Well I returned home last Wednesday afternoon, but haven't had the opportunity to sit down and share my experiences with this lovely group until now.
NOL to CHI - When I arrived at the train station here in New Orleans, I thought I was late for boarding, but turned out to be the first person in line. The agent at the desk told me where to go stand and then all of a sudden everyone else appeared behind me. Not 5 minutes later, I was sent out to board the train, so I excitedly trekked to the front of the train and jump on board. Unfortunately I do not remember the SCA's name for that leg of the trip, but I know it wasn't Kevin as CAMISSY55 reported before my trip. The lounge car attendant was a woman, so I didn't get Vincent either. Unless I'm misunderstanding Vincent's role. I was thinking he's the person selling food at the snack bar...?
There was a single announcement for lunch once everyone in Coach was on board, but I didn't partake at that point. When dinner time rolled around, I wasn't really in the mood for something substantial so I bought a small pizza from the snack bar.
We arrived in Chicago on time and everything went smoothly for the rest of my vacation.
CHI to NOL - I had only one thing planned the day of my departure, so I spent the afternoon, from about 2 PM to boarding time (for an 8 PM departure), wandering around Union Station. The two lovely ladies in the Metropolitan Lounge were just the best. A dynamic duo if I ever saw one. Lol
I remember the SCA was Daniel and once again I was the first person on the car, so I dropped my stuff and got back off to chat. Daniel was surprised that I'd want to stand there and talk to him and the conductor. I didn't see anything wrong with it, so we chatted til it was time to leave. I wish I had gotten the name of the conductor, because he was hilarious. All I know is that he was due to get off in Southern Illinois for his shift. When he asked how far I was going and I replied, "all the way to the end," he said his A.D.D. wouldn't allow him to go that far. There was a single dinner announcement despite the late hour, but I just went to the snack bar and got a cup of Ramen noodles. I'd had a late, filling lunch so I wasn't terribly hungry at that point.
Final thoughts -
I didn't want this post to be too detailed because I know all of you are familiar with how things go and I know that not every trip is going to be like this, but I'd say my overall impression of my first overnight train trip was awesome. I couldn't have asked for anything better. Next time I travel, though, I will definitely take a small travel size Static Guard because the blankets I used were FULL of static and I loathe static. Also, I would take a pair of ear plugs. Coming back, we stopped at a station around 11:30 PM and the women who got on were obnoxiously loud. I would've thought that people had more courtesy than to make all that noise so late at night when sound carries in that tight space.
I also had the fortune of having an upper roomette going up and a lower one coming back. I'm not sure which I prefer since there's noise no matter what. Maybe if I'd had an upper roomette nearer the center of the car rather than right at the door to the diner car, things might've been different. As far as movement of the train, I felt it equally up or down.
