NETrainfan
Lead Service Attendant
Cross-Country Amtrak Trip -November 2010
Route: Boston to Chicago on the Lake Shore Limited
Chicago to LA on the Southwest Chief
LA to Ventura on the Pacific Surfliner
Ventura to LA on the Amtrak Bus
LA to Chicago on the Southwest Chief
Chicago to Washington D.C. on the Capitol Limited
D.C. to Boston on the Acela
Background: My sister and I recently took our 4th cross-country Amtrak trip together. (I have also taken 2 other cross-country train trips.) We travel together each year from Boston to Florida or California to vacation with relatives. Our husbands are not LD train riders, so they mind the “forts”!
This was our first Amtrak trip with sleepers. On other trips, we have stopped over at various sites to spend the night and refresh. This time, we decided to have roomettes all the way- a total of six nights. We enjoyed 4 sunny, delightful days in California with family and enjoyed 6 days and nights on the train (except for the top bunks on the Superliners.)
On the way out to CA: We arrived at South Station in Boston in good time, found the Acela Lounge and were impressed with the service and facilities. This Lounge was quiet, relaxing, well designed, and comfortable. The ceilings look like artwork.
In a timely fashion, a friendly, helpful Red Cap took us right to our LSL Sleeper Car #4920. We had reviewed the dimensions of the Viewliner roomettes online, but were still surprised at how compact they are- very good for one person- a bit snug for two. We also had a good laugh about the sink, as it sputtered and sprayed a bit until we got the gist of use!
We had lunch with our neighbor (and her travel companion) from across the hall. The lunch was the offering I had read about- a giant Walnut Fruit Salad or a Roast Beef Bleu Cheese Sandwich. We all opted for the huge salad and Apple Pie for dessert. (I will have a separate section on the Food- the selections we had were always very good to excellent- yea for Amtrak food!) The dining car was very attractive, done in green and pink. We had never seen this type of dining car. Question? What is the name of this type of dining car?
We had been on the LSL several times. The interesting, but familiar, scenery was dotted with snow and we were glad to be heading to warmer climes.
We discovered what many have said- the Viewliner roomette is quite comfortable for sleeping both up and down. This was my bunk night and I found the top bunk quite comfortable. I enjoyed looking at the stars and stops as we chugged to Chicago.
At about 1:30 a.m. my sister woke me to ask if I smelled smoke. The train had stopped and sure enough- it turned out that a pile of leaves had caught fire due to a wheel spark (according to what we were told.) Men were out near the Baggage Car with flashlights-the fire was doused, and we were on our way. The conductor came through our car to reassure us that all was well. Of course, in the meantime we had dressed quickly and were ready to evacuate. Turns out, only our end of our sleeper had smoke odors. Oh- and a ways down the road we had strong skunk smell. An exciting first evening in a sleeper, for sure!
At Chicago Union Station, we went to the Metropolitan Lounge. In our opinion, the service and facilities are not as good as the Acela Lounge in Boston. Wonder if others on the forum agree or disagree?
We boarded the SWC, car #0331 and discovered the details of a Viewliner vs. a Superliner roomette. In the Superliner, the roomette seating was as comfortable as in the Viewliner, we didn’t miss the sink or toilet in the room, we liked having the bathroom at one end of the car and the three extra bathrooms and shower and changing room downstairs. (By contrast, the shower and changing room in the Viewliner were tiny and ice and other stuff was stored there-ICE?) The Superliner upper bunk is just way too small compared to the Viewliner. We took turns in the upper bunk and feel we earned our Girl Scout Upper Bunk Camper Badges. On our next cross-country train trip we are reserving 2 roomettes for ultimate sleeping comfort.
The Southwest Chief is one of our favorite Amtrak routes to date. The New Mexico landscape and the Raton Pass are highlights. We have stopped off in Santa Fe before, from Lamy, and have developed a passion for the Southwest. We had only one glitch on this segment of the trip- the Crew Dorm had to be removed at Albuquerque due to a spring problem (we were told). The crew were housed in empty rooms or coach seats. Amtrak and the passengers handled this well.
We took the Pacific Surfliner from LA to Ventura. Our 4 days in California were filled with sun, fun with family, wine tastings in the Santa Ynez Valley, a visit to Solvang, a harbor cruise, and much walking to explore.
On our trip back to Boston from LA, we were in car #0430 on the Southwest Chief. It was another beautiful ride through New Mexico and the Midwest. We slept right through a stop to take a couple off of the train due to fighting. They were arrested (we were told.)
We took the Capitol Limited (car #3000) from Chicago to Washington D.C. where we spent a night at the Hyatt Regency near the Capitol- not far from Union Station. We boarded the Acela at 9:00 a.m. the next day to Boston.
Service: The service on our long train journey ranged from good to excellent with the exception of the desk service at the Metropolitan Lounge in Chicago. We had two excellent attendants on the Southwest Chief and fine dining car service all the way.
Food: To our tastes, the food in general was delicious. There were generous portions. We had the scrambled eggs, biscuits, potatoes or grits(on some trains), coffee, & juice for breakfast- had the Walnut Salad, Angus Burger (2x), Turkey & Cheese Sandwich(2x) for lunches.
For dinner, we both enjoyed the Roast Chicken, the Crab Cakes, and the Shrimp Scampi- I also had the BBQ Brisket and my sister had Flat Iron Steak, among other selections.
Desserts were fabulous and filling. I had cheesecake, apple crumb pie, and a brownie with caramel (sooo rich). My sister had apple crumb pie, the brownie, ice cream, and a chocolate peanut butter pie. Yum.
We appreciate Amtrak’s attention to food quality and the good service provided on a moving train- no small feat.
Per usual, we had the best time meeting Train Fans from all over the country. Certainly one of the perks of traveling in a sleeper is having all meals in the dining room and chatting with folks who choose the train. We swapped stories and learned so much about the Amtrak trains we have not yet been on. We dined with a country song writer, a retired Amtrak employee, a retired Coast Guard captain, a man who wore two cowboy hats in the LA station, a fire chief and his wife, a lady from CA, two ladies from MA, two women from British Colombia, a man from Wisconsin, and a student from China, among others. Good times; good memories.
Route: Boston to Chicago on the Lake Shore Limited
Chicago to LA on the Southwest Chief
LA to Ventura on the Pacific Surfliner
Ventura to LA on the Amtrak Bus
LA to Chicago on the Southwest Chief
Chicago to Washington D.C. on the Capitol Limited
D.C. to Boston on the Acela
Background: My sister and I recently took our 4th cross-country Amtrak trip together. (I have also taken 2 other cross-country train trips.) We travel together each year from Boston to Florida or California to vacation with relatives. Our husbands are not LD train riders, so they mind the “forts”!
This was our first Amtrak trip with sleepers. On other trips, we have stopped over at various sites to spend the night and refresh. This time, we decided to have roomettes all the way- a total of six nights. We enjoyed 4 sunny, delightful days in California with family and enjoyed 6 days and nights on the train (except for the top bunks on the Superliners.)
On the way out to CA: We arrived at South Station in Boston in good time, found the Acela Lounge and were impressed with the service and facilities. This Lounge was quiet, relaxing, well designed, and comfortable. The ceilings look like artwork.
In a timely fashion, a friendly, helpful Red Cap took us right to our LSL Sleeper Car #4920. We had reviewed the dimensions of the Viewliner roomettes online, but were still surprised at how compact they are- very good for one person- a bit snug for two. We also had a good laugh about the sink, as it sputtered and sprayed a bit until we got the gist of use!
We had lunch with our neighbor (and her travel companion) from across the hall. The lunch was the offering I had read about- a giant Walnut Fruit Salad or a Roast Beef Bleu Cheese Sandwich. We all opted for the huge salad and Apple Pie for dessert. (I will have a separate section on the Food- the selections we had were always very good to excellent- yea for Amtrak food!) The dining car was very attractive, done in green and pink. We had never seen this type of dining car. Question? What is the name of this type of dining car?
We had been on the LSL several times. The interesting, but familiar, scenery was dotted with snow and we were glad to be heading to warmer climes.
We discovered what many have said- the Viewliner roomette is quite comfortable for sleeping both up and down. This was my bunk night and I found the top bunk quite comfortable. I enjoyed looking at the stars and stops as we chugged to Chicago.
At about 1:30 a.m. my sister woke me to ask if I smelled smoke. The train had stopped and sure enough- it turned out that a pile of leaves had caught fire due to a wheel spark (according to what we were told.) Men were out near the Baggage Car with flashlights-the fire was doused, and we were on our way. The conductor came through our car to reassure us that all was well. Of course, in the meantime we had dressed quickly and were ready to evacuate. Turns out, only our end of our sleeper had smoke odors. Oh- and a ways down the road we had strong skunk smell. An exciting first evening in a sleeper, for sure!
At Chicago Union Station, we went to the Metropolitan Lounge. In our opinion, the service and facilities are not as good as the Acela Lounge in Boston. Wonder if others on the forum agree or disagree?
We boarded the SWC, car #0331 and discovered the details of a Viewliner vs. a Superliner roomette. In the Superliner, the roomette seating was as comfortable as in the Viewliner, we didn’t miss the sink or toilet in the room, we liked having the bathroom at one end of the car and the three extra bathrooms and shower and changing room downstairs. (By contrast, the shower and changing room in the Viewliner were tiny and ice and other stuff was stored there-ICE?) The Superliner upper bunk is just way too small compared to the Viewliner. We took turns in the upper bunk and feel we earned our Girl Scout Upper Bunk Camper Badges. On our next cross-country train trip we are reserving 2 roomettes for ultimate sleeping comfort.
The Southwest Chief is one of our favorite Amtrak routes to date. The New Mexico landscape and the Raton Pass are highlights. We have stopped off in Santa Fe before, from Lamy, and have developed a passion for the Southwest. We had only one glitch on this segment of the trip- the Crew Dorm had to be removed at Albuquerque due to a spring problem (we were told). The crew were housed in empty rooms or coach seats. Amtrak and the passengers handled this well.
We took the Pacific Surfliner from LA to Ventura. Our 4 days in California were filled with sun, fun with family, wine tastings in the Santa Ynez Valley, a visit to Solvang, a harbor cruise, and much walking to explore.
On our trip back to Boston from LA, we were in car #0430 on the Southwest Chief. It was another beautiful ride through New Mexico and the Midwest. We slept right through a stop to take a couple off of the train due to fighting. They were arrested (we were told.)
We took the Capitol Limited (car #3000) from Chicago to Washington D.C. where we spent a night at the Hyatt Regency near the Capitol- not far from Union Station. We boarded the Acela at 9:00 a.m. the next day to Boston.
Service: The service on our long train journey ranged from good to excellent with the exception of the desk service at the Metropolitan Lounge in Chicago. We had two excellent attendants on the Southwest Chief and fine dining car service all the way.
Food: To our tastes, the food in general was delicious. There were generous portions. We had the scrambled eggs, biscuits, potatoes or grits(on some trains), coffee, & juice for breakfast- had the Walnut Salad, Angus Burger (2x), Turkey & Cheese Sandwich(2x) for lunches.
For dinner, we both enjoyed the Roast Chicken, the Crab Cakes, and the Shrimp Scampi- I also had the BBQ Brisket and my sister had Flat Iron Steak, among other selections.
Desserts were fabulous and filling. I had cheesecake, apple crumb pie, and a brownie with caramel (sooo rich). My sister had apple crumb pie, the brownie, ice cream, and a chocolate peanut butter pie. Yum.
We appreciate Amtrak’s attention to food quality and the good service provided on a moving train- no small feat.
Per usual, we had the best time meeting Train Fans from all over the country. Certainly one of the perks of traveling in a sleeper is having all meals in the dining room and chatting with folks who choose the train. We swapped stories and learned so much about the Amtrak trains we have not yet been on. We dined with a country song writer, a retired Amtrak employee, a retired Coast Guard captain, a man who wore two cowboy hats in the LA station, a fire chief and his wife, a lady from CA, two ladies from MA, two women from British Colombia, a man from Wisconsin, and a student from China, among others. Good times; good memories.
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