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Recently we've been staying in LA at the Miyako, in Little Tokyo. A bit farther than the Metroplaza, but nicer and not really much more expensive. They have a restaurant on the second floor that we've never tried, what with the options a few feet away in Little Tokyo. But in the lobby there is a...

I mentioned in Eric and Pat's excellent trip report that we'd done a similar trip recently and I'd be providing a trip report. Well, life has intervened and a full trip report will have to wait, but while things are fresh in my mind I thought I'd comment on the highs and lows we experienced of...

Hope your reservation turned out fine. We were scheduled to take the Surfliner between LA and San Diego on the first of this month. When I first saw the info about the coastal issue on this board, I checked online and the 500 numbered trips had all been 'annulled,' so I called AGR to change to...

We just returned last night from a similar trip--PA to NYC to Chicago to LA on the SWC and then the Surfliner plus bus bridge to San Diego and then, fortunately as it turned out, flew San Diego to Seattle rather than take the Starlight. We ended up narrowly dodging a couple of bullets--missed...

Tipping even at restaurants is confusing these days. But on Amtrak, for me it is simple--10 dollars per person per night in a sleeper to the SCA, less is service was perfunctory, more if above-and beyond; and if surly or begruding, nada--like when our SCA on the Empire Builder informed me that...

This is really shocking. Not so long ago, fire season was late summer, then expanded to earlier in the summer, and now, early May??

Indeed. I recall a trip on the Starlight some years back where one of my fellow passengers in the PCC was dispensing advice about how to make an Amtrak trip more pleasant, including recommending bringing one's own 'squeezably soft' toilet tissue. When I suggested that this might end up causing...

Here's another idea for those looking for a hotel in Seattle convenient to King St Station: the Silver Cloud Hotel on Broadway. It's adjacent to Seattle University, and is in a neighborhood with abundant restaurants and such. The neighborhood is both safe (by big city standards) and walkable...

Personally, the extreme discomfort of having to deal with 'handsy' strangers is more important to deal with than the potential disappointment of lovebird couples being unable to cuddle on the train. Just my perspective, but I wonder if a survey would reveal a gender split on this one.

Others will have better, more recent info on #1 so I will pass. #2--The nearest hotel to Union Station in LA is the Metro Plaza Hotel about a block and a half away. Seen better days, but it is clean and safe and as inexpensive as you can get in Downtown. Being near the station also is...

Without seeing the language of the bequest, I still am wondering how the university can re-purpose the land for uses not within the wishes of the testator. Maybe the cost to restore the railroad gives the university an out? Even if it is legal to do so, such behavior would give me pause...

Absolutely true. My last trip overnight in coach was quite a few years back, but my seatmate's hands and thighs kept wandering over to my legs all night, despite my complaints to him. ("Sorry, I was sleeping and just drifted over...") Which explains why it was my last overnight trip in coach.

So true. Though house prices now versus then probably make train travel look like a bargain. :rolleyes:

Sounds like you've come to the right place, here. If you haven't already, you might check out the thread California Zephyr discussion, which consolidates a lot of recent observations on the CZ. Also, we have a special thread for trip reports, and once you've taken your CZ trip, you might...

Unionization at hotels is precarious, I think, given the slashing of housekeeping and the reduction of front-of-the-house staff. Maybe what I mean is that unionization in general is precarious these days, though saying anything more than that would breach site rules.

Thanks for laying that all out; much appreciated. I do wish they had allowed the Talgos to stay in service till they have enough equipment to carry out a reasonable schedule and capacity for the Cascades. I miss them as a practical option...

One problem with this particular type of survey is that people often answer inconsistently from example to example. Sometimes that is a product of not reading all the options thoroughly, but often there is a 'hidden' reason why answers that seem inconsistent actually mask a factor not accounted...

I saw a suggestion for dealing with smelly public toilets, though I haven't tried it. Take one of the disposable masks and put a small drop of a pleasant essential oil on the inside. Voila--your own private air freshener! It would probably work with perfume, too--but a little dab'll do you.

Rich folks and their obsessions, again. The most amusing part of the story, though, is the tagline on the column: Living Small is a biweekly column exploring what it takes to lead a simpler, more sustainable or more compact life.. Yup, building this definitely looks like a contribution we...

Got it in my spam filter and filled it out. And, hooboy, the prices they are contemplating are eye-watering. I can't believe that they think that there is a market for those prices, even if the amenities are terrific. One interesting amenity they included in some of the options was a kids'...