I have a memory of that classic hotel. I'd probably choose a different one now, however, if I needed to stay in Chicago. Some hotel chains do a better job than others in maintaining their "classic properties".

Enjoy your cruise!


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## dogbert617 (Jul 12, 2018)

Sounds like such a darned amazing trip you did there! To which cities/towns and destinations did your Alaska boat cruise go to? Once I do a Southwest Chief trip(due to my fear of its route through western Kansas, southeast Colorado, and northern New Mexico being rerouted after December 2018 over the positive train control issue, sigh), Empire Builder is probably near the top of my list to do a train trip on.

And that's cool you rented a car from Havre and went as far south as Yellowstone National Park. I was considering one day taking Amtrak to Alpine, TX(via Sunset Limited), then from there renting a car to get down to Big Bend National Park and back. Maybe also a brief side trip into Marfa, TX too as well, but we'll see if I do try to do a Big Bend trip via Amtrak someday.


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## Bob Dylan (Jul 13, 2018)

Dogbert: FYI, Alpine only has Mom and Pop Rental Cars, no National Brands, but they meet the Train, are very friendly and provide used cars in good condition.

It's a fairly long drive over Hilly Roads to Big Bend National Park from Alpine, but Marfa is only 20 miles,away. Note it gets extremely Hot in the Park in the Summer, and Cold in the Winter, so Spring and Fall are the best times to visit!

Other "must sees" in the Big Country are Ft Davis,( makea,a Triangle with Marfa and,Alpine)including the Restored Fort, a National Historic Site,and McDonalds Observatory, the Star Parties held there are Fantastic! Lastly, the Natural Springs Pool and State Park @ Balmorhea. ( go for a day trip tp swim and take a Picnic Lunch)


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## scrollmaster (Jul 20, 2018)

dogbert617 said:


> Sounds like such a darned amazing trip you did there! To which cities/towns and destinations did your Alaska boat cruise go to? Once I do a Southwest Chief trip(due to my fear of its route through western Kansas, southeast Colorado, and northern New Mexico being rerouted after December 2018 over the positive train control issue, sigh), Empire Builder is probably near the top of my list to do a train trip on.
> 
> And that's cool you rented a car from Havre and went as far south as Yellowstone National Park. I was considering one day taking Amtrak to Alpine, TX(via Sunset Limited), then from there renting a car to get down to Big Bend National Park and back. Maybe also a brief side trip into Marfa, TX too as well, but we'll see if I do try to do a Big Bend trip via Amtrak someday.


We were on the Ruby Princess and went to Juneau, Ketchikan, Glacier Bay, Skagway & Victoria BC. My first cruise and I enjoyed very much but one week on ship was enough for me for one trip. We rent vehicles if going to be 3-4 or more days in an area. Less time we just Uber around until we get back to the train. We did this last weekend when we rode the Texas Eagle to Dallas for couple days. When we go to San Antonio mid October for a week we will get Enterprise to bring us a vehicle to the depot and drive ourselves around.


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## SarahZ (Jul 20, 2018)

Dakota 400 said:


> Many years ago, I stayed at The Palmer House and am glad that I have a memory of that classic hotel. I'd probably choose a different one now, however, if I needed to stay in Chicago. Some hotel chains do a better job than others in maintaining their "classic properties".


The Palmer House is still excellently maintained and retains its classic beauty. I have stayed there countless times and have never seen anything in disarray or disrepair. The hotel is absolutely gorgeous.

I imagine the prices WERE fairly insane that close to Memorial Day, though. Considering some of their rooms are on the small side (it's a historic hotel, after all), I imagine that could make it feel like a waste of money. I've lucked out and ended up in some of their ridiculously huge rooms before, but that's usually in January when no one wants to visit during below-zero weather.





The OP mentioned they went to the restaurant as well, which is seriously overpriced. It's too bad, really, as there are some wonderful (and affordable) restaurants within walking distance of the Palmer House. I usually point people toward The Berghoff.


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## JRR (Jul 20, 2018)

Our favorite hotel is the Drake. Haven’t been there in awhile. My parents stayed at the Palmer House. Their bill was $6.50!

Obviously, a long time ago!


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## Bob Dylan (Jul 21, 2018)

You are aware that all of the Trains that call @ Sunset Station arrive in the dark of night (O-Dark-Thirty)and that the Station is Closed during Daylight Hours soon as #22/#422 Leaves right?

You may have to spend the night before you pick up your car, I'd call??


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## scrollmaster (Jul 21, 2018)

(You are aware that all of the Trains that call @ Sunset Station arrive in the dark of night (O-Dark-Thirty)and that the Station is Closed during Daylight Hours soon as #22/#422 Leaves right?)You may have to spend the night before you pick up your car, I'd call?? ]

You're right. Just have to get Uber to run us to our hotel. I like Enterprise because they will pick you up with your rental where you are and drop us off at the train station.
In Havre, MT there is no Enterprise but Budget will do the same. Coming from Chicago on Empire Builder they have you call when train stops to refuel just before Havre Station and she was waiting for us at the station when we stepped off the train.. great service.


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## cpotisch (Jul 21, 2018)

Bob Dylan said:


> scrollmaster said:
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Just so you know, I think you're missing a

bracket, so your post and anyone else's post that quotes yours, will not be able to render the quote box. Just so you know.


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## scrollmaster (Jul 21, 2018)

cpotisch said:


> Bob Dylan said:
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 Hey bud.. I don't have a clue what you're talking about missing a bracket so if you don't mind explaining it might help me in the future. If it makes a difference I don't use a computer but do it on my Samsung Galaxy S8 instead.


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## cpotisch (Jul 21, 2018)

Your post didn't have any issues. I was referring to Bob Dylan's post (#17), which was missing one of the closing

brackets, which means that it couldn't render the quote boxes


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## Bob Dylan (Jul 21, 2018)

Oops, hopefully a,Moderator can fix this for a tech challenged oldy!


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## Railroad Bill (Jul 21, 2018)

Bob Dylan said:


> Oops, hopefully a,Moderator can fix this for a tech challenged oldy!


Tried to clean it up a bit.


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## Dakota 400 (Jul 21, 2018)

SarahZ, thanks for your update on The Palmer House. When I have another overnight or two in Chicago, I will consider it once again.

Maybe this next time, I will get a room that is closer to the elevators than the one I had. (Along with the majestic lobby, those two memories stand out.)


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## iplaybass (Jul 22, 2018)

Dakota 400 said:


> SarahZ, thanks for your update on The Palmer House. When I have another overnight or two in Chicago, I will consider it once again.
> 
> Maybe this next time, I will get a room that is closer to the elevators than the one I had. (Along with the majestic lobby, those two memories stand out.)


The hotel websites (booking.com, etc.) usually have low prices on the Palmer House compared to other hotels. Internal to the Loop is seen as less desirable for some reason.


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## dogbert617 (Aug 15, 2018)

Bob Dylan said:


> Dogbert: FYI, Alpine only has Mom and Pop Rental Cars, no National Brands, but they meet the Train, are very friendly and provide used cars in good condition.
> 
> It's a fairly long drive over Hilly Roads to Big Bend National Park from Alpine, but Marfa is only 20 miles,away. Note it gets extremely Hot in the Park in the Summer, and Cold in the Winter, so Spring and Fall are the best times to visit!
> 
> Other "must sees" in the Big Country are Ft Davis,( makea,a Triangle with Marfa and,Alpine)including the Restored Fort, a National Historic Site,and McDonalds Observatory, the Star Parties held there are Fantastic! Lastly, the Natural Springs Pool and State Park @ Balmorhea. ( go for a day trip tp swim and take a Picnic Lunch)


I later realized it was just a mom and pop rental car company in Alpine, but that'd be fine for me. I'll have to research more on Fort Davis north of Marfa, since I thought I'd mainly spend time in Big Bend National Park, and perhaps briefly also in Big Bend Ranch State Park were I to do such a trip in the future. Thanks for the response.



scrollmaster said:


> dogbert617 said:
> 
> 
> > Sounds like such a darned amazing trip you did there! To which cities/towns and destinations did your Alaska boat cruise go to? Once I do a Southwest Chief trip(due to my fear of its route through western Kansas, southeast Colorado, and northern New Mexico being rerouted after December 2018 over the positive train control issue, sigh), Empire Builder is probably near the top of my list to do a train trip on.
> ...


Thanks for mentioning where you did go, in Alaska. Nice it also did a stop in Victoria, BC as well! I guess this boat trip did not stop in Vancouver, BC?


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## Woodcut60 (Sep 18, 2018)

SarahZ, thanks for your update on The Palmer House. I had a few drinks there and I absolutely loved the interior design and the location of this venerable hotel. I usually stay at The Silversmith on Wabash Avenue. Excellent but expensive.


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