Went up to New York yesterday on the Acela. First class both ways, using upgrade coupons one way and points the other. The fares were crazy expensive and the trains were as full as I've ever seen them. The first class menu this week was pretty good - I had an omelet for breakfast because the attendant told me there was no maple syrup for the baked French toast. I had the lasagna for dinner on the way back, but I really wasn't all that hungry because we spent the afternoon having Chinese hot pot for lunch. The train was pretty much on time northbound, and we were doing close to 150 mph in the "racetrack" section of central New Jersey. Southbound left New York (2167) about 10 minutes late, and we lost more time and arrived in Baltimore about 25 minutes late. Lots of slow running due to heat restrictions. We didn't even hit 100 mph north of Trenton, then maximum of 110 mph between Trenton and Wilmington, with a good bit of ~40 mph running (interference with commuter trains?) Once we got into Maryland, we were doing 125 mph, which is a little slow, as they often do 130-135 in places. Looks like they're hiring some younger first-class attendants; it's good to see that there will be a next generation of OBS. Moynihan Train hall was as crowded as I've ever seen it, lots of people are on the move in the Northeast this summer. The Metropolitan lounge was so full that we couldn't find two seats together. I recommend using the elevators by the ticketed passenger waiting area to avoid the cattle lines to reach the platform, but get there early, as we weren't the only ones with this idea. It certainly beats using the West End Concourse if you have luggage.
When we got to Baltimore, we had some trouble getting out of the garage. Somehow the magnetic strip on my parking ticket got corrupted and it wouldn't work at the pay station or the gate. We needed to back up, bang on the door of the office and talk to the attendants. Their little credit card machine didn't work, and I had to drive back down to a pay station of the lowest level of the garage to pay under their control (at least something worked) and get a new ticket that got us out of the garage. Then we couldn't use the direct ramp to I-83 because Charles St. was closed off for Artscape (a local arts festival), so we had to go down St. Paul St. and take a tour of the seamier parts of downtown Baltimore, including the state penitentiary, to find an on-ramp for I-83.
I was able to find a copy of the 1974 edition of "All Aboard with E. M. Frimbo" at eh Strand Book Store. All in all, it was a pretty good day, but New York was a little hot.
