First time on the City of New Orleans

[taking the cars]

My wife and I have bedroom accommodations on No. 59 (Car 5900, Room E) and Roomette accommodations on No. 59 (Car 5800, Room 8) for a trip leaving Chicago on 13JA09 and returning on 18JA09. We will be starting in Dearborn, MI on the Wolverine. This is our first overnight trip. Just two weeks ago we broke the ice on long-distance Amtrak travel by taking the Empire Builder in St Paul, Minnesota and survived the associated delays. We expect an even better trip heading south.

Any suggestions or advice on making the trip a smooth one?

 

[had8ley]

My wife and I have bedroom accommodations on No. 59 (Car 5900, Room E) and Roomette accommodations on No. 59 (Car 5800, Room 8) for a trip leaving Chicago on 13JA09 and returning on 18JA09. We will be starting in Dearborn, MI on the Wolverine. This is our first overnight trip. Just two weeks ago we broke the ice on long-distance Amtrak travel by taking the Empire Builder in St Paul, Minnesota and survived the associated delays. We expect an even better trip heading south.
Any suggestions or advice on making the trip a smooth one?

First of all you have the best bedroom (E) in the car. It is in the middle and rides better and is convenient to the stair way and coffee station. You will experience one of Amtrak's latest innovations~ I won't comment about it but will tell you it is different than the traditional dining car. It's called the Cross Country Cafe and has regional specialties such as red beans and rice and bread pudding. You will probably not have a lounge car but there have been reports that the City might get it back.The City can't hold a candle to the Empire Builder in terms of service or ambiance; Amtrak has designated the Empire Builder as a premier train and has added (or some say not subtracted) some of the silver ware and china and other frills such as champagne leaving Chicago. Be sure to get a dinner reservation when you board in Chicago as you might not get to eat if you don't. The City is a less traveled train than what you have experienced. Once you leave Memphis you'll probably feel like you have the whole train to yourselves. After Jackson the ridership really dwindles. You'll probably be riding a one engine 5-7 car train. Enjoy your trip

 

[RailFanLNK]

I agree with Had8ley to that "E" is the best bedroom by far. What I liked about it was that I could open up my door and the OJ and coffee were right there. And if I chose to use the downstairs bathroom for sitting down purposes since trains don't have windows, you could be right there with the stairwell right by the room. Enjoy your trip! I have never been on the CONO, but any LD train is always a fun trip for me!

Al

 

[George Harris]

Are you going all the way to New Orleans or stopping somewhere short of it?

 

[ourlouisiana]

Only thing we can add is that you can be prepared for a less than smooth ride. On our trip this last summer, we asked about it and our attendant told us that the CN main is one of the roughest that Amtrak has.

The be prepared when you hit Louisiana for any kind of weather. Long range predictions for the 15th are below average (45high - 30low), but then

that forecast can change daily !!!

Enjoy the trip.

 

[taking the cars]

Are you going all the way to New Orleans or stopping somewhere short of it?

Yes, We are going all the way to New Orleans. We are renting a car as I have a speaking engagement in Baton Rouge on the 15th. We are spending the weekend in NO and then returning to Michigan. Our hotel in NO is on St. Charles so we'll also get to ride the street car.

We plan on taking advantage of having diner on board before the train leaves Chicago--if the afternoon Wolverine is on time.

As with our Amtrak experience before Christmas, we are prepared to relax and enjoy the experience--rough track or not.

Thanks for the comments.

 

[AlanB]

Bill,

Make sure that assuming the Wolverine is on time, that you take full advantage of the Metropolitan Lounge in Chicago. These lounges are a nice quiet refuge in the often-bustling train station. They have nice plush chairs, computer terminals, newspapers, TV's, luggage storage, free soft drinks, juices, coffee, tea, and clean safe bathrooms. They also allow you to board your train before the rest of the masses.

It is located on the lower level of Union Station, which is also the track level. If you are standing in front of the Amtrak ticket windows, then the Amtrak waiting area is to your left. When you enter the main Amtrak waiting area through a sliding glass door, just walk forward and slightly to the left. There should be another sliding glass door along with a sign, unless they've changed the entrance in the last few months. Again, just show your tickets and relax.

They'll also give you a card that contains the time that you need to return to the lounge by, in order to board the train and not miss it. If you do leave the lounge, take this card with you as it is also your pass for reentering the lounge. Just wave it at the attendants as you walk in and one will usually look up and acknowledge you and the card. Note the Chicago lounge can be very busy and it sometimes can be hard to get a seat, but you still get the free stuff and priority boarding.

Note: They may make you leave your carry-on bags in the luggage room inside the lounge, if the lounge is very crowded. There is a redcap manning this room who will give you a claim check for your bags, such that you can claim them shortly before you board the train. One nice advantage of this is the fact that you can park your carryon bags here, while you wander around Chicago and do lunch, assuming that your trains arrive on time.

They'll most likely take your dinner reservation in the lounge, and usually send you out to the train by 7:00 to 7:15 so as to get people started on an earlier dinner.

 

[ThayerATM]

Are you going all the way to New Orleans or stopping somewhere short of it?

Yes, We are going all the way to New Orleans. We are renting a car as I have a speaking engagement in Baton Rouge on the 15th. We are spending the weekend in NO and then returning to Michigan. Our hotel in NO is on St. Charles so we'll also get to ride the street car.

We plan on taking advantage of having diner on board before the train leaves Chicago--if the afternoon Wolverine is on time.

As with our Amtrak experience before Christmas, we are prepared to relax and enjoy the experience--rough track or not.

Thanks for the comments.

My wife and I took the CONO last november and used bedroom E from CHI to NOL, then back to CHI. That bedroom is certainly convenient to everything.

The track ISN'T all THAT rough, and we certainly were able to sleep. The CCC is an interesting experience. The lounge was no-where as crowded as I though it would be, and the staff certainly was attentive. But DO make your reservations for dinner after that initial meal at deparure. That night after early boarding from the Metropolitan Lounge in CHI, your car attendant will probably urge you to go right down to the "diner" to get a good seat. We were seated at a table with a regular on the train, and it was most pleasant. That meal I chose local Cajun, but some of the Cajun stuff didn't "look" as good as it tasted. <_< All the food on the CCC was good, albeit somewhat unglamorous, for lunch. I seem to remember stainless steel utinsles at dinner, but that might have been another lifetime. B)

Since you're starting from Michigan, I presume you'll have a winter coat with you. That's a good thing, and there's pleanty of room to hang it on the train. We wore our winter coats every time we were outside in NO. It was cold. Interestingly, on the way back, it was colder in Memphis than it was in CHI, and CHI was cold.

While you're waiting in the station to depart from NOL, don't be afraid to use the Magnolia Room. It certainly doesn't have the ambience of the Metropolitan Lounge in CHI, but the conductor will come and get you there, and walk you past a LONG LONG line of coach passengers waiting to board the CONO. And I'll bet you'll be able to set your watch as the train pulls out. It was precisely on time, and the crew seems to be quite interested in keeping the train on time.

AND, while you're in New Orleans, a meal at Moulats (I hope I spelled that correctly, but I think you can Google it up to correct my spelling). The Washington Post once said that it is the most under-rated restaurant in the United States. Moulat's has recovered from Katrina and they're back in full swing. First time I ever ate alligator. It tastes a lot like fried clams, but is a lot more tender. NO, it doesn't taste like chicken.

 

[ThayerATM]

Bill,
Make sure that assuming the Wolverine is on time, that you take full advantage of the Metropolitan Lounge in Chicago. These lounges are a nice quiet refuge in the often-bustling train station. They have nice plush chairs, computer terminals, newspapers, TV's, luggage storage, free soft drinks, juices, coffee, tea, and clean safe bathrooms. They also allow you to board your train before the rest of the masses.

It is located on the lower level of Union Station, which is also the track level. If you are standing in front of the Amtrak ticket windows, then the Amtrak waiting area is to your left. When you enter the main Amtrak waiting area through a sliding glass door, just walk forward and slightly to the left. There should be another sliding glass door along with a sign, unless they've changed the entrance in the last few months. Again, just show your tickets and relax.

They'll also give you a card that contains the time that you need to return to the lounge by, in order to board the train and not miss it. If you do leave the lounge, take this card with you as it is also your pass for reentering the lounge. Just wave it at the attendants as you walk in and one will usually look up and acknowledge you and the card. Note the Chicago lounge can be very busy and it sometimes can be hard to get a seat, but you still get the free stuff and priority boarding.

Note: They may make you leave your carry-on bags in the luggage room inside the lounge, if the lounge is very crowded. There is a redcap manning this room who will give you a claim check for your bags, such that you can claim them shortly before you board the train. One nice advantage of this is the fact that you can park your carryon bags here, while you wander around Chicago and do lunch, assuming that your trains arrive on time.

They'll most likely take your dinner reservation in the lounge, and usually send you out to the train by 7:00 to 7:15 so as to get people started on an earlier dinner.

Just to add a couple of things here...

Each time we've arrived at the Metro Lounge it hasn't been crowded, but we still check our carry-on stuff there. As long as you have your checking stubs, they allow you access to your luggage at any time to get something, or to put something in. I prefer to pick my stuff up before the call for the train so that I can personally hand the carry-on luggage to a red-cap, and he knows who it belongs to.

When we took the CONO they didn't take any reservations for the early dinner on the train in the Metropolitan Lounge. But with boarding at 7:15 for an 8:00 departure, that wasn't a problem. We got really good dinner seating (without reservations) by being on the train by 7:15, and the car attendant told us to go right down to the dining (CCC) car. We did. B) I wouldn't recommend "no reservations" for any meal other than breakfast after being under way.

 

[Larry H.]

I agree, the track on the Empire Builder in those "bad" sections out of Minneapolis and the Lake Shore route are way worse than what the City experiences. Not much of a train, hopefully a lounge will return someday. Take your duct tape, the sleepers on the City seem to be the culls and are usually extremely noisy with the doors and beds rattling all the time..

 

[Kramerica]

My wife and I took the CONO last summer, and it was also our first experience in a sleeper. (roomette 4 both ways) I have a few recommendations.

- If noise bothers you during sleep, bring earplugs because your car is very close to the engine. My consist was Engine, Engine, Transition dorm, sleeper, CCC, coaches. I was able to sleep, but if you're a light sleeper I could see it being a problem.

- I always bring hard-soled slippers for the train. Very relaxing, but still good for crossing between cars.

- We boarded around 7 PM and got a 7:30 reservation for dinner. In hindsight, I'd have made the reservation for 8 PM (departure time) so the entire meal was while we were underway. Eating with the dark train shed as the window view wasn't much.

- I'd recommend the Old Coffee Pot on St Peter Street in the French Quarter. We ate there every morning.

Enjoy your trip! We enjoyed ours!

 

[MStrain]

taking the cars:

I am taking the CONO on Feb 7th from JAN to NOL. I am an unofficial New Orleans expert, so ask away if you have any questions about dining, what to see, where to hang out, etc. I'm full of it.....I mean, of suggestions :lol:

And Kramerica, was it I that told you about the Old Coffee Pot? My favorite place! Best French Toast.....hands down.

 

[Rail Freak]

taking the cars:
I am taking the CONO on Feb 7th from JAN to NOL. I am an unofficial New Orleans expert, so ask away if you have any questions about dining, what to see, where to hang out, etc. I'm full of it.....I mean, of suggestions :lol:

And Kramerica, was it I that told you about the Old Coffee Pot? My favorite place! Best French Toast.....hands down.

Thanx expert:

A close , reasonable place to lay my head for the night traveling thru NO on Amtrak?

 

[MStrain]

Rail Freak,

I sent you a personal message with a specific hotel name.....not sure if we are supposed to post those kind of adverts or not?! Anyhow......for the rest, please check out www.neworleansfinehotels.com for great rates. A fellow passenger told me about that on the CONO last year. Great deals!

MStrain

 

[taking the cars]

Trip update so far:

Wolverine to Chicago on 13 January--smooth ride and a few minutes early--better than expected!

The Metropolitan Lounge at Chicago Union Station--a great oasis, nice snacks and restrooms, wireless Internet, friendly service.

We boarded the CONO (No. 59) around 7:10/7:15. The attendant showed us to our room, explained everything and told us that we would be seated in the CCC at 8 when the train left, which it did on time. We enjoyed a very nice dinner with another delightful couple. The ambiance was not as luxurious as in the days of white table cloths and railroad china, but nice nonetheless. By the time we finished our meal, our bed was turned down. The bedroom was larger than we expected and both of us were comfortable on the lower berth. The dinning car crew was friendly and did an excellent job serving our meals. Everything but appetizers and alcoholic beverages were included in the three meals that went along with our bedroom accommodations. Plenty of free bottle water, juice and coffee were available in our car.

Since this was our first sleeper car experience, we stayed up for awhile to watch the scenery go by lit by a full moon

The only complaint about the room (E on car 5900) was that the window side of the room was very warm and the door side just right to coll. No blankets needed.

Just south of Champaign-Urbanna, Illinois at about 10:30 or 11 p.m. the train was halted because of a weather-related rail splits. It took two hours for he repairs to be made. As a result we were eating breakfast as we approached Memphis not as we reached Mississippi. The train lost another thirty minutes along the way, which threatened our rental car pick-up. Fortunately, some time was made up and we arrived in NO one hour and fifty minutes late with a half hour to spare.

One additional delay was caused by the driver of a pick-up truck in Mississippi who raced the train to a crossing. There was no collision, but the engineer was forced to make an emergency stop about two football fields past the crossing. After a safety check, we were on our way, but for the next two hours the engineer laid on the horn long and loud at every crossing.

We spent two days in Baton Rouge and are now back in New Orleans. Our hotel is on the streetcar line and a rental car is not necessary.

Every Amtrak employee that we encountered on the southbound trip was friendly, enthusiastic and helpful. We have a roomette (#8 on car 5800) for our return trip as the bedrooms are sold out. The roomettes look smaller than we imagined. It does not look like an upgrade will be available because of on heavy travel the MLK holiday on Monday

We are sure glad that we had our winter coats! It is sunny in NO.

Look for an update in a few days as we are leaving on Sunday afternoon. We did find out that we are allowed to use the Metropolitan Lounge in Chicago while waiting for the eastbound Wolverine on Monday afternoon because we had sleeper accommodations from New Orleans--a nice perk.

The street car rides have been fun. You can get a three-day pass for unlimited rides on the street cars and the buses. We bought ours at our hotel Quality Inn Maison St. Charles--about a mile from Union Depot.

 

[bds1960to]

Trip update so far:
Wolverine to Chicago on 13 January--smooth ride and a few minutes early--better than expected!

The Metropolitan Lounge at Chicago Union Station--a great oasis, nice snacks and restrooms, wireless Internet, friendly service.

We boarded the CONO (No. 59) around 7:10/7:15. The attendant showed us to our room, explained everything and told us that we would be seated in the CCC at 8 when the train left, which it did on time. We enjoyed a very nice dinner with another delightful couple. The ambiance was not as luxurious as in the days of white table cloths and railroad china, but nice nonetheless. By the time we finished our meal, our bed was turned down. The bedroom was larger than we expected and both of us were comfortable on the lower berth. The dinning car crew was friendly and did an excellent job serving our meals. Everything but appetizers and alcoholic beverages were included in the three meals that went along with our bedroom accommodations. Plenty of free bottle water, juice and coffee were available in our car.

Since this was our first sleeper car experience, we stayed up for awhile to watch the scenery go by lit by a full moon

The only complaint about the room (E on car 5900) was that the window side of the room was very warm and the door side just right to coll. No blankets needed.

Just south of Champaign-Urbanna, Illinois at about 10:30 or 11 p.m. the train was halted because of a weather-related rail splits. It took two hours for he repairs to be made. As a result we were eating breakfast as we approached Memphis not as we reached Mississippi. The train lost another thirty minutes along the way, which threatened our rental car pick-up. Fortunately, some time was made up and we arrived in NO one hour and fifty minutes late with a half hour to spare.

One additional delay was caused by the driver of a pick-up truck in Mississippi who raced the train to a crossing. There was no collision, but the engineer was forced to make an emergency stop about two football fields past the crossing. After a safety check, we were on our way, but for the next two hours the engineer laid on the horn long and loud at every crossing.

We spent two days in Baton Rouge and are now back in New Orleans. Our hotel is on the streetcar line and a rental car is not necessary.

Every Amtrak employee that we encountered on the southbound trip was friendly, enthusiastic and helpful. We have a roomette (#8 on car 5800) for our return trip as the bedrooms are sold out. The roomettes look smaller than we imagined. It does not look like an upgrade will be available because of on heavy travel the MLK holiday on Monday

We are sure glad that we had our winter coats! It is sunny in NO.

Look for an update in a few days as we are leaving on Sunday afternoon. We did find out that we are allowed to use the Metropolitan Lounge in Chicago while waiting for the eastbound Wolverine on Monday afternoon because we had sleeper accommodations from New Orleans--a nice perk.

The street car rides have been fun. You can get a three-day pass for unlimited rides on the street cars and the buses. We bought ours at our hotel Quality Inn Maison St. Charles--about a mile from Union Depot.

Are you going to have time to write about your return trip? I'm all ears. (I'm planning same trip next Christmas.)

 

[Gingee]

Just back from the train from New Orleans (we were one of the pickups in Champaign) and I will tell you that I slept better leaving New Orleans than heading there. Maybe I was more excited going there versus coming back. Our room attendants were good but not spectacular. Our best attendants was the Empire one. He was great (both ways). I am looking forward to the review when he gets back also. Love New Orleans

 

[taking the cars]

Are you going to have time to write about your return trip? I'm all ears. (I'm planning same trip next Christmas.)

Sorry for the delay in the trip report for the return leg. We went to Springfield, Illinois last weekend (by car unfortunately as we were hauling a truck full or stuff). Now to the report:

The weather finally warmed up enough on Sunday morning (18 January) that we did not need our winter coats. Before taking a taxi from the hotel to the train station, we took a streetcar ride through the Garden District to the zoo area.

Once at the train station we checked in at the counter and got our security code for the Magnolia Room. It was much smaller than expected and not the same as the Metropolitan Lounge in Chicago. It was quiet and secure, but there was only coffee and no other refreshments. Baggage was secure in the room as you needed the security code to get in. The best part was that we were called to line up for the train and taken down to our car. For the return trip we had a roomette instead of a bedroom.

We knew by inspecting the roomette on the southbound ride that it would be smaller. We packed accordingly by putting our overnight clothes and toiletries in a small cloth bag. Both hard suitcases were left in the lower level baggage area. There was room to hang our coats and store our PC, a snack bag and my wife's travel backpack.

We were disappointed to learn that because of train's 1:45 PM departure that we would NOT be getting lunch. We were not the only surprised sleeping car passengers. We had the option of paying for food at the other end of the CCC or our own snacks. We opted for snacking and made reservations for an early supper.

Our car attendant was nice, but nice as professional as the one on the southbound train. We had the same dining car attendant, who was super friendly (lived in New Orleans) and earned an larger tip.

The train departed on time and was on schedule throughout the trip.

Our beds were turned down when we got back from dinner. Unlike the bedroom, there was not room for two people to sleep on lower the so Glenna Jo volunteered for the upper when we finally retired. We were able to comfortable sit on the lower until bedtime. The lower bathrooms were clean, but the upper one down the aisle had a clogged sink.

We shared breakfast with a couple we met heading south. We exchanged stories about each others' days in New Orleans that past few days. This was also their first trip on the CONL. We were told that breakfast was only going to be served from 6:00 ti 7:15 a.m. due to the early arrival in Chicago (9:00 a.m.). Actually the last call was at 7:15. We got up early--saw the sunrise over snowy central Illinois.

We arrived in Chicago only a few minutes late. As we held sleeping car tickets we were entitled to use the Metropolitan Lounge while waiting for the eastbound Wolverine upon, on which we had coach seats. We still had to line up with the coach passengers, but we had learned the timing of getting to the front of the line with coach tickets.

The Wolverine left on time, but stopped for nearly an hour just ten minutes outside of Union Station. Eventually, two passenger trains and a freight passed and we were on our way. The time was never made up and by the time we got to Dearborn there was an additional thirty minutes added to the late arrival. We anticipated this and just wrote it up to winter in Michigan and the Wolverine versus freight traffic. There were snow squalls. The extra time was a good trade-off to winter driving.

I left a pair of glasses on the Wolverine--cleaned up my trash on the seat back, but the glasses slipped lower and went un-noticed when we got off. I was able to get a contact for the Pontiac, Michigan car maintenance and car cleaning shop. The car cleaner found my glasses and I made a short trip up to the shop last Monday to pick them up. I found out that Amtrak has about a ninety percent lost item recovery rate. I bought the car cleaner and the repair supervisor lunch.

Overall we had a great time taking the cars. We thought the the price was right and enjoyed the total experience even with a few delays and some rough track in spots. We are looking forward to our next train trip. We'll be happy to answer questions about our limited, but now wider knowledge of the train and New Orleans.

 

[gswager]

Glad to hear about your trip. Must be nice to stay in a warmer south than in Michigan.