Cross America Trip Tips Please!

[angilina_ballerina]

Hello!

Firstly, I'm not sure if this is the right place for this, but you all seem so knowledgeable and I wanted to take advantage!

My boyfriend and I are planning on coming over from the UK to take a trip across the USA via train, purchasing the 15 day/8 segment pass.

We are roughly planning the following route, stopping off at these cities along the way; NYC/Washington DC/New Orleans/Memphis/Chicago/Seattle/LA/San Francisco.

Does this sound feasible? From a rough look at the Amtrak site, I think this route fits in with the Amtrak timetables and train routes, but, having never experienced anything more than the train from Newark, I would love any tips or information you think might be important. Will we go crazy being on a train that much or will it be as romantic as it sounds?!

 

[duke_gal_05]

Hello!

Firstly, I'm not sure if this is the right place for this, but you all seem so knowledgeable and I wanted to take advantage!

My boyfriend and I are planning on coming over from the UK to take a trip across the USA via train, purchasing the 15 day/8 segment pass.

We are roughly planning the following route, stopping off at these cities along the way; NYC/Washington DC/New Orleans/Memphis/Chicago/Seattle/LA/San Francisco.

Does this sound feasible? From a rough look at the Amtrak site, I think this route fits in with the Amtrak timetables and train routes, but, having never experienced anything more than the train from Newark, I would love any tips or information you think might be important. Will we go crazy being on a train that much or will it be as romantic as it sounds?!

I am a NEWBIE here BUT you definitely came to the RIGHT place ... EVERYONE here is friendly, knowledgable, and willing to share. Welcome aboard.... When are you planning to do this? From what I have learned on here and my first experience booking my trip from Fayetteville NC to San Diego CA... SLEEPERS GO FAST .... I tried booking the Southwest Chief back in February for my trip in June and the roomettes were COMPLETELY SOLD OUT... opted for the Texas Eagle and was able to get a roomette there... GOOD LUCK and keep us posted on your trip

 

[Devil's Advocate]

We are roughly planning the following route, stopping off at these cities along the way; NYC/Washington DC/New Orleans/Memphis/Chicago/Seattle/LA/San Francisco. Does this sound feasible? Will we go crazy being on a train that much or will it be as romantic as it sounds?!

First of all, welcome to the forum. I'm a huge fan of passenger rail but this sort of near constant traveling would be way too much for me. You could spend a week or three exploring any one of these destinations but trying to combine them all into a near continuous whirlwind trip would be incredibly tiring and needlessly stressful in my estimation. I'd pick two or three primary exploration spots to travel between and leave the rest for next time. Unless you believe the world is going to end in 2012 or something. :lol: Having your own sleeper compartment stocked with champagne, berries, and chocolates can make for a very romantic night, but that won't be included in any rail pass and would need to be purchased separately. It's definitely worth it though.

 

[amamba]

Hi Angelina Ballerina! My favorite - and I mean most favorite - book as a child was Angelina Ballerina the mouse.

In any case, I applaud your zest for adventure to come over to the states from the UK and attempt to see the entire country in 15 days. However, it is not very much time for such an ambitious trip, especially if you want to see the cities and also build in some time for delays.

Of course as I am typing this I am on a train - the SWC #3 from Chicago to LA

The railpass has some restrictions, the first being that only so many seats are sold at the railpass price. If you could plan out your routing, you might just want to try to book individual tickets as I am not sure that the railpass is always the best value.

Do you have some more specific questions that we could answer for you? That might help to focus our advice for you.

 

[the_traveler]

Unless you're crazy for as long a train trip as possible (like me

), I also would recommend that you concentrate on just a few of the cities mentioned for your Holiday.

Remember the US is big! Trying to see it all, including stopovers and sightseeing, is about the same as us Yanks saying

I have a week off from work. I'm going to go to Europe and see EVERYTHING! I'm going to go to London, Paris, Rome, Geneva, Munich, Berlin, Oslo, Copenhagen and Amsterdam. I want to see all these cities - and don't want to miss anything!

Just traveling to all those cities you mentioned will use up most of your 15 day pass. (As I understand it, the pass is good for 15 days, not for 15 days of travel! I could be wrong, but if you start on the 1st of the month and stay at your 1st stop for 7 days, you have already used more than 1/2 of your alloted 15 days!)

Either way, enjoy your Holiday to the US!

 

[Bob Dylan]

:hi: Welcome to the forum, as has been said lots of knowledge and helpful people here! I second what the others said about trying to do too much in 15 short days! The Rail Pass can be bought for 15 day/8 segments for $389 US, 30 days/12 segments for $500+ and 45 day 18 segments for 700+,X2 since there will be 2 of you! prices might be going up, inflation is kicking our rears over here!

Roomettes or a bedroom would be extra but include meals in the diner and the price is for one or two, which is a bargain IF you can get a Low affordable price (called buckets on Amtrak, just price tiers really!)If you ride Coach you will need supplies and have to figure in food and drink, which can add to the cost alot depending on whether you buy it in the cafe car, diner or even bring it with you!

I suggest you take the New York-Washington trip, spend a couple of nights in DC, then ride the Crescent from Washiongton to New Orleans (this train is one of our bargains in sleepers when you get the low price, $142 for a roomette for 2 plus rail fare), spend a couple of nights, then if you really want to see Memphis ride the City of New Orleans there, spend a couple of nights,(Coach is fine on this segment), the take the City on to Chicago, spend some time there (there is an excellent Hostel International there on Congress St. downtown, includes breakfast for like $40 a night!), then ride the Lake Shore Limited back to New York and spend the last few days in New York before you fly home. An alternate to this to ride the Boston section of the Lake Shore to Boston, spend a couple of nights, then take the train down to New York. I'd save the West Coast trip for another time, or plan on having a longer stay, perhaps the 30 days if you have the time and $$$! Hope this helps, as was said this is a Huge Country! You can Google up Hotel info on Kayak.com and compare rates in all the Major cities, I find Orbitz. com works good but plenty of comparisons to choose from!

 

[busboy]

I agree, you won't be able to see much of anything except the inside of a train hitting all those cities. If it were me, I'd do the following routing. New York to Washington, spend a day or two, then take the Capitol to Chicago and spend a day, then take the California Zepher to San Francisco, stopping for a day in Denver. I'd drop New Orleans and Memphis from your trip, unless you have a compelling reason or desire to visit those places. The Zepher is the the most scenic route from what I've heard.

 

[angilina_ballerina]

Thank you all for your help so far! I am quite overwhelmed!

We were planning on coming next year, a last adventure before we start saving our way into the property market, which is why I think we feel we want to fit so much in. Also, there is just so much we are excited to see in your country! The trip is obviously a while off yet, but we wanted to get a rough idea so we can plan our savings (that and I love planning itinararies and tend to get started on them way in advance!)

Brief plan was as follows; fly into NYC, stay two nights, then get the Acala Express to Washington DC and spend a night there. The following evening catch the Crescent to New Orleans, sleep on the train and then spend two nights there. From there get the afternoon City of New Orleans to Memphis, spend a night in Memphis and the next day, and get the night City of New Orleans to Chicago, spending the night on the train.

Chicago was a means to end of connecting to Seattle, so we figured we might as well have a quick look at the place, then catch the Empire Builder out to Seattle (with a massive 46 hours on board!) and spend a night there.

From Seattle, the morning Coast Starlight to LA, arriving the following evening, and spend two nights there, and finally, the Pacific Surfliner, connecting by bus at Santa Barbara, to San Francisco, to spend two nights and fly home from there.

Obviously this plans is based on timetables as they are currently, so it could all fall apart by next summer!

We’re both basically big music aficianados and wanted to see a lot of places that mean something to us in that sense. We have already trimmed this down, at one point there was even mention of a visit out to the Grand Canyon...ridiculous I know! Chicago is the only place that isn’t a must see, but I couldn’t see a way to cover the other places without at least passing through it. I guess Washington DC could also be removed from the list (as that’s just because I want to see the White House), but I’m not sure what difference it would make.

I think those of you that suggest this will be too much to cover in the 17 days we have allowed (my boyfriend can’t take anymore time than that off work at once) are probably right, I think I knew that but wanted someone else with more expertise to tell me otherwise! I do know we want this trip to be as much about the journey as about the destinations,which is why we want to go by train. I guess we don't want to be too exhausted to explore the cities in the brief time we will have in them.

 

[greatcats]

I agree, you won't be able to see much of anything except the inside of a train hitting all those cities. If it were me, I'd do the following routing. New York to Washington, spend a day or two, then take the Capitol to Chicago and spend a day, then take the California Zepher to San Francisco, stopping for a day in Denver. I'd drop New Orleans and Memphis from your trip, unless you have a compelling reason or desire to visit those places. The Zepher is the the most scenic route from what I've heard.

I would suggest a stopover in Glenwood Springs rather than Denver. Great hot springs across from the station.

 

[duke_gal_05]

Thank you all for your help so far! I am quite overwhelmed!

We were planning on coming next year, a last adventure before we start saving our way into the property market, which is why I think we feel we want to fit so much in. Also, there is just so much we are excited to see in your country! The trip is obviously a while off yet, but we wanted to get a rough idea so we can plan our savings (that and I love planning itinararies and tend to get started on them way in advance!)

Brief plan was as follows; fly into NYC, stay two nights, then get the Acala Express to Washington DC and spend a night there. The following evening catch the Crescent to New Orleans, sleep on the train and then spend two nights there. From there get the afternoon City of New Orleans to Memphis, spend a night in Memphis and the next day, and get the night City of New Orleans to Chicago, spending the night on the train.

Chicago was a means to end of connecting to Seattle, so we figured we might as well have a quick look at the place, then catch the Empire Builder out to Seattle (with a massive 46 hours on board!) and spend a night there.

From Seattle, the morning Coast Starlight to LA, arriving the following evening, and spend two nights there, and finally, the Pacific Surfliner, connecting by bus at Santa Barbara, to San Francisco, to spend two nights and fly home from there.

Obviously this plans is based on timetables as they are currently, so it could all fall apart by next summer!

We're both basically big music aficianados and wanted to see a lot of places that mean something to us in that sense. We have already trimmed this down, at one point there was even mention of a visit out to the Grand Canyon...ridiculous I know! Chicago is the only place that isn't a must see, but I couldn't see a way to cover the other places without at least passing through it. I guess Washington DC could also be removed from the list (as that's just because I want to see the White House), but I'm not sure what difference it would make.

I think those of you that suggest this will be too much to cover in the 17 days we have allowed (my boyfriend can't take anymore time than that off work at once) are probably right, I think I knew that but wanted someone else with more expertise to tell me otherwise! I do know we want this trip to be as much about the journey as about the destinations,which is why we want to go by train. I guess we don't want to be too exhausted to explore the cities in the brief time we will have in them.

When you say SEE THE WHITE HOUSE... Do you mean TOUR the White House? If you mean tour... here is a link http://www.nps.gov/whho/planyourvisit/white-house-tours.htm#CP_JUMP_128825 It says Foreign Visitors InformationIf you wish to visit the White House and are a citizen of a foreign country, please contact your embassy in Washington, DC for assistance in submitting a tour request. Hope that helps... I live in NC and my daughter's class in 2009 went to DC and we had forms to complete for her to be a part of the schools tour. GOOD LUCK and Keep us posted with your progress.

 

[Anderson]

As someone who is currently bouncing around the country (I'm currently sitting in Penn Station waiting for the Lake Shore Limited, and I'll be in Chicago tomorrow for my transfer to the SW Chief), train travel burns time. For most overnight runs, you'll be getting to the station mid-afternoon on day one, and you'll arrive sometime between mid-morning and early afternoon at your destination (in most cases) on day two. Depending on the times, you can easily drop most of two days.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Brief plan was as follows; fly into NYC, stay two nights, then get the Acala Express to Washington DC and spend a night there. The following evening catch the Crescent to New Orleans, sleep on the train and then spend two nights there. From there get the afternoon City of New Orleans to Memphis, spend a night in Memphis and the next day, and get the night City of New Orleans to Chicago, spending the night on the train. Chicago was a means to end of connecting to Seattle, so we figured we might as well have a quick look at the place, then catch the Empire Builder out to Seattle (with a massive 46 hours on board!) and spend a night there. From Seattle, the morning Coast Starlight to LA, arriving the following evening, and spend two nights there, and finally, the Pacific Surfliner, connecting by bus at Santa Barbara, to San Francisco, to spend two nights and fly home from there.

How many trips have you taken with your boyfriend thus far and have any of them ever approached anything of this size and complexity before? The first thing that jumps to mind is how incredibly stressful keeping that kind of schedule could be and how incredibly boring being cooped up on train after train is likely to become. Take it from someone who has ridden Amtrak dozens of times and traveled hundreds of thousands of kilometers with friends and lovers: If you want to keep your relationship intact when all this is over then you'll want to trim most of your current schedule and leave it for another trip at another time. I'm not kidding. In its current form your trip would require consitant execution by both of you and by Amtrak. The chances of everything working out exactly as planned are rather unlikely. Throw in a serious complication or two like an unexpected delay or illness or argument and you may have inadvertently created a relationship killing experience. Better to keep things loose to allow for recovering from any diversions and you'll be much happier in the end. ^_^

 

[angilina_ballerina]

I wonder if removing Chicago and Seattle from the route would help? Going directly from Memphis to LA? We need to have a good think!

 

[Anderson]

How much time are you allowing for the trip? If it's two weeks, consider the possibility of doing NYC, Chicago, and Washington (in that order):

Day 1: Arrive New York. Clearing the airport and getting to a hotel will drop a fair share of the day, so consider this day at most a partial.

Day 2-4: Tour NYC

Day 5: Morning in NYC, overnight to Chicago (depart 3:45 PM).

Day 6: Arrive Chicago, approx. 10 AM.

Day 7-8: Tour Chicago

Day 9: Morning in Chicago, overnight to DC (depart 6:40 PM)

Day 10: Arrive Washington, approx. 1 PM

Day 11-12: Tour Washington

Day 13: Return to NYC via the Acela.

Day 14: Return to Europe. Another partial day (at best).

 

[the_traveler]

Brief plan was as follows; fly into NYC, stay two nights, then get the Acala Express to Washington DC and spend a night there. The following evening catch the Crescent to New Orleans, sleep on the train and then spend two nights there. From there get the afternoon City of New Orleans to Memphis, spend a night in Memphis and the next day, and get the night City of New Orleans to Chicago, spending the night on the train.

Chicago was a means to end of connecting to Seattle, so we figured we might as well have a quick look at the place, then catch the Empire Builder out to Seattle (with a massive 46 hours on board!) and spend a night there.

From Seattle, the morning Coast Starlight to LA, arriving the following evening, and spend two nights there, and finally, the Pacific Surfliner, connecting by bus at Santa Barbara, to San Francisco, to spend two nights and fly home from there.

As I said earlier, I think it is 15 calendar days from start to finish. Also, anytime you change a train or bus, that is another segment. And one more thing, the pass can not be used on the Acela Express at all!

Based on your list above, here's what I see:

1. Stay in NYC
2. Stay in NYC
3. Train to Washington
4. Stay in Washington
5. Take train to New Orleans
6. On the Crescent - Arrives late evening
7. Stay in New Orleans
8. Stay in New Orleans
9. Train to Memphis - overnight in Memphis
10. Take train to Chicago on the City of New Orleans, spend a few hours and board the Empire Builder to Seattle.
11. On Empire Builder
12. Arrive in Seattle mid-morning and overnight
13. Depart early morning on Coast Starlight
14. On Coast Starlight - arrive late evening in LA
15. Stay in LA
16. Stay in LA
17. Take Surfliner to Santa Barbara, then Thruway bus to SF
18. Stay in SF
19. Stay in SF

Now as far as segments (The first number is if you take an Acela Express between NYC and Washington, the 2nd number is if you take any other train.)

• NYC-Washington = 0/1
• Washington-New Orleans - 1/2
• New Orleans-Memphis = 2/3
• Memphis-Chicago = 3/4
• Chicago-Seattle = 4/5
• Seattle-LA = 5/6
• LA-Santa Barbara = 6/7
• Santa Barbara-SF = 7/8

Your pass would be used for days 3 to 17. So you see it may be doable, but it would be very rushed. And this also assumes that all trains are on time, and the connection in Chicago is made.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I wonder if removing Chicago and Seattle from the route would help? Going directly from Memphis to LA? We need to have a good think!

I would try a trip more like the following.

Suggestion 1: New York, Washington D.C. & Chicago/New Orleans.

Suggestion 2: Chicago, Seattle/Portland, & San Francisco

You'll have more than enough exploring to do without spending all of your time on the rails or rushing to and from the station. The US isn't going anywhere (we hope) so why rush it? Take your time to enjoy your surroundings and really get a feel for what makes each of these great cities uniquely interesting and vibrant. The less complex your trip is and the more padding you allow the better your chances of everything working smoothly.

 

[busboy]

Thank you all for your help so far! I am quite overwhelmed!

We were planning on coming next year, a last adventure before we start saving our way into the property market, which is why I think we feel we want to fit so much in. Also, there is just so much we are excited to see in your country! The trip is obviously a while off yet, but we wanted to get a rough idea so we can plan our savings (that and I love planning itinararies and tend to get started on them way in advance!)

Brief plan was as follows; fly into NYC, stay two nights, then get the Acala Express to Washington DC and spend a night there. The following evening catch the Crescent to New Orleans, sleep on the train and then spend two nights there. From there get the afternoon City of New Orleans to Memphis, spend a night in Memphis and the next day, and get the night City of New Orleans to Chicago, spending the night on the train.

Chicago was a means to end of connecting to Seattle, so we figured we might as well have a quick look at the place, then catch the Empire Builder out to Seattle (with a massive 46 hours on board!) and spend a night there.

From Seattle, the morning Coast Starlight to LA, arriving the following evening, and spend two nights there, and finally, the Pacific Surfliner, connecting by bus at Santa Barbara, to San Francisco, to spend two nights and fly home from there.

Obviously this plans is based on timetables as they are currently, so it could all fall apart by next summer!

We're both basically big music aficianados and wanted to see a lot of places that mean something to us in that sense. We have already trimmed this down, at one point there was even mention of a visit out to the Grand Canyon...ridiculous I know! Chicago is the only place that isn't a must see, but I couldn't see a way to cover the other places without at least passing through it. I guess Washington DC could also be removed from the list (as that's just because I want to see the White House), but I'm not sure what difference it would make.

I think those of you that suggest this will be too much to cover in the 17 days we have allowed (my boyfriend can't take anymore time than that off work at once) are probably right, I think I knew that but wanted someone else with more expertise to tell me otherwise! I do know we want this trip to be as much about the journey as about the destinations,which is why we want to go by train. I guess we don't want to be too exhausted to explore the cities in the brief time we will have in them.

Your trip does sound doable, but if you miss your train connection in Chicago, it could put the whole schedule in jeopardy. Trains in the US don't run with clockwork precision like they do in Europe. On the other hand, it sounds like a fun trip, if you can remain flexible and willing to change plans on the fly, you will have a good time. If you need hotels, I suggest you use priceline.com and bid for hotels in the cities you will be over nighting in. Often you can get rooms at less than half advertised rates.

Have fun and keep us posted! If you come thru Charlotte NC you can spend stay at my house for free!

 

[amamba]

I hate to argue, but I wouldn't use priceline or make any other sort of nonrefundable hotel reservations when paired with train travel, because of delays, missed connections etc.